Page 48 of A Touch of Royalty

Cas chuckled, reaching out to pull her into his arms. “I’m glad I was helpful, Emryn.””

They had supper, her Majesty was still wrangling the council, so she was unable to join them, but Cas stayed with her, dining with her even though, by rights, he should be with his mother.”

“I’m co-author of the report.” He said quietly. “And as such, I am prohibited from a place in the deliberations.”

“Oh,” she nodded, bending over her supper. “I wondered.”

“And I’m not likely to leave you alone.” He smiled. “Not after the last few days. With my luck, someone would try to kidnap you.”

Emryn laughed, who would be able to bypass the palace guards, the dogs, the people, and get her out past all of that?

They waited, summoned to return to the council at nearly ten to hear the verdict and decision.

The proposal had passed the Council and they were full of planning on how to bring in the laborers and the metal workers and the magi.

It made her smile. She might not be a healer any longer, but she could still do good for the city.

32

NIGHT

There was something wrong with Emryn. She was doing a good job hiding it, but she was stiff in bed at night and was back to dreaming after nights of nothing but rest.

She hadn’t been dreaming, but the return of the dreams that made her toss and turn in her sleep was the first sign that something was wrong.

“Emryn?” He asked as she woke and pulled away from him. “What is it?”

“Just dreaming,” she whispered. “I am sorry to wake you.”

“I was already awake,” he told her, reaching out to pull her to him. “Will you tell me what’s wrong?”

She signed, rubbing her face against his chest. “I’m getting letters.” She said. “Supposedly from my parents, who are overjoyed to find me again.”

“And?”

“And no one alive has twenty sets of parents.” She sighed again. “I’d burn them, but the last set had poison woven into the paper and I’m afraid to do it again.”

“Wait.” he sat up in their bed, pulling back to look down at her. “Emryn, you were sent poisoned letters, and you didn’t tell anyone?”

“I forgot,” she said, shrinking from him. “It was right before I saw you with Ruby in the garden and that entire thing. I’ve been poisoned before, Cas. Healers are often targeted when we can’t save someone.”

“You’ve been-” He truly didn’t know how to parse that. That she’d been threatened in her work so often that the poison in the letters she’d been sent hadn’t registered on her mind as something important to tell him.

“I’ll have the palace guards take the letters.” Cas said, lying back down with her in his arms. “We’ll investigate where they’re coming from and stop them.”

“Don’t burn them without very tight shields in place.” Emryn said as she started to slide back toward sleep. “I’d honestly hand them to the college of magi and let them play with the way that the poison is embedded.”

“That’s a better idea.” He stroked her head, knowing by now that she enjoyed that. “I’ll call the college in the morning.”

She went slack against his side, breathing evening out and slowing. He waited until she was fully asleep and rose, tucking one of the bed pillows into her arms to help her rest.

He was going to call Asan. That poison was a direct threat against the royal house and he wasn’t going to be able to rest until he saw the issue into more capable hands.

He went for his mirror, tracing the symbols in the handle and laying it on the floor as it went milky.

Asan stepped through a few moments later. His old teacher wasn’t much for sleep and looked as put together as was possible.

“Cas?”

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