Page 60 of The Court of Secrets
CHAPTER NINETEEN
His eyes were the first to meet mine when I woke sometime under the cover of night. An oil lamp flickered, sliding shadows onto his features. I noticed he was holding his breath. Looking around, I saw we were alone. “How long have I been out?”
He sighed relief. “You’re still you.”
I furrowed my brows. “Of course I’m still me. Who else would I be?” Everything that had happened flooded back. “The necromancer.”
“Morgana is holding up, barely.”
“We need to get her some of the potion.”
“She was never taking it, love.” His gaze flitted around my wounds, fury lacing his expression. “We’re going to find a way to kill thatthing.”
I closed my eyes. My head throbbed, but the pain was nothing compared to earlier. “We need to go and check through those books. I’m sure there will be something written about him there. Some of those books are centuries old.”
He nodded. “We will, once you’re feeling better.”
A lump formed in my throat. “I was supposed to meet my mother this evening.”
He tapped his fingers against his leg. “That would explain why one of my spies saw her. She’d gone into the forest an hour ago, after waiting by the gates for some time.”
“She’ll be executed if she’s found in there. She’s going to the sacred part, the area that is off limits.”
Curiosity guided his tone. “Why would you care?”
“I don’t want her dead. I just want her… away from me.”
He nodded slowly. “I’ll have my men get her out.”
“If she left an hour ago, then she would already have reached it.” I thought about the babbling river, the place between the realms of the living and dead. I wondered if she could even reach André. Surely he couldn’t be her guide too. “It’s too late. I just hope she isn’t caught.”
“She used a cloaking spell,” he said. “She disappeared once she’d gone under the cover of the trees.”
“The magic barrier surrounding the area will de-veil that spell, but at least it will have hidden her most of the way. Vahaga is out in the woods east of there with the others, so there’s less chance of her being caught, but there’s always someone patrolling that part of the forest.”
“They’re doing rituals on your crown and such, correct?”
“Yes.” I clutched the covers to my chest and winced when the fabric touched my skin. “How can I go to my coronation covered in these?” I stared at my wounds, willing the bile away as it bit at my throat. I needed to be healed as quickly as possible.
“The Ruby Circle has been postponed. I took it upon myself to tell your guards. As is your coronation, so you need not worry.”
“This can’t be happening.” I buried my head in my hands.
“You cannot go like this.”
“Bring me a pixie. Several. They will heal me.”
“The physician is already preparing.”
“Thank goodness. You can tell the guards I will still be going. Once the physician comes with the pixies, I’ll just need rest.”
“But I meant mentally, love. Your mind is not so easily cured of the pain.” He brushed his thumb along my temple, the gesture slight but tender.
“I’ll be okay. I promise. My coronation can’t be canceled.” My eyes lowered to his hands. They were trembling. “Why are you shaking?”
“It’s the…” He didn’t finish his sentence. “Winter, a lot has happened since you’ve been unconscious.”
I sighed wearily. “Since when doesn’t it?”
