Page 66 of A Cage of Crystal

“What side is that?”

“The one where we get everything we want.” He winked at her and left, closing the door behind him. As soon as it was shut, she lurched to the side and heaved her precious cake onto the courtyard stones.

29

Teryn woke with a sudden start, though he didn’t feel as if he’d been asleep. He felt more like he’d been…lost. Floating. Clinging to the fraying edges of his consciousness. Now wakefulness dawned on him in a violent rush. He sat up—at least he thought he did—but all he saw was blinding white light. Not even his body stood out against it. He glanced down at his hands, his legs, but there was nothing to see.

Panic raced through him, sending him teetering back toward the opposite edge of consciousness.

“Calm, Your Highness.” A feminine voice reached his ears. It was a hollow sound, devoid of resonance, but the fact that there was someone near him, calming him, gave it a soothing quality.

“Where am I?” His voice held the same lack of resonance, but there was nothing soothing about it. The words left his lips, but instead of reverberating from his vocal cords, they simply took shape in the nothingness around him. That only renewed his sense of panic.

“It’s all right, Prince Teryn.”

“Who are you? Why can’t I see anything?”

“My name is Emylia. I’m here to help you.”

“Help me with what? Where the seven devils am I?”

As if in answer, the light grew muted, slowly fading into shadows. Those shadows spilled over the surface of white, like ink staining a blank page. But instead of pure darkness, the shadows took form, creating distinct edges, shapes, and textures, until it became a moonlit bedroom.Hisbedroom at Ridine Castle. He saw his four-poster bed, the flagstone floor, the tapestries decorating the walls.

He released a sigh of relief…but the breath leaving his lungs didn’t feel normal. It tingled against his lips without warming them and it lacked the rushing sound he was used to. He glanced down at his body, and this time he could see hands. That was a small comfort.

“Just breathe, slow and steady,” the woman named Emylia said. A woman he’d still yet to see.

He glanced up from his hands and nearly leaped out of his skin at the sight of the unfamiliar woman. If he had to guess, she was around his age, perhaps a year older. Her skin was a rich brown while her curly hair was the color of the midnight sky outside his room. A beautiful woman. And one who was only half dressed. The shift she wore was of a flowing, floor-length silk in a color he couldn’t distinguish in the unlit room, but the way it bared her shoulders told him it had to be a nightgown at best.

Suspicion darkened in his mind. Averting his gaze, he set his jaw and said, “Miss…Emylia, who are you and what are you doing in my room?”

It was all he could do not to order her out at once. The last thing his relationship with Cora needed was a scandal. A nagging thought pulsed through him, telling him this was the least of his worries. But…why? Something had happened after his conversation with Cora…

Something that would explain the terror lurking in the back of his mind…

“I told you. I’m here to help you.”

“With what?” He allowed his gaze to return to her and saw she now wore a capelet over her shoulders in the same flowing silk as her gown. It struck him as odd that her ensemble would change so suddenly, but he was more concerned with getting her out of his room. There was no way he was letting this stranger ruin what he had with Cora. “Never mind. You shouldn’t be here. Please leave at once.”

When she made no move to obey, he reached forward to assist her, determined to drag her out if he must.

“Don’t touch me,” she barked, leaping away from his touch.

Teryn froze.

The woman made a placating gesture, and her tone turned gentle again. “It’s…it’s probably fine, but we can’t risk it.”

“I don’t want to touch you,” Teryn said through his teeth, trying to ignore that his teeth felt…well, there was something wrong with them. Something wrong withhim. Everything about his body felt…too light. Too fuzzy. Was he dreaming? It felt like a dream. But not even in his dreams did he fancy having a strange woman in his private quarters when he could have been dreaming about someone else. “I just want you out of my room before someone gets the wrong idea.”

Her shoulders sank, eyes turning down at the corners. “Highness, we aren’t in your room.”

“What do you—”

“Do you remember anything about what you were doing before?”

“Before what?”

“What’s the last thing you recall? Stay calm but try to remember. It’s better if you remember on your own.”

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