Page 99 of Spirit Rites
I take all this in, trying to piece it together; but my brain seems to be having a hard time keeping up. “But why?” Mae asks.
“Whoever worked with Vaelor isn’t done,” Zarreth says. “They’re after the throne.”
“But that doesn’t make sense,” Mae argues. “Even if they kill the queen, they’re not going to take the throne. So why would they even do it?”
My eyes flick to Evren’s, and he meets my gaze with those dark eyes. I resist the urge to look away, even as I try to piece together the pieces of this puzzle. Evren doesn’t look away, almost as if he’s challenging me, and some of the pieces suddenly lock together. “They have someone they want to sit on the throne,” I say out loud, and suddenly it gets very, very quiet. Evren doesn’t look away, and I feel Kaldar’s gaze on my face.I don’t look at him, though. A bad feeling runs through me.A very bad feeling. “Kaldar?” My voice sounds strange even to my own ears. “Who takes the throne if something happens to me?” I don’t look away from Evren, so I don’t miss when his lips turn up on the one side...just the slightest bit. If I hadn’t been watching closely, I wouldn’t have noticed.
“Kinsley?”
Kaldar’s voice suddenly seems far away. My heart is racing, and I feel like I can’t catch my breath.
“Who takes the throne if something happens to me?” I ask again, and my voice is weak, even to my own ears. I try to take a deep breath, but it gets stuck in my lungs. I turn to Kaldar with what I know is absolute panic in my eyes.
“Kinsley?” I reach my hand up to my throat as I struggle to get air. Kaldar shoots to his feet. “Kinsley!” I try to suck in a breath, and I can’t. I feel myself falling forward, and strong arms catch me as absolute pandemonium breaks out around me. Kaldar is in my face, but he’s shouting orders. Somebody bends over me; my eyes are too blurry to even see who it is. I try sucking in oxygen, but I can’t. My eyes burn with tears as I fight against my own body.
My eyes lock with bright green eyes, and I latch onto those eyes. I need to tell him."The ring.” I don’t even know if I say the words, or I just think them. I try to move my hands, so i can pull it off, but I can’t move. I hear him say something, but I can’t hear it over the whooshing in my head. My eyes shut again, but this time I can’t open them again. The only good thing is the panic is gone; in its place is a warmth that relaxes and comforts me. I can’t remember the important message I needed to tell Kaldar; in fact, I can’t remember anything. And that somehow feels okay.
My eyes shoot open, and I suck in oxygen. I can’t get enough air. My chest feels like somebody’s beating on it, and I can’tmake sense of what’s going on. I yell at them to stop, but I don’t hear my words over the roaring in my head. Or maybe I don’t say the words at all. I feel somebody squeeze my hand, and somebody leans over me. Green eyes meet mine, and I feel peace for a moment. That moment only lasts a few seconds before those green eyes are gone again. I hear voices, and I try to say something but my tongue feels heavy and thick. I suck in more oxygen greedily, and then I feel myself slipping into that peaceful bliss once again.
The next time I open my eyes, it takes me a moment to figure out where I am. But the large body in the chair beside me is a pretty good indicator. I watch the steady rise and fall of his chest for a moment and try to think of what happened last. The bright light of the sun indicates its morning, but I don’t remember coming into the bedroom to sleep. I try to push myself up on my elbows and suck in a breath as I feel intense pain in my chest. I struggle to push myself into a seated position. Kaldar’s eyes open, and he immediately stands and helps me into a seated position rearranging the pillows behind me. “There you go.” His voice is too awake for him to have been sleeping long. “How are you feeling?”
I rub my chest. I don’t even really know how to answer that. I try to remember everything that happened, but it’s kind of a blur. “What happened?” My voice is rough even to my own ears. He reaches for a glass of water and hands it to me. I drink the cold water, and it soothes my aching throat. Memories of the meeting start to take shape.
He watches me carefully, those intense green eyes missing nothing. “What do you remember?”
I think about it. “I remember the meeting, and I remember getting sick and not being able to breathe. Other than that, it’s all kind of a blur.”
He pushes the hair out of my face and holds my gaze. “Are you in pain?”
I rub the ache in my chest, and his eyes narrow. “I can send for Sryena.”
“No, it’s more of an ache than a pain. I’m okay.” I try again and fail to remember what happened. “What happened? I remember the meeting, but the details are kind of fuzzy.”
Kaldar meets my gaze, and I lean back in surprise at the barely concealed anger. He drops his gaze a moment. “Sorry. I’ll try to get ahold of myself.” His words are low and intense, and I begin to worry.
What exactly went on in that meeting?
Kaldar leans forward and puts his elbows on his thighs. “You almost died.”
I frown. “I feel like I would remember that. Walk me back a little.”
He studies me with those intense eyes. “You were leading the meeting, and we were discussing the ring. My mom’s ring.” He says those words carefully as he watches me.
I frown and try to concentrate. “The ring,” I say more to myself than him. Suddenly, an image of dark eyes and a smile play before my eyes, and I gasp. “I remember. It was the ring!”
Kaldar nods slowly. “There was poison on the ring. Like an idiot, I placed it on your finger.”
Alarm spreads through me. “Do you have any poison in your system?”
His eyes widen in surprise. “Angel, you almost died because I gave you a ring with poison on it to wear, and you’re worried about me?”
“Yes. Did you get any of the poison on you?”
He shakes his head slowly. “No, if I did, it wasn’t enough to do anything.”
“But I wore it much longer,” I say quietly.
He nods, looking sick. “Yeah, it almost stopped your heart and lungs.”
