“I need to wake my mother.” Zeke pushed past the guard and dropped down beside her. “Just a moment.”
He rummaged through her robe, pulling out packet after packet of seeds and herbs. Finally, he settled on one, holding it to his nose.
“Phew!” he held it away again, his eyes watering. “This is the one. She always told me to use this if she inhaled too much smoke while brewing her concoction. Hopefully it will work against whatever this is, too.”
I nodded, having already pulled the lingering power out of her while he searched. Watching with bated breath, I awaited any signs of alertness returning.
Holding the small pouch at arm’s length, Zeke tipped it out into his palm. Crushing the small herbs in his fist, he opened his fingers again and held them under his mother’s nose.
She stirred, sitting up slowly, although her eyes remained unfocused. Zeke made an irritated noise and stuffed the herbs into her mouth.
She gave a loud exclamation at that, coming fully awake and spitting them out. As soon as her mouth was completely clear, she spoke.
“Zekiel! Don’t you ever do that again! Those herbs are not meant to be consumed.” She shuddered. “The taste!”
“Look around,” he said. “There wasn’t time for anything else.”
She turned to survey the fallen people all around her, her eyebrows rising higher and higher toward her hairline. Her gaze finally moved from the lone guard to her son and then to me. Understanding filled her face, meaning we didn’t need to waste time on explanations.
“What’s the fastest way to wake them all?” Zeke asked. “Do you have more of this?” He shook the now empty pouch.
“Not prepared like that was. But I have the seeds.” She thrust her hand into one of the internal pockets of her robe, pulling out another pouch.
With brisk, efficient movements, she shook the seeds into his hand. “Place them in the ground and make them grow. You need to stretch those seeds as far as they can possibly go. We need to make as much of the herb as your power can produce. And make it strong—I need it as aromatic as possible. Enhance its natural properties. I’m sure Augusta will have taught you that.”
He dropped to the dirt at our feet, thrusting both hands flat against the soil. It was hard packed and dry, but his mother took the nearest water pitcher and upended it over his hands. I grabbed the one from in front of the king and did the same, earning an approving look from Annora.
“What about you?” I asked. “Are you going to help him?”
She shook her head. “I need my power for something else.”
The first shoot of green thrust up from the wet earth, growing at an unnatural rate. As soon as the first row of leaves unfurled, Annora reached over and snatched them from the ground.
The guard had hurried over to stand expectantly behind the king, but Annora moved toward Augusta instead.
“The mages first and then the guards,” she said. “Everyone else can wait.”
Pressing the herb over Augusta’s nose, Annora let her power fill the greenery and then travel through into Augusta. She glanced over at me, taking in my wide eyes.
“It’s my healing influence,” she said. “If I’m touching someone, I can push my power into them, like a healer.”
“You can heal people as a plants mage?” I asked, astonished.
“Not properly. Not like a healer. But I’ve worked out that if I’m using a plant with medicinal qualities, I can push those qualities into them. It’s not as good as a healing, but it’s faster and more potent than if they just ate the herb.”
She pulled her hand back, letting the withered herbs drop to the table. Augusta jerked away from her, nearly falling backward over the seat.
Annora grabbed at her, steadying her. “It’s an attack,” she said. “Help Zeke.”
To Augusta’s credit, she grasped the situation nearly as quickly as Annora. Without asking any questions, she sprinted over to join Zeke in the dirt.
I dashed after her, ripping up two handfuls of the herbs that had already sprouted. Running back to Annora, I thrust them at her.
“Will there be enough seeds?”
She stepped over to Drake. “I don’t know. But my power will probably be the bigger problem. It’s likely to run out before the herbs do.”
I hesitated, glancing back toward Augusta. But she was fully occupied with Zeke.
“I can help,” I said quietly. “If you use only a dollop of your power, I can augment it.”
She looked at me for a single measuring second before nodding briskly.
I felt the difference this time when she pressed several leaves of the herb under Drake’s nose. She was only using the tiniest sprouting of power. Seizing some of the leftover power that always swirled around the tour, I poured it into the pattern Annora had created.
Drake bellowed, rearing back and crashing to the ground. But he was on his feet a second later.
“An attack is expected imminently,” Annora said crisply. “For now, you have him.” She pointed at the lone guard. “More will be coming.”
Drake’s eyes swept the eerie campsite littered with sleeping people, dwelling for a moment on Augusta and Zeke with a creased brow. But when his gaze landed on the sleeping royals, he straightened.
Neither Annora nor I stopped to listen as he began barking orders at the single guard. Instead, we moved on to Hayes. As soon as he was awake and apprised of the situation, Annora asked if his healing power could wake people more effectively than she could.
He immediately offered to attempt it. Putting his hand on Evermund, who was sitting next to him, he pushed power into the sleeping mage. Evermund’s eyes fluttered open, his expression sleepy and bemused.
Hayes looked up at us. “Your method is more effective, and from the amount of power that just took, more efficient, too. The herb is doing half the work.” He grimaced. “And it smells so appalling, the patient wakes fully alert.”
Annora nodded. “In that case, save your energy for casualties. I won’t be able to help there. Get Evermund to Drake and then bring me more herbs.”
She moved to the next table where a number of nomads had been sitting. I trailed behind her, while Hayes took over my job. He ran back and forth with fresh handfuls of the herb, not asking why I clung so close to Annora.
As soon as she had woken most of her people, sending them all to Drake, she turned back to me and Hayes.
“You direct me from here. I want elements mages first, then plants mages, then guards. We won’t wake any more healing mages until the fighting actually starts.”
“You think it’s inevitable, then?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Not if we can move quickly enough. They won’t attack unless they have the advantage.”
“Him.” I pointed at an elements master at the next table. “And then her.” I pointed at the woman sitting next to him.
Moving further and further away from the royal table, we woke mage after mage. At some point we ran out of mages and moved on to guards instead. When we ran out of those, Annora finally relaxed. Hayes had just delivered another load of herbs with the message that it was the last to be eked from the seeds.
Annora nodded. “We’ll use these to wake a handful of your healers, Hayes. You can wake everyone else in a more conventional style. But take your time. I haven’t heard an attack yet—surely a good sign—but your services may still be needed tonight for other healings.”