Page 7

TALK

E mryn needed him to put her down. But if he did, she was going to collapse again, and then the head healer would be even more furious with her than he was already going to be.

She knew that he would already be upset at her for not returning to the temple to recover as she should have. And now it seemed as though she would be a guest of the palace for a few more days while she recovered enough to stand up.

And then she would leave and go back to the city temple where she belonged.

Why did that thought hurt?

But she wasn’t a palace healer. They were all minor nobility and the like, and she was anything but nobility. She was nothing more than a foundling without memories.

But she could do good.

Emryn closed her eyes and almost instantly got sucked down into the dark. She tried to fight it, but failed miserably, finding herself back on her knees in front of the Mother, who was still chained to her throne.

“Mother, who did this?” One did not demand things of the Moon Mother, but Emryn needed to know because she was the only one who could help.

The Mother shook her head, a pained smile on her face. “Find your Three, my Wings.”

“Where am I to look, Mother?”

“They are far, my Wings, and as close as a thought.” The Mother smiled again. “They are made to withstand your flame.”

“Mother-” Emryn shook her head. “What am I?”

“My eyes,” the mother reached for Emryn, but the chains stopped her. “My Wings, my child.”

“I don’t understand, Mother.” Emryn reached back, but there was some sort of barrier between her and the Mother’s throne. “I don’t have wings?”

“My Wings,” the mother repeated, and Emryn felt something on her back for just a moment. “When you are whole, then you will know.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Go, child,” the Mother raised her hands. “Your Phoenix is close.”

The dark thickened, the light around the Mother vanishing and leaving Emryn locked in pitch blackness.

She dragged her eyes open, the Mother’s name hovering on her lips and bolted up. Almost hitting the prince of Rodilla square in the head.

“Highness!” Emryn wrenched herself back, flopping gracelessly out of the huge bed and ending up on the floor in a heap. “What-”

“Emryn, be calm,” the prince reached for her and Emryn scrabbled away. “What is it?”

“You can’t-”

He smiled at her, but there was confusion deep in his eyes. “Can’t what?”

“I’m common, Highness, just a healer, and I need to get back to the city temple.”

“Emryn, can you stand up?” The Prince stood, offering her a hand. “If you can, I’ll escort you back to the city temple myself.”

Emryn never backed down from a challenge. She reached a shaking hand, taking the prince’s offered one and letting him pull her to her feet. She knew what was going to happen. She could feel the shaking start, could feel the empty parts of her where the fire was supposed to be.

He released her hand, and then stepped in to catch her when her legs refused to be anything but two quivering towers of hot tallow.

“Now, back to bed with you.” The prince of Rodilla lifted her from the floor where she’d landed and tucked her back into the ridiculously large bed. “Do you feel up to some supper?”

Emryn shook her head, but her stomach disagreed. Very loudly. And she felt herself blush brightly.

“So that’s a yes on supper, then?” He smiled and turned from her. “I will be back with supper. Rest but don’t sleep, alright?”

She nodded, mouth dry as anything, and watched the prince leave the room. Emryn sighed, trying to get herself to stand so she could leave before he got back.

But all that resulted in was her back on the floor in another heap of- wait, what was she wearing?

It wasn’t the blood stained robes that she’d been in earlier, when she’d healed that noble in the gardens.

This was something else. Fine linen, in a pale sage green that went from the base of her neck to the tops of her feet and was miles finer than anything she’d ever worn in her life.

Which meant that someone had stripped her of the bloodied robes.

Emryn felt her face flame, if they’d done that, they would have seen the marks on her back. And if they’d seen the marks, then they were going to start asking questions.

The marks were burn scars, shiny and red, one over each of her shoulder blades. she had no memory of getting them, no memory of where they’d come from. They’d already been there when she’d been found.

Maybe that was a memory she didn’t want back. They looked like poker burns, like she’d been stabbed in the back by someone and she’d only been seven when she’d been tied to the temple steps in the snow.

Emryn covered her face with her hands and took a deep breath. She was still a pile on the floor and she needed to figure out how to either leave, or how to get back onto the bed.

But she was too weak to do anything but make it so she was slightly less of a heap.

And then the prince walked back through the door, followed by three other people. One of whom was carrying a folded table, one with a fancy velvet chair and the third with a tray of food that smelled amazing and made Emryn feel weak all over again.

“Emryn?” The prince looked puzzled as the others started setting up the table and the food. “Is my company that objectionable?”

“No,” Emryn said hurriedly. “I should just be getting back, so you don’t need to trouble yourself with me.”

“It’s hardly trouble to feed the healer who saved my life.

” He lifted her from the floor again, settling her in the velvet chair and sitting down in the opposite one.

“It’s just a meal, Emryn. The head healer agrees that you are not to return to the city temple until you can get there under your own power. ”

Emryn sighed, trying to be silent about it. “Thank you, Highness.”

“That’s better,” the prince settled a plate in front of her. “Now, the head healer has said that you are to eat as much as you can.”

“I imagine,” Emryn shook her head. “Most remedies for magical burn out are eating and sleeping, highness.”

“Then you will,” he gave her a soft smile that made her middle do something remarkably uncomfortable. “Do you feel up to answering a few questions, Emryn?”

“I’ll tell you what I can, Highness.”