She touched the back of her head, and the faint throbbing was still there, but it had eased significantly. “I think so.”
“Tell me what happened, please?” Cahir asked as he reached out and touched her arm.
“I apparently passed out.”
“But Roya said you saw something?” he pressed.
No one else had believed her. Why would he?
She sighed. “Apparently, I passed out and had a nightmare. You’d think I’m crazy.”
“Never,” Cahir said with a small smile.
She remembered him saying this to her before, and smiled at the memory. She shifted on the bed, but the movement worsened her headache, making her wince in pain.
“Okay…” she started, “I’ve had dreams of snakes since childhood. When Neoma handed me her bouquet, the air shifted. It turned dark, foggy, and cold. Dozens of black snakes surrounded me, and a man emerged.” She winced from the pounding in her head, and Cahir quickly grabbed her glass of water that was waiting on her side table. He handed it to her and encouraged her to keep going, but she took a deep sip from her glass.
“What did this man look like?” he asked.
“He wore black, scaled armor and had piercing seafoam-colored eyes. When I tried to electrocute him, my magic didn’t affect him, and a large snake attacked me. That’s when I woke up to Roya and Ferona over me.”
Cahir thought for a moment, “Hmm…” He was silent for a moment before asking, “Want to look for any references to that in the library?”
She probably should have phrased that differently. He likely didn’t catch the eye color reference, and honestly, maybe it was just a dream.
Seda brightened up at the thought of going to the library with him. “Can we go?”
“Would you like to eat something first? Dinner was hours ago, but yes, we can go.”
Seda pushed herself out of bed. She was still wearing the soft cotton dress that Suza had picked out for her. She ran her tongue across her teeth, looking down at herself. “I’d like to freshen up first.”
“Of course, I’ll be outside waiting.” He left her room and closed the door. She went to the bathroom, quickly brushed her teeth, and looked in the mirror. Seeing her hair looked a mess, she quickly brushed out the tangles so it wouldn’t be too much work for Suza.
When she finished getting ready, she made her bed so it would be tidy when she returned, and made her way out the door. Cahir was standing outside, talking to the same two guards who had been posted there earlier. All three of them looked at her.
“Shall we?” Cahir asked, extending his arm so she could take it.
She was too tired to fight him on this and was excited to go to the library, so she accepted his outstretched arm.
They walked down the hall, and she felt the warmth of his arm against her skin. She peered up at him. It was still a bit of an adjustment getting used to his new height. He looked down at her, and her heart fluttered involuntarily. She quickly looked away and noticed that they weren’t on the same path to the dining room as usual.
“Where are we headed?” she asked.
“To the kitchens.”
Her headache had eased, and she tried to tamp down her eager excitement to learn more in the library. They walked down a long hallway and through ornate double doors. The lantern-lit kitchenwas empty of Fae, and Cahir led her to a table filled with cured meats, strawberries, cheeses, and crackers.
She picked up a strawberry, and the juice burst in her mouth. Cahir watched her eat the berries, observing intently as the pink liquid dripped down her lips. She licked at them, enjoying how his eyes flashed when he saw her tongue.
“I have a surprise for you.” He cleared his throat and looked away from her. “But you’ll need to close your eyes when we get there.” He led them into a storage room where dozens of shelves were lined with dry goods.
“Close your eyes,” he told her.
“What are we doing in the pantry?” she asked, wary of what could be a surprise in this room.
“Shh… you’ll see,” he said.
She huffed, closing her eyes and fighting the urge to peek. She heard rustling, the sound of a jar opening, and an acidic smell hit her nose. What was he doing? He placed something cool and wet into her hands, and she opened her eyes again.
