Page 17 of A Touch of Royalty

“I wished to see your core, and I thank you for your trust.” The First Wizard nodded to her. “I believe I understand now.”

He faded out before Emryn could ask what he meant.

12

STUDY

All Cas could do was wait until they were finished with whatever they were doing inside Emryn’s head. Until then, he propped his chin in his hand and tried to think the puzzle through.

If there was a connection between him and Emryn, it would exist somewhere inside his head, and if he could find it, it might answer some questions for him instead of him needing to be guided by Asan and Emryn.

Not that he minded a little bit of guidance, but this was bordering on the ridiculous. If he didn’t know better he’d say that Asan had no idea what was really going on.

And maybe that was true. If it was, he truly wouldn’t fault his mentor for it. He was operating on cobbled together bits of myth and what Emryn had said. Cas wouldn’t be surprised if that was all his old teacher had to go on.

And if that was the case, then he would go scout the inside of his own head and see what he could glean.

Cas turned inward, looking at his conduits, at his core, and then down further, into his psyche.

And that was where he saw it. A single shining thread that was lodged into a mass that absolutely shouldn’t be there. The mass was trying to grow, Cas could see the shudder in it. But there was a shield around the mass, and each time it tried to expand, the shield would condense and hold it to a single point.

The shield looked like an opal, if an opal had been made of coruscating flame. It looked like the fire that Emryn had wielded during his healing, and if that were true, then he’d found the place where her healing was going.

Cas didn’t dare touch the thread or the shield. He had no idea what would happen if he did. Would it rebound on Emryn and how would she handle that as weak as she was?

But on the other hand, what would it do to the mass that he was looking at if he removed the shield?

He really didn’t want to find out.

Cas left his head, turning back outward to find both Asan and Emryn looking at him.

“Your findings, Cas?”

“There’s something there.” Cas tapped his forehead. “And there’s a thread leading to a shield that’s keeping it from expanding.”

“As I suspected,” Asan nodded, turning to look at Emryn. “The illness was not eradicated, simply caged. We will examine it, but for the sake of you healing, there is a reciprocation that must be put in place.”

“What?” Emryn looked confused and no little bit frightened.

“To put it bluntly, you are going to die if the feedback loop you placed is not closed.”

Emryn shook her head. “To close a loop like that is to provoke a bond, and there’s no possible way-”

“If you die, you take him with you.” Asan said bluntly. “None of us can sustain the connection needed.”

“N-no,” Emryn sat heavily. “I-”

“It’s the only way you both live.” Asan said quietly.

Emryn looked at Cas, desperate fear in her eyes. “If it were just me, I would die.”

“What, why?”

“Because the tie is permanent, Highness.” Emryn’s voice was so shaky that it was hard to understand her. “I am one healer, you are prince of Rodilla.”

“And my life is not worth more than yours.” Cas said firmly before looking at Asan. “Is there no way it can be undone once everything has passed?”

Asan shook his head. “And by the laws of the nation, it would be a binding marriage.”