Page 78 of A Touch of Royalty

Cas told her about his dream, about the meadow and the being and what he’d said. “And I don’t know what it means that you might know what he meant.”

Emryn looked at him for a moment and then looked down at her lap. “I think I know, but you-” she looked up at him again. “The Mother visited me again, Cas. Her time is running out and I have to find my Three.”

“What does that have to do with me?” He asked

“You’re one of them,” she said. “I just don’t know for certain which one you are.”

“How do you know?”

“When you anchored me,” she nodded, but still wasn’t looking at him. “I could feel something there, something reaching back. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do, and if you’d rather leave it alone for now, I understand.”

Cas moved the tray to the side and reached for Emryn. Who shied back, not letting him touch her. “I’m a danger, Cas. To you, to everyone here, and all of you might be better off if I left.”

“Where would you go, love?”

She shrugged, letting out a broken sigh. “It’s not about me right now, you need to rest and when you’re well again we can discuss it.”

Cas wasable to get out of bed two days later, and he went straight for Asan, who was up at the college working with the other magi on the mystery of who kept coming after Emryn. The last man who’d come for her had died to Brutus before he could be questioned, so there was no thread to lead them to the culprit.

“What can I do for you, Cas?” Asan asked, not looking up from his maps.

“I need your perspective, Asan.” Cas leaned against the door frame and watched his teacher. “Emryn thinks I’m one of her Three and I need to know if she’s right.”

Asan dropped his pen. It clattered to the floor and Cas winced. That would have bent the nib.

“What?” Asan looked puzzled. “Alright, let’s look at this academically.”

Cas nodded. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Emryn’s Three are the Phoenix, the Seeker, and the Flame.” Asan said. “Which does she think you are?”

“She isn’t certain but thinks I might be the Phoenix,” Cas nodded to the map on the table. “They’re myth, but so are the Moon Mother’s birds. So perhaps not as mythological as we thought.”

“Hmm, true,” Asan tapped his chin with one finger. “Alright, so for the sake of argument, let us assume she is correct. What indicators would have to be present to definitely say that she is correct?”

“Well, the hallmark of the Phoenix of legend was the flaming wings,” Cas said carefully.

“And you certainly are not in possession of those,” Asan replied, peering around Cas’s back. “What else?”

“Hyper-intelligence,” Cas thought for a moment. “An extreme protective instinct, and the ability to understand and interpret all human languages.”

Asan nodded. “So which of those are you in possession of?”

“I certainly seem to have developed a protective instinct,” Cas said. “Where Emryn is concerned, at least.”

“Which could very well point to you being one of her Three,” Asan mused. “Come, we will go and speak to Emryn about this, and perhaps she will be able to shed some extra light.”

51

WING

Emryn had mending in her hands. Not the usual preoccupation of a princess, but she was also sitting with Lady Holbrook and the woman was adamant that if Emryn was going to interrupt her work, then she must have her hands busy.

Which was all to the good in Emryn’s mind. It made it simpler to remember the things that Lady Holbrook was saying, even if she stabbed her fingers rather often and had to be careful not to get blood on the mending.

“Would you excuse us, Lady Holbrook?” Asan poked his head in at the door and looked at her. “I would like to speak to Her Highness.”

Emryn hesitated, but Cas popped into view behind Asan and Emryn put the mending to the side and rose. “Pardon me, Lady Holbrook I will be right back.”

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