Page 82 of Pippa of Lauramore
“I don’t know, Your Highness, but it’s urgent.” He turns his attention back to Yuven. “King Ewan wants you to bring supplies immediately.”
For the first time today, I forget about my throbbing shoulder, and I’m at the herbalist’s heels as he rushes after the knight. We burst into the physician’s quarters, and relief rushes through me. It’s not Archer or Galinor. Therelief is short-lived. I’m struck with panic when I recognize the man in the corner.
“Irving!” I rush past the man I don’t know to get to the prince’s side. His entire right arm and shoulder are covered in burns, and his leg is oozing blood from a long, grisly wound. “What happened?”
He’s only partially conscious and doesn’t answer.
One of the physician’s maids brings me hot water and cloths, and I clean the wounds. I’ve mended a few scrapes here and there, but I’ve never tended anything equal to this. I fight a wave of nausea and focus on the task at hand. I choke down my fear. “What do I do?”
“Clean it, apply the salve, then wrap the wounds,” Yuven calls from the other man’s side.
I medicate and wrap Irving’s leg wound. Once his leg is tended, I smear burn salve on his arm and shoulder.
He drifts to full consciousness as I finish. He gives me a pained grin. “Did I win?”
I laugh, but there’s not much joy in it. “How do you feel?”
“Like I had a run-in with a dragon.”
“What happened?” I ask as I settle in a chair next to him.
“I thought I was stealthy, sneaking into his lair unnoticed, but he saw me.” He closes his eyes. “He warned me if I didn’t leave he was going to singe me. He was true to his word.”
One of the maids hands me a cup of tea, and I help him up to a seated position. I hand him the drink. “What did he do to your leg?”
He makes a funny face when he sips it. “I fell down aravine while I was trying to escape the flames. He laughed at me—the bloody beast laughed at me! That’s the last thing I remember before the knights found me.”
Father must have men out scouting during the tournament. To a large degree, that makes me feel better. It might also be a problem. What if they find Galinor and Archer together?
The physician, Clarion, comes to Irving now. He rubs his white beard as he assesses my work. With careful hands, he lifts the bandages over the burns. “You’ll be fine, young prince. It looks worse than it actually is. I don’t expect it will scar.”
Irving sighs and looks relieved. “Not that I’m vain, mind you, but that’s a relief.”
“That will need to be stitched.” Clarion examines Irving’s leg, tucks the bandage back down, and then turns to me. “Pippa, how is your shoulder? Let me look at it.”
I grumble but end up sitting for an examination. Clarion’s tended me since I was young, and I was in his quarters often. I know by now he won’t take no for an answer.
“Yuven did a fine job,” he says after his assessment, his voice full of pride.
The herbalist wraps the head of the other man, who I now recognize as the lord from Biorth, but he glances up when he hears his name, looking quietly pleased.
“Irving.” I’ve just now realized if he came back with a treasure, he will be tied with Lionel at ten points. “Did you get the treasure?”
His eyes are already droopy from the tea. “I’m sorry, my love. I did not.”
Lionel is still in the lead.
I’mweary as I eat dinner. Lady Marigold is quiet beside me. She’s barely said a word. There are dark circles under her eyes, and I know she hasn’t slept much. After she heard of Irving’s injuries, she spent the day with him instead of resting like I think she should have.
Many more men have returned. All are a little ragged, but none are as beat up as Irving. Like him, none obtained the dragon treasure. Tomorrow evening is the end of the hunt.
I eat, but I don’t taste my food.
A knight enters the great hall and speaks with my father. Usually, I wouldn’t pay him any mind, but the look on his face has caught my attention. He looks as tired as I feel. I excuse myself from Marigold, who only nods, and I kneel beside Father.
“Is it another one?”
He nods. “Would you like to assist Clarion again?”
