Page 79 of Once the Skies Fade

“Mr. Orelian,” a harsher voice called from the doorway. There stood another fae, who looked strikingly similar to the one still blushing beside me, except this one had a dourer way about her that reminded me of my sister when she was lecturing me.

“You must be the sister,” I said.

“Ami.” She nodded crisply, her lips sliding into a stern smile that matched her grim stare. “Glad to see you’re awake.” By her tone and her rigid form, this female didn’t seem to know what the wordgladmeant at all.

“Thank you.” I pushed myself up off the cot slowly, keeping my hands on it until I could trust my legs to support me. “I was just leaving though.”

“I’d be more comfortable if you waited until we cleared this with General Marlowe and Her Majesty first.”

“And I’d be more comfortable if I had my pants.”

“Of course. Apologies,” Ami noted before gesturing to Brit who quickly slipped around to the end of the cot and retrieved my clothing from where they’d stashed them. Brit smiled sheepishly as she silently ducked out of the room, leaving me alone with her sibling who seemed wholly disinterested as she watched me dress.

“Speaking of Her Majesty,” I started, straightening my collar before smoothing out the fabric of my shirt. Ami lifted a brow in question. “Did she happen to visit me here?”

Ami’s expression remained as unenthusiastic as ever. She pursed her lips as she breathed deeply. “Not that I’m aware of. She doesn’t?—”

I waved my fingers in the air to cut her off. “No worries. Must have just…” I let my words peter off. This healer would probably force me to remain here longer if I admitted to dreaming of the queen or hearing voices.

Ami eyed me curiously, as if trying to deduce what information I had withheld, but she must have deemed itunimportant, because soon enough she gave an almost kind smile. “If you’re set on leaving, at least go speak with General Marlowe first.”

“I will do just that,” I said and dipped my chin in gratitude. “Before I do, though, can I ask something?”

She said nothing but gave the slightest of nods.

“The poison. Had you seen it before?” I asked as casually as I could.

Frowning, she said, “Only in the samples your healers sent us to study. As you know, we didn’t encounter the same attacks here as you did in Emeryn.”

“Did you ever encounter it outside of what we sent?” I asked.

Suspicion clouded her eyes. “Why do you ask?”

“Merely curious how you acquired an antidote,” I noted, remembering how Minerva had saved Connor by magically stripping the poison from his blood. As far as I knew, she was the only one in this world who possessed the power to do anything like that.

“Jocelyn—our other healer—has a natural talent with concocting remedies, and she spent the last year studying that dagger your kingdom sent us. She worked to extract the poison from the blade and manipulate it to create a counteragent. Of course, it had gone untested until you showed up.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “What about with Brennan? Was he poisoned with something different altogether?”

Ami stiffened, standing taller with her chin lifted, but her expression remained blank, her hands relaxed and casually folded in front of her. Her tone, however, held a tinge of defensiveness. “Who said he was poisoned?”

My thoughts churned uneasily, and I had to act quickly before she grew even more suspicious. “Oh, no one,” I lied. If she didn’t know the Durands had been notified of suspected poisoning, I certainly wasn’t going to be the one who warnedher. “Coming from Emeryn and years of battling poison-wielding rebels, and it’s hard not to simply assume.”

“Assumptions are dangerous, general,” she said.

“Well, if it wasn’t poison, how did he die?” I asked, leaning toward her slightly.

This time the healer’s knuckles whitened as she squeezed her hands together, and somehow her tone became even less hospitable. “I don’t think it prudent that I divulge such information to a competitor. I’ve already said too much as it is. You should go.”

Raising my palms to her I bowed my head once more before moving for the door. Her expression remained stoic even as I stumbled slightly with my first steps. It wasn’t until I was out in the hallway that I realized I had no idea where I was within the castle and no clue how to find Isa from here. If this castle was at all like the Durands’, then the healers’ quarters were likely on a lower floor near the kitchen. I sniffed the air, noting the faint aroma of roasting vegetables. Yes, the kitchen was close. Now if I could just find some stairs…

No sooner had I rounded the next corner than something—or someone—shoved me hard into the stone wall. My head smacked against it with a gut-turning crack. Instinctively, my eyes clamped shut, and I barely opened them in time to see a fist—albeit blurry with my distorted vision—careening toward me. I attempted to duck, but my movements were sluggish. The attack grazed off my cheekbone so the knuckles slammed into my ear.

Growling, I spun away from my attacker, but his other fist swung low, landing square on my leg wound. My knee buckled, dropping me to the floor in a groaning, pathetic heap. The male reared his leg back to kick me, and gritting my teeth against the pain, I grabbed his other leg with both hands and jerked it out from under him.

“Fuck!” he growled as he crashed to the ground, but he pivoted on his backside and sent a foot straight into my face. My hands flew up to cradle my nose, which was already gushing blood all over the floor.

Maybe I should have stayed with the healers after all.

---