Etzel discovered two things the next morning.
First, healing did not respect ambition.
Second, ribs apparently remembered everything.
He opened his eyes. That part went well. He tried to sit up. That part did not. Pain wrapped around his side with the enthusiasm of an old friend who had been waiting all night to greet him.
Etzel froze halfway upright. “No.”
His ribs disagreed. He lowered himself back onto the bed. “Traitors.”
From outside the room came Ismera’s voice. “Are you trying to get up?”
Etzel stared at the ceiling. “No.”
Silence. Then: “You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’m injured. My performance is suffering.”
“Stay in bed.”
Etzel considered arguing. His ribs offered their opinion. He stayed in bed. For several hours.
It was horrible. Not because of the pain. Because he had time to think.
The Hollowroot Custodian. The collapsed Core. A single attacker. The second influence moving north. And the System message that had followed:
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Event
Influence Relationship Detected
Status
Source Hierarchy: ???
Data
Known Influence: Derived