Page 91 of The Rebel's Prize

Goddess, she had to.

Octarus made a noise in her head that was the verbal equivalent of a shrug. [Perhaps. How long?] She got a brief image of a navire.

[How long until she arrives?] She struggled to remember. [A day or two, I think.]

She looked at Rene, who had taken Lucien's other arm. Lucien hadn't protested, which only made Chloe more worried. "When we get to the infirmary, I want an update on Queen Sophia's progress, if that's possible."

* * *

It took some time to get Lucien into a room in the palace infirmary against his protests that there was nothing wrong with him. They'd only just managed to get him to sit down and remove his boots when Valentin came hustling into the room, Irina on his heels. The duq’s light gray eyes sought Chloe immediately and he crossed to her, one hand tugging at the pearl dangling from his ear. Irina followed, concern clear on her face. Both of them were dressed for the palace, not their work as healers. Though not full-blown evening wear, which explained how they had arrived so fast.

"Thank you for coming," Chloe said, relief ringing through her voice. Her head throbbed again, and she set her teeth. She needed Valentin to focus on Lucien, not her.

Valentin smiled crookedly. "Well, we were in our apartments at the palace, so it's not so far away." He drew Chloe back toward the door, lowering his voice. "What happened?”

Chloe glanced at Lucien, who was still arguing with the healer helping him with his boots. She turned back to Valentin. "Deandra," she said softly. "She used magic on him. He seems to have lost his memory of the last few months."

Valentin's gaze snapped to hers. "How long?"

"He doesn't remember that I came home," she admitted, her voice cracking. She clenched her jaw, willing herself not to cry, and rubbed her temple. The pain was getting worse. Her skull felt as though it had been stuffed full of rocks, her thoughts, when she let her focus slip, filled with a strange fog of...well, she wasn't entirely sure what.

Valentin winced. "I see."

He turned to Irina. "Perhaps you should get Chloe something hot to drink. I'll need to examine Lucien before we can decide anything further."

After sending Chloe a sympathetic look, Irina nodded and left.

Valentin turned to the bed, stepping up to Lucien. "All right, then, Lord Castaigne. I'm going to take a look at you."

Lucien frowned. "Your Grace, I think they're causing an unnecessary fuss. I feel perfectly well."

Valentin shook his head. "Sorry, but in this case, they're right to fuss. What do you remember about today?"

Lucien’s frown deepened. "I'm not sure. I was at home, writing a report on a case. And now I'm here at the judiciary." For the first time, his expression grew concerned. "What's going on?"

Everyone turned to Chloe, expecting her to explain. But when she tried to speak, all she could manage was a muffled squeak of distress as her head throbbed harder, her mouth and throat suddenly dry. She waved at Valentin, who began to explain to Lucien what the memory magic could do, carefully skirting around the issue of just how much time he might have lost.

Chloe had only the faintest sense of his confusion and panic, which didn't help contain hers. She tried to tamp hers down but didn't dare try to lock down the bond when the connection felt so alarmingly fragile.

"You look like you're about to fall over," Irina said softly, reappearing at Chloe's side, holding a cup of tea in one hand. With her free hand, she guided Chloe toward the lone chair in the room. When Chloe tried to protest, she said, "You can still see him from the chair. You're not doing him any good if you collapse," in a tone so stern that Chloe obeyed automatically.

She sank into the chair, accepting the teacup, which rattled in its saucer before she managed to control the tremor in her hands. She sipped it when Irina prompted her, the hot sweet tea steadying her a little. Enough to concentrate on Valentin and Lucien's conversation. It was largely one-sided, Valentin repeating information patiently while Lucien looked incredulous.

Only after Lucette had sworn to him that Valentin was telling the truth did his expression change from disbelieving to appalled.

"How long until I remember?" he demanded.

Valentin spread his hands helplessly. "We don't know. But Elarus and Queen Sophia are on their way."

"The queen? Is it wise for her to leave Anglion so soon? She was just crowned," Lucien asked, confusion creasing his brow.

He remembered Sophia was queen? Relief flooded through Chloe. That gave a limit to how far back in time he'd been thrown.

When no one answered him immediately, his frown deepened. "There's something you're not telling me, Your Grace." His gaze turned to Chloe. "Or maybe more than one thing. I still don't understand why Chlo—Madame de Montesse is here."

"She was helping with your investigation," Valentin said slowly.

"Did they send her from Anglion? Do the Anglions know something about this magic? Is that why Queen Sophia is coming?"

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