CHAPTER 67 King’s Hold

Henrietta

I sensed Hubert joining Keith in the tent but didn't think much of it.

Lady Amy was beside herself, babbling about how much this changed everything, and how she'd like to come visit the castle on her days off if I was free for lunch. I didn't mind; she made for excitable company, and I was happy to have more friends. Maybe I could visit the Hollow, and she could show me around.

In the back of my mind, I felt a touch of irritation from Jacqueline. I slapped my forehead, realizing I'd left my blade behind. "I'll be right back!"

I lifted the tent flap, peeking my head inside. "Sorry, I forgot—Keith?!"

The Dark Lord was half collapsed on the floor with his body draped over the seat of a chair, Hubert clinging to the back. Potions spilled out on his lap, and he clutched an open mana potion in his hand.

Keith was startled by my appearance and actually looked … guilty?

"Ria, I can explain." He sounded guilty too. He didn't continue but threw back the potion as fast as he could. His hands were literally shaking, and when he was finished, he tried to put the bottle down but dropped it at the last second.

He glowed as the potion took effect and a bit of color returned to his pale face. For the first time since I woke up, I took the time to really look at him, and I kicked myself for assuming an all-powerful Arcane Sage would never overdo things.

"Here, let me help." This wasn't my first time seeing a mage who had reached their limits. Instead of rushing, I carefully stepped forward and knelt down beside him. I picked up the used bottle, recapped it, and put it aside properly. I grabbed another one, opened it and brought it to his lips. "How much mana do you have left?"

He stared at me with a mix of emotions. Embarrassment and frustration and exhaustion were the easiest to identify. Slowly, he opened his mouth and let me pour the contents inside.

Another glow, but no response to my question. He was already looking much better, but his hands were still shaking. I prepared each bottle thereafter and handed them over one at a time so he could drink them himself.

I debated feeding him the rest myself but thought better of it; he still hadn't answered my question.

He went through ten high-rank mana potions and a couple mid rank he pulled from his dimensional storage. Even after downing all of them, Keith still looked the worse for wear. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, and a small frown creased his brow.

Mana headaches were bad, but this—

"You have [Mana Burn], don't you?" I asked, no longer waiting for him to explain. A hint of anger made its way into my voice.

He flinched at that, but then looked down. "Yes."

"How much mana do you have right now?"

"Around nine hundred …"

"And how long until you run out?" I demanded. He hesitated. "Keith, how long do you have until you need to rest. "

He mumbled, "Two hours …"

"Don't you burn mana every three seconds?" The [Bleed] effect was similar and I had been stabbed enough to know. I tried to do the math but I hated math. I still thought that two hours was an overly generous estimate. I'd guess it was closer to one hour at most.

"Eight seconds, technically."

"Really?" I gathered the empty bottles and shoveled them all into the bag. I also took the time to grab Jacqueline and put her back in her sheath where she belonged.

He explained, "My perk from Arcane Sage is [Slow Burn], and it's made it feasible to survive longer before I pass out."

"How many times have you had [Mana Burn] that you actually got it as a perk choice?"

Keith hesitated. I got the feeling he was counting, but he wasn't forthcoming with any numbers.

I didn't know what made me more upset: that he put himself in danger that often, or that he remained silent when I asked him hard questions.

I ground out, "But why wait? You could have popped the mana potions while I was here?"

"I was distracted getting here, then we had company …" Keith groaned, trying to get up but stumbling a bit. I caught him with my shoulder under his arm and helped him to his feet, hugging him around the waist for extra support. He admitted, "And I didn't want to worry you."

As a bit of payback for worrying me, and because it looked like he could barely stand as it was, I made up my mind on my next course of action.

"That's it," I said, sweeping his legs out from under him and dropping him into a princess—I mean, a king's hold. "I'm taking you back to the Damp Gizzard and straight into bed. Your bed, I mean; I'm putting you in your bed. To sleep." I would have blushed if I wasn't so upset.

Keith made an undignified noise and flailed his arms, then groaned as a new wave of headache must have hit him from the sudden movement. I ignored his, "Wait! RIA! You can't—" and carried him toward the tent flap.

"You shush," I told the Dark Lord—quietly, because I knew how much headaches were affected by loud noises. Over my shoulder, I said, "Hubert, take care of the bag of bottles," then I stepped out of the tent and into the glare of sunset as the last bit of light started to fade behind the mountain range to the west.

Outside, the elves were preparing to leave. Lady Amy was in the process of arguing with a unicorn; something about betrayal and learning how to read runic script … but it wasn't important to me right now.

Everyone stopped what they were doing when they noticed us.

"Something came up," I said. Keith had the strength to nod politely at the group, as if he weren't held in my arms with his legs dangling. I addressed Lady Amy specifically. "I'll see you back in Gren's Keep!"

With that, I activated [Quick Step] and took off.

The sooner I could get Keith into bed, the better.

Into HIS bed! To sleep!