Page 94 of Crown of Ellova: Vol 1

I curl into his side and he pulls me close before he gently places the blanket over us.

CHAPTER 39

ONE WEEK LATER

I’ve recovered from my bleeding and Nueena and I are in the command room with her parents and Lillian, taking a rare break from the makeshift apothecary.

Tavien, Leon, and I work from sunup ’til sundown on the elixir, stopping only for meals or coronation planning. Leon and I have avoided speaking about the events at Quartzridge. I catch him staring at times, but he always looks away when I notice.

I’m weaker and weaker every day, the magic taking its toll on me, but I do my best to hide it from them, not wishing them to worry.

Plans for the coronation are strewn about with the estimate of food that will need to be traded and the amount of palace attendants needed. The late-afternoon sun brings a glaze of gold to the room.

Kaylena runs into the room, the doors slamming behind her, rattling her family’s portrait.

“Delly, can you take me to the chocolate shop? Everyone is busywith the crown party.” She sends a pout in her mother’s direction for emphasis.

“As long as your mother says it’s fine, I would love to go to the shops.” We both look at Nyvenah with the same hopeful expression.

Nyvenah just chuckles as she puts down the quill she was writing with. “You may go. Bring me back some of those chocolates with the buttercream inside. Take a guard with you.” We’ve never needed a guard for a simple shopping excursion before, and my surprise must show on my face because she adds, “We’re so close to the coronation, I don’t wish to take any chances.”

“Of course.”

Lillian leaves and returns with Everett, who is carrying the leather-bound book I lent him a while ago. He hands it to me with a lopsided grin. “Here, I wanted to make sure I got this back to you. I heard some chocolate was in order?”

“Everett!” Kaylena shouts with delight, racing over to him.

“Hello, Kaylena! Are you ready for some chocolate?”

“Yes! Yes! Delly, let’s go!” She bounces around before taking his hand and pulling him out the doors.

He looks back at me with a playful expression. “Come on, Delly!”

Everett’s carefree attitude and kind disposition make him cheerful company on the short walk out of the palace and into the bustling city center. The Lavencia market around us is rich with the scent of perfumes and oils from the perfumeries’ open windows, mingling with the rare spices and roasting meats from street vendors. We pass shops selling delicate candles, custom stationery, and specialty foods, moving out of the way of the lively crowds teeming from one business to the next.

“Della, are we in danger?” Kaylena asks.

“No, no. Sometimes a little extra protection can go a long way,” I say, trying to sound like she has nothing to worry about. Nyvenah requesting a guard means we are no closer to discovering who the traitor is.

“Can I wear your dagger?” she asks Everett eagerly. “Then I can protect myself!”

“You may, but you cannot take the dagger out unless you are in danger, and you can only wear it until we get back to the palace. Deal?” He holds out his hand to shake her small one.

“Deal!” she squeals.

I laugh at this, and Everett slips off a thin belt that holds one of his daggers in its sheath and puts it over her shoulder.

She puffs out her chest with pride, holding on to the belt as we walk. She drags us over to a flower shop and stops to smell the bouquets on display in front of the frosted windows.

“Sorry you’re on babysitting duty,” I tell him as he leans down to smell the lavender bundles.

“That’s quite all right. Anything is better than listening to Kole harp on how you rejected him,” he says, his eyes sliding to mine with a playful glance.

“Ah, he told you about that, did he?” I mirror his mirth.

“Oh, yes, he may be grumpy about it ’til the next coronation.”

“Good! His ego needed it.”

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