Page 29

THE CEILING WAS white. Karl contemplated that whiteness for a long while, studying the lines left in the paint from the brush and the shadows cast from some nearby light source. Then he closed his eyes again and slept.

When he reopened his eyes, the ceiling was still white, but the shadows were different.

Longer, as if quite a lot of time had passed and the setting sun—or maybe rising sun, for all Karl knew—was low on the horizon.

He could turn his head to look and see if there was a window and if his hunch was right, but even just the thought was too much effort, and he slid back into sleep.

Waking a third time was no different to the first two.

The white ceiling and shadows were all still the same.

Karl thought for a moment, and when that effort didn’t knock him out, he slowly turned his head.

One narrow window was set into the white wall parallel to the bed he was lying in.

The shade was up, letting in natural light.

Having a window and a proper bed was important, but midway through Karl’s struggle to remember why, he fell asleep yet again.

Thankfully, when he woke the fourth time, Karl did remember.

Having a window and a comfortable bed meant he wasn’t locked up in a cell somewhere in Yari, awaiting the same gruesome fate that had almost taken Ama’s life.

It also meant he had somehow survived. Karl didn’t want to fall asleep again, so he resisted the urge to turn his head away from the window to look around at what he assumed was a healing ward somewhere.

Since he had survived, that must mean Braxton had noticed something and come to his rescue.

Or maybe Ama had noticed. Karl wanted to know who—he was honestly secretly hoping it was Ama who came to save him—but he also really wanted to know how.

What had he missed before the apple fiasco that could have alerted him?

He was supposed to be Braxton’s great spy—not as good as Ama, but still one of the best—and he had missed this trap until after it had already been sprung.

The creak of old hinges alerted Karl the door was opening and thankfully knocked him out of his useless, spiraling thoughts.

He automatically turned his head to look, only belatedly remembering he hadn’t wanted any extra exertion that might send him straight back to sleep.

But he let out a relived breath to see Alina walking over to his bedside.

“You gave us quite the scare, Karl,” she said, frowning at him. “Luckily, the healer here in the district housing many noble families is competent. He was able to restart your heart and stop the bleeding after Ama rushed you here.”

So it was Ama who found him. Karl started to smile, but then the rest of her explanation filtered through.

“My heart?” he asked, his voice a mere croak of breathy weakness and disuse.

Alina nodded, still frowning severely at him.

“You were technically dead when Healer Grigori started working on you. Luckily, not for very long, though, since Ama got you here in minutes, so you shouldn’t have any permanent damage from that.

They called me in to aid with the surgery for your arm, although I was already on my way when news of what happened reached the palace. ”

“My arm…” Karl trailed off, tilting his head again to look down at his left arm. The blanket covered him completely, so he couldn’t see anything, but he also couldn’t feel anything.

“Oh, yes. I shut off the pain receptors in your shoulder.” She pulled the blanket back, revealing thick white bandages covering his entire arm.

“You were in too much pain for regular painkillers, and this way you wouldn’t be able to move your arm and reinjure yourself.

” Alina patted him on the shoulder, well above the bandages, and then touched the back of his left hand, below the bandages.

Her touch on his shoulder was firm, but comforting, but he couldn’t feel her fingers on his hand at all.

“I’ll confer with healer Grigori first, but now that you’re awake and we don’t have to worry about you thrashing in your sleep, I don’t see why we can’t manage your pain with painkillers.

” She started unraveling the bandages, careful not to move his arm too much in the process.

Watching her touch him, but not feel any of it, was the oddest sensation Karl had ever experienced.

Once the bandages were removed, he was able to at least look at what had become of his arm.

“I’m not going to be able to knead bread, am I?

” Karl asked, hoping she interpreted the choked note in his voice from his looking at the mess.

A four inch area of his arm, just below the elbow, was encased in a giant black scab, crusty and flaky with old blood.

The scab filled a divot where his flesh had been carved out completely.

“That depends entirely on you, my dear.” she replied. Her hands glowed green and a moment later the scab began to glow green as well. Usually healing magic was soothing, but Karl still had the disconcerting sense of not feeling what he could see she was doing.

“What do you mean?” he asked, having zero idea of what she was talking about.

There was an apple-sized chunk of flesh missing from an arm he couldn’t move or feel.

Of course, he wasn’t going to be baking again.

Karl clenched his right hand into a fist, trying to suppress the ache in his chest that wanted to erupt from his eyes as tears.

Alina focused on her healing, but she glanced up at him through her lashes and her frown reappeared.

“To be honest, you got lucky. They carved you up good, but the spot they took was mostly muscle. Also, you know I’m not bragging when I say I’m the best healer in the country.

Especially what with you silly princes giving me all kinds of practice these last few years.

While Grigori kept you from bleeding out and your heart from stopping again, I was able to start the process of rebuilding the tendons and ligaments that were cut, get the bone they sliced to begin knitting, and begin returning your arm to the right shape.

It’s taken me nearly every waking moment of these last three weeks, but all I can really do from here on is provide some magical encouragement and support.

You are the one who’s going to have to put in the work.

A few years of therapy are in your future, slowly stretching the tendons and ligaments out so you have full use of your arm and rebuilding muscle.

But if you put in the work, one day, you should have full use of the arm again.

Although, your days as a high stakes spy are likely over. ”

Karl snorted out a laugh. “I think my life was heading in that direction before this anyway. I’ve found lately all I want is a peaceful life to enjoy having a bakery and figuring out what I’m doing with inheriting a noble title. No more sneaking around in the shadows.”

“Which means the chances of you ever ending up in my care again are slim.” Alina gave him a look, but it only made him laugh more.

Instead of commenting, she retracted her magic and pulled out some ointment to rub over the scab.

When she was done, she rewrapped his arm in fresh bandages.

“I’ll confer with Grigori about when to remove the block on your arm.

Are you up for some visitors?” she asked.

“I might fall asleep mid-word, but yes, please,” Karl replied, already looking toward the door in the hopes that Ama was out there.

“No, we don’t need to keep you sedated any longer. You’re healing, so you’ll be tired, but not as much as you were before. I’ll tell them to come in.” She left the door open as she left, and a moment later Char and Fen walked in, Braxton and Caro a step behind them.

“This wasn’t what I expected to come home to, you know,” Fen said with a cheeky smile. “Someone”—he shot Braxton a look—“said they had the issue with Yaroi under control when I left.”

“It was under control. Not my fault they snuck an old lady in. She wasn’t exactly your typical spy.”

“Did you catch her?” Karl asked, interrupting their brotherly snarking.

Braxton puffed out his chest, but Fen cut in before he could speak.

“Shairon did most of the work.” Shairon was Braxton and Fen’s older sister.

She also did something military in nature for work, although Karl had never been sure what.

She wasn’t a commander like Fen or like Braxton’s rank, nor did she do the clandestine work Braxton specialized in, but she was as involved with the military as they were.

“She only did the overt work, thank you very much!” Braxton added.

“Listen, Karl. I’m so sorry you got caught up in this.

I had the two groups of fighters Yaroi thought they’d successfully snuck into the city completely encircled, but I missed the little old lady living quietly above the bakery with eight people she called her grandchildren—but who turned out to the eight Yarokian thugs who hurt you.

I only realized she was part of a plot early the same morning you were attacked, when I got a report one of the groups of soldiers was on the move.

I thought they were headed to your house, so I sent men there.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they arrived just in time for Ama to steal one of their horses and whisk you away to the nearest healer. ”

So Alina was right, and Ama had found him. “Where is Ama?” Karl asked.

“He’s giving us time with you,” Char replied, giving Karl a gentle smile. “I believe he’s waiting for us to leave so he can have some private time with you,” Char added with a wink.

“Char and I weren’t gone that long,” Fen added. “Yet in that short time you’ve managed to get yourself seriously injured and get yourself a paramour. No more crazy spy missions for you!”