“I guess I’ll have to do that more often,” I laughed, my heart finally calming down.
Kieran grumbled something about the next time being his turn as I rolled out of the bed, helping Sybil crawl out to clean up.
Once we dressed ourselves, we made our way back to the council room, finding the rest of our party eating a small breakfast. Kieran led Sybil to the table as I made a plate for us.
Kieran finally came up beside me, checking over his shoulder. “I want you to talk to Hale when you get back. See if you can find out his intentions and if he is willing to help us in return. I still don’t trust him, but Orin wants to switch out some guards with ones of our own to be in the arena with Sybil.”
“I’ll find him as soon as we return. But from what Ivara told us yesterday, he has apparently been helping servants escape throughout the years. Ivara seems to trust him enough to believe that he is doing this to protect his brother.”
“I don’t want to take any chances. Form a bond with him if you can. I want to be completely sure before we throw our trust in him.”
“I can do that.” I nodded, keeping my focus on my plate. Hale had always seemed the type that only helped himself, which made me wary of him, but now I wondered if that was just a ruse to hide what he was really doing around the palace from Ambrose. Though his reaching out to Sybil was an unwelcome move, I could understand why he did it.
The rest of the morning was calm as we ate and talked happily. There was a lightness in the air after yesterday’s events, a hope that was building in each of our hearts. After we finished our meal, we returned to the palace. The joy and ease we felt immediately fell away when we gathered in Ambrose’s office to provide him with an update.
Arianna sat on the arm of his chair, her viper smile making my stomach churn. Ever since learning that she was the one who murdered the villager that Sybil was blamed for, I’d been biding my time, searching for any opening to kill her. Unfortunately for me, she hadn’t left Ambrose’s side since Sybil’s bargain was put into place. But I swore to myself that her death would be a painful one.
Ambrose leaned back in his chair, his attention fixed solely on Sybil. I blinked, stunned, when I saw him so disheveled this morning. His hair was wildly unkempt, his eyes crazed as his fingers tapped restlessly on his desk. His skin looked pale from the lack of sleep, and he winced every now and then, likely from the voice speaking unknown words in his mind.
Ambrose snarled for us to get out after Ivara gave him an update on her territory and Aster showed him the blood flowers picked from Ivara’s estate. We quickly left the room, not wanting to push Ambrose any further. If the last meeting was anyindication, Ambrose had no qualms about killing anyone who crossed him, regardless of loyalty.
As we all made our way through the hall, I brushed my hand against Sybil’s. “Go on without me,” I said, through our bond. “I need to discuss something with Aster first.”
“Hurry back,” Sybil said, giving me a slight smile.
Giving her a quick nod, I pulled on Aster’s bond, watching the female give me a side-long glance. “We need to speak. Alone.”
“Fine,” she sighed, rolling her eyes, “we can talk in my office.”
Breaking away from the group, I followed Aster to the medical wing. Entering her office, I waited until she moved the bookshelf in front of the door to speak. “I need you to make a healing elixir for Cassia, but I need it to be something discreet.”
Aster narrowed her steel-like eyes on me. “Why does she need that?”
I hesitated, looking at the floor. Swallowing, I took a deep breath, opening my mouth to answer her.
“Because the dear old queen is dying,” a male voice said from the corner.
Aster and I stilled, our bodies going rigid. I slowly turned my head to the voice, my hand drifting to my dagger, though Aster’s face turned a sickly pale.
“Now, now,” Hale grinned, putting his hands in front of him in surrender. “There’s no need for that, Samian. I’m just here to talk.”
“When did you get here?” Aster asked, her voice trembling.
Hale’s gaze softened as he moved his attention to her. “As soon as I heard you were back, I came here hoping that Samian or Sybil would follow you. I truly mean no harm to you or anyone else.”
Stepping into his line of sight, I blocked Aster from view. “If you mean no harm, then form a bond with me. Prove that you mean what you say.”
Hale sighed, his lips dipping in a frown, but reached out his hand. I gingerly took it, my magic flowing instantly into Hale, tethering my mind to his. Hale winced at the strength of my magic. All his memories, his emotions, came rushing into my head, and I tightened my grip on his hand. Memories of him following Ambrose’s disgusting orders, of him helping servants sneak through the hidden passageways to Ivara’s people waiting at the end, and of him protecting his brother as children, it all came pouring in.
Pulling my hand back, I stared at him with wide eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. “What Ivara said was true? You truly helped those servants? There were signs of them missing or dead.”
“All fabricated,” Hale shrugged. “There’s a village in the mountains, right outside of the Seelie Court. Most of them are there with new names.”
I backed away, falling into the nearest seat, too stunned for words. For all these years, I thought Hale mindlessly followed Ambrose, not caring about anything other than power. I even dismissed Evander for those same reasons.
“Is Queen Cassia really dying?” Aster whispered, fear lining every part of her face.
Her question snapped me out of my stupor, and I ran a hand down my face. “She is. Ambrose attacked Cassia after finding out Sybil had been talking to her, and she’s refusing to be healed.” Even the God of Chaos couldn’t change her mind. I suppressed a shiver at the thought of the male, the pure rage in his eyes as he stared me down in that cell. I was still in disbelief at how close he and Cassia seemed to be. It was as if they were old, though reluctant, friends. Pushing the thought away, I continued.“That’s why I need you to make something that can heal her, even if it is slowly. I have a feeling she’s refusing so Ambrose doesn’t learn that someone is helping her without his consent.”
