of how to respond.
“Why don’t you do a couple of things -- at least go see your friend, Rander, to let him know you are alive, and will come back to be king some day? And send a couple of us back to Goldenfields to ask for help to be sent here in the meantime?” Lewis suggested calmly, sensing that Alec needed guidance in his moment of anguish. “Rander has been working to protect Bethany and the throne for you during your absence. He deserves something for that.”
Alec felt grateful for the advice. “Yes, that’s right; it’s obvious. I have to talk to Rander.
“I’ll make sure the folks here mix up the right nutrients for our friends, then go find Rander, and then we can be on our way,” he decided. After another moment of sitting silently, he stood. “Let me see everyone who is resting here,” he said to Tritos. “I’d like to see them all.”
“Follow me,” Tritos said. “You’ll take me with you to visit the lacertii, won’t you?” he asked as they began to walk.
Alec looked at him and thought. He still felt guilty about the fact that Bethany had left Tritos to return to him. And he also understood that the prospect of remaining as caretaker for dozens of unconscious ingenairii, friends and acquaintances who were wasting away, had to be morbid and unpleasant in the extreme. But Alec felt uneasy about taking along Bethany ’s jilted suitor, and riding with him across the landscape for days and days, always harboring that guilt. And he also felt that there was a sense of rightness about leaving Tritos to stay with the incapacitated ingenairii – they should be left under the care of one of their own, an ingenaire like them.
“The ingenairii here, they should have one of us stay to watch over them,” Alec finally answered. “I know it won’t be easy to stay and see them all in this condition, but I’d rather have you than a group of strangers.”
Tritos stared at him with a look of skepticism, but said nothing further, as Alec proceeded to walk among all the unconscious ingenairii, looking at each, remembering the names of many. A servant returned with the items Alec had requested when he was halfway through the tour, and he took them all to the kitchen, where he showed Tritos and several of the servants how to prepare the broth that would help to sustain the ingenairii.
He returned to the visitation, feeling increasingly like a mourner at a funeral. Te relieve the gloom he tried telling his Goldenfields friends a humorous story about one of the ingenairii he saw, but the tale fell flat in the serious atmosphere, and he remained silent until they had seen every remaining ingenairii.
“Are you ready to go?” Berlisle asked.
“I didn’t see Rief,” Alec answered.
“What?” Inga asked.
“My friend Rief, the girl who came from the Michian Empire with me. I didn’t see her,” Alec explained. He looked at Tritos.
“She isn’t here,” Tritos agreed. “I haven’t thought about her. She seldom came to the Hill, other than to visit Moriah occasionally. She stayed at the Palace with Bethany and Rander during the time she was here in Oyster Bay.”
“I must get to the army barracks to see Rander, and find out how Rief is, and whether she needs care,” Alec said immediately. “Tritos, if Rief needs help, and Rander is agreeable, I’ll bring her back here.”
Tritos immediately agreed, and Alec and his Goldenfields friends left the Hill, walking through the streets of the city to the military base on the far east side of the city. An hour later they passed through the section of bars and rough apartments across from the walls of the army base.
"I'd like to meet General Hewlett," Alec told the guards at the gate, who held lances instead of swords. "Please tell him Alec the crown protector has returned."
The guards looked at Alec and his companions
“Why don’t you do a couple of things -- at least go see your friend, Rander, to let him know you are alive, and will come back to be king some day? And send a couple of us back to Goldenfields to ask for help to be sent here in the meantime?” Lewis suggested calmly, sensing that Alec needed guidance in his moment of anguish. “Rander has been working to protect Bethany and the throne for you during your absence. He deserves something for that.”
Alec felt grateful for the advice. “Yes, that’s right; it’s obvious. I have to talk to Rander.
“I’ll make sure the folks here mix up the right nutrients for our friends, then go find Rander, and then we can be on our way,” he decided. After another moment of sitting silently, he stood. “Let me see everyone who is resting here,” he said to Tritos. “I’d like to see them all.”
“Follow me,” Tritos said. “You’ll take me with you to visit the lacertii, won’t you?” he asked as they began to walk.
Alec looked at him and thought. He still felt guilty about the fact that Bethany had left Tritos to return to him. And he also understood that the prospect of remaining as caretaker for dozens of unconscious ingenairii, friends and acquaintances who were wasting away, had to be morbid and unpleasant in the extreme. But Alec felt uneasy about taking along Bethany ’s jilted suitor, and riding with him across the landscape for days and days, always harboring that guilt. And he also felt that there was a sense of rightness about leaving Tritos to stay with the incapacitated ingenairii – they should be left under the care of one of their own, an ingenaire like them.
“The ingenairii here, they should have one of us stay to watch over them,” Alec finally answered. “I know it won’t be easy to stay and see them all in this condition, but I’d rather have you than a group of strangers.”
Tritos stared at him with a look of skepticism, but said nothing further, as Alec proceeded to walk among all the unconscious ingenairii, looking at each, remembering the names of many. A servant returned with the items Alec had requested when he was halfway through the tour, and he took them all to the kitchen, where he showed Tritos and several of the servants how to prepare the broth that would help to sustain the ingenairii.
He returned to the visitation, feeling increasingly like a mourner at a funeral. Te relieve the gloom he tried telling his Goldenfields friends a humorous story about one of the ingenairii he saw, but the tale fell flat in the serious atmosphere, and he remained silent until they had seen every remaining ingenairii.
“Are you ready to go?” Berlisle asked.
“I didn’t see Rief,” Alec answered.
“What?” Inga asked.
“My friend Rief, the girl who came from the Michian Empire with me. I didn’t see her,” Alec explained. He looked at Tritos.
“She isn’t here,” Tritos agreed. “I haven’t thought about her. She seldom came to the Hill, other than to visit Moriah occasionally. She stayed at the Palace with Bethany and Rander during the time she was here in Oyster Bay.”
“I must get to the army barracks to see Rander, and find out how Rief is, and whether she needs care,” Alec said immediately. “Tritos, if Rief needs help, and Rander is agreeable, I’ll bring her back here.”
Tritos immediately agreed, and Alec and his Goldenfields friends left the Hill, walking through the streets of the city to the military base on the far east side of the city. An hour later they passed through the section of bars and rough apartments across from the walls of the army base.
"I'd like to meet General Hewlett," Alec told the guards at the gate, who held lances instead of swords. "Please tell him Alec the crown protector has returned."
The guards looked at Alec and his companions
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