Rafe
“Your Royal Highness,do you have a minute? Is that one of your Links?” One of the reporters yelled out to us. Skye ducked behind me, and I barely held back my chuckle.
I turned, blocking Skye with my body. I grabbed her shoulders, then pushed her to walk ahead of me while we made our way into the camp.
Thanks,her sweet voice drifted into my mind. I was still in awe of how easily she could slip in and out undetected. She could see anything she wanted in my thoughts and I’d never even know she was here. To me, this was the best indicator of her character. She was a good person, so she wasn’t in my mind uninvited. If I were given such a skill, I’d be in everyone’s thoughts all the time. I was too nosy.
“I– Prince Rafael?!” A bald man squawked. “Oh, God. Uh, welcome! Please, let me get you something–”
“I don’t need anything,” I interrupted. The man wiped his sweaty bald head, his gaze going from anxious to curious as he took in Skye.
My Key was quite a sight. Her dark hair was pulled back into one tight French braid that trailed down her back. She was wearing a full-length long-sleeved shirt, but her leggings left little to the imagination.
Baldy eyed her, his curiosity turning a little lecherous as his gaze sliddown Skye’s figure, and she wrinkled her nose at me when she noticed. Shadows pooled at our feet, slithering around Skye’s legs like a caress, and she looked back to the man.
“Take us to the Healer in charge,” she said.
Baldy raised his eyebrows before glancing at me, as if I had to give him permission to listen to her. Skye narrowed her eyes at me.
And as much as I liked seeing her a little pissed, I did not like her orders being ignored when she was right next to me, and clearly speaking with authority.
“Now,” I gritted out, painfully aware of the press not far from us, watching the entire interaction.
Baldy jumped as a shadow prodded at his leg.
“R-right away!” He squeaked before stumbling into a nearby tent.
Skye gave me a flat look, and I grinned, gesturing for her to walk ahead of me. She strode past me like she was a queen and I was just one ofthe lesser, following her with hopes of being noticed.
We’d left Wyatt and Zephyr at the front gates with Aiden, hoping he’d be able to keep the other two from tearing out each other’s throats. Thankfully, Wyatt and Zephyr were ignoring each other. I was glad to get some time alone with Skye, but this wasn’t the time or place for flirting.
The camp wasn’t in great shape.
We followed a dirt path that’d been formed over the past several days. Patches of grass lined the front of several canvas tents, not unlike what Wyatt and I had seen at the cult-y protest we’d attended last term. I couldn’t tell which tents belonged here, and which had been brought in by the Crown.
And that wasn’t good.
Baldy held a tent flap open, gesturing for Skye to go ahead. She gave me a look over her shoulder, then dipped inside, her braid swishing as her head turned back and forth.
The air inside the tent was stifling, thick, and humid.
Coughs and sniffles filled the air from every corner, and this wasn’t even a tent of survivors. This was the medical tent, where the health aides were staying. Doctors and nurses watched us warily, their eyes bloodshot and exhausted.
I counted three dozen of them in total. There were nearly four-hundred people here in this little commune, meaning there should’ve been about eleven people to each professional. Not the best ratio, but certainly not high enough for this level of exhaustion.
Not to mention, there were Palace Healers here, as well. That meant the doctors and nurses should’ve been treating nothing more than sprained ankles.
This is bad,Skye said.
I nodded even though she was facing away from me.
Let’s meet the Healers and then I’ll decide how to proceed.
Baldy led us out the other end of the tent, and we stopped in front of a tiny building that looked like a small storage shed.
“Ms. Holmes has been staying here,” Baldy said, taking another quick glance at Skye.
This time, she didn’t pretend not to notice. My Key crossed her arms, giving the man a very intentional stare, and he began to sweat profusely. He opened his mouth to speak, but Skye dismissed him, turning her back on him as she pulled open the door on her own. Just as she slipped inside, she glanced back at me over her shoulder, and a gust of wind sent Baldy into the dirt.
