Page 24 of The Eyes of Tamburah
At least that was the plan. Half sliding and half crawling, she reached the landing, removed her sun cloak and used it as a pillow. Her muscles objected to the hard surface, but it didn’t take long before she passed out.
Voices woke her…later. Someone nudged her shoulder. Shyla waved the sigil and ordered them away. All was blessedly quiet. She drifted back to sleep. Her peace didn’t last. Another voice—this one familiar—insisted on her attention. She opened her eyes.
Rendor peered at her in concern. “What happened?”
“Holy water and too many levels.”
He scowled and muttered a curse. “Can you stand?”
“Can’t you just leave me here?”
“No.”
“But I have the Water Prince’s sigil.”
“That doesn’t work on me.”
Now she uttered a curse. Gathering her energy, Shyla pushed up to her elbows, but the lower half of her body refused to cooperate. “Then the answer is no, I can’t stand.”
Rendor crouched beside her and then scooped her up as if she weighed nothing. She squawked in protest, but the big man straightened, and carried her the rest of the way down to level ninety-seven. Nearby was the main entrance into the prince’s domain. The six guards immediately parted and opened the double doors for him. Then he traversed a number of tunnels, passing other guards, servants, and officials. They kept their gazes focused straight ahead, but Shyla suspected they found this all very amusing. At least this time she was conscious.
He took her to the same room she’d woken in—only a sun jump ago!—and laid her on the sleeping cushion.
“Rest, I will fetch Timin.”
“But—”
And he was gone. How could a big man like that move so fast and quiet? She sighed. Nothing she could do, so she squirmed into a comfortable position. Instead of lulling her back to sleep, the musical splash of the fountain made her aware of the bad taste in her very dry mouth.
As she debated her ability to drag her body over to the water, the door opened and Timin appeared. He brought his supplies and a surprise. The Water Prince strode in right after him. Her heart kicked hard. Seeing him again was not part of the plan.
The prince’s black hair was sleep tousled and he wore a thin black short-sleeved shirt that clung to his muscles and a pair of loose gray pants. His feet were bare.
“Where does it hurt?” Timin asked her, drawing her attention away from the prince.
She explained about her muscles and throbbing temple. Timin mixed a powder into a glass of water, turning it light orange. He handed it to her. Although she was thirsty, she hesitated.
“It will help with the pain. Go on, drink it.”
Might as well. After all, what else could happen? The cool liquid tasted divine.
“It will also help clear your head,” Timin said. “But it may take a while for all the effects of the Heliacal Priestess’s drug to wear off.”
“She called it holy water,” Shyla said.
The prince huffed. “There’s nothing holy about it.”
Timin straightened and turned to the prince. “She should rest.”
“And she willafterI talk to her.”
“Yes, sire.” Timin gave a small bow and hurried from the room.
The air filled with an awkward tension as the Water Prince studied her.
“If you wanted to see me again, you only needed to let one of my guards know,” he said with a teasing grin. “Camping out near my door in hopes of catching a glimpse of me is sweet, but unnecessary.”
“Let’s just say I was knocked out by your charming personality.”
