Page 84 of The King is Dead
Dear God… Yilan said they’d connected, but I’d never imagined…
“Will you come back to the cottage? Harris went to the bathing room. She’ll discover that I left soon and she’ll be angry. I don’t want to worry her.”
Gall’s breath whooshed out of him. “I have to talk tohimfirst.”
I was torn—half-bemused, half-grieving.
My boy had found someone who made him feel safer than I did. I’d always prayed it might happen when he was younger, but as he’d matured so much faster in his body than his mind, I’d thought… I had thought no one would have the patience to understand him enough.
I wanted to help him, and was desperatenotto be an obstacle between them, so as noisily as I could, I started down the trail after Gall, making certain they’d hear me coming before I rounded the trees and found them, revealed in the shadows ten feet later.
When I appeared, Istral—a thin, elegant, wisp of a woman with blonde ringlets dusting her shoulders and the kind of bearing only those raised noble ever managed—turned her head with a snap, her eyes wide, her hands instinctively going to Gall’s forearm, as if she’d pull him away.
There was true fear in her expression, which grieved me, but it was Gall’s reaction that made my chest constrict.
As she sucked in and grabbed for him, he whirled to face me, pulling her behind him. And while he didn’t adopt a fighting stance, he did lower his center of gravity and keep his chin low, his eyes locked on mine with a flash of warning.
“Don’t come closer, she needs to see you.”
I stopped dead, mid-step and had to swallow a laugh. It was touching to see Gall so protective—and sad to see how frightened Istral was of me.
Had he given her only bad reports?
I raised my hands to soothe her and took a step back so she’d know I was listening and wouldn’t push.
“Youmust be Istral? Your sister has told me a lot about you. I’m glad to finally meet you.”
Behind Gall, she blinked, her expression torn between confusion and fear. She bobbed a quick, polite curtsey and murmured hello, but she didn’t smile and didn’t move around Gall.
Yilan had told me she always reverted to manners when she was unsure, and now I saw what she meant. There was real fear in her eyes as she stared at me. Yet, she’d given me an honor in greeting.
“You don’t need to curtsey to me, Lady Istral,” I said as quietly as I could. “I only wanted to thank you for taking such good care of Gall while I’ve been… gone.”
Her head jerked back a little in surprise, but then her brows pinched together. “I do take care of him. And he takes care of me too. We help each other,” she said, shaky, but determined. And Gall was nodding.
“I can see that. And I’m grateful that you have cared for him during this time. It’s been hard. I was worried about him. So I’m grateful to you.”
“Y-You’re welcome,” she murmured uneasily, glancing at Gall, then back to me.
Neither of them spoke then—and they didn’t relax either. I was wracking my brain to figure out how I could approach without scaring her further, when footsteps rose, crunching on the trail beyond them, getting louder, until Harris jogged into the clearing, her face pained, then washed with relief when she found them there.
“Istral, thank God! I’m so sorry, Melek, I didn’t know Istral had wandered out. I assure you I don’t usually lose track of her—”
“I didn’t wander. I went looking for Gall because I was worried.”
“I told you, I’m fine,” he said firmly.
But Istral turned back to him, her voice growing shrill. “People keep arriving and sometimes they leave and—”
“Don’t worry, Gall. You can go with Istral now and rest. I have other things I still need to do. I just wanted to see you and talk. And we’ve done that. I don’t mind.”
Gall looked relieved.
I didn’t get closer, just waved at them. “I do want to see you again and discuss this more—when you’re ready. Maybe tomorrow?”
Gall’s jaw went tight, but when Istral grabbed for his hand, he nodded to me.
Harris watched on looking sympathetic—and frustrated when her eyes caught on Istral. But I didn’t mind. If she was like Gall, she could just get an idea and run with it, without thinking through the potential risks or consequences of what she’d decided.
