Luelle nearly jumped out of her hiding spot when Seda collapsed, but she stopped when Roya and Ferona flew down and shifted. They frantically hovered over her and gently slapped her face to wake her up. Seda awoke quickly and freaked out, exclaiming that she had seen someone and a large snake bigger than the Lionne. The Corvids assisted Seda in getting up and led her back toward the castle.
Luelle remained frozen where she was hidden, watching Neoma with narrowed eyes. She had heard her lies to Seda about not wanting anything from Ael. Seda didn’t know what she had seen the night before, and the woman looked visibly angry that Seda had left.
After Seda and the Corvids were out of sight, Neoma threw the bouquet on the ground. She stomped on it five times, crushing the delicate flowers into the grass below and screeching loudly toward the sky.
So ladylike,she thought with a roll of her eyes.
Neoma seemed to be hyperventilating, and her face flushed with anger. Luelle hid her smile behind her palm, trying her hardest not to laugh loudly at the scene.
She watched as Neoma stomped off towards the hedge maze and walked in. Luelle rose from her hiding place and followed the angry woman at a safe distance.
She carefully approached the first corner of the maze and saw Neoma speaking with Meir, with dark insects fluttering around them. Her breath hitched, and she quickly pressed her body against the bush behind the corner, trying to listen to their conversation.
“Did she touch it?” Meir asked Neoma.
“No. I’m working on it,” Neoma replied.
Their voices were barely audible, so she tried to move closer, but a stick snapped under her foot. Luelle froze, a cold shiver running up her spine as she held her breath.
Fucking rookie,she scolded herself.
“Shh! Someone’s here,” Meir whispered.
She heard their footsteps approaching rapidly. Luelle swiftly left the maze and took shelter behind a large water fountain, waiting for them to exit. Her heart pounded quickly in her chest as she focused on steadying her breath.
She peered over the stone ledge of the fountain and watched. Luelle and Meir strolled casually back through the garden toward the castle, wearing nervous stares and glancing around periodically.
She couldn’t follow them now and groaned over her mistake.
Luelle watched until they were out of sight before hearing a low growl behind her, causing the water in the fountain to quiver. She slowly looked over her shoulder and saw Elco staring at her, molten eyes narrowed.
“Good kitty,” she said, slowly rising and lifting her palms in front of her. Elco’s growl rumbled deeper, as if offended at the endearing reference. He obviously needed a strongername.
“Easy there…tiger?” She swallowed against his menacing presence, then cleared her throat and straightened, steadying herself. “I wasn’t following Seda. I was following Neoma because I don’t trust her. And you shouldn’t trust her or Meir. They’re up to something that might harm her,” she tried.
His eyes opened slightly from their narrowed glare, shifting to where Meir and Neoma had walked away. He nodded his head once and expanded his wings, quickly taking off into the sky. The sudden gust of wind made her ponytail whip around and hit her painfully in the face.
“Ew, jerk,” she muttered quietly so only she could hear, worried he might turn around and eat her.
She dusted herself off, adjusted her ponytail, and left the gardens to find Ael.
Chapter 15
Seda
Roya and Ferona helped Seda to her room. The walk was long, and her legs barely held her up, but the two Corvids didn’t complain once as they supported her. They passed through the long halls and reached the large double doors that separated the East Wing from the rest of the castle. When the guards saw them, they hurried over and helped get her into bed.
She was exhausted, and her head pounded like someone was hitting it with a sledgehammer. When her head hit her pillow, she closed her eyes, trying to block out the midday sun blazing through the ceiling windows.
She continued thinking about her dream. Was that just a nightmare about Kalon? Had she truly passed out and dreamt the whole thing?
Ferona hurried into the bathroom, returning with a cool, wet washcloth, and placed it on her forehead. Seda thanked her, closed her eyes again, and drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Hours must have passed because, when she woke, she openedher eyes to candlelit darkness. Someone was crouched on the floor next to her bed, with their forehead resting on her mattress.
“Cahir?” she choked out in a dry voice, noticing his fresh white shirt that made his skin look radiant, even in the dimly lit room.
He rustled and looked up at her with furrowed brows. “Are you okay, Sed?”
