“I’m coming with you,” I demanded again.
He took both of my hands and brought them to his lips to kiss the palm of each. “Please stay in the flat until I understand what’s happening. The last thing I can handle is losing you to some mortal illness that could have been avoided, Sybilla.”
If I pressed him, he would break. But logic won out. “You come right back.”
Krait’s head dipped so he could whisper into my ear. “Of course. I’m very motivated to pick up where we left off.” Then he planted a kiss just below my ear that made my knees weaken again. Heat spread across my cheeks as the guards looked away.
“Okay,” I agreed, still hating the idea of parting from him.
He passed me the satchel and then he turned his attention to the guards and said, “See her safely back to the flat.”
Chapter 56
Sybilla
Ipaced the space, memorizing every crack in the stucco. Krait had only been gone minutes when a knock came at the flat’s door. Warily, I tried to look through the keyhole but then heard a familiar voice.
“Queen Sybilla? I was sent from Luz. I’m here with your tonics.”
Thank the Sources.
I flung open the door. The man who had seen me through the worst of my health and had been a constant in my life for so long was on the flat’s doorstep.
I breathed a sigh of relief to see him, then I exclaimed, “Healer Mortag!”
My healer offered a smile and an outstretched arm. Two guards stepped between us. One said, “He has been searched for weapons, my Queen. We escorted him here, but shall remove him if necessary.”
My heart sank, as I realized that he’d likely been questioned and interrogated to get to me.
“All is well,” I assured them and then turned to Mortag. “Come in, come in.”
The guards stepped aside.
“How did you get here?”
Mortag kissed the top of my hand and followed me inside.
He looked just as he always had—a neat cream-colored robe with bronze buttons down the front, dusty brown hair cut short, and a sharp nose. Healer Mortag was an immortal without Source magic. He’d been my mother’s healer and her mother’s before her. He’d mentioned once that he’d been alive to see the Great Wars.
“Sit, sit.” I motioned toward one of the sofas. “It is good to see a familiar face. What happened to you during the battle of Luz?”
“Ah. I was just fine. I got summoned to deal with some family matters in Eros,” he said and reached into his robe pocket. “But I stopped in Luz on my way here and brought your favorite.” Mortag pulled out a small wooden box full of tea bags, which were stained bright blue. My heart warmed, and I took the tea box from him with a giddy smile as he sat.
Eager to drink the earthy, floral nectar, I said, “I’ll go fetch some water. Make yourself at home.”
I left the flat with a kettle to gather water from the spigot outside. The sun had set. Glancing around, I found the street completely empty—no market carts, no guards. Where had the two who had brought Mortag gone?
My brow furrowed. It worried me that something more dire might be happening at the prison and I was relegated here.
A lump formed in my throat. My visitor, at least, made for a pleasant distraction from the absence of my husband.
When I stepped back into the flat, Healer Mortag had risen and now faced a window. He looked out at the street below.
“Tea?” I asked him.
Mortag waved a hand. “No, I brought that especially for you. I know how it clears your mind.”
I pursed my lips as the kettle hissed. After searching no fewer than six cupboard doors, I finally found a cup to pour water into. As the tea steeped, the water twisted in blue cloudy wisps, and I drew in a deep waft of the sweet, earthy scent. Perfection.
