Page 33

L eafy herbs and crushed spices overwhelmed my senses as I opened my eyes to see a familiar, candlelit bedchamber. Tucked beneath a dozen blankets and wheezing through strained breaths was Prince Raphael. His mother sat by his side, quietly sobbing as she wiped stray hairs from his face and pressed kisses against his forehead.

Thick curtains blocked the sunlight from outside, and judging by the way Prince Raphael winced even at the dim candle by his mother’s side, they weren’t drawn just because someone had forgotten to open them. The limpets digging into the skin by Raphael’s eyes had grown so severely, the poor boy could hardly blink.

“Is there still hope for him?” The heartbreak in Cora’s voice made me pause.

“All the while he breathes, there is still hope, Your Majesty.” Another figure stepped out from the shadows, carrying a bowl of smoking herbs and wafting the steam over the boy. As I watched Ivy work, pride swelled in my chest.

“This should help to calm him,” she said soothingly. “Marius also has a new mixture that he wants to try on the limpets today. If we’re lucky, we may be able to remove a few.”

“Thank you, dear.” Cora passed her a watery smile while I blinked away tears of my own. I knew my friends would never give up on healing Prince Raphael, but guilt still gnawed at my mind at the thought of me leaving here to return to Drothmore without them. If I hadn’t found the cure last night, would I still be leaving today? Could I even call myself a healer if I abandoned a patient in favour of a crown?

Shaking my head, I swallowed down the thoughts. This moment wasn’t about me. But before I could call out to them, Arenn tugged me back into the shadows, smothering my lips with his hand.

“What are you doing?” I hissed through his fingers.

“Just wait a moment.” Roughly, he pushed me away until my back pressed against a wall. When I glanced at Ivy, she was still too absorbed in her conversation with Cora to notice either of us. My gaze turned murderous as I turned back to Arenn, but he ignored it and held me firmly against the wall.

“Perhaps you should just leave the cure with your friends? No need to treat the prince yourself,” he suggested, his tone oddly fearful. “Leave the cure with me and I’ll make sure your friends find it.”

“Why would I do that?” I sputtered the moment he drew his hand away. “I can make him better right now.”

“But what if—”

“Just stay here if you’re afraid.” I scowled.

Dropping his hands, he puffed out his chest. “I am not afraid—” But I didn’t let him finish. Shoving past him, I marched out of the shadows and towards the sick prince.

“I have something that might help,” I declared, holding out the pouch.

“Naria?” Ivy gasped before her surprise gave way to excitement. “I thought you’d already left! What is that? Is it Marius’s new poultice?”

“Something better. I hope.” Perching on the edge of the bed, I slipped the pouch open as Cora’s eyes met mine.

“I’m so glad you’re still here,” she told me sincerely. “You must forgive my dear Ronan. He’s gone mad with grief even though I made it clear you’d never willingly hurt our son. He acts like our boy is already dead. But he’s not dying. I won’t let him.” Her voice cracked. “Please, tell me whatever you have in your hands will fix him?”

“It should.” I held my breath as I brought the pouch’s opening to Raphael’s lips. Gently, I pried open his mouth and tipped a small clump of the green creatures in, using my fingers to close his mouth again.

“Come on, Raphael,” I pleaded. “Swallow it down for us.” I could almost hear our collective heartbeats as the three of us watched him expectantly.

One beat. Two beats. Three beats.

The boy gasped as water spouted out of him. “Mother!” he cried, his voice clear and strong.

I couldn’t help my tears. Beside me, Ivy squealed and threw her arms around my shoulders as the two of us watched Raphael reach for his mother. His skin was still tinged blue and coated in painful limpets, but whatever damage the curse had done inside had been healed. Raphael could breathe clearly as his breath rushed out in thick sobs.

“You’re better,” Cora rasped. Tears coated her cheeks. Reaching for a limpet across his brow, she scowled as the creature remained stuck fast.

“You’ll need to bathe him in this.” I passed her the pouch, still half-full of algae. “Have the servants fill the deepest tub they can find with seawater, pour in the leftovers of that pouch, and submerge his entire body below the water,” I recited the information Adriana had given me. “That should return his skin to normal.”

“Of course.” Cora nodded. But before she could separate herself from her son, Ivy sprung up from the bed.

“I’ll fetch the servants now,” she offered. Dipping her head, she excused herself with an excited giggle.

When I went to follow her, I was stopped by Cora’s hand on my arm.

“I’ll never be able to thank you enough, my dear.” She pulled me back down to the edge of the bed, her face glistening with tears. “I don’t know how you did it, but whatever you did, Ryntook will always be in your debt. Anything you need for your kingdom to grow, we shall help you as best as we can.” She spoke while embracing her son, rubbing his back as if he were just a baby.

“That’s very generous.” I smiled. “Thank you.”

Drawing back from the boy, she tilted her head longingly. “Now if only we could find out who did this to you…” She chewed her lip. “Do you still remember nothing, dear?”

I waited for him to give her another vague response about his memories being foggy, but instead, this time, he stiffened.

“Actually,” the boy mumbled. “Now I feel better, I remember everything.”

My eyes widened. “You do? Who was it? Was it the merfolk?”

“If it was the merfolk, I’ll have that foul queen caught and roasted on a pike,” Cora seethed, her tone more deadly than I thought possible for the gentle-eyed queen. “I’ve had it with her and her sea beasts stealing away my good people. She’s made my best sailors afraid of the sea,” she scoffed as I held back a wince.

“Who was it, Raphael?” I asked gently.

The boy scrunched his nose. “It was a man… He was tall and he was nice to me. He gave me a sugar mouse.”

“Do you know his name?” Cora asked.

He shook his head. “I’d never seen him before,” he murmured. “But as soon as I ate that mouse, I started feeling sick, and then…” His voice trailed off as he shuddered.

“It’s alright, dear,” Cora soothed him. “We’ll find this horrible man. He won’t hurt you any more.” Raphael nestled into her hold while thoughts raced through my mind.

A man? Not a merfolk? Technically, it could’ve still been a merfolk in human form, but Adriana said males were rare…

“What did this man look like?” I asked, keeping my tone soft. Maybe if I had a description I could give it to Adriana.

“He had dark hair, the same colour as father’s, but his skin was really pale, like yours.” He blinked at me.

My heart stilled.

Dark hair. Pale skin.

He wouldn’t… Not a child. It couldn’t be.

“Arenn,” I shouted, my jaw clenched. “Come out here, please.”

Silence fell over the room as Cora and Raphael just watched me, confused.

“Arenn,” I yelled again. My voice echoed through the dark bedchamber.

Finally, out from the shadows, stepped the faery prince. His glamoured ears were round as he grabbed the back of his neck, swallowing.

Cora gasped, clutching Raphael to her chest. “How long have you been hiding there?” she stammered.

Ignoring her, I turned to her son. “Was this the man who gave you the mouse?” My lower lip trembled as I spoke.

“No.”

Exhaling, I almost collapsed to the bedsheets.

“The man had dark hair. I told you that already.”

My breath caught.

“Arenn…” I warned, turning to see his obviously dark hair glinting in the candlelight. “Remove whatever trick you have placed upon your appearance.”

He swallowed. “Naria, you need to listen to me. Let’s talk outside. You mustn’t misunderstand—”

“Arenn!” My shout was loud enough to make the entire room flinch. “Unglamour yourself right now,” I snarled. I didn’t care if Cora realised he was fae. If he’d cursed her son, he’d deserve whatever iron cell the Queen would soon throw him in. “Show us all the way you looked when you poisoned that poor little boy.”

The faery’s jaw tightened before he stood a little taller. “It was a curse, actually. Not poison,” he mumbled.

Furious, I almost charged off the bed. But then a shimmer rippled over his skin, and while he looked no different to me, Raphael let out a horrified screech and jabbed his arm towards the prince.

“That’s him! That’s the man who made me sick!” he wailed, attempting to dive behind his mother.

“Guards!” Cora cried.

“How could you?” I tried to shout, but all that came out was a choked whisper.

The door swung open, but instead of a dozen guards, Lukas barreled in followed closely by a wheezing Ivy. Panting, she shot the Queen an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty, but he was desperate to see Naria—” Her mouth clamped shut as she studied the scene. “What’s going on?”

“Where are the guards?” Cora yelled, clutching her sobbing son. “Guards!”

Lukas marched towards me. “They’re all either rioting in the ballroom or hunting for my fiancée.” Reaching for my hand, his desperate eyes met mine. “Come with me, please. We have to get you out of this palace.”

“That can be arranged,” Arenn’s low voice cut between us. Before I could scream, he was behind me, yanking my arm and dragging me off the bed.

“Let me go!” I writhed against him.

Lukas leapt across the bed. “Take your hands off her!”

“That faery poisoned my son!” Cora sobbed, pointing at Arenn. “Guards!” she screamed again, as if she could even be heard through the shouts, flying hands, and chaos that now filled the bedchamber.

Chaos that ended with four commanding words hissed into my ear, “Close your eyes, human.”