My entire body was convulsing. Vibrating. No, that wasn’t right. The male was shaking me as he tried to rouse me.
I opened my eyes to see the crown prince bending over me, his eyes blazing as intense fear lined his expression. His hands gripped my shoulders as power ratcheted off him, radiating around him in an aura so strong that I flinched.
I blinked as an aching pain in my gut made me wince. Groaning, I tried to sit up. “What happened?”
“Don’t move.” His hands traveled rapidly over me as he felt for injuries, but there was no blood. No broken bones. Not even bruises as far as I could tell. Just . . . pain.
I brought a hand to my forehead. Hair flew around my head as a slight throb twisted my stomach. “Norivun, what happened?”
His face twisted in worry. “I don’t know. You were feeling the soil, using your affinity, and you said something about it being strange, and then—”
I hissed as pain slid through my gut, strengthening with every second that passed.
“Ilara?” His voice grew quiet, his hands gentled. “Talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Nothing? Everything? But I’m okay. I think.” But I didn’t know for sure. Whatever I’d just felt in the soil had done something to me. It was internal if the roiling in my stomach was any indication.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to sit up more. “Let’s go back to the castle.”
The aura off Prince Norivun throbbed even more. “Yes, I want Murl to check you over.”
Before I could respond, the prince’s arms were around me, and he was gently lifting me as he stood. Around us, his four guards had their backs to us. They’d formed a protective circle, as though guarding us from any unseen attacks.
My ring of fire that had been encasing us was gone.
I froze. “When did my fire stop?”
“When you flew from the ground onto your back.” Norivun tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. Tightness lined his expression. Even his wings had closed around me, as though every fiber of his body had gone into hyper-protective mode.
I nibbled my lip and felt for my magic. Pain accompanied that attempt, but my magic still swirled in my gut. It was still there, but it didn’t rise readily.
“My magic is . . .” I shook my head. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
Norivun’s eyes shuttered. “We’re going back to the castle. Now.”
The prince mistphased us back, insisting that I conserve my strength. I didn’t argue. Whatever had resisted my affinity in the Isalee field had left a lasting scar. My magic felt drained and weak. It’d already been low since I’d used so much during test two, but I hadn’t realized that searching that field for life would have such a detrimental effect.
We reappeared just outside of the healing infirmary, the prince’s guards only seconds behind us.
“Murl!” Norivun barked.
The castle healer appeared in a rush through the door, his hair tousled. He took one look at us and gestured us inside. “Lay her on that bed.”
Norivun did as he said, moving on a gust of air that transported us across the room in a blink. The prince set me gently down, and then Murl was there, hovering and assessing.
The healer’s brow furrowed as his affinity dipped into my body. Warmth spread through me, a tranquil feeling following.
I sighed.
Murl’s frown grew. “You were in pain.”
I nodded, which got a scowl from the prince.
Haxil, Nish, Sandus, and Ryder all moved to areas in the room to stand watch. Even here, they didn’t let their guard down.
“Tell me what happened. Tell me what prompted this visit.” Murl’s hands continued to flutter over me as I told him about the deeply buried veil I’d sensed in Isalee’s soil.
He frowned. “So something in the land pushed back at you?”
“I think so.”
“Do you have any idea what it could be?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t. I’ve never felt anything like it.”
Murl’s frown increased, but he continued working, quietly probing and evaluating. When he finally finished, he settled back on his stool. “I don’t know what to make of it, Lady Seary.” He tapped his chin, his expression remaining perplexed. “Something feels strange within you, but I don’t know what.”
I sat up straighter as the aura off Norivun rose.
“What do you mean?” the prince demanded.
“It’s almost as if something is encapsulating her magic, like it’s suppressing it. It’s as though something in the Isalee field attacked her.”
A snarl tore from the prince’s throat. “Attacked her? What would do that?”
Murl shook his head. “That’s a very good question, my prince. At the moment, I’m unsure.”
I brought a hand to my gut, to where I always sensed my magic. “Is that why it hurt here before you doused the pain?”
“My guess would be yes.”
“Your guess?” The prince’s scowl turned ferocious.
Murl ran a hand through his white hair. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I have no further ideas at this time. Let me consult a few texts and see if I can find anything. In the meantime, I suggest that Lady Seary eats a large meal to replenish her magic, and then she rests. With any luck, this will be a temporary malady and will have passed by tomorrow.”
My eyes widened. “Is that possible? Could this correct itself?”
Murl patted my hand. “When it comes to magic, anything is possible. But rest and nourishment are always the best to help replenish our stores. I shall give you a potion to help you sleep well tonight.”
“But I have my final test tomorrow. What if the potion leaves me groggy or ill-affected?”
“It shan’t. My best potions leave no lasting side effects.”
The prince growled. “See that she gets it.”
Murl stood and bowed. “Of course, my prince.”
Once the healer had retrieved the potion, Norivun lifted me from the bed.
I suppressed a smile. “I can walk, you know.” Especially since the pain was now gone.
But his frown only deepened. “Let me do this. It . . . soothes something in me.”
My eyes softened. I knew there was no point trying to fight his mating instincts, so I nodded.
The prince dismissed his guards, and after all of them said their goodbyes and wished me well, Norivun mistphased us out.
We reappeared in his chambers. The familiar huge room and gigantic bed waited in the dark. “You want me to sleep here?”
“Yes.” His frown grew. “I want you close tonight.”
He set me on his bed, then went to start the fire. Crackling flames soon filled the hearth.
“What would you like for supper?”
I shrugged. “Surprise me.”
He rang for food, and Balbus answered the call. The portly servant’s eyes widened when he saw me. Usually, the prince and I kept our encounters a secret, even from his servants, but since the prince didn’t try to shield me from Balbus, I knew his worry had surpassed his concern over our relationship leaking.
At least Balbus was trustworthy. He’d never been anything but loyal to the prince.
The prince gave him a laundry list of food to bring.