Page 30 of Forged By Heart and Claws
“I don’t do hugs,” Quen muttered. Her brow furrowed. “I should have shoved her out the door as soon as she came in.”
Rhielle shrugged. “I wasn’t interested in random affection.”
Thalira cut her eyes away, her eyelids shuttering. Her breaths sounded shallow and uneven.
I crouched beside her and wrapped my hands around hers. “Thalira, I give you my word that I’ll do everything I can. This won’t be how you die.”
Her lips trembled, and tears clung to her dark lashes. She squeezed my hand with her uninjured one, but her fingers were cold as ice. “I know you will,” she whispered, quiet and certain.
Those four words nearly broke me.
I forced myself to smile, squeezed her hand again, and rose. “How’s the pain?” My gaze dropped to the bolt embedded in her shoulder. The bandage around it was already dark with blood. Though the wound was deep, the bolt hadn't pierced all the way through. Holding it in place was the only thing keeping her from bleeding out.
“It’s manageable.” Thalira pursed her lips. “Whatever Councilman Bryn gave me took the edge off.”
“There’s a small wood stove two doors down on the left,” Vad said. “You can heat water. There isn’t much wood, but it’s built in such a way that the smoke is dispersed without drawing attention. At least one of the teas will help with pain. Use it for heating food and water only. No hot baths. We need to make the supply last.”
Many-Greats snorted as he examined the vials and salves laid on the bench. “That tea won’t work miracles. These herbs and tinctures are rudimentary. Nothing here will treat medical conditions. It’ll be pain relief at best, with potentially antiseptic properties.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “We’re not in the Healing Hall, and miracles aren’t coming. Just do what you can. Keep the pressure on all of Thalira’s wounds and check for shards of glass or small cuts.”
Vyraetos gestured Vad over. The two of them slipped into a quiet conversation while Vyraetos packed away jars of salve and opened another bin.
“Don’t dally while you’re up there,” Many-Greats warned. “This rebellion has been planned for ages, but we still don't know everyone who is involved. I have allies, but they won’t know where to find me. We need to determine whether the loss to magic is beyond this palace, as I suspect, and who is leading this coup.”
“How did they know that Vad choosing me would sever our magic?” I asked. “If that’s what they wanted, why wait until now?”
“I don’t believe that they did. We knew they were manipulating the bridal competition, and we knew a few other loyal members who were on our side. But we didn't know the extent to which the manipulation had gone.”
My gut hardened.
“It has always been known that a royal must not wed an Aureline. Aurelines are neutralizers,” Vyraetos explained from his position on the far side of the room with Vad. He sealed the jar of salve and set it back on the shelf in front of a bin, then pointed to another as if to show Vad.
“Please understand, Briar, I couldn’t tell you that.” Many-Greats wrung his hands. “If I had, you’d be dead. And once they knew about you, they wouldn’t have stopped with just you. They’d have hunted down your sister as well as anyone loyal to you and killed them all.”
I went still. Ice crawled down my spine. “They know about Ember? Is she in danger?”
This couldn’t be happening. Not now, when we’d lost everything.
CHAPTER 7
Briar
My breath caught.The room spun for just a second, but it was enough.
Ember.
My older sister was strong, brave, and an amazing leader. And if she was even remotely in danger because ofme…
A growl rumbled deep in my chest. “Tell me she’s safe. Tell me they don’t know about her.”
Many-Greats didn’t flinch, but the seriousness in his expression twisted something in me. “If they overheard you speak of her, they know. But beyond that…” His voice was grave. “They know you are from Earth. It will not take long for them to connect the threads. The descendants of the Aureline who fled carried unusual magic. And if certain members of the Aureline Council believe those individuals or their descendants threaten their cause, they’ll want that threat eliminated. She’s fine for now, but this is… complicated.”
My nails bit into my palms. Ember hadn’t asked for this. She was just trying to get the supernatural world back in order. She didn’t need yet another entity to target her.
“The portals aren’t working, right?” My voice trembled. I hated the sign of weakness, but I couldn’t help it. “If the magic’s gone, then they wouldn’t be able to use them to get to her.”
I was desperate for logic to smother the panic spiraling through my chest.
