Into the Bright Unknown (The Gold Seer Trilogy #3)(56)

“I can make it to the galley,” I protest.

“You most certainly will do nothing of the sort,” Becky says. “Come, children, it’s time for lunch.”

Olive takes Andy by the hand and leads him away. She pauses at the door to look sternly over her shoulder. “I’ll be back to check on you soon, Lee.”

“Thank you,” I say.

Becky follows her children from the room, and Melancthon sets the tray down on an empty cot. Beside the soup are bread and butter and a variety of cold meats. “For Mr. Kingfisher,” he says. “If he’s hungry, too. Holler if either of you need something more. Can I do anything else for you?”

I glance over at the wall. “Well, there is one thing.”

“Just name it,” he says.

“Is there any chance I could have a window in my room?”

His mouth drops open and he pauses. Then he tosses up his hands. “What’s another hole? You’re the captain of this vessel now, more or less. Windows for everyone, I suppose.”

“I think the fresh air would be good, and I’d love to have some daylight in here.”

He stops at the doorway on his way out. “I don’t know precisely the nature of your . . . accident. But I’m glad to see you up and well.”

“Thank you. And Melancthon?”

“Yes?”

“Have you made up your mind yet about the Argos?”

“I haven’t.”

“Is the captain a close friend of yours?”

“He’s not the kind of man you can be close friends with. If you help him with something he needs, he’ll help you with yours. A matter of expediency.”

“I see.”

When he shuts the door behind him, Jefferson slides closer. He brushes the hair from my face and looks me right in the eyes. “You scared me half to death,” he says.

“How bad was it?”

“Bad enough that you scared me half to death.” He grabs a hunk of bread and gnaws off a huge bite. I ladle some soup into the bowl and spoon a sample into my mouth.

“I meant specifically,” I say, between sips.

“You keeled over on the bench, and I didn’t know anything was wrong for a moment, except that you were weak, because your eyes were still open and you were saying words. But the words didn’t make any sense. Then you just collapsed, and nothing I could do would rouse you. So I picked you up and carried you back here, and then I woke Henry and made him run and fetch Jasper.”

“You didn’t need to do that!”

“Oh, yes, I did. You were really pale, and your eyes were half open—and uncanny bright, like tigereye gemstones—but you wouldn’t respond to anything. Jasper came and tested your reflexes and listened to your heart and your breathing, and said he thought you’d be fine with some rest.”

“Jasper was here and I missed him?”

“He was here until after sunrise, when he said he needed to get back to his office and take care of his other patients. He plans to come by and check on you again this evening.”

My bowl of soup is already empty, so I ladle out some more. “So what did he say was wrong?”

“He was worried that maybe you’d had a stroke.”

“A stroke?”

“Like an apoplexy. But he said your reflexes were equally responsive on both sides of your body, and you were talking in your sleep. Your words were clear, so he decided that was a good sign, too.”

I pause with the spoon halfway to my mouth. “What was I saying?”

“Stuff about gold. Becky kept Melancthon away, in case you started babbling about your power. You were just shining and smiling like you’d done something amazing.”

“To be fair, it was pretty amazing.”

He grins, which lights up his whole face. “Yes, it was.”

“I moved a whole safe full of gold.”

“From almost a hundred feet away!”

“It’s like, the bigger the gold is, the more it magnifies what I can do.” I shake my head, half in disbelief. “Do we know what happened to the gold and to the robber?”

All the light in his face is extinguished.

“Tell me.”

“Way I heard it, the guard spun a tale. Said he noticed the robbers hanging around earlier in the night, and he set a trap to catch them in the act. Had to let them get the safe out the door, so there was no question of their guilt.”

“And Hardwick believed that?”

“The boys from the hotel backed it up, said he came to them for help. Hardwick rewarded them all. But the safe was well sunk into the mud by the morning. They couldn’t budge it, so Hardwick hired some Chinese laborers to do the work.”

None of that explains his dour expression. “What aren’t you telling me?”

He takes another huge bite of bread, and follows it with a cut of sausage, and I can tell he’s playing for time to think about his answer. There’s still soup in my bowl, but I’ve lost my appetite, so I put it down.

“Jeff?”

“The guy in the wagon got away. They didn’t catch him, and he’s probably halfway to Mexico by now. His friend refused to tell them who he was.”

“And the one they caught?”