Marlak gets up from the bed and walks to a clothes rack by the corner. Not only his clothes are there, but mine too.
“What do you want?” he asks.
“Anything that’s not transparent.”
He tosses me a pair of black trousers and a dark blue silk shirt, then turns around.
I toss the nightgown and chuckle. “Why so prudish now? You’ve seen me before.”
He’s still looking at the wall, and yet I can sense that he’s raising an eyebrow. “Do you want me to forget the Witch King and everything that’s happening? I’ll stay in this bedroom with you forever.”
I’m putting on the trousers as I say, “Well, I’ll love that. Once this is over.”
If this is overcomes to my mind, an awful wave of doubt and fear, a dread deep in my bones telling me to seize the moment while I can, appreciate this last respite before doom. But no, I have to trust that we’ll fix everything, we’ll find a solution. The nymphs trust me, and even the giants do—even if they took Nelsin. It can’t be for nothing.
I put on the blouse, then get up and hug him from behind, feeling so small leaning my head against his back.
“I’m ready. Let’s plan.”
He turns around and holds me close, resting his chin on the top of my head, just like in one of my first clear dreams of him. I want to linger in this moment, in this dreamlike feel, and at the same time, I want to plan and find a way to save Tarlia and Marlak’s sister, bring back Nelsin, save Azur, save everyone.
I step away from him and look into his magnificent eyes. “It’s time to get answers.”
“It is.” He kisses me briefly on the cheek.
Is it possible to find an answer, a solution, by thinking hard enough? Can we work together and find a way out of the doom awaiting us?
6
ASTRA
Marlak takes my hand and we leave our room. My feet feel heavy while my head feels light, barely able to process everything that happened, to accept the hurdles we’ll need to overcome.
At that moment, a door opens in the hallway and Azur walks out of it, no longer wearing any hat, his hands in his pockets, a scarf around his neck. “So nobody touches me by accident,” he mutters.
“You should rest.” My voice comes out strangled, as I’m still struggling to accept that the haughty fae who helped me save the Crystal Court castle might die soon, that his days might be numbered—unless we find some answer, some solution for his magical poisoning.
Azur raises an eyebrow. “Why worry? Soon I’ll rest forever.” He points at Marlak. “You could even do the honor. What will it be? A dagger to the heart? With gloves, of course.” His voice is sour like a lemon.
To Marlak’s credit, he doesn’t take the bait and just whispers to me, “Hang on.” Then he walks back to the room.
I stare at Azur and click my tongue. “The healer never said there was no cure, just thathecouldn’t help.” Not that he gave us much hope, of course, but he still didn’t claim Azur was doomed for sure.
Azur snorts. “Yes, let’s find amiraculoussolution.”
His temper is grating on my nerves. “Weren’t you eager to die last night?”
“I wantedhimto kill me.” He means the Witch King. “There’s a good reason for that. And perhaps I wanted to make sure he won’t use me as a tool, but death is coming anyway.”
Marlak returns to the hallway and tosses something made of dark leather to Azur, who misses it, since his hands are in his pockets. The blond fae then stares at the object on the floor as if it was an insect.
Marlak huffs. “Gloves, Azur. For you, not for me. It might not help much, but it’s something.”
Azur finally crouches, picks up the gloves from the floor, puts them on, then heads to the kitchen.
We follow him and I see Ziven, Ferer, and Renel chopping fruit at the counter, while Lidiane is standing in a corner. I wish Nelsin was here too, and can’t help but notice that Ferer is gloomier than usual, likely missing his partner, even though they had broken up.
Azur looks at Lidiane from a distance, then says, “I warned you not to touch me.” He sounds extremely irritated, or perhaps it’s just his normal voice when he’s not whispering while surrounded by ghouls.
