“Did he have access to the good stuff?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like maybe hypnotics. Something that would loosen him up enough for psychic control.”
“Do you think that’s what happened to him?”
“I don’t know. What kind of persuading would it take for you to sit still while someone pumped you full of carnivorous bugs?”
Brimborion crosses his arms. Uncrosses them. Leans his head against the wall and looks at the ceiling.
I roll over onto my Kissi arm, the only part of me that doesn’t hurt, and push myself into a sitting position. I try to move my burned fingers. When they flex, flakes of black skin drop off, revealing blistered red flesh underneath. At least there’s enough good skin left to heal.
“Would you like me to get you something?” Brimborion asks.
“What?” I say, my brain and body not quite on speaking terms yet.
Brimborion points to my hand.
“Would you like me to get you something for that? The palace witches make some powerful healing potions.”
“Yeah. Sure,” I say. “And some cigarettes. I really need a cigarette.”
“I’ll be back.”
He pushes himself to his feet.
“Don’t tell anyone about this. Especially not Vetis. I don’t want to be up to my eyeballs in security,” I say. “Act like nothing happened. That should give whoever set this up something to think about.”
“You don’t even want the room cleaned?”
“Leave it just like it is.”
“I understand.”
He starts to leave.
“What did you say when you first came in?”
He goes to the end of the bed, picks up an envelope and a rectangular box from the floor, and brings them to me.
“I had your mail.”
“That all came today?”
“The box yesterday. The notes before. I don’t remember when.”
“You wouldn’t have given me any of this if we hadn’t had our little talk in the hall last night.”
“No.”
“Why these particular letters?”
He shakes his head.
“They weren’t the usual official correspondence. Holding them back would make sure you stayed isolated.”
“People pay you off to hold back certain messages and to give me others.”