Had Grayson really helped her? But why come back and put me through the pain of believing Elise died? Unless… he had to be convincing. Priscilla was waiting when we went back to the room. If I’d looked anything but devastated… she would have known something was off. I sigh. It’s very hard for me to understand Grayson’s motives for the things he does.
Elise collapses against me. “That’s everything I know. Now I can eat.”
I immediately call for Jordan and Sahara. I’m relieved to see that they are prepared, appearing with a bowl of warm broth to ease Elise back into eating food. Before I leave them to their task, Elise snags my arm. “The Storm Command?”
“They’re all safe, Elise. They’re here in the Rath house. Once you’re recovered, you will see them again. But now you must eat.” I stroke her hair as angry tears burn in my eyes. I leave the room with one determined thought: I will meet the Elven Commanders in battle and I will tear them to shreds.
Mom finds me in the hallway. “She’s eating?”
I nod and Mom gives a sigh of relief.
I say, “It’s going to take her days to recover. Thank you for looking after her.”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
When she links her arm with mine, I ask, “Where’s Baelen?”
“He’s out with the patrols. They’re doubling the guard in preparation for an attack.”
“I should be out there with him.”
“Not in that dress.” She indicates all the cleavage I’m revealing with a barely-suppressed smile. “Come with me, sweetheart. Let’s find you something else to wear. And then dinner. No arguing with your mother.”
Once I’m dressed in a simple shirt and pants, I follow Mom to the food hall to eat at a long table with my ladies for the first time in a long time. They are tired, exhausted, but they hold their heads high and go slowly eating their first proper meal in a month. I look for Baelen when I arrive, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Mom reads my mind, leaning in before she sits down next to me. “He will eat when he can.”
She takes her place on my right while Jordan and Sahara soon join us—Jordan takes a seat on my left and Sahara sits opposite with Reisha. Indira stalks in soon after and sits next to Sahara, tucking her wings in neatly at her sides so they don’t get in the way.
I find myself surrounded by my closest female friends and my heart swells to be here among them. Even though she’s thin and frail, Reisha is a steadying presence, Indira is a constantly fierce one, Jordan is unendingly calm, Sahara is kind and loyal, and my mother… well, she’s trying not to smother me with all the mothering she hasn’t been able to do for seven years. I allow myself to relax for the first time in a really long time, slowly feeling my heart warm as the love of these loyal females surrounds me.
At one point, I reach across the table and take Jordan’s hand. “How is Sebastian?”
She glows. “My husband is out at one of the outposts with Eli Elder. They look after the ground patrols while Baelen takes care of the sky with the gargoyles.” She laughs all of a sudden. “I never thought I’d say anything like that about gargoyles.” Then she throws an apologetic glance at Indira. “Uh…”
The forthright female grins. “I’m not offended. We have a long history to move past. But I must say I’m enjoying this alliance with the elves.” She leans forward and lowers her voice to a whisper. “You have much prettier underwear than we do. I may have to steal some.”
I burst out laughing. It’s true that elven lingerie is made of silken material while gargoyle underwear is usually more practical, made of breathable fabrics. The clothing Howl gave me to wear was the exception, but after being stuck in some of the underwear Grayson gave me, I’ll take breathable any day.
“Here,” Indira says, passing me her pouch across the table. “These belong to you.”
I look inside to find the Rath and Mercy stones. I pull two of them out.
Mom exclaims, “Our heartstone! But what happened to it?”
I tell them about Grayson and the stones embedded in his back, the way he used them to keep me tied to him, but I leave out the parts where he manipulated my emotions. I can’t have that conversation with them before I have it with Baelen.
Mom runs her hand across the shattered pieces of the Mercy stone. She holds one up next to my face and raises an eyebrow as if she just had a thought.
“What?” I ask her, smiling
“You should add this one to your crown. And one of the Rath stones too. I can have one of the metal workers add it for you if you like?”
“No need.” I take the piece she offers and choose one of the Rath stones. Then I remove my tiara. There is enough space on each end of it for one more stone. Closing my eyes and letting my Prime power flow through me, I press the Mercy stone into the tiara, manipulating the golden band to embed it, following it with the Rath stone.
Then I gather the remaining pieces of the Mercy stone into my hand and ask Mom to place all the Rath stones into my other, closing both fists around the pieces. I’d separated the gargoyle heartstones with my power. Surely, I can reconnect the elven heartstones too? I concentrate because this is harder. Why is it easier to break something than to put it back together? These fragments are like Baelen and me right now, breaking further and further apart. I dip my head to hide my tears. Somehow, I don’t think this task requires Incorruptible, Prime, or Lightsworn. For the first time, I deliberately seek out Virtuous’s compassion, allowing it to flow through me.
Mom gasps.
I open my eyes to find the heartstones whole again. I hand them both to Mom. “They need to be kept somewhere safe.”
