UNSHEATHED

Chapter Thirty Two

Elena woke lying on a bed in the infirmary. She felt drained, but was in no pain. Liran, as he hovered over her.

"Ah, my patient is awake."

It pleased her to see him. She smiled. She realized she had no memory of what had happened after Sandro had struck her. She tried to sit up, but Liran pressed her back into her bed.

"You mustn't get up for a while, Commander."

He sat in a chair beside her.

"It was fortunate that I was there. I almost lost you."

She felt her thigh to see what condition it was in. Her hand caught against the edge of the tear in her pants, but under it the skin was unbroken, as if nothing had ever happened. Her eyes widened as she realized what he had done.

"You healed me?"

Liran nodded. Elena knew well enough that wounds like that could be deadly. She had seen it often enough. Soldiers might bleed out in minutes. How fortunate that Liran had been standing right by her.

"I believe that makes us even, for the moment."

He smiled.

"I wasn't keeping count."

Elena grinned.

"But I am."

She recalled how the demonstration had turned ugly.

"I don't know what happened there, Sandro just started..."

She looked up at Liran for answers.

"What happened to Sandro?"

"He's here. Marulan Galira is looking after him. We managed to subdue him without hurting him, thanks to some of your soldiers."

"You mean your soldiers."

Liran pursed his lips and cocked his head.

"We can discuss that later. Galira is doing a mind scan to try and understand why he behaved that way."

Elena tried to locate Sandro. She saw Marulan Galira, clothed from head to toe in silver robes, across the room, sitting quietly holding Sandro's hands in her own while he lay on a bed. He didn't move. Elena turned to Liran once more.

"Do you think he was influenced, like Lady Dahlia and the others, by some kind of dream command?"

Liran looked down at his hands in his lap.

"It may very well be so. We'll know soon enough."

Finally finished, Galira rose, smoothing her silver gown. Liran went over to her and they spoke softly for a while. Elena tried to make sense of it all as she lay resting.

After he finished with Galira, Liran returned to her bedside.

"You may leave in a while, but you mustn't go back to work today. Your thigh needs time for the healing to settle. I will see you at dinner."

He rose and left the room.

Marulan Galira came over to sit by Elena's side, her silver veil pulled back, her ageless face solemn and serene.

"I have spoken with the Prince about my findings in the Captain's scan, but I wanted to speak with you alone." She pulled a curtain around the bed to screen them from the few others in the room.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes, I believe so. He was possessed in some manner, and has no memory of the event. At least it hasn't left any mark on his psyche that I can discern."

For a moment, her serenity rippled into concern.

"I saw something in his mind that I didn't mention to the Prince, but I wish to speak with you about, since it concerns you in a most personal way."

At this, Elena blushed. How much did a scan reveal?

"Sandro's mind was troubled. His confidence has been damaged by a series of events, and I believe that this is what left an opening for whatever force or being is attacking peoples' minds."

The marulan looked over at her patient lying in his bed. Elena noticed there was a guard posted at the door. It was one of her own people, not Sandro's. Liran's doing.

"The other two I have scanned all had something troubling them when they were first affected. It is only now that I see the pattern with this third."

"Is he still disturbed?" Elena asked.

"No, it was part of the healing to cleanse the mind. His confidence has been returned."

Elena must have looked puzzled, for Galira smiled a little.

"We can heal minds much like we heal bodies."

"I had no idea how extensive marulan craft is. I'm glad he'll be better now."

"But that was not what I wanted to speak with you about, Commander. It is the source of the Captain's weakness that I wish to address."

Galira smoothed the folds in her lap.

"You see, he was already troubled by his failure to protect the fortress from Lady Rainna's attack, but then it seems you have rejected his," she paused, searching for a word, "romantic advances. He was feeling insecure about his position as Captain of the fortress guard, and felt that he was being overshadowed by you."

"I defended his abilities when I reviewed security after the attack. There are always unforeseen things beyond what anyone can predict. As long as he has learned from that experience, I felt he was still a capable captain."

"Yes, but then he perceived one more failure. He became quite jealous when he perceived you had a romantic interest in the Prince which overshadowed your interest in him."

Elena sat up in her bed.

"Guardians! I have done nothing to lead him to such a conclusion."

"Hush, Commander, you must rest. That may be true, it's always possible that he saw what was not there, or alternatively, he saw what you are not yet aware of. I do not judge you, please understand, and I will not share what we have discussed with anyone."

This calmed Elena somewhat. Sandro was probably imagining it.

"I will warn you, in case the latter is true, that there is no hope for such a desire. The Prince is married, and must remain so until his wife is found. When she is found, she will be put to death for her treason, but that will not change anything. The Hilliri do not keep mistresses, Commander, and they only marry once. To do otherwise is a great taboo."

Elena stared at the marulan, wondering what to say. It was better not to pursue it.

"I think I will go back to my rooms now, if that's alright?"

The marulan stood and held out her arms to help Elena down from the bed, which was unnecessary. Her leg ached, but it was functional. She would go to her rooms and puzzle out all of the strange events of the day.

____________________________________________

I hope you enjoyed this instalment of Unsheathed. If you did, please consider voting so that it has a chance to receive some more attention by rising up the ranks in the Fantasy category. I also enjoy comments, so please feel free to let me know what you thought.

Cheers!

Rebecca