Addressing Aerith, she said, “His breathing has returned to normal.”
A collective sigh of relief went around the small group, shoulders sagging and small smiles appearing. I was relieved, too, but not relaxed, not in the slightest.
“Is he conscious?” I demanded.
“Asleep, and it is better that he remains that way for the rest of the night.”
Aerith nodded. “Stay with him. Send someone to fetch me if there are any changes,” she said to the healer before turning to Folas. “I want guards lining his hallway and you in charge.”
He nodded once then stepped away to assemble his team.
The healer retreated into Ryo’s bedroom, shutting the door behind her. I could still see the flash of her red robe as I stared at the wood and brass barrier.
“Mel, you’re coming with me to wash up,” Aerith said. “Afterward, we will reconvene in the south wing parlor.” The last part she said to Jhaeros and Galather.
Sarfina appeared from around the corner, her long peacock feathers ruffling around her legs as she crashed to our group. “What is going on?” she demanded.
Galather gave her a sneering look while Aerith remained ever calm.
“Excellent timing, Sarfina.” Aerith looked past her sister-in-law. “Guards, seize her. Escort the princess to the dungeons and see to it that she is locked up until I say otherwise.”
“What? You can’t do that,” Sarfina screeched. “She can’t do that,” she said to the guards who grabbed her arms as she attempted to twist away. “I am a blood daughter of your late king, Merith Elmray. I am a princess of Dahlquist.” When her words fell on deaf ears, she resorted to reminding them that she was sister to the present king. Finally, she glared at Aerith and demanded, “Why?”
Aerith stormed up to her with such anger Sarfina flinched as my sister leaned in so close their noses practically touched.
“You know why, Sarfina. You chose the wrong side. You put my unborn child—your little niece or nephew—at risk. You almost got your own brother killed. I granted you full rein to plan an enchanting evening at the castle, and this is how you repay me.”
“But—” Sarfina said weakly. She darted a glance at Ryo’s door and seemed to sag in on herself, feathers hanging limp from her gown.
“Get her out of my sight,” Aerith said in a harsh tone.
Everything felt dreamlike, everyone around me not quite there, as Aerith urged me down the corridor. My whole body was still numb. I couldn’t feel the ground beneath my boots, as though I really was dream walking.
It was just Aerith and me in the washroom, fire burning from torches. I shrank from it—me, fire blessed. It made no sense.
“You’re still in shock,” Aerith said, “but you did well, sis. You saved Ryo’s life.”
That was when the tears flowed freely down my cheeks, dripping from my chin.
“No,” I sobbed, my entire body shuddering. “I didn’t. I saved my own life. I saved me, and in doing so, I got Ryo killed.”
“Hey! Ryo is alive,” Aerith said in her no-nonsense-I-am-queen voice. “He’s breathing. He’s sleeping, and tomorrow he’ll be talking and hopefully able to see again. He got hurt, but he’s going to be fine. I swear it.”
“You swear?” I asked, sniffling. “You can’t. You’re not Fae.”
Aerith snorted. “You’re going to trust the word of a Fae over mine?”
I pursed my lips. She had a point. I gave a halfhearted shrug.
Aerith beckoned me to a porcelain wash basin. “Now, let’s rinse those eyes, unless you prefer to stand here crying the Shade Dust out.”
I huffed with frustration, which only made Aerith laugh. Stomping over to the basin, I grumbled, “You’ve gotten really bossy since taking the throne.”
“Job requirement,” Aerith said.
“Just promise me you won’t be one of those overbearing mothers.”
Aerith’s face fell, and my stomach instantly knotted with guilt. I’d been so shaken by Malon’s attack in the courtyard I’d nearly forgotten his taunt about his older brother going after Aerith. She’d said that her baby’s life had been put at risk.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it,” I said. “You’re going to be the most badass mom in all the realms. You’re the best sister, so it only makes sense.”
Aerith wet a cloth. As she did, I reached up to remove my fedora, only to find it gone. I didn’t remember losing it.
“Thank you,” I said, taking the wet cloth from my sister and dabbing at my eyes over the basin. The cool, saturated cloth felt soothing around my eyes. “What happened with Albedo?” I asked while gently scrubbing my face.
“We’ll talk in the south parlor,” Aerith answered.
Face rinsed, I submerged my hand in the basin and scrubbed the blood off with the cloth. It looked like inky trails of red dye spreading through the clear water.
“Come,” Aerith said once no trace of blood stained my fingers.
We stepped back into the corridor, and Jhaeros walked over, his eyebrows knitting as he stared at Aerith. “Is she okay?”
“She is standing right here, and she is fine,” I grumbled.
“I gather she’s fine then,” Jhaeros said, still addressing Aerith.
“Ha-ha,” I said moodily, but it was a relief to see Jhaeros and Aerith share a brief smile of amusement.
Galather walked with us. The corridor was eerily silent. It was especially uncanny when we reached the wide halls outside the now empty ballroom. I peered into the silent darkness as we passed and asked, “Where did everyone go?”
“They’ve either fled the castle or are holed up in their rooms waiting to bolt come sunrise,” Galather answered.
“Word got out that Ryo had been wounded,” Aerith added. “There was a mass panic. Guests thought he was dead or dying. I wasn’t around, so they thought I’d been slain, too, and that the kingdom was in the middle of a coup.” She huffed. “Too bad a Fae’s inability to lie doesn’t extend to rumors and speculation, which hold no such limitations. We weren’t there, but Albedo must have planted some of his followers in the crowd, because my spies heard a couple of the guests shouting, ‘All hail, King Albedo, rightful ruler of Dahlquist.’ It only added to the hysteria.”
If Albedo was anything like Malon, the kingdom would be better off under the rule of an ogre.
Now that the shock was wearing off, my heart thundered with concern for my sister.
When we reached the south parlor, none of us sat. Galather closed the door and stood near it, on double duty to guard and join council.
Aerith described her encounter with Albedo. I wanted to burn his face off, too, after she was finished. If only he hadn’t managed to get a blade against Aerith’s belly, Jhaeros could have ripped out his heart like the pit from a piece of rotten fruit.
Nothing had gone as we’d hoped. We hadn’t captured or killed either Albedo or Malon. But we did know more about their plans.
And we knew about Ryo and Lyklor.
“That information doesn’t leave this room,” Aerith said, stepping in front of Galather as though she meant to physically block the revelation from rushing into the halls.
“If Albedo and Malon want others to know, they will spread the word like summer bees,” Galather noted grimly.
Aerith clenched her teeth.
“Do you think Teryani knew about Lyklor?” I asked.
“If she did, she didn’t say anything to me or Liri,” Aerith answered. She rubbed her temples. “For now, the castle is secure. I need sleep, and then we will make a plan in the morning.” She looked at me, her gaze softening. “Any chance I can convince you to sleep in the guest chamber next door?”
I shook my head. “I want to be near Ryo, just in case.”
Aerith nodded.
I chewed on my bottom lip. “And I’d like to portal to Pinemist to see if Devdan is waiting there or left a note in the upstairs guest room.”
If I didn’t go tonight, I might miss him altog
ether. He’d think I hadn’t bothered—that I’d forgotten him—when all I wanted to do is throw my arms around his neck, hug him, and have him hold me back. Being wrapped in his caring arms was better than any security blanket. Pressed against him, all the worlds melted away, leaving behind a feeling of goodness and joy.
One part of me wanted to hug him all night and tell him, “No more stupid fights.” Another part of me wanted to sit at Ryo’s bedside, holding his hand until he woke up. Then there was the third side that wanted to run away from it all, not the danger but the confusion that pricked at my heart like little splinters too small to remove.
“Galather, take Mel to Pinemist,” Aerith said.
Galather folded his arms. “I can’t do that, not unless Folas is here. One of us must always be with you.”
“Not always,” Aerith said, glancing sideways at Jhaeros. “I don’t imagine you’ll be gone long, and I am retiring for bed.” She swept over to me and kissed both my cheeks as she embraced me. “Good night, Mel. Try to get some sleep. I’ll understand if you choose to remain in Pinemist.”
“No way, not a chance,” I sputtered.
She gave me a tight grin and one more kiss, this one on my forehead, before pulling away. She placed her hands on her hips as she addressed Galather. “Once you return, you need to rest, too, Galather. You’re no good to me if you’re half asleep.”
He glowered at her. “I told you Folas and I are taking a special draft to keep us alert at all times.”
“Yes, and I just asked one of the healers about it, and she told me it wears off if you don’t get a full night of real sleep every five days. How long has it been?”
Galather’s answering huff was enough to convey that it had been more than five days.
“We portaled Albedo out of the castle, and we know Malon has fled,” Aerith reminded him.
Galather gave a grunt of consent. “Let’s go, Red,” he said gruffly to me, opening a portal and shoving me through in a hurry. We stepped into the guest room at Jhaeros’s home in Pinemist.
The portal remained open and swirling behind Galather as he tapped his foot, arms folded.
I’d pictured Devdan standing inside that room, his eyes lighting up when I appeared, rushing to me, and pulling me into a tight hug.
But he wasn’t there.
My heart fell as I scanned the blanket and surfaces of furniture looking for any sign that he’d been there or left a note, but my search came up empty.
How could he have not come? He knew exactly where to find me. He’d known I was waiting for Saturday. I thought for sure he would come running back before I got away.
But no.
Cold waves of disappointment and anguish crashed over me, smothering my internal fire, leaving me chilled to the bone.
“Are you staying or coming back?” Galather asked impatiently.
“Coming back,” I said in a voice as hollow as my chest, as though my heart had been scooped out like ice cream to slowly melt into a sticky puddle.
I turned on my heels and walked into the portal, savoring the momentary suction of being pulled in, transported far away.
If only my feelings could be so easily sucked out.
Morning light poked at my eyelids. When my lashes lifted, the room looked blurry, but it was lack of sleep rather than Shade Dust that had me rubbing my eyes. I’d slept in fits and starts, laying awake for what felt like hours until exhaustion pulled me under only to enter into a world of whacky dreams. The last one I’d woken to lingered hazily on my brain.
We’d all been on the beach in Hawaii: Sarfina in an American flag bikini, wearing aviator sunglasses and a camo baseball cap; Galather and Folas in matching black speedos, flexing their muscles as human women jogged by, nearly tripping in the sand as they gawked; Ryo, asleep on a towel, a blanket covering him to his chin despite the hot sun; and Jhaeros performing a handstand in his khaki shorts and a floral shirt.
“How long has it been now?” Sarfina had asked, pulling her aviators down her nose to peer at Jhaeros.
“What do you think, Folas? Three hours?”
The twins had started playing hacky sack, kicking a turquoise crochet ball back and forth.
“Or four,” Folas said, not taking his eyes off the ball. “But who’s counting?”
I’d glanced at Ryo uncertainly.
“Shh, don’t wake him,” Sarfina scolded before I’d said a word.
“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” I heard Aerith’s voice before she strolled across the sand barefooted in a fire-engine red bikini and matching wrap skirt. Her stomach was as flat as a surfboard, and she wore a headband with red devil horns. “You all thought you could take the day off and I wouldn’t notice?”
The hacky sack fell to the sand. Sarfina pushed her sunglasses back up and began rubbing tanning oil over her arms.
“I think I’m stuck,” Jhaeros said.
Aerith sauntered over to him, her teeth gleaming as she smiled.
“Here, sweetie. Let me help you.” Her hands shot forward. She shoved his legs, and my heart somersaulted as Jhaeros did a backflip. After landing on his feet, he spread his arms wide.
Aerith clapped. She looked over her shoulder, and everyone else began to applaud. When she stopped, we stopped.
“Enough of that,” she announced. “Everyone into the water.”
“What about Ryo?” I asked.
“Leave him,” she said before she took off running for the ocean. Her wrap skirt flew off as she ran, whisked away by an invisible breeze. Her horns blazed above her head in the sunlight.
Jhaeros ran after her, doing some cartwheels along the way. Sarfina scrambled to her feet and tossed the camo baseball cap onto the blanket before taking off in pursuit.
I looked at Ryo, still asleep.
“Come on, Red,” Galather said.
“Yeah, Red,” Folas echoed.
“Let me go,” I yelled as they each grabbed me by an arm and dragged me with them toward the ocean, but my struggle didn’t slow them down for a second. They chuckled as they pulled me to the water’s foamy edge, an incoming wave wetting the sand at our feet.
They swung me, counting aloud in synch. “Three. Two—”
One, I’d thought as I jolted awake, sputtering as though I’d been tossed into the ocean and kicked my way back to the surface.
When I realized where I was, panic turned to relief, which then spiraled into anger. Even though it was a dream, I felt annoyed at everyone for goofing around while Ryo was recovering. Not to mention those red horns on Aerith’s head had unnerved me.
Was it symbolic in some way? Would she go head-to-head, or horn-to-horn, with Malon? Or was it some sort of warning that the role of queen would slowly corrupt my sister if she wore the crown for too long? I shuddered beneath my blanket, not thrilled by either scenario.
Dressing swiftly, I buckled my leather stomach cincher over my usual breeches and white blouse. On my way out of the guest chamber, I took a look in the mirror above the vanity. Despite tossing and turning all morning, my hair still looked nearly as good as it had that night, voluminous and wavy. My eyes, however, were bloodshot from the Shade Dust and lack of sleep.
I crossed the hall to Ryo’s door, where a guard greeted me with, “Good morning, Miss Heiris. They are waiting for you inside.”
I squinted at him, but he didn’t say anything more.
Who was waiting for me? The healers?
I entered Ryo’s room to find Aerith, Jhaeros, Galather, and Folas gathered around Ryo’s bed.
I nearly hissed when I saw the twins, remembering how they’d tossed me into the ocean in my dream.
Ryo sat in bed, propped up by pillows. A thick blindfold covered his eyes. My own eyes expanded when I saw the cover on his face.
Aerith, who stood against Ryo’s bedside in a simple brown frock, offered me a small smile. “It is to help his eyes heal faster,” she said. “The cloth has been soaked in a cleansing balm.”
“Mel?” Ryo
said, turning his head slightly in my direction.
“I’m here,” I answered softly before glaring at my sister.
Why hadn’t she roused me first? How long had they been holding council in Ryo’s chamber while I had a not-so-fun beach day with them in my dreams across the hall?
Aerith, who could read my moods better than anyone in all the realms, said, “We just arrived. I wanted to see how Ryo was doing before calling you over.”
I folded my arms, only slightly less annoyed.
Aerith returned her attention to Ryo. As though sensing her stare, he said, “You know, don’t you?”
“That you were switched with your cousin Lyklor when you were babies? Yes.”
“I suppose Liri will want me kicked out of the castle once he’s informed,” Ryo said, aiming a sullen look at Galather and Folas.
Aerith folded her arms beneath her chest. “We know nothing about him. If he’s even half as monstrous as his cousins, then I don’t want him anywhere near our kingdom.”
“We never met him,” Galather said.
“Liri hasn’t dreamscaped the past couple nights,” Folas said. He looked at Galather, who shook his head.
Aerith tugged at her sleeve.
“Someone will need to go to Ravensburg to tell Queen Teryani what has happened and to assess the prince,” she said.
“How do we assess a liar?” Folas wanted to know.
I took a step forward and announced, “I will go.” They all stared at me without saying anything. Aerith frowned, but I could see she was thinking it over because she hadn’t immediately shot down the idea. “You can’t leave,” I said to her. “And Jhaeros and the twins need to stay by your side. I’m the only one in the inner circle who can go.”
Another mission. And this time I’d be ready now that I knew what kind of monsters we were dealing with.
“I’ll go with Mel,” Ryo said.
“Absolutely not,” Aerith said.
Ryo scowled and ripped the bandage from his eyes. Two black pupils stared out from entirely pink eyes. My stomach tightened at the sight. Ryo squeezed them half shut as though the light bothered him.
False Queen Page 20