Page 41

RASH

E mryn didn’t want to wake up. She was warm, held, safe, and she knew that waking up would put an end to those things. But she also knew that she had to wake. There were things she had to do, people she had to find, and she couldn’t do that while she was asleep in Cas’ arms.

Her Phoenix hadn’t been Cas. Or maybe she’d misunderstood the Mother’s words. She’d thought that if they shared passion, he would burn for her. But nothing had happened in that direction.

She’d certainly burned.

Emryn made her eyes open, sitting up and finding she was alone. But the bed was still warm, and she willed down the instant’s worth of panic and went to find Cas.

He wasn’t anywhere in their rooms, so she pulled her shredded gown back on and tied it around the wings that still hung on her back. Emryn fluffed them so they sat neatly, but she winced at the pain in her chest.

She couldn’t just let them drag, though. Fire hung from them, and she didn’t want to set the rug ablaze.

So she slipped her cloak over the wings and left the room. It was still early, the light had that iron gray quality that said it was just past false dawn. Her husband was not an early riser, so why was he up?

She wasn’t going to panic that he was gone. That he was in danger and she’d slept through him being harmed or taken like a fool.

Or that he’d decided he didn’t care for her after all. Emryn’s steps dragged to a halt in the hallway. Maybe that was what had happened, maybe he’d decided-

No, she wasn’t going to jump to conclusions, she was going to go find him and find out what had happened.

“Now, tell me what has you so fired up, Cas?” That was Asan’s voice, and he’d been talking to Cas. All she had to do was follow the voices.

“Look,” Cas sounded distressed and Emryn moved faster. “I woke up like this, Asan. They weren’t there when I went to sleep.”

“Fascinating.” Asan was saying as Emryn burst through the door. “Good morning, your Highness, come and see.”

Emryn crossed the room to stop at Asan’s side. “What is it?”

“These,” Cas held his arm out, twisting it in the light. “I seem to have come down with some sort of rash in the night.”

“Let me look,” Emryn said, peering down at Cas’ arm. The follicles were raised, red, warm to the touch. “It seems to be a mild skin infection.” She said, looking up at him. “I can heal it, or send to the kitchen for a poultice.”

“I’ll poultice it,” Cas said, relaxing his shoulders. “No sense in you healing something so minor.” He smiled at her. “Good morning, Emryn, did you sleep well?”

She nodded, smiling back. “You were gone.”

“I wanted Asan to look at the rash.” He said. “I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“I don’t mind.” She took his hand. “I’ll send to the kitchen and order the poultice and some breakfast if we’re all awake.”

Asan nodded, giving her an oddly lingering look. “I can agree with that.”

“Is something wrong?” Emryn raised an eyebrow at the First Wizard. “You are looking at me oddly.”

“Nothing of note,” Asan said, turning that look on Cas and nodding. “It is good to see the two of you happy, that’s all.”

Emryn didn’t believe that for a moment, but she also wasn’t going to try to pry anything out of the shell that surrounded the First Wizard. The man was as stubborn a nut as she had ever met, and he would tell her what he was thinking when he was ready.

She left the room, going down the hallway to the kitchen and ordering breakfast and the poultice for Cas’ skin. “Right away, Highness.”

“Thank you, Marta.” Emryn smiled at the cook. She was young, but she was a very good cook. “Whatever you have and feel like serving this morning.”

“Very good, Highness,” Marta turned and went back into the kitchen, coming back a few moments later with a cloth and a small bottle. “The poultice for his Highness.”

“Thank you,” Emryn took it and waited until Marta went back into the kitchen. Then she pulled the cork and sniffed the bottle. It was bitter, potent, and immediately brought tears to her eyes from the fumes. But there was no malice in it, no poison.

It was what it said on the tin. A poultice for the rash. Rather noxious, but they usually were.

Emryn went back, only to catch the tail end of a conversation.

“Then tell her.” Asan was saying as she walked in.

“Tell me what?” Emryn set the bottle down on the table and motioned Cas closer. “Come here and let me take care of your arm.”

He walked over, a blush high on his cheeks. “It’s nothing, Emryn. I just forgot to take precautions last night and-”

“If I fall pregnant, the nation will rejoice,” Emryn said firmly, turning herself inward and running a quick diagnostic before looking back at Cas’ arm. “I don’t see that I’ve caught. I’m not even at the proper part of my cycle, so we’ve nothing to worry about.”

“Alright.” Cas looked relieved and then guilty.

Emryn smiled. “It’ll happen when it happens, Cas.”

“I know, I was just hoping to have you to myself for a while longer.” He gave her a rueful smile as Emryn poured the poultice on the cloth. “That smells awful.”

“They always do,” Emryn said, capping the bottle. “This might sting a bit.” She laid the soaked cloth over the rash, quietly firing a little bit of healing into the rash.

Cas hissed as the poultice hit. “It does,” he said through clenched teeth. “But they always do.”

“Good morning, Highnesses, First Wizard,” their Housekeeper chirped as she walked into the room followed by three footmen with breakfast and two maids with plates and silverware.

The woman looked at Emryn and offered her an envelope. “This just arrived for you, Highness.”

Emryn reached for it, but Asan got there first, bubbling the letter and pulling toward him. “Thank you, I will take it from here.”

“As you say,” the woman looked offended, and marched out of the room as the other servants were setting up breakfast.

Asan sighed quietly and looked at the letter. “I will take this to my room and examine it. Do not wait to eat, I will return as soon as I have found the letter safe.”