Natural Ordermage

XCIX

“You don’t look back…look back…The past has no hold on you.” The words echoed through the hot darkness, only to be replaced by other phrases, one after another. “He doesn’t seem inclined to listen…not inclined to listen…has to learn everything the hard way…everything the hard way…it’s up to you…life doesn’t provide private tutors…use your skills without thinking…you lack adequate forethought…just keep to the piers…do your own job…always blaming others…whiner…”

The words vanished, only to be replaced by the image of a brown-haired woman in healer green, looking sadly at him even as her image dwindled into the distance and vanished.

Deybri…vanishing once more…

Rahl coughed, then shuddered.

His face felt as though it were on fire and still burned. Slowly, he opened his eyes. He was in an unfamiliar chamber, and it was light outside the single narrow window. How long had he been struggling through the darkness? What had happened?

“You’re awake. Good.” The voice belonged to Hewart, who stepped closer to the bed on which Rahl lay.

“Where…?” Rahl croaked.

“In the infirmary. You’re lucky to be alive. Very fortunate,” Hewart said, looking down at him. “Suvynt said that you’d gone to check on the Jeranyi vessel, or we wouldn’t have been looking for you.”

“Captain…undercaptain?” Rahl croaked.

“No one can find the captain. We think that he might have been killed by the blast on the Jeranyi ship. Someone killed the undercaptain. At least, it looks that way. All we could find were his blade and boots, and insignia and parts of his cap and uniform. It looks like a Jeranyi plot. You were just lucky.”

“Who takes over…in charge?”

“The regional commander is running things, but Jyrolt and someone from Luba are coming as well. The Jeranyi were up to more than what anyone knows happened, so far, anyway, but no one’s quite sure what happened. They think it might be tied into the rebellion in Merowey.”

“Rebellion…” Rahl tried to remember. He had known something about that, about the Emperor’s brother being behind it. How could that be tied to the Jeranyi? He didn’t know, and it was still hard to think, and his face burned, and his breathing was labored.

“You don’t have much order left in you, Rahl, but you should be all right before long.” Hewart lifted a mug of something. “Heavy beer. It’ll help a lot.”

Rahl had to swallow slowly, and his throat was more than a little sore, but he got all the beer down.

“Good.” Hewart smiled. “Now you need to rest.”

Questions swirled around in Rahl’s head, but before he could ask any more, the hot darkness rose and swallowed him once again.