My eyes drop to the baby in my arms. Shards of ice lodge in my throat.
It isn’t fair.
Anger rises inside me like a swelling tide.
Things need to change. That’s why I’m here. I need to try harder to make a difference. To accomplish my goals for my people—allmy people.
I take deep, steadying breaths, cradling the baby closer to my chest. When I look up, Sauzon is watching me, a strange expression on his face.
“…and this is our infirmary,” a deep voice carries from the corridor. Zev strides in, flanked by three men in flowing burgundy robes.
The Volcan emissaries.
Zev stills when his gaze finds me. Or maybe it’s the baby he sees. A muscle jumps in his jaw. Forgetting the emissaries, he cuts across the room mid-sentence, closing the distance in three long strides, heat and something primal blazing in his eyes.
I present the baby to him. He swallows hard.
The inferno in his eyes softens into something raw—something unguarded—as he steps closer.
“I didn’t realize tour guide was part of your job description,” I tease.
“I may or may not have volunteered—so I could escape the stuffy meetings and come see you. I knew you were on edge about today.” He reaches for the baby, glancing at me for permission, and when I nod, his large hand rests over the entirety of the baby’s chest. He swallows again. “It went well?” Zev asks softly.
I nod. “Yeah. She’s beautiful. And Rinaya did so well, too.”
“The princess is being modest,” Sauzon says. He’d been conversing quietly with the Volcan emissaries. “Sheis the one who did well. It’s been a blessing to have her.”
My cheeks warm, even as a flutter of pride wafts through my chest. The emissaries turn their attention to me. The shortest of the group, a bearded man with a stout belly, offers a smile that reaches all the way to his crinkled eyes. “Princess Mayah. We’ve heard much about your healing endeavors. And your marriage. Many congratulations.”
“Thank you.” The baby fusses again, still asleep, and I rock her gently in my arms. Zev’s hand rests at the small of my back, his attention only for me, as if the delegates his father has been courting for weeks aren’t in the room.
Sauzon turns back to the emissaries. “I cannot stress what an asset the Princess has been. She’s a talented healer. And she’s exceedinglykind.”
“Sauzon, please,” I insist, cheeks flaming. “The emissaries must be ready to continue their tour. They’ve heard enough about me.”
Zev chuckles, brushing a kiss to my temple. Warmth blooms beneath my skin. He means it to be chaste, but it unravels something in me all the same.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he murmurs in promise. With one last look steeped with longing, he leads the emissaries away.
I glance at the baby in my arms. I stroke her tiny cheek, etching every line of her pink face to memory. “Tides protect you, little one,” I whisper, willing the words into a shield.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“Andwhataboutthisone?” I ask, holding up a dark blue vial.
“Laudanarum,” Sauzon replies. “Helps relieve pain and ease coughing fits.”
It’s a rare, quiet day in the infirmary. I jot down his response in my notebook.
“What about antidotes? For poison? I’m not sure how much my healing would help with something like that.”
Sauzon retrieves a large bottle filled with clear liquid from a cabinet. “Wormbark oil. Purges by inducing vomiting. Very effective.” Replacing the bottle, he scans the infirmary. “It’s a slow day, Princess. I’m retiring early. You should do the same.” He packs his belongings with quiet efficiency. I suppose I can return to my chambers and continue my reading.
I bid Sauzon goodbye and step into the hallway.
Theemptyhallway.
My guards are gone—likely between shifts, assuming I’d be preoccupied in the infirmary for a few more hours.
