Page 27 of Of Nightmares & Fire (Elusive Umbra #1)
“Who did you give this balm to recently?” I question, and she smiles into the concoction as she pulls it away from the flame and onto the cooling stone just in front of a small door at the bottom of the wall.
She hums thoughtfully as she pulls baubles and bottles from shelves.
Pouring mixtures and grinding flowers, herbs, and elixirs together before throwing them into the mix.
The boiling liquid fizzes and pops, a flame catching only for a moment, but Kaeleith doesn’t flinch.
She keeps working. Her knobby hands moving in a rhythm found over time.
“Does it matter who? It clearly went to good use. I smell it on you.” She says, smiling again. “It is not all I smell on you, though, Kyros Kahzal. You have finally returned to the palace.”
“Not in the sense you may think. I don’t have time to play games with you, Kaeleith.
You know why I am here; please, just tell me who came.
Who did you give the balm to?” She sucks her teeth in a clicking sound before quietly using a ladle to pour the liquid into a small tin.
She crumbles the familiar dried orange flower into the mortar and uses the pestle to grind the fire poppy into a dust before sprinkling that too into the tin.
She whispers an incantation as she uses her magick to stir the mix with a twirl of her finger .
She does the same thing three times, a different flower for each. When she is done, her gaze drifts in my general direction, and she holds all three tins in the palm of her hand in a stack. She steps forward and pushes them into my chest.
“You will know what they are for when you need them, and you will need all three.” She nods again at the tins pressed over my heart more firmly, and I finally relent with a sigh and pocket the now cooled balms. “As you know, I am close with the Neer. When they come to my woods, I don’t ask them why, just as I don’t ask you.
The princess, though, I have heard tales of her.
The beauty she holds, both inside and out.
She's curious and smart. She is not cruel like the king, though everyone has their secrets... Perhaps it’s time for you to show her something not many have.
If it's trust you wish to gain, it’s vulnerability you must pay.
” Narrowing my eyes on her, I think about what she is saying…
I swear at times her magick allows her to look inside my mind.
“You really won't tell me who came for the balm?” I ask one more time as she ushers me to the door. Her white eyes drift to mine, and a breeze blows her gray hair across her face, and she smiles as she takes a step backward.
“Use the balms, Kyros. Don’t be the stubborn man you were forced to become. Remember who and where you come from. Be the man you were meant to be.” Without another word or a moment for me to think about what she has said, she snaps the door shut between us.
Use the balms. I shake my head .
The thing about rending a portal back into the castle grounds is I don’t know who will be on the other side.
I have no way of knowing if where I am rending it will have eyes on it or if I will be safe and unseen.
The implication of being caught for anyone else would surely be death.
For me, it would be a severely inconvenient headache I would rather not deal with at the moment.
But like leaving to find out about the balms or the person with magick within the castle, I have no choice.
I step through the divide and the smoke of it closing behind me and Khol dissipates on a desert breeze, but just like me, he freezes as we hear muffled voices whispering as we approach the stable doors.
There is a shuffling before the door opens, and a woman startles as we come face-to-face.
“Divine, you scared me.” She says, taking a step back and running into a man’s chest with her back. She looks up at him over her shoulder, and his chin lifts as he takes me in.
“You are one of the princesses' suitors.” He states, and I stare blankly at both of them. Even though my mind is racing with what I can tell them, I remain silent.
“Kyros,” I finally say, clipped, before side-stepping with Khol and heading in past them.
A couple of the horses whinny and chuff as I begin securing the stirrups and unfasten the cinches on Khol’s saddle.
He can tell I am on edge, and it’s causing him to get antsy.
He becomes more vocal, whining and stomping his massive hooves.
“What are you doing riding in the middle of the night?” The man asks, and I ignore him as I turn my back and continue getting Khol into his stall.
It’s disrespectful, and I hate that I have to play this role, but it’s what they would expect of an heir of another kingdom.
I hear them whispering again, and when I slowly turn around, they are frustratingly staring at one another before turning their attention back to me.
“What are you doing out here?” The redheaded woman asks as her brow furrows.
“My horse needed to run. I rode the perimeter only and came right back here, but as you have clearly stated… it’s late.
I should be getting back to my chamber.” As I begin to leave, I cut between both of them, and once outside, I freeze.
Turning around, I look at both the man, whom I recognize as one of the castle guards, and the woman.
The same woman who took the Princess back to her bedchambers, but it’s not who is standing before me that causes me to stop.
It’s the scent of fire poppies. The balm came from both of them.
“Of course. Goodnight.” The woman gives a slight bow; the man does not do the same. Our eyes clash for a moment, and a cloud of fear darkens his eyes.
“Goodnight to you too, miss?” I ask.
“Colette.” She smiles more and nudges the guard with the toe of her slipper.
“Rest well, Kyros of Diemos.” The man finally says and nods at me, and something else flares in his eyes. With that, along with the scent, I know who is responsible for getting the balm for the princess. One question still remains, though: why?