The fear in Lenna’s eyes grew, and Merrick felt like he needed to comfort her now. To be thrown into their worldthis morningand finding out her predecessor was murdered… It was a big ask they were coming to her with.
“The facts arewe don’t knowwho killed the King and Queen, and well… That’s where you come in, Oracle.” Merrick patted her hand and let go, leaning back in the chair again. Gods, he wanted more of that damn stew. Or a drink. Or a mindless fuck with some stranger from the bar. Or a good night’s rest.
“What can I do?” Lenna asked a bit breathlessly, her honey eyes as large as saucers.
The fire had calmed, and Laurent was once again cool and collected. “The Obsidian Palace is home to many artifacts with magical power. One of these items is the Prism of the Oracle. The Oracle can use it to peer through time to recover memories from the past.”
Merrick stood, stretching out his wings. “We need to collect the Prism and have you look into it to see whatreallyhappened to the late King and Queen. If it confirms what we think–what Queen Adara and the rest of the court thinks–that Esmeray is the killer of the King, Queen, and Oracle, we need to bring it to Queen Absolute Adara and the Royal Council.”
“Are you still loyal to Queen Adara since she dismissed you?”
“We’re loyal toKeerian–our commander and closestfriend. Weknowhe would never do this, and Esmeray admitted she was responsible for the death of the Oracle. If she can kill the Oracle, a death sentence in itself, Esmeray could’ve acted alone in the killing of her parents,” Merrick clarified. Laurent agreed with a grunt.
“The Prism would potentially clear Keerian’s name, but if he’s soul tied to Esmeray, it would mean a death sentence for him too, right? If Queen Adara kills Esmeray?” Lenna’s red curls bobbed as she looked from the fae to the gargoyle. Merrick could almost see the wheels turning in Lenna’s head as she pondered all the new information they had given her.
“And that is another reason why weneedto find the Prism, why we were so urgently looking for you. We need you to clear our friend’s name so we can beg Queen Adara to not deliver a death sentence, and instead, use her spell book to bind Esmeray into the darkest dungeon in theObsidian Palace and throw away the key. If Esmeray was locked up, Keerian would live.” Merrick said.
“An army of two.” Lenna chewed on her lip, deep in thought.
Merrick gave her a small smile. “Hopefully, an army of three–if you’ll help us.”
Chapter twelve
Lenna
Theywereright.Thiswas a big ask.
“Isn’t Esmeray in the Obsidian Kingdom? Wouldn’t she be there when we went looking for the Prism?” The combination of the long day and the world altering information made her head spin. Lenna rubbed her temples, eyelids drooping with exhaustion as she fought to stay awake and alert. Her body was up against her mind, and her mind was balking, slowing to a sluggish pace.
“Queen Adara moved their uncle to the Obsidian Palace to rule as Regent. Esmeray isn’t there. We aren’t sure where she is, but with Queen Adara’s command to capture and kill by any means necessary, coupled with the uptick of fae guards hunting her, Esmeray wouldn’t dare show her face in the Obsidian Palace. The death of the Oracle changed everything.” Laurent looked at Merrick, and Lenna noted the weird thing theydid again–like a silent conversation.
Merrick stood up and clasped his hands together. “Right. Lenna, you must be exhausted.” He picked up his empty bowl and collected hers from the small table. “There’s a bed down the hall to the right. If you want to wash up, there is a washroom adjoining. Get changed, get some rest.”
Lenna awkwardly stood up. Her legs, tired from the day of adventure, wobbled a bit. Her thighs burned. She looked down at her clothes, and before she could say she didn’t have anything to change into, Laurent spoke, more to the fire than to her.
“We have some things for you to change into. They aren’t the best quality, but they’re clean.” He frowned–almost as if in apology. “Before we head to the Obsidian Palace, one of us will go into town and get you some new clothes if that is alright with you.”
Lenna smiled at the fae. He was trying so hard to make her comfortable here. It was the nicest thing anyone had done for her in a while. She held a hand to her heart. “Thank you, Laurent, that would be lovely.”
Laurent bowed his head slightly, a ghost of a smile flitting across his face. Lenna took that as her dismissal, making her way down the hall to the small bedroom. The door creaked open, revealing a narrow bed wrapped in thin burgundy sheets, a set of wooden dresser drawers that had seen better days, and a tiny washroom that Lenna made a beeline for first. She didn’t realize how long she’d held her bladder until her eyes fell on the toilet in the corner. Then, making her way to the sink, she washed her hands, splashed water on her face, and stared at her reflection in the cracked mirror.
Her hair was crazy. She tried patting down the wayward red curls that frizzed out of control, finally giving up and wetting her fingers under the cool water in the sink, finger curling each section until the frizz lessened and the curls were damp enough for her to braid downher back, the length trailing past her shoulder blades. She secured the braid with a small strip of leather she found on the counter. Lenna wondered if the band had been Merrick’s–if this was the childhood home he’d briefly mentioned.
Stepping back into the bedroom, Lenna searched the dresser in the corner. Some of the clothing was much too small for her, but she finally found a thin set of tan linen pants and a loose matching shirt to wear. The pants were much too long, and she figured these could’ve been Merrick’s as well. Turning to the bed, she pulled the scratchy sheets back and scooted into the middle, the frame creaking with the movement. Her head rested against a pillow that was somehow both flat and lumpy.
But she didn’t care.
Free. She wasfree.
Today had been the wildest day, and half of her wondered, once she closed her eyes, if she would wake up back in the Doortan Manor, confirming this had all been a dream.
Chapter thirteen
Merrick
AfterLennahadgoneto bed, Laurent perched on the edge of the chair the Oracle vacated and ate a single bowl of stew. Merrick sat with the fae in total silence and growing darkness as the fire died down, the pair lost to their own thoughts. It didn’t take long before those very thoughts drove Merrick into the kitchen to find whatever alcohol still remained in this dwelling after his lengthy absence.
Merrick unearthed a dusty bottle of red wine from the back of a cabinet as Laurent joined him, moving around Merrick’s wings with languid ease to put his bowl in the sink to soak. The stuffy kitchen seemed even smaller than Merrick remembered as he tightened his wings to his side. Of course, he hadn’t been back here and stayed for longer than a few days since he was a child. Any trips he took to Spinella over the past ninety years were short. He’d either end the night in a stranger’s bed or be so drunk that he didn’t make it past the misshapen couch in the living room, only to be up and out of Spinella the moment the sun rose above the horizon the next morning.
