Page 9 of Beast and Remedy (The Last of the Heirs #2)

Tying up Loose Ends

M y sleep was not peaceful. Never-ending thoughts and questions rattled my mind, and my sister’s light snoring rustled me awake every time a glimpse of slumber beckoned me.

Near dawn, I gave up on rest, lighting a candle and settling in for my favorite novel. A librarian venturing into a castle, discovering the prince and everyone who lived there were cursed.

Educational text normally resharpened my focus, but today, I felt like it would only feed into the problem. And it had been so long since I read for pleasure.

I didn’t even make it halfway through my book before Marian yawned her good mornings. After checking her foot and approving of its progress, I changed, lending my sister a tunic and trousers for our trek in Haliver Woods.

I puff my messy, long waves away as Marian braids her shoulder-length tresses, her eyes raking over me.

“Have you considered plaiting your hair today?”

I brush her off. “I’d rather get this over with than style my hair.”

She doesn’t succeed in muffling her snort as we bundle up and I grab my dagger. We head to her quarters for her weapon before we drift to the main level.

We stroll past the ballroom, the throne room, and one of the few dining rooms. The early signs of dawn shine through the stained glass windows, casting emerald-green, magenta, and orange hues against the walls, curtains, and trim.

Waves of bread-scented air linger from the kitchens, and I am half tempted to stop there for a quick meal. But I decide against it, refusing to delay and ignoring my grumbling stomach.

Marian arches a brow, and I urge her onward, exchanging pleasantries with the house staff. We greet Bronn, Alec, and Marius, a few of the many guards we are close with, as we approach the castle’s exit.

“Princesses, good morning,” Bronn says with a kind smile, his crooked nose wrinkling.

He’s been a part of our household staff since Marian and I were infants, whereas the brothers, Alec and Marius, have been employed by the crown for a few years.

The three are constantly on shifts together and always our favorite ones to chat with. They don’t report every little detail of where we go to Papa, Jean, and Pierre. It’s one of the big reasons we get away with so much.

“Where are you off to this early?” Alec asks beside a suspicious Marius.

Marian loops her arm through mine, her teeth gleaming and eyelashes fluttering. “We were just going out for a stroll,” she lies.

Marius’s umber eyes flick to her bow, and she chuckles, trying to hide her weapons.

“We don’t have to lie,” I tell her as Bronn and Alec mask their amusement.

“It’s not lying,” she starts. “I mean, we are walking.”

She winks with mischief, and it does nothing to help our secrecy, despite the three men huffing under their breath as she drags me past them.

“Be careful and stick close to the tree line so you can holler should you need anything,” Bronn calls out.

Marian waves behind us, and I peer back to the guards. “Thank you.”

When I turn back, I nudge my sister.

“Ow!” she grumbles, wincing as we circle the perimeter.

“They are going to think we are up to something!” I hiss.

She rubs her side. “If I didn’t make a joke, then they would have thought we were being inconspicuous.”

“Whatever. Let’s check near my study.”

We spend time inspecting near my alchemy room, trying to find paw marks. The tracks aren’t very visible, and I double-check our surroundings before lowering.

Closer to the ground, I inhale, detecting a distinct musk scent.

It’s faint but still traceable.

We push onward, remaining in line with my workroom, moss clinging to the autumn air. Marian nocks her bow, arrow aimed and at the ready as we enter the forest. We remain silent, my sister scouting the distance and glancing down for any vestiges.

I brush by the trees, touching the bark and sniffing. Listening. Tuning into every sound and scent I can focus on.

Leaves rustle as birds chirp, a quiet song drifting through my senses. The sharp scent of pine and cedar mix with the musky trace of myself and a few other creatures when I pause upon a familiar bush.

Touching the greenery, I squat, leaning in with delight. I draw my dagger to cut a few leaves and stems, the shrubbery rustling.

Might as well make use of my time and restock any ingredients I can before winter takes away my opportunity for a month.

I sheathe my blade and stuff my pocket full as footsteps approach. Pausing, I peer over my shoulder to Marian hovering above me, eyes sharp and her weapon aimed at my chest.

“Marian, what are you—”

She releases the arrow, and I rear back, eyes widening as it shoots past me, landing in the bush.

Alarm drives my slackened mouth toward my sister, halting by the screeching hiss coming from the plant. I whirl back, moving the stems away to find an aspic viper shot in the head.

Swirls of relief, horror, and pain rip at my chest as I veer back, falling on my ass as I try not to think about the image of a dead animal.

The arrow lodged in it makes me—

I cover my mouth, suppressing a gag.

My magic tugs, making me even more squeamish. I dry heave, shuddering as if I failed the snake. A touch pulls me back, and I glare at my sister.

She grimaces. “Sorry.”

“You’re sorry ?” I choke, swishing her hand away. “You almost killed me!”

“That viper almost killed you!” she snaps. “I was lucky I saw its scales and tail sticking out when I circled around you.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, taking a long breath. Exhaling, I calm the panic and ache in my heart from harming an animal.

Sweet Makers, what am I becoming?

This is exactly why I wished to live out my days inside. Nothing to care about beyond the realm of my study and my books.

“This forest is going to kill me,” I mutter.

“This forest is going to heal you,” a gentle voice sings, and I jump, clutching my chest.

Marian scoots back, surveying the woods. “What? What is it?” She grabs another arrow. “Do you smell something? Hear something?”

I dart my gaze throughout our surroundings, stopping at a familiar faint orange shimmer. It twinkles, becoming more like a floating ember as I squint. “Wha—”

“What? Where?” Marian aims her bow in my line of sight, the glow vanishing with a flourish.

I blink, trying to make sense of what I saw—what I heard. But I am met with the beat of my heart and birds chirping.

“It’s nothing,” I sigh and stand.

Marian lowers her weapon as I dust off my trousers. “What was it you were getting from the bush, anyway?”

“Witch hazel.”

She quirks her lip. “Better double-check the shrubbery before you get attacked.”

“Better warn me if you see something before aiming an arrow at my heart,” I retort.

“I wasn’t aiming for you. I was aiming for the snake. And besides, you know I’m a good shot.”

I incline my head, relief swimming through me at her proficiency with a bow and arrow.

Much like another hunter I know.

Patting her shoulder as we walk, I am grateful for her presence and protection, even when I least expect it. “That, you are.”

“It wouldn’t hurt if you said, ‘Oh, Marian! Thank the Makers! You saved me!’” She clasps her weapon to her chest and flutters her eyelashes. “You are the best sister in the world!”

I roll my eyes.

She cackles. “Come on. You know you’d be lost without me.”

Her laughter echoing in the forest and the breeze cooling me from my close call help unwind the strain in my heart.

I run my hands through the trees, the dry leaves brushing against my soft skin. “That, I would be, Marian. That, I would.”

She beams. “Good. Now, shall we keep looking?”

I sigh, drained from the instability of these last few days. As much as I want to keep looking, it feels hopeless in my human form. Deep in thought, I try to come to peace with the wolf’s absence and my need for a sense of normalcy.

I take in the woods once more, the day barely even begun. “Let’s just gather more ingredients.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. With winter coming, I need to get these supplies restored. Especially with us leaving for Palaena soon.”

“Guess you’ll have to socialize with Queen Tove and King Jerrick if you want more honey,” Marian quips.

I groan.

“You’ll be fine, Vi.” Marian nudges me playfully. “You’re better than you think at being a princess, and Queen Tove and King Jerrick are nice.”

“There is that,” I say, grateful we are in good standing with our neighboring kingdoms.

Most of them.

A comfortable silence cocoons us as we stride through the field, my heart daring to voice a hope I’ve kept hidden ever since hearing of Queen Tove’s news.

“Do you think we’ll see any other kingdoms in Palaena?” I clarify. “To celebrate a new heir?”

Marian’s eyes flick from the ground toward me. “Well, Stefan and his father will be in Unterkirch doing business, so that rules out two kingdoms.”

“The other one?” I ask, pulling Marian to a stop.

My sister releases a long exhale, the wind blowing her locks as she looks to the castle and then to me. Light freckles kiss her nose and cheeks, her dewy skin flushed and vibrant with the autumn season surrounding us.

“I know you miss him, Vi,” Marian says, knowing only about my friendship with the King of Torgem.

One cultivated when I was young, falling apart through my adolescence, then reigniting and amplifying into something more in my adulthood.

“I miss all of them,” I admit, trying to mask my longing.

To see his face, hear his voice, even receive a letter. Deities, how my soul aches.

She clasps my shoulder. “We all lost our best friends that day.”

“But we don’t think he—”

“It doesn’t matter what we think. Papa still does. And we are lucky he didn’t avenge Mama’s death and kill our friends. We are lucky Jean and Pierre reminded him of the balance the Makers have strived for in our world, our home.”

I avert my gaze, hating the reminder she must give me whenever we reminisce about our childhood. Our friends. My other half.

She shakes me. “We are lucky Papa kept his beliefs of how Mama died between our families instead of spreading the word to other kingdoms. That would have ruined Torgem. We are lucky he only cut off trade and banished them from our lands and nothing worse.”

I press my lips together, dipping my chin and letting my hair conceal my pain. “I know. I’m sorry for even mentioning it. I—”

“Miss them,” she finishes.

“You get it.”

She offers me a soft smile. “I do. And I also get if we might see another kingdom in Palaena, we need to remain strong for Papa so he can keep his wits about him.”

“Keep the peace,” I grumble.

“Keep the peace. Now, come on, let’s not dwell on the past and fix up your study as best we can before we have to leave.”

I let her guide me home, the past something I dwell on often and don’t believe I will ever move on from.