Whisper of Blade | ✓ (Crimson #1)

Chapter 30: Fishy Executions

"That hurts." Kodak hissed between clenched teeth and jerked his hand back.

"I thought you said it was only a scratch," Minerva murmured. Reclaiming his hand, she scooped a generous dollop of Nola's homemade salve out of a little pocket tin. The cut showed through the golden glaze of the ointment, now leaking blood again after being washed with warm water.

Across the table, Kaji had been peering at the vibrant green fish swimming in the tanks inlaid in the restaurant's iced-glass walls. At Kodak's admission of pain, he gave a guilty glance at the prince's hand. "I'm sorry about that."

Kodak waved his other hand. The skin on it had started peeling from the burn. "It's alright. I'll live."

"You'll need to keep it clean. We don't want to risk infection with a gash like this." Minerva set his hand down on the table palm-up and gestured for the other.

"How am I supposed to eat with goop on both my hands?" Kodak complained when she slathered the burned hand as well.

The woman who had shown them to their private dining room—Eirlys, she's said her name was—appeared with some strips of cloth. Since she had white hair, Minerva couldn't guess at her age, though the beginning of smile lines about her mouth hinted at it. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't find any bandages," Eirlys said. "I've ripped up this napkin and hope it will do instead." She smoothed down her apron over the front of a light-blue dress cut in the Hydro fashion.

Minerva never could get used to the idea of such tight, closed collars that didn't overlap. What if your head didn't fit through the opening?

"This will do splendidly," Kodak assured the waitress. "I believe we're ready to order now. Do you two want anything in particular?" he asked Kaji and Minerva.

"Fish!" Azuki piped up.

Kaji nodded in agreement.

"Wouldn't be a meal without it." Kodak proceeded to rattle off dish names in Hydro, including one of "nordic wolffish". He then looked at Minerva.

"Some rice to go with everything, please." She hadn't been able to read the menu with her hands occupied. With the number of items Kodak had ordered, they should have enough to feed an army even if she didn't contribute. She hoped a soup was among them. Despite leaving her cloak on, she felt chilled. Colder than outside, even.

Eirlys nodded and finished writing on a tablet of ice with her finger. The temperature in the room rose when the faint silvery sheen faded from the woman's skin. "Would you like to come see the wolffish?" she asked Kaji.

Kaji asked Kodak for permission before slipping off his chair and following the waitress out into the main area.

"Finished," Minerva said.

Kodak flexed his bandaged hand. "Thank you. You're rather good at patching up."

"I learned from my nurse." The lid squeaked as she screwed it back onto the container. Nola would call her a poor student. She only knew how to apply remedies with much of that knowledge coming from so often being the person they needed to be applied to.

Did Nola miss her at all? Think of her? With Kaolin installed as her companion, Nola had left the city to visit relatives. But she hadn't even come to say goodbye and now Minerva had neither nurse nor maidservant.

The door to the kitchens creaked open. Frost crackled across the floor and an icy gust blew in as if through an open window, shutting the other door Eirlys and Kaji went through.

"Take my cloak. It's about to get colder in here," Kodak murmured. He set it around her shoulders atop hers, though the added layer made little difference.