“I’ll let you know, I promise,” I assured her. “And please, girls, call me Rissa.”
When Katrine turned to exit, I mouthed “Thank you,” to Devora, who merely tipped her head in response and shot me a quick wink.
The door shut with a click. Mother chuckled. “Well, they are going to be a handful, aren’t they?”
I let out a sigh and faced her, walking to where she stood at the door frame separating our rooms. “We’ll deal with that later. First thing’s first,” I started, kissing her once on the cheek before reaching to shut the door between us. “We’re both indesperateneed of baths.”
13
Clarissa
Two guards followed Mother and me as we entered the dining hall on the first floor, facing the ocean to the north. Instead of an outer wall, there was a set of open rolling doors, exposing an outdoor patio and letting in the humid night air. From the palace’s elevated position, I could nearly make out the Avonige Ocean a few miles north beneath the clear, bright moon that set the land aglow.
Long banquet tables stood inside the room, as well as one on the attached patio. Galen and Thorne were already seated outside, engaged in a whispered but heated conversation.
I exchanged a look with Mother as we silently made our way over. I hadn’t been able to get a good read on the two of them yet. One moment they were easy-going; the next they were elusive and intense. Thorne’s back was to me, but I could see him clutching his glass of water, his forearms tight and knuckles white.
“...understand why you refuse to tell her,” I caught him saying once we were within earshot.
Galen’s light brown eyes immediately found mine behind Thorne. The crease in his brow disappeared as he swallowed, replaced with that cheery smile from before. One I was beginning to think wasn’t as sincere as he wanted us to believe.
All three of them—him, Lady Reaux, and Galen—had given me a strange feeling, like something nagging in the back of my mind. But I couldn’t pinpointwhy. I’d spent mereminuteswith these people—I had no reason to be suspicious of them, no reason to assume the worst. That was always Leo’s first inclination, but I tried to enter scenarios and relationships with an open mind. Cautious yet optimistic.
I was probably just uneasy because I no longer had my magic. That pit in my stomach, that clenching sensation like a fist squeezing my gut, hadn’t gone away since the moment we left Veridian borders. I’d never realized how much I relied on my fox half.
“Clarissa, Evadine, you both look lovely!” Galen stood and extended a gloved hand to the chair beside him. We took our seats right as two new men emerged from the side door, both dressed in formal pants and button-down shirts.
Galen greeted them. “Ah, yes. May I introduce you to Lord Sadim and Lord Davies, two members of my council.” The two newcomers bowed, then pulled out their chairs at the other end of the table. “And, of course, you already know Lord Reaux.”
Thorne’s stare landed on me, still heated from whatever his conversation with Galen was about. He ran his fingers through his long hair and took a breath, nodding to me.
“I’ve had the kitchen prepare an assortment of traditional Mysthelm dishes for your first evening here.” Galen waved a hand in the air to signal to the servants in the interior of the dining hall.
They rushed out tray after tray of silver plates, with more food than six people could possibly eat. A tiered platter bearing several different kinds of fish was set in the center. Small jars of honey and pears were scattered across the table. Bowls and bowls of rice, little cylinders that appeared to be some kind of noodle, and spiced potatoes followed. The briny scent of salt and fish mixed with the sweet, fruity one of the pear reserves, creating an enticing combination as it wafted over me.
“We have salmon, trout, and cod,” Galen explained, gesturingto each of the fish layered decoratively across their platter. “With a salted pear and honey preserve. Pears are our specialty,” he added.
“This looks wonderful,” Mother said.
“It smells delicious,” I agreed as I spooned several of the side dishes onto my plate, then glanced at the platter of salmon. I could’ve sworn the fish was staring at me, its little eye wide and fixed on my forehead. Flashes of the great mass of dead fish floating on the surface of the water raced across my mind.
“I take it the fish industry is quite large here, being so close to the coast?” I asked Galen as I took a sip of wine.
“The largest one in the North Territory, yes,” he responded. “We have fisheries up and down the coast, catching and harvesting all year round.”
I hummed. “So you’d know if they were experiencing any issues lately?”
Across the table, Thorne shot me an exasperated look, his lips thinning into a grim line. His eyes said “let it go.” I merely tilted my head to the side and swirled my glass of wine.
Galen hesitated. “I suppose so. What types of issues do you mean?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Some sort of disease, perhaps? Or an infestation? A predator that might be wiping out large amounts of sea life?”
Thorne cleared his throat, and Galen looked between the two of us, confusion written on his features. “Not that I’m aware of. Why do you ask?”
I glared at Thorne. So much for “I’ll bring it up to His Majesty at once.” He hadn’t even bothered.
“Well, as I’m sure you were made aware of”—my gaze sliced to Thorne’s and then back— “we had quite an experience on our trip here. Just a little ways off your shores, right before the storm hit, there was some sort of…attack. All the animals fell dead around us, and —”
