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A Stroke Of Midnight :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 196 из 293Of that, I had no doubt. I shouldn’t have looked back, but I did. I saw Crystall, Hafwyn, Dogmaela, and others try to control their faces. Mistral and Barinthus were among the unreadable.
I stopped. Frost grabbed my shoulder, and Galen still had my hand. They tried to get me moving again, but I balked. I couldn’t save everyone, I knew that, but…
Doyle didn’t try to stop me, he simply looked at me with his impassive face. He would give me room to rule. I spoke with Frost and Galen’s hands tight against me. The tension in Frost’s hand was almost painfully tight.
“May I take a healer with me, my queen, just in case there are any more emergencies? We sent for a healer when Galen was injured but the healer never arrived.”
She nodded, but her attention was already fixed on her victims. She stood above Kieran, one hand idly stroking the blond hair that he had so carefully braided back behind his head. “Yes, take any but my own healer.”
“Hafwyn,” I said.
She couldn’t keep the relief off her face as she started across the floor.
The queen called after her. “Meredith, if you wish a healer you must take one who still has their powers.” She actually put her hands on her hips as if she was impatient with me.
“Hafwyn healed Galen and Adair.”
She was looking at me now, paying attention. “Healed them how? She lost her ability to heal years ago.” She managed to look both irritated and relieved. “She is one you brought back into her powers tonight.”
“No, my queen, Hafwyn has always been able to heal with the laying on of hands.”
“I was told that she had lost her ability to heal,” the queen said.
“Hafwyn,” I said, “did you ever lose your ability to heal?”
She shook her head without turning around to face the queen, as if she was afraid to look away from me, or afraid to look back.
“Then why is she a guard?” the queen asked. She came down the steps, and I felt everyone around me tense. We could have left, gotten away, and I was putting us all at risk. But for the first time ever Andais seemed willing to hear awful truths about Cel. I wasn’t sure how long this new mood would last, and there were things that would happen only when she was willing to believe Cel was a monster.
“She healed someone Prince Cel had forbidden her to heal. He told her that from that day forward she would bring death only, and no longer be allowed to heal.”
Andais glided across the floor toward us, her dress making a hissing sound. Hafwyn paled.
I stopped. Frost grabbed my shoulder, and Galen still had my hand. They tried to get me moving again, but I balked. I couldn’t save everyone, I knew that, but…
Doyle didn’t try to stop me, he simply looked at me with his impassive face. He would give me room to rule. I spoke with Frost and Galen’s hands tight against me. The tension in Frost’s hand was almost painfully tight.
“May I take a healer with me, my queen, just in case there are any more emergencies? We sent for a healer when Galen was injured but the healer never arrived.”
She nodded, but her attention was already fixed on her victims. She stood above Kieran, one hand idly stroking the blond hair that he had so carefully braided back behind his head. “Yes, take any but my own healer.”
“Hafwyn,” I said.
She couldn’t keep the relief off her face as she started across the floor.
The queen called after her. “Meredith, if you wish a healer you must take one who still has their powers.” She actually put her hands on her hips as if she was impatient with me.
“Hafwyn healed Galen and Adair.”
She was looking at me now, paying attention. “Healed them how? She lost her ability to heal years ago.” She managed to look both irritated and relieved. “She is one you brought back into her powers tonight.”
“No, my queen, Hafwyn has always been able to heal with the laying on of hands.”
“I was told that she had lost her ability to heal,” the queen said.
“Hafwyn,” I said, “did you ever lose your ability to heal?”
She shook her head without turning around to face the queen, as if she was afraid to look away from me, or afraid to look back.
“Then why is she a guard?” the queen asked. She came down the steps, and I felt everyone around me tense. We could have left, gotten away, and I was putting us all at risk. But for the first time ever Andais seemed willing to hear awful truths about Cel. I wasn’t sure how long this new mood would last, and there were things that would happen only when she was willing to believe Cel was a monster.
“She healed someone Prince Cel had forbidden her to heal. He told her that from that day forward she would bring death only, and no longer be allowed to heal.”
Andais glided across the floor toward us, her dress making a hissing sound. Hafwyn paled.