Page 81 of The Shadow Heir

I said little the following day as Nadoo roused me to tend my wounds and administer my medicine.

Nadoo said nothing of what was happening outside the infirmary, but he narrowed his gaze every time he made eye contact, like he was trying to read my mind. Other than a woman coming in to be bandaged from a fall on the icy steps outside, no other humans came to the infirmary for treatment.

On the fourth day of my stay, Ivy came to visit. She rushed to my side and wrapped me in a violent hug.

“Samuel?” she asked, peering over at him as tears budded in her eyes.

“I think he will recover,” I whispered, my stomach tightening with uncertainty.

She nodded firmly and wiped her eyes. “You—the other night. The trial justended. I knew you’d been burned, and then someone yelled that the trial was over. I think it was Felipe. Theheir wasn’t there, only his sister. None of us knew if you were okay. The fae hustled us all back inside. I didn’t even find out about Samuel until he didn’t show up at the next meal.” She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and took several deep breaths. “He never said much, but…”

I patted her arm, nodding. “They’re treating him.”

Her head shook in tiny movements. “It makes no sense. Why try to kill us then try to heal us?”

My throat tightened, and I swallowed. “The trial was supposed to be easy. Then it wasn’t.”

Ivy touched my arm, her pink cheeks pulling up in a faint smile. “But you survived.” She looked down at my hands. “Oh, Zara. I’m so sorry.”

I showed her the burn on my leg, and she cringed, then tried to cover it up by saying it didn’t look that bad. She told me the court was restless, that many were angry Samuel hadn’t been left to die. Others, she explained, were happy with the change. Apparently, not all the fae here hated humans; they were simply less vocal about it until Casimiro had made the first move, commanding Samuel’s treatment.

Ivy stood to leave, the bed rising as her weight lifted. “The tension is rising,” she admitted. “I’m nervous. I’m afraid we’ll…there’s talk of another trial. To right the wrong of having a trial where no one died.” She wrung her hands.

“Cas won’t let that happen,” I said confidently.

She quirked her brows and eyed me sideways. “Cas?”

My ears burned, and I looked away. But how could I explain it? And what was there to explain? That he’d shown me Talia’s house? That he’d slept in the sunshine with me simply to make me feel better? That he’d kissed my fingers and left an ache inside me that I couldn’t shake?

Tilting her head, Ivy said, “To tell you the truth, I haven’t seen the heir in a few days. He’s probably off collecting more mortals to kill.”

To suppress the uneasy feeling rising inside me, I changed the subject. “How is Ariana?”

“She’s fine. Feels terrible about what happened, but she’s fully recovered. You should probably rest.”

“I’m tired of resting.”

“At least here they can’t make you a centerpiece.” Her expression fell.

“Have they—?”

She nodded faintly. “All of us.” A shudder rocked her shoulders. “But some fae refused to eat at the tables where we…where they made us stand. Others are mad. They’re hungry for blood, Zara. Stay here as long as you can.”

The following evening, Nadoo checked my wounds and my temperature and declared I was free to go. He seemed nervous, rushing between my bed and Samuel’s, cursing as he tried to uncork a medicine bottle.

When I left the washroom a few minutes later, Nadoo looked up at me. Sweat clung to his brow. “It’s chaos up there.”

I hesitated in the doorway, recalling Ivy’s words. Casimiro’s actions were throwing the court into a tumult, and if angry dragons were terrifying, angry immortal fae with dark, twisted minds were equally as dangerous.

I wore a fresh white tunic—the only humans who normally received aid from the infirmary were the servants—and barely received a single glance as I made my way up several flights of stairs. Every servant I passed was in a hurry, and by the time I ascended to the more populated levels, my feet moved almost at a jog.

It wasn’t until I neared the dining cavern that I sensed how the energy in the Shadow Court had shifted. Shouts sounded from behind the closed doors of the cavern, and several people, white-clad servants and glittering fae alike, hurried across the wide foyer and through the tall double doors. While the entrance was open, I glimpsed the chaos Nadoo had hinted at. Magic sparked in the air, and the low growl of hounds undergirded the courtiers’ shouting.

Turning away from the dining cavern, I hurried across the wide space to the grand stair that branched up and down. I needed to hide, to remain scarce until this tension subsided. Two levels down was the library. If I took a moment to grab a book before shutting myself in my room, I wouldn’t get as bored.

My moment of hesitation cost me.

The doors to the cavern burst open, and a flood of faces poured out.

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