“Everything is handled from the fete?”
He nodded. “The people of Willowfell were more than understanding. I promised to plan a supplemental event in the near future, and they were more than happy with that.”
He didn’t mention the Starglens. Or, I guess,Starglen. Only Jules remained. I took a careful sip of my coffee, trying to wash away the chill that overcame my body. Blight had turned themwild like savage animals fighting for their lives. Survival was all that mattered. And despite nearly dying, I couldn’t fault them for their actions—or Orin’s swift reaction.
“Edira.” Orin’s voice was quiet, and I tilted my head toward his.
“I’m okay.”
Slowly, he pressed his mouth against mine. It was soft, questioning, and yet at the same time the most reassuring thing I’d felt since our last private moment. A slow-moving heat began to gather in my veins. His kiss deepened before he broke away, but his hand remained on my waist.
“I was supposed to conduct lessons today.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “But I’m inclined to cancel just to spend time with you.”
I breathed in deep and bit my lower lip, looking up at him through the tops of my lashes. His gaze was intense, and his throat bobbed as his eyes dropped to my mouth.
A firm cough interrupted our embrace, and Orin pulled back to spear Tasia with an annoyed look. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Amalyss, and the two of them were stiff as they glanced between us.
“Yes?” Orin prompted when neither of them was brave enough to speak first.
Amalyss’s throat bobbed. “We were wondering if Edira needed to be escorted to training before our lessons. Rorik mentioned at breakfast that they’d start up again today.”
Training. I blew out a sigh. In the wake of everything that had happened with the Starglens, I’d assumed Rorik would wait longer to resume our sessions. Apparently I was wrong.
“Fine, fine,” Orin said with a tense exhale. “Wait for Edira outside. She’ll join you momentarily.”
They hesitated, as if searching for a reason to linger. Amalyss dipped her head as she began to leave, but Tasia offered a final, weighted look in my direction before following her sister out.
“Tomorrow will be just us.” With one last gentle squeeze, Orin pressed a feathery kiss to my forehead. “No interruptions.”
Excitement hummed through my bones at the prospect, and we began to gather the materials I’d stacked around the table. He handed me tomes that I neatly slid onto their respective shelves until only the journals remained. His gaze hardened as he rubbed his thumbs along their spines.
“If only they had been more informative.”
Perhaps she was.
Swallowing my doubt, I cleared my throat. “I noticed a missing page in Rowena’s journal. Do you know anything about that?”
For a moment, his expression hardened. A glimmer of... distaste? Frustration? Whatever it was, it flashed through his gaze and was gone in an instant, replaced with a more sorrowful look. “She often wrote poems in her spare time. Perhaps she wrote one here but felt like it didn’t belong with her research.”
That I could believe. Maybe it was one of these fabled letters Seville had mentioned. If she didn’t want others knowing about their relationship, or whatever it was, she wouldn’t have left it for others to find.
“She was very protective of her work,” I said, shelving the journal. “But that aside, we still have a path forward. I’d like to start with using some of the Ever medicine in addition to my own magic to see if that helps with the process of curing blight.”
He nodded. “For tomorrow, is there anything you require?”
“I wrote down a list.” I pointed toward the table and the scrap of paper full of cramped writing near my apothecary cases. “If you could have those things ready, that would be great.”
Orin picked it up and scoured the sheet. “I can have a few things easily by the morning. The others might be a day or two out. Is that enough to start?”
“Yes.” A seed of hope began to bloom in my chest. “There are a few different tactics I’d like to try.”
“Good. We’ll start with one of the infected stags.” Orin came around to brush his fingers once more across my cheek. “I can’t wait to see what you do.”
At that, he slipped his hand into mine and walked with me to the courtyard where Amalyss and Tasia were waiting, the Waterstones a few feet behind them. I’d expected Flix, given Orin’s comment about lessons. But Issa and her mother? Ossanna stood with her back pressed against a tree, a careful smirk on full display. And Issa’s eager stare found Orin immediately, lingering for a fraction too long before sliding to me. I frowned at the trio of dark-haired Evers, and beside me, Orin’s gait stiffened. Then he sighed.
“Ossanna must be concerned about her son’s attendance after what happened with Briar.” With a curt wave, he signaled for Amalyss and Tasia, and they closed the distance between us. “Take her to Rorik. We’ll start lessons when you return.”
My stomach tightened. Did Ossanna truly fear Orin would threaten her son?
