Of all the obstacles she had been prepared to face in this realm, Shadow magicwas not one of them.
Nor had she been prepared for the prince to beworriedabout her.
What was going on, precisely, and how was she going to keep it from destroying her and all of her carefully-laid plans?
Eventually, the doctor insisted she needed more rest. The parade of servants and such trickled to a stop. An hour passed without any intrusions, and Sephia finally decided that it was safe enough to crawl out of bed, go to the washroom, and study her appearance in the mirror.
That potion had worked again, of course.
An image of Nora was staring back at her. Such a perfectly-transformed image that Sephia could almost pretend she was back home with her twin, and that she could share all of these complications with Nora and then just stand back and wait for Nora’s calmer, more rational mind to make sense of it all.
“This has become much messier than we’d planned for,” she whispered, her heart heavy and aching as she reached out and pressed a hand against the mirror.
Athudand a quiet creak of floorboards sounded from the adjoining room.
Just Ketzal,she told herself.
Paranoia invaded her all the same. She left the washroom and walked along the edge of her bed chambers, searching. She paused by the window and looked out at that tower where she’d spotted the first shadowy creature.
But she saw nothing, and shefeltnothing that suggested Shadow magic…
The ring the prince had given her was still on her finger, burning against her skin. She had become somewhat numb to that burning—though not to the oppressive, hot and heavy energy that it gave off. She twisted the ring from her finger and tossed it onto the nearest dresser. But the suffocating Sun magic still hung over her, no matter how much space she put between herself and that ring. Perhaps the doctor and his assistants had done something to the entire room?
I was worried about you.
So worried that maybe they were trying to protect her from those strange shadows, thatstrange energy, by using counter spells of their own. The irony of the situation was not lost on her, and fresh paranoia wound its way through her as she realized just how dangerously out of place she was in this court.
“No wonder I’m so tired,” she muttered out loud.
Ketzal yawned in agreement. He leapt from his perch on the footboard of the bed and lazily glided over to her. He took her sleeve in his teeth and started to drag her back toward the bed, his tiny, slightly crooked wings flapping with all of their might.
It was all the encouragement she needed.
She flopped back down onto that bed, and before long, she had drifted off again.
She slept into the evening,and then on through the night. When next she woke, soft morning light was filtering into the room. Ketzal was curled up beside her, his mouth hanging open and letting little half-purrs, half-snores escape.
She sat up slowly. Despite her long sleep, she still felt drained and uncomfortable underneath that haze of Sun magic lingering in the room.
There was a knock on the door. The prince entered a moment later, carrying a tray laden with fresh fruits, breads, and an assortment of sweet and savory-smelling delicacies that she couldn’t name.
“You didn’t eat lunch or dinner yesterday,” Tarron said, placing the tray on the nightstand. “I assumed you would be famished.”
Her stomach twisted; she couldn’t deny her hunger.
Ketzal could not deny his, either; he was airborne in an instant, diving for the center of that tray—Tarron caught him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back at the very last second.
“And don’t worry,” said the prince, tucking the squirming griffin securely under his arm before turning back to Sephia, “I didn’t cook any of it.”
Sephia felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “So no fires this morning?”
He returned her smile, though his didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Not literal ones, anyway.”
She was curious about what he meant, but he didn’t seem to be in the mood to elaborate.
She let her gaze settle back on the food. Itlookedsafe enough, and she had survived her last meal with him, hadn’t she? She picked up two jam-drizzled pastries. She offered one to Ketzal—which he inhaled in a single bite— and then she nibbled cautiously on the corner of her own. After patiently waiting to make certain it would have no ill effects on her, she took another bite. The nibbling soon turned to gobbling with only slightlymore restraint than Ketzal displayed.
Shewasfamished.
