Page 52 of Midnight Kingdom

Pyre nods and helps me to my feet. I can stand but I’m still tired. With Pyre, I return to the cottage.

***

CAMBION

The Veil

In the kitchen, I find Baron leaning over a boiling pot of something that smells rancid. The vampire stiffens, sensing my presence before I even step into his line of sight.

“Quit creeping around, elf,” he snarls. I stand beside him and grimace at what appears to be a crude poultice of some sort.

“Didn’t you just heal from an injury?” I ask.

“Didn’t you?”

“Eilish helped with that, surprisingly.”

“Why surprisingly?” The vampire limps over to the apothecary and searches through the various containers of herbs, liquids, and other substances that I couldn’t possibly identify on my own. Though I’m skilled in all aspects of magic, there are some things that even a being of my caliber neglects over the years.

“Because her kind are not supposed to have healing abilities,” I respond.

“Were you paying attention to anything in that room?” The vampire demands. “Eilish all but single-handedly healed Kolvar’s injuries. She repairedmonthsof damage done by torture in less than three minutes. I’d like to see you do the same.”

“I don’t wish to argue with you. That isn’t why I came.”

“Then get to the point or fuck off. I have shit to do.”

I roll my eyes. “What did you see in Oronrel? Did you see Theren?”

“No, I didn’t see your asshole of a brother. And I’m glad I didn’t, or else I would have tried to put his head on a pike for sentencing Aima to execution.”

“Enough, please. Just tell me what you saw.”

The vampire huffs and slathers the strange goop on his abdomen. “Theren is reckless. He has very few guards stationed in his palace. We fought maybe a dozen soldiers.”

“There are objects of immense power in that palace. Why would he—”

“He’s crazy,” Baron says, cutting me off. “It appears there are only women with positions in the Unseelie Court now. The men are almost exclusively soldiers or busy serving some other purpose.”

He walks out of the kitchen, leaving me to contemplate his words.

Therenisreckless. I could have guessed that, but the extent to which he endangers the Unseelie race is barbaric. He’s leaving Oronrel open for attack, and that doesn’t sit right with me.

I visit Dragan next. The gargoyle is nearly as surly as the vampire and I’m running out of patience. Admittedly, it’s not as though I’ve been a ray of starlight recently, but at least I have the decency not to look like I want to carve the flesh off the people around me.

“Let me guess, you want to know about Oronrel?” Dragan drawls.

“Yes.”

“Aima is convinced Theren didn’t order her execution.”

“And what do you think?”

He shrugs. “There might be something to it. Or you’re both just blind to his cruelty, each for different reasons.”

“You’re the last one to talk about…” My words trail off as Dragan lifts his hand.

“Let me stop you there,” he says. “All of that is in the past now. Time to come to terms with the fact that you’re just as ignorant to Theren as I was to Lamia.”

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