Page 147 of The Iron Flower

“You can’t?”

He shakes his head, his eyes riveted on mine.

“What would happen if you stuck your hands in fire?” I ask, not quite believing his statement.

“Nothing.”

“Wow.”

He shrugs, as if it’s no big deal.

“It’s working,” I say after a time, noticing the boils are flattening out, the red beginning to fade, an unsettling warmth kindling in me as I stroke the medicine into his long fingers.

“The pain’s receding,” he says. He’s breathing more normally now, not the quick, strained breaths from before. “This isn’t good,” he says, looking at his hands.

“No, it’s not.” I frown. “Maybe it was just too much iron.”

“No, I’ve done this job before. It’s never bothered me like this...just gave me a rash.” He looks at me, his expression grave. “It’s getting worse. Much worse.”

“Have you told your mother?”

“No.”

“Maybe you should. Maybe she can help.”

He looks back down at his palms and grimaces as I continue to smooth the gel over his fingers. “I can’t hide what I am for much longer. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“Maybe the Lupines will give the Fae amnesty,” I offer hopefully. “Jules thinks there’s a chance...”

Yvan lets out a bitter laugh. “Vogel has demanded that the Lupines cede half their territory to the Gardnerians. He’s threatening military action if they don’t comply.”

“I know, but they’ve threatened the Lupines before—”

He shakes his head, his tone hardening. “The Lupines won’t cede their territory, which means they can’t afford to do anything else that will inflame tensions with Gardneria. They will not let the Fae in. It’s too provocative.” Yvan flexes his hands experimentally, a shadow falling over his expression. “It’s not just the iron that’s a danger. It’s getting harder to contain my fire.” He looks to me, uncharacteristically rattled. “I’m in a lot of trouble, Elloren.”

Fear grabs at me, but I shake it off. “Rescuing Naga looked like a long shot at one point, if I remember,” I note as I concentrate back on his hands. I can feel his eyes intent on me. “So did rescuing all of the Selkies. What were the chances ofthatever happening? I think Gunther Ulrich may surprise everyone.” I study his palms. “Wow, that’s really helping, isn’t it?”

The boils are gone. Now his palms are just red and splotchy.

“It doesn’t hurt at all anymore.” His deepened voice sends a thrum straight through my fire lines. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, my cheeks warming. I pull more gel from the long Arnici leaf next to me and continue rubbing it all along his long fingers, between them, down his palm to his wrist, the two of us quiet for a long moment.

“Yvan,” I ask, wrestling with a question that’s been on the tip of my tongue for a while now. “When we all met with Valasca...well, I was just wondering...”

Yvan raises his eyebrows at me, as if prodding me to just out with it.

“Can you tell what I’m feeling from your sense of my fire?”

He hesitates, his mouth tightening the way it does when he’s withholding information.

“Is this another secret?” I gently press. “You just told me you can stick your hands in fire.”

He smiles slightly and dips his head, acknowledging my point.

I wait.

He finally relents, his voice low. “A little. But mostly I can scent your emotions.”

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