“So you will oversee the troops, go on hunting patrols without asking, tend to the king, and help our families move for a few days while also taking care of Arlet? You stretch your time too thin, Lord Vann. You cannot let your affection for her cloud your judgement,” Ra’Salore says.
I grit my teeth. “I will not be alone in watching her.”
“She will stay in my house,” Mother Liana says with finality after watching the discussion. “I am the only one with a chance of breaking the curse. I have spent months weaving protections over my home. It is safe. She won’t ever get as far as the palace.”
Estela, Fira, and I voice approval.
Teo rubs the bridge of his nose. “And what of the mating ceremonies that are meant to take place tomorrow? Lirenne dropped off a report, and there are more than six. What do we do for them? How do we balance that alongside a funeral?”
Estela takes a deep breath. “You and I will speak to the family first thing in the morning. We will bring mourning offerings. Liana and I will oversee the ceremonies after.” She looks up at her husband. “We can make this work. And, as Vann says, if she is not healed in three days, we will take more extreme measures. But this is not so cut and dry as some might think.”
The ideas are reasonable, and I am satisfied with the solution. But a question lurks in my mind. “When you tell the family what happened, what will you say?”
I look back at Arlet, still dirty and covered in blood, and my throat tightens.
The queen straightens her spine, “We will call him a tragic, unnecessary casualty of growing tensions. We can confidently say thebrujasmagic did this, and those witches have been shown to collude with our enemies. Thus, they too can be considered hostile to us and our city.”
“Well said,” Lady Fira intones.
Teo considers all of the information. “Very well. Lord Ra’Salore, do you have anymore thoughts?”
The man in question shifts. “I don’t want to leave my home.”
“If you stay, and the king and queen accept our proposed offer, you will be at risk,” I say.
He frowns. “What of Sama? Svanna and Iryth will hate being outside.”
“I will help them, too. It will only be three days,” I reply. “Maybe less. Mother Liana is a resourceful Wise Woman.”
When I meet Liana’s eye, I glimpse a sliver of uncertainty. Strange. But she nods.
“Yes, we will sort this soon.”
Estela takes a deep breath. “If we do this, we will also be able tooffer an explanation for Arlet’s behavior. Hopefully one that will not sour her image entirely.”
“It will be all right,” I grit out.
Everyone is silent.
“My King, My Queen, do you find this solution acceptable?” Lady Fira asks.
Estela nods enthusiastically, but Teo hesitates. He looks at his wife, and I can almost see the silent conversation they share in their minds, mate to mate.
Teo nods. “Three days. Let us fix this and find the infiltrator.”
Relief floods through me, and I look around.
"Can we get something to clean her up? She shouldn’t wake with—" I start when a small sound cuts me off.
All eyes snap back to Arlet.
Teo straightens, pushing his wife to the side and jerks his head for me to come. I take my position at the top of the table, cradling Arlet where Estela had been before.
The queen also tries to move, but her husband holds her back.
“You are my mate. I won’t risk you.” Then, to me he says “Vann, be at the ready.”
Arlet stirs in my arms, her crusted, bloodied fingers twitching, body shifting. My fingers curl around her shoulders, holding her down, just as a weak groan escapes her lips. Her face twists and scrunches as her eyebrows draw together and her chest rises abruptly.