CHAPTER 4A Year in Bed
Prince Evnos spent most of his nineteenth year in bed. At first, when his life hung like spider’s silk before stormy winds, only the aged wizard tended him. First, his body had to be healed. With spells and leechcraft and splints Theremderis tended him, with rare medicines, with patience and forgiveness and hope. The wizard labored long hours, letting no one else near the young man. And from the doorway of the room in which the Prince lay, he ruled the island again as Regent, listening to the reports of ministers, signing documents, giving instructions.
This was only the beginning of his task. Mending broken bones was the easiest part. The Prince’s soul had been burnt by exposure to the spirit, for a spirit is of colors no eye can see, of substance no hand may touc
