Page 73 of Beast and Remedy (The Last of the Heirs #2)

Seer

T he castle remained quiet when Beau and I woke, the two of us packing and enjoying a blissful breakfast in each other’s company before the rest of our family could join us.

And when Queen Verena and her daughter meet our group outside, I fasten my grip as I tie off my gear, hoping for another chance to speak with Sybille alone.

To my surprise, she approaches me directly without her mother hovering nearby. “Good morning, Vi,” she says with a grin.

I glance past her, observing the queen approach Beau and chat with him, Leo, and Christine as I greet her. “Hi there. How did you sleep last night?”

“Not very well,” Sybille admits. “I hoped to have a moment with you alone.”

“Is everything alright?” I ask, my chest weighing down as I pray for a chance to ask for her insight.

“I—” She surveys her surroundings before scooting close. “I dreamed about the illness in your lands last night.”

“Oh.”

This might be how her abilities work. Sweet Makers, this might have worked out better than I anticipated.

But then she sighs, her features sullen and resigned. “But I didn’t have enough time to interpret the dream before seeing you and your friends off this morning.”

Hope tugs at my heart. She already dreamed about us, and even if I leave without an answer now, she could still write to me for when it does come.

I can still work with this.

Not wanting to leave without offering her my reassurance, I tell her, “You and your mother have given us resources to use and help us find a cure, and I’m grateful you even shared with me what you did.”

She fidgets with her dress. “I’m sorry I’m not good at deciphering dreams right away.”

“It’s alright.”

“It isn’t!” she snaps. “It’s not alright when I want to help my friends.” The ferocity in her voice falls, her body sagging. “Shadows kept warning me. Telling me to be wary as you use the blood of healers.”

A chill prickles up my spine, words similar to what Prince Stefan told me in Northtry. But healer’s blood? That could mean Beau…

I’ll need to tell him later.

“My dream lingered on the blood, as if there was more it wanted to show me, but the shadows kept clouding me from seeing everything. Kept whispering in warning.” She holds up her hands, opening and closing them. “So. Much. Blood.”

I bristle, the hair on the back of my neck rising. No .

She couldn’t have seen that. She couldn’t have!

Splotches of red drift forward from my memories, my pulse quickening as the panic seeps in.

Annie… Bronn… Blood .

So. Much. Blood.

Marian’s voice fills my mind.

I need you to breathe.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. I inhale, clinging to my sister’s words to ground me.

When I calm, I look at Sybille clenching her fists and shaking her head. My heart sinks with understanding.

Her frustration with her gift is understandable. But her power is so useful—helpful. She might not have everything, but it’s something.

I grasp her shoulder and squeeze twice, her gaze finding mine.

“I know how it feels to not have all the pieces of information when it comes to your magic,” I say. “But you said you are able to decipher your dreams, right?”

“Yeah, just not right away.”

“Exactly.” I smile. “Which means you will eventually and given we are friends who agreed to write each other…” I wiggle my brows, letting her catch on.

Her eyes brighten but fall flat quickly. “Mother would never let me write to you about my magic.”

“Oh,” I pause, contemplating my next words. “Well, maybe if you tell me when you plan to visit Beau, I can come too, and we can talk in person.”

She breaks into a huge grin. “That is true! Maybe we can do that!”

I loop my arm in hers, steering us toward her mother as everyone mounts their horses. “And if not, that’s alright, too.”

“It is?”

“Of course. We can be still friends without discussing our magic.”

She halts, forcing me to stop and meet her. “Really?”

“Really, really.”

“I always dreamed you and I would be friends. But I never knew when it would come true.”

My heart stutters, my chest caving in at her sweet words. Emotion clogs my throat, but I manage, “I’m glad to be your friend, Sybille.”

Queen Verena steps into our proximity, her expression indifferent. “Thank you for visiting us and keeping us informed about everything regarding the virus.”

“That gratitude should be extended to you and your daughter,” I say. “Truly, your healers’ research and the lavender you are sending will be very helpful as we begin formulating a remedy.”

“I should hope so.” She straightens her posture, coldness and expectation lacing her next words. “And I should hope that, when we reunite in Torgem for the king’s name day celebration, we can finally put this matter to rest.”

Sybille squeals, jostling me. “You hear that, Vi? We get to see each other in person again!”

Her mother’s silver-gray irises flash, and her daughter’s enthusiasm ceases.

I mask the joy and excitement over Beau convincing Queen Verena to join up with us again, as well as give me another chance to earn more insight from Sybille.

Inclining my head to the queen, I reply, “The timeline is more than enough, Your Majesty.” I meet Sybille’s brown doe eyes with warmth. “It will be wonderful to see my friends again.”

“I promise to write.” Sybille bounces in place as I step away and mount my horse.

“And I promise to respond.”

Sybille lowers to a curtsy as my loved ones approach, and the Queen of Unterkirch politely waves to us. “Thank you for coming, and we shall see each other again soon.”

“And be careful of the shadows!” Sybille adds with her own farewell, and a shiver of fear latches onto my spine.

I try casting her words aside as we depart, but the warning doesn’t leave.

And when I tell Beau and the others, it remains hanging over us all as we venture toward Belmur.