She twists her ring around her finger with another huff. I think she’s about to object when her eyes whiten. A moment later, she mutters, “The Mahananda says you and Enzo won’t perish.”
I smile. “See.” I gesture for Erwin and his mate to follow me, then call out to my shifter.
I’m right outside, Day.
Sure enough, he and Asha loiter beneath the honeysuckle-wrapped arbor.We’ve got Crows to heal.
Enzo trots after me, his linen robe flapping open around the skintight trunks he wears to swim.Crows need healing? I thought they were invulnerable.
Only my daughter. The others remain susceptible to obsidian.
He blinks. Though I’ve gotten used to the sight, I can’t help but sometimes wish our eyes held a stroke of white and color. Granted our lurid hair does compensate for our reptilian orbs.
How do we heal them?he asks.
“What’s happening?” Asha asks, falling into step beside us.
“Erwin and his mate have been infected with obsidian. I was just about to explain to Enzo how we will have to lave the wounds until the stone detritus oozes out. It’ll smell horrid, Enzo, so it’s best to do it in skin. Also, we’ll need to shift immediately after. Lastly, it may make us unconscious for a few days.”
Enzo nods. Anyone else may have questioned if it was a sound idea, or if we risked more than forced respite, but not my selfless shifter.
“We’ll do it inside the Amkhuti.” As we move down the path we take daily, I think of Cathal. I think of how I’d kneeled before him and licked his thigh. Of how his cock had hardened and leaked for me. Is it leaking for another?
The thought makes my ribs clench and my stomach fold in on itself like those paper serpents Asha folds while Enzo and I swim. She’s crafted so many that Enzo has begun to thread them into garlands to decorate the walls of his chamber.
When we reach the Amkhuti, Enzo divests himself of his robe and dives in headfirst. I sometimes think the boy was already part-Serpent and that I simply activated that side of him.
He treads the water while I instruct Erwin and his mate to rid themselves of their clothes and armor before walking them through the process. Erwin translates it all for Liora. I commit each new word I hear to memory, trying to elucidate what it stands for.
Droplets splash my skin as our two patients dive into the moat. I’m about to duck beneath the surface to inspect the wounds when I catch sight of the Shabbin Queen standing beside Lorcan on the embankment’s edge, deep in conversation with the male. I try to parse out what they’re saying but their voices are too hushed.
I refocus on Erwin and his mate. After observing Liora’s wound, I dive to get a look at Erwin’s knee. It’s swollen andblack, which makes me wonder how he even manages to walk. When I surface, I ask Asha to magick some palm fronds into sturdy floats for the two Crows so they avoid unnecessary movement.
As she does so, I hear Erwin mutter to Liora something about Cathal staking them with obsidian if he catches wind of their visit.
I purse my lips, trying to stifle a retort, but it soars out regardless, “Just because Cathal doesn’t care to see me doesn’t give him a right to dictate who doescare.”
Erwin’s pale lashes flutter.
“Sorry for eavesdropping,” I add.
Once he recovers from his shock, he licks his thin, pink lips and in Shabbin, he says, “What I meant was that he’d run us through with more obsidian for causing you harm. That’s why Lorcan hasn’t come to you for the others. Cathal has forbidden us from importuning you, and considering his mood since…since you left, we’ve tried to respect his wishes.”
I stare at the redheaded Siorkahd member for a long moment, tempted to ask him for news about my former mate. Yes, Fallon reports on Cathal’s Nebban dealings, but not on his private ones. I’m guessing she doesn’t share those out of respect for all parties involved.
“If my mate hadn’t been pregnant, and we weren’t worried about how the curse will affect the baby, I wouldn’t have come.”
“I require no explanation, Erwin. Enzo and I are glad to help. And if this goes well, you can send the others.”
His face scrunches up. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
“Why not?”
“Because as you may have heard, the first three to be injured are blocks of obsidian, and the two others are days’ away from the same fate.” He shudders.
Just as Asha tosses in the fronds, I say, “I could come to them.” Sure, I’d have to convince my grandmother to let me leave Shabbe, but it could be done. Plus, that way, I could visit Isolacuori. The more I turn over this plan, the more I grow determined to put it into action.
“Cathal would never allow it,” Erwin says, as he hands one of the buoyant branches to his mate.
