Page 88 of When Wishes Bleed

It was strange how much he resembled his older brother. I wondered just how many years separated them, or if maybe there were only minutes between the brothers. They looked like twins, except for the bridge of their noses – Knox’s had been broken – and their hair – Knox’s was longer, wilder.

“What does he suffer from?”

“A cancer.”

Fate coiled tightly around my middle. “The stomach?”

“Stomach. Intestines. It’s everywhere.”

I silently asked Fate if he would intervene. He remained with me, but silently refused the request.

“I’m sorry,” I croaked. “I cannot help him.”

Knox’s face had held a tiny sliver of hope until the words left my mouth. Once they did, his head fell to his hands. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

“But if he is in pain, I can ease it,” I offered.

Knox’s eyes flicked to me. “Truly?”

I nodded. “Truly.”

“Could you come now? He’s… this has been a hard day for him. He pretends well enough most of the time, but… Well, you’ll see.”

Knox led me through the castle to the King and Queen’s chambers. The guards posted outside their rooms announced us and we were granted entry.

We walked into a sitting room appointed with plush furniture, accented by wooden tables and leather chairs positioned in front of a hearth. Knox gestured to a doorway and I walked into a bedroom with walls painted a shade of deep teal that I imagined was possessed only by the ocean herself. The King lay in his bed, propped up on a stack of pillows. The Queen sat at his side, spooning broth into his mouth. She took one look at me and dropped the spoon into the bowl with a clatter. A servant retrieved it from her.

The King tried to sit up, but panted from the exertion. His face was beet red, a sure sign of the pain lancing him from the inside out.

“How long have you suffered?” I asked.

“Only a few months,” he answered breathlessly.

A question sat on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t utter it. How long did he believe he had left?

“I know I’m dying. Some days, the pain releases me and I feel fine. I feel like myself. Other days, I can barely leave this bed, let alone the room.”

Knox stiffened behind me.

“May I?” I held my hand out for him.

His eyes filled with unshed tears, but the King placed his large hand in mine. I closed my eyes and whispered a spell to quench his fiery pain. Within moments, his grip relaxed and he sighed, letting his head sink back onto the pillows. “Thank you, Sable.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

He breathed deeply, effortlessly. Queen Annalina put her hand over her mouth, stifling the sobs that threatened. Her eyes met mine and she took her hand away, mouthing the words Thank you.

“You should rest,” I told him, but he was already half asleep.

The Queen gently rose and led me and Knox to the sitting room. “The palace physician told us he has three months to live.”

I wanted to give her better news, but Fate told me otherwise. “He will pass sooner than that, I’m afraid.”

The Queen’s lips began to quiver, and a suppressed cry escaped them.

“How much sooner?” Knox asked for her.

“He will pass on the eve of the next full moon.”

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