He swallowed bile.
They shouldered into a private antechamber that smelled of dust and old leather. Rael kicked the door shut. Kael lowered him onto a low couch. Caspian immediately tried to stand again.
"Sit down," Kael said.
"I am fine."
"You are the opposite of fine." Rael poured water from a plain pitcher and pushed the cup into his hand. "Drink. Then talk. What the hell was that?"
Caspian drank because the alternative was arguing while the room still spun. The water tasted metallic. He stared at the cup.
"How long has it been since you slept?" Kael asked, quieter.
"I sleep."
"Lying to us is a waste of time," Rael said. "You look like a man who has been poisoned, starved, or both. And you collapsed in front of the Duchess of Ravensdale and a Vermillion prince. That is not a private failure anymore."
Caspian's fingers tightened on the cup. Grey eyes lifted, cold and tired.
