“Stop!” I smacked a hand over my mouth – not wanting to picture, at all, the ‘symptom’ he was describing.
Chuckling darkly, he drew back to his seat. “So what medicine can you recommend for me, little healer?”
Anger boiled in my throat. “Come with me,” I ordered, shoving my chair away as I stood.
“As my lady commands,” Arenn laughed. “Although might I request you treat me somewhere other than your human king’s bedchamber? As much as I’d love to soil his sheets, it is awfully far and I fear if I don’t kiss you within the next—”
His words cut off as I hauled him out of my station. Marching towards Terrence’s booth, I ignored the flirtatious ramblings of my ‘patient’, before dumping him just outside theentrance.
“Terrence?” I called out, scowling at the way my hand already burned from the loss of contact. “Will you please see my patient next? He’s having troubles with his male part.” I shouted that last part a little louder than I should’ve – loud enough for sheepish laughter to ripple through the guards nearby.
Arenn glared with an intensity I hadn’t seen before. For a moment, I feared he might go back on his words and ‘whisk me away’ to Faelenna after all. But then, his gaze shifted. It hardened on someone else entirely. Someone across the ballroom.
“Who is that?” he snarled in an almost protective tone. “And why does she look as if she wants to hurt you?”
Confused, I followed his sightline. Queen Marigold stood by the doorway to the ballroom flanked by two guards – one of them much more familiar than the other. I bristled as the guard from our first day shot me a filthy wink.
Arenn lurched forward, but I stopped him with a hand over his chest.
“Please don’t cause a scene,” I said, quickly withdrawing my palm. “I’m supposed to be winning her favour.”
Arenn scowled. “Why doesn’t she like you?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “It would be very helpful if she could tell me instead of just causing trouble for the sake of it.”
“She’s approaching,” Arenn warned.
A nervous sound escaped my throat. Before I could brace myself, a grating voice called over my shoulder.
“Princess Naria,” she purred. “What in our divine realmis going on in here?”
CHAPTER 11
Once again, the Queen of Hallshire was staring down at me as if I was dirt under her boot.
“Welcome to our temporary clinic,” I said with a smile so forced it hurt. Arenn stood quietly beside me, but I could almost feel the anger rolling off him.
“Hmm.” She glanced around at our makeshift booths, seemingly unimpressed. “And why is it here? In Cora’s lovely ballroom.” Her gaze fell onto the queue as she scowled. “There are peasants dragging grime in from the fishing yards.”
“People,” I corrected her, giving up on my fake smile. “And I’m sure any grime can be cleaned. What’s more important is that they are receiving the treatment they need.”
Marigold scoffed. “Is this supposed to be some pathetic attempt to win favour with the Ryntook rulers? Because I assure you, dear, they will not appreciate you bringing in so many peasants to their palace.”
“I think I’ll wait to hear that from them myself actually,” I said coldly, unable to help myself. “And no.” I straightened my shoulders. “I am doing this because I wish to help Cora’s people, not to win any favour, so if you are here merely to cause trouble, please leave. I have patients to attend to.”
After Arenn’s arrival and now this, my patience was wearing thin. So, with a little more aggression than I would’ve liked, I spun away and stomped towards my booth.
It was only when Arenn caught up to me that I slowed to a stop, exhaling raggedly.
“You also need to leave,” I grumbled.
“Shall I kill her for you?” He tilted his head in an alarmingly innocent way.
“Absolutely not,” I gasped. Glancing back, I spotted Marigold poking her head around the booths. Disgust was smeared across her face while she gripped her velvet skirts, as if they were the only thing protecting her from the patients passing by. “She’s a menace, but she doesn’t deserve to die – especially not by your hand.”
“Then at least let me toy with her a bit.” Arenn’s voice curled with excitement. “No one has to know it was us.”
“I said no,” I huffed, but before I could turn away, I flinched at the sound of a plant pot shattering and a woman’s pained squeal.
