“Not for me,” Lial said. Annoyance and compassion warred in his gaze as he knelt beside her. “I wouldn’t lie about this, Cora. I realize we are strangers, but I take my calling as a healer very seriously.”
“I didn’t think you would…” She squeezed her eyes closed. “My energy is different. Maybe you’re mistaken?”
Exasperation rang in his tone when he spoke. “I trained for hundreds of years honing my gift and have worked as a healer for hundreds more. I have plenty of experience with pregnancies, even with women of mixed blood. I am not mistaken.”
Cora forced her fingers to uncurl before she bruised her palm. Her heart raced at a rapid pace, and she struggled keep her panic from reaching Ralan across their bond. He couldn’t know. Great Divine. He was heading to likely death, a fate all but promised by his goddess. What would it do to him to find out this news? If there was even the slightest chance of his survival, he couldn’t be distracted. This was beyond a distraction.
“It is uncommon here, where children are treasured,” Lial began, “But there are things that can be done at this early stage if you do not—”
“No,” Cora said, her eyes snapping open. Her hands shifted to her stomach as a fierce protectiveness swept through her. “Don’t even suggest such a thing.”
Was it her imagination, or was that relief crossing his face? If so, he gave no comment, merely nodding and pushing to his feet. “I realize that things are tense between you and Ralan, and I don’t need to know why. His drec of a brother is reason enough for trouble. I will leave it to you to deliver this news as you see fit. That’s why I insisted on examining you up here.”
“Thank you,” Cora whispered.
Lial turned slightly, his face tilting toward the window as he gave her a moment to process. She glanced down to where her hands pressed against her belly. Galarens weren’t particularly fertile, a problem shared by many of the fae races, so pregnancy hadn’t been of much concern over the centuries. Her breath hissed out. It definitely should have been.
She sent her energy deep, searching for that hint of life. Her hands went clammy when she found it. The tiniest spark, so small she wouldn’t have seen it if she hadn’t been looking. What was she going to do? She didn’t want to stay on Moranaia without Ralan, but this child was a royal heir. She wouldn’t have much time to decide. As part Galaren, her unborn child would need to remain immersed in the energy where they’d be born. That first syncing was the strongest and most important bond.
Why, why, why did this happen now?
Ralan’s mind brushed against hers, and his worry trickled through. Cora needed to connect, to offer some reassurance, but she had no idea how she was going to talk to him without sharing the news. She straightened in her seat and tried to shove her panic deep.
But before she could connect, a cry sounded from below. Lial spun, striding for the stairs, as Inona’s scream echoed up to them. Cora jerked to her feet. Her own worries slipped from her thoughts as she followed him down.
Chapter 29
Ralan pressed a finger to Inona’s forehead, a focus for his power as he took control of her mind. Not fully, but enough to help ease her blind terror. Though her scream cut off, her fingers remained pressed to her throat. Her wide, panicked eyes flicked around the room, and her chest heaved with her frenzied breaths.
Footsteps clattered down the steps behind him and pounded across the floor. Lial knelt beside Inona, casting Ralan a grateful glance as he took control. The healer’s magic lit the shadowed alcove, and he pressed his hand to Inona’s forehead over Ralan’s finger. As the tingle swept up Ralan’s arm, he stepped back and let his cousin do his work.
Thankfully, Inona didn’t scream again when Ralan released her mind. She slumped against Delbin, who had tried to comfort her when she woke. But his poor apprentice hadn’t been able to break through her blind panic. After all, the last thing she remembered was having her throat sliced open.
Cora sidled up behind Ralan, and the soft weight of her hand settled on his shoulder. Still watching Inona’s face for signs of panic, his reached up and twined his fingers with Cora’s. Then a hint of his bonded’s fear slipped through, and he frowned over his shoulder as he took in her pinched expression.
Had something happened upstairs, or was she worried about Inona? He’d sensed an odd swirl of emotion from Cora, quickly stifled, just before Inona woke. He wanted to ask his bonded what had happened, but now she stared at the other woman. Perhaps Cora was concerned about the scout’s reaction to her injury and Cora’s part in the initial healing?
The healer’s magic winked out, drawing Ralan’s attention. He shoved aside his unease and peered at Inona. Thankfully, the blind terror had faded to mere fear, and there was awareness in Inona’s eyes once more. Her fingers brushed back and forth across the raised scar on her neck.
“How am I alive?” she croaked.
Cora’s fingers tightened against his. Ralan sent Lial a questioning look. “Her voice—”
“Is undamaged,” Lial said, his expression tightening. “Though perhaps a touch strained by the screaming.”
“I’m sorry,” Inona whispered.
Delbin tucked her against his chest and glared at the room in general. “You have no reason to apologize.”
“My timing was poor.” Inona slumped against Delbin. “I thought I could escape his grip, but I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been that close to him in the first place.”
“Gods, Inona.” Delbin’s arm tightened around her waist. “The whole thing was a clusterfuck. You aren’t any more to blame than the rest of us. And out of all of us, you’re the one who almost died.”
Inona’s gaze lifted to Cora, and a slight smile lifted her lips. “Thank you for saving me.”
“But I…” Cora tugged her hand free and took a step forward. Ralan ached to hold her as her upset slithered through him, but he knew she would rather face this on her own. “I’m not much of a fire healer. You’ll be scarred because of me.”
Inona slid away from Delbin. As she shifted toward the edge of the bed, peered at Cora. “I do not care.”
“But elves rarely—”
“I will do you the favor of not describing that moment after the knife sliced. Once you’ve faced death like that, a scar is nothing.” Inona reached out a trembling hand and took hold of Cora’s wrist. “And I’ll tell any who ask all about the woman brave enough to sear my wound closed before I bled out on a cavern floor while chaos reigned around us.”
The tension eased from Cora’s shoulders, and her soft sigh filled the silence. Finally, she nodded. “I’m glad I was able to help. And thank you for trying to get to Maddy. You wouldn’t have been caught by Kien otherwise.”
Frowning, Inona glanced around the room. “Did you save her? What happened? Please tell me Kien is dead.”
Ralan’s hand settled on Cora’s lower back as he stepped closer. “Maddy is safe on Earth, but Kien got away.”
“Miaran,” Inona cursed. With a soft groan, she settled back against Delbin. “How long until we leave again to hunt him down?”
A dark scowl built on Delbin’s face, but Lial spoke first. “You won’t be.”
Inona stiffened. “I am healed. I’ll be ready after a little more rest.”
“You lost a great deal of blood,” Lial said. “And you’ll be going to a mind healer.”
“I can handle—”
“You cannot.” Inona opened her mouth to argue, but Lial’s glare cut her off. “You’re trembling where you sit from the memories you’re trying to repress. Until you can manage your panic, you will be no good in battle. I will not release you to resume your duties until I am certain you are fully healed.”
Ralan did a quick scan of the strands and nodded at his cousin’s assessment. “I’m sorry, Inona. I do not foresee you coming with us when we leave to fight Kien.”
Her brow furrowed and her eyes flashed, but Inona’s spirit was stronger than her body. She slumped into Delbin’s side as wearines
s overtook her anger. “Fine,” she relented. “Though I would love to have my revenge for what he did.”
Ralan shoved his hand through his hair as his own exhaustion hit. “You and so many others.”
Inona grimaced. “I suppose you’re the first in line.”
He thought back to the words his brother had spoken in the cavern. The way Kien had warped Kenaren was enough, but her torture and death…their child… Ralan swallowed hard and forced those memories away. They would do him no good now.
“Take your time healing, Inona,” he merely said. “Kien will be defeated if it’s the last thing I do.”
And it probably would be.
Cora fell quiet as they returned to the guest tower. Though Ralan glanced her way more than once, her closed expression kept him from asking all the things he wanted to know. Was she still upset about Inona, or was something else wrong? The worry gnawed at his gut with jagged teeth, but he didn’t want to pressure her.
Ralan took her hand as they strolled along the garden path. His insides gave another twist as her damp palm met his. It could be the heat causing her to sweat—or it could be nerves. He reached out to her along their bond, but her feelings were muffled behind a mental wall he wasn’t certain he should, or could, penetrate.
Finally, he broke. “Did Lial give you bad news? Is something wrong?”
“No,” she said. “He said I’m healthy. There’s nothing wrong.”
He narrowed his eyes at the oddly cheerful tone of her voice. “I sensed your distress, Cora. Before Inona woke.”
“I was worried about her,” Cora answered.
He frowned. Her voice sounded more normal, but she’d looked away. “You’re hiding something from me.”
“Ralan—”
“The wall you’ve tried to put between us says more than any words.”
Cora pulled him to a stop beside a cheerful stand of flowers. “I don’t want to burden you. Not now. There’s too much at stake.”
His jaw clenched with frustration. “You don’t think it’s a distraction to know you’re keeping secrets? I feel your upset as my own, no matter how much you try to distance me from it.”
“Fine,” she snapped. “I’m worried about the future. How could I not be? In a few days, you could be…” Her throat worked. “I don’t know if I want to bond to the energy here, and I need to decide soon. But without you, a link to Moranaia will bring only pain, a reminder of your loss. There’s Eri, who was attached to me before we ever met. And there’s…there’s so much to think about. It keeps circling in my head.”
Ralan gathered her close. “I’m sorry I can’t See for you. Perhaps if I ask Megelien, she will offer some reassurance.”
Cora nuzzled her face against his neck. “Don’t. I’d rather decide on my own.”
“Okay,” he answered.
He held her for a moment, just held her, as the wall she’d built crumbled. Her concern swirled through him, but at least now, it had a name. Ralan bent and placed a soft kiss on her temple. When she pulled back, he smiled and smoothed the worry line from her brow with a gentle finger.
“Let’s go get some sleep,” he said. “We’ll need to prepare to head to the palace tomorrow or the day after.”
Her lips pursed. “Prepare? That sounds somehow ominous.”
“For one thing, I want to design a court dress for you.” Ralan ran his gaze down her body. “As nice as you look in jeans and a T-shirt, I’m guessing you’ll feel far more comfortable in our style of clothing when you meet my father.”
“A custom Roland Morne?” A grin broke across her face. “To think all I had to do was bond with him to get one. I hope that hasn’t been a requirement for other clients.”
He found himself chuckling. “Absolutely not.”
“I guess that’s acceptable, then.”
As they made their way through the garden, holding hands, Ralan tried to stifle the sense of worry that wouldn’t depart. Some of it was hers, now that she’d stopped trying to hide her turmoil, but there was something else. Some niggling sense that refused to grow clearer in his mind.
Something was still wrong—and he was going to figure out what.
Though Cora’s limbs had grown heavy with exhaustion as she curled around Ralan, she couldn’t settle into sleep the way he had. She’d lied to him. Oh, not directly. She was worried about the future, and she did need to decide if she wanted to bond to Moranaia’s energy. But she couldn’t lie to herself about the biggest part of her concerns.
One tiny little life.
What’s your favorite thing in the world? she’d once asked him.
His answer? Being a father.
She buried her face in his shirt as guilt swamped her. Ralan would be beyond elated to learn of their child—under normal circumstances. But what would he do if he found out in the midst of this crisis? He was barely resigned to leaving Eri. The thought of leaving two children might be too much.
His own goddess had guided him down a path of death to stop Kien. Would he obey Megelien if she told him?
Cora bit back a groan at the temptation of that thought. Maybe she should tell him. Then he wouldn’t sacrifice himself to this cause. But what would that do? It might change the future in some dire way she didn’t understand. Too bad she couldn’t talk to this goddess herself.
Could she?
Slowly, Cora untangled herself from Ralan’s sleeping form. She kept her gaze on him as she eased out of the bed and headed toward the door. Eri had been playing in the main room when they’d entered, and the girl might be there still. Perhaps she’d have a way for Cora to speak with the goddess Megelien.
Sure enough, Eri had settled on a low couch with a couple of her dolls. She smiled as soon as Cora closed the door behind her. “Hello!”
Cora hesitated, unsure of the wisdom of this course of action. Eri was a seer, but Cora did not want to grill a child on the future. No matter her fear, Cora would not stoop so low as that. But a seer would know how to contact her goddess, right?
“Sit down,” Eri said cheerfully. “I’ll tell you what you need to know so you can get some sleep. You need rest.”
Cora nibbled her lower lip as she approached the couch. Did Eri know about the pregnancy, or had that statement been an innocent one? Even though Cora had restored her energy at the portal to Galare, she hadn’t had any true sleep in quite a while. And the new life within was already pulling on her, physically and magically. She had no doubt she looked exhausted.
With a sigh, she settled on the couch next to Eri. The girl’s sweet face had gone bright with happiness, but there was a knowing glint in her golden eyes. Good grief, she was so much like Ralan. Not just the similar cast to their features, either. It was the unerring confidence that shone from them like a light.
“I’d like to learn how to speak with your goddess,” Cora said, careful to keep her voice low.
“That’s not what you need.” Eri set her dolls carefully between them and leaned closer. “My onaial thinks he has all the answers, too, but he doesn’t. And I have way too many.”
Sadness pinched Eri’s eyes. She knew, Cora realized. She knew all of it. Unthinking, Cora reached out to give the child’s hand a squeeze. “If there’s a way…”
“I know.” Eri’s shoulders slumped. “And there’s not a lot I can say about it. You’re doing the right thing, even though it bothers you. When the time is right to tell him about my sister, you’ll recognize it.”
“Sister?” Cora lowered a shaking hand to her stomach as she stared at Eri’s solemn face. “You really do See too much.”
The girl picked at the smooth fabric of her dress. “Yeah. I guess this is the kind of stuff seers say a lot, but you really will know the right time. It’ll drive him crazy wondering, but it’ll be okay.”
“I did not want to ask you about the future,” Cora said. “You don’t have to tell me these things.”
Mischief replaced the sad gleam in Eri’s eyes. “Of course I do.”
Cora sighed. “Right.”
“While you sleep, can I go play with Iren?” Eri jumped to her feet, dancing around in excitement. Once again, she was only a child. “I promise we won’t leave the garden. There are guards up in the trees to make sure we’re safe.”
“Oh.” Cora rubbed her hand across the leg of her pants as she considered the question. She was technically Eri’s stepmother, but it still seemed strange. Would Ralan be upset if she gave his daughter permission to leave? “I don’t know.”
“He won’t be mad,” Eri said.
Cora stifled a smile at the girl’s words. The blind confidence of a child or the words of a seer? It didn’t matter either way, though, did it? The gardens should be safe enough, and maybe it would be good practice for her new role.
“Okay, go ahead.” Cora tried to think of what Ralan might say. “And no using your Sight carelessly.”
“That’s easy.” Eri’s smirk was all Ralan. “I’m never careless.”
Cora stared after the little girl as she darted out the door. Great Divine. She’d joked about adolescence being difficult for everyone, but Ralan’s fear now settled into her own heart. Eri was only six. How in the world would they handle her when she got older?
Then a new thought chilled her blood. What if the child she carried also shared his gift? Cora straightened, resolve strengthening her muscles. She’d better find a way for Ralan to live because there was no way she could handle two child-seers on her own. As she stood, she sent up a silent prayer to the goddess she didn’t know how to contact.
Please.
Chapter 30
Ralan tapped his finger against his lips as he scrutinized Cora once more. He’d borrowed one of the seamstress’s assistants, an affable man who chatted about his wife as he used a cutting spell to trim away a stray piece of fabric, and they’d started work on the dress several hours before. Now, the first part was almost done.
Seared Page 26