Arthur slumped against the side of the wooden cart, feeling completely wiped out. Even with his new blonde hair disguise (Marcus Goldwind's appearance), he felt like a total fake—a beat-up prince pretending to be a merchant while his kingdom thought some prisoner was actually their real prince.
"You need to stop fighting the healing process," Sylrathi said gently, her eyes showing genuine worry. "Your magic is still messed up from what the Heart did to you.
Every time you tense up, you're just making it take longer to get better."
The cart bounced over another bump in the increasingly crappy road, and Arthur winced as pain shot through his damaged magical core. They'd been traveling for six hours since leaving the safety of Lyranth's borders, and he could already feel the difference.
"How much further to the first rest stop?" Arthur asked, trying not to sound as weak as he felt.
