I took a sip from my glass. “You’re biased because you like me. But there are a thousand people in Virosa whose opinions differ.”
“Did you ever think that if you sever the bond, you’ll be putting yourself at risk? If people are as afraid of you and Aura as you say, you might be putting yourself in danger.”
I shrugged. I didn’t care. Much.
“I don’t want to see you hurt…” He gritted the last word. His hand stiffened and he dropped his fork, clutching his stomach and bending at the waist as he shoved his chair backward. He let out a cry, his face contorted in pain.
I was at his side in an instant. “What’s wrong? Your stomach?”
His cheeks puffed with every strained breath. He paled and as the spell passed, I could see it took a lot of his strength with it. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“I don’t want to go—”
“You need to lie down,” I insisted.
I slung his arm over my shoulder and hefted his weight, walking him to my bedroom. He sat on the bed with his head hung low.
“I’m not ready to go yet,” he mumbled. “I don’t want to die. We haven’t had enough time.”
“What’s enough time, Phillip?” I asked. “I’ve felt more alive in the few days you’ve been with me than I ever have in my life.”
“Me too,” he said, falling back onto the pillow, exhausted. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I said.
His breaths became slow and I panicked. Not now. Please, not now. Not yet. He let out a low snore and I released a breath, squeezing my eyes closed with a silent prayer. He’s okay. He’s just sleeping.
I combed his auburn hair with my fingers and held his hand all night. When the sun rose and my body weakened, I asked Ember to watch him while I slept.
Before I fell asleep beside him, Malex showed up. He settled on the stool in front of my writing desk, offering, “Relax, Princess. I’ll guard you both.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled, as sleep took me away from Phillip.
chapter eighteen
LUNA
When I woke, I went outside and quickly bathed in the stream, putting on britches and a black tunic, and tucking my knives into their sheaths on my belt. While lacing my boots on the porch, Malex sat down beside me.
“Do you want me to go with you?” he asked.
“No, but will you stay here with him?”
“Of course, but at dawn, I do need to go prepare a few things. We’ll try to make the spell tomorrow night. Bring Ember and Phillip. You can all stay with me during the day. I’ll have a bed ready for him.”
“Thank you,” I croaked, tears threatening to well in my eyes.
He pursed his lips and nodded. “Terigon will have men with him, and they will be heavily armed.”
“They can’t kill me, Malex,” I scoffed.
“No, but they can hurt you and take you back to the castle.”
I didn’t want to think about that. The castle of Ringsted wasn’t like other palaces with their gilded decorations, marble floors, and proud columns. It was built to keep enemies out. Terigon’s castle was a fortress, equipped with every torture device imaginable. Even as far away as it was, sometimes when I flew at night, I could hear the screams radiating from their dungeons.
No, they wouldn’t kill me. But they would have fun trying, and I shuddered at the thought. Steeling my shoulders, I looked Malex in the eye. I wasn’t going to let them have the upper hand. “They won’t have the chance,” I said defiantly. “I’m going to do this quickly.”
He nodded and stood when I did. “Once, a century or so ago, a human bit me,” he said off-handedly. “When he ingested my blood, it changed him. He became fae.”
My heart stopped before it began to thunder. Does that mean Phillip could be turned into a fae? Would he even want that?
I didn’t know how much of Phillip’s current personality Aura had influenced. Did she give him new memories to make him hate us, and me, less so he could get close to me? Or was he just not as prejudiced as his brother was? William had told me about the superstitions of Grithim and how his father loathed the fae and forbid anyone from entering the dark forest.
“He grew up hating the fae. I don’t know if he’d want to become one, even if it would save his life.”
“The toxin seems to be taking him down and then letting him up for air. He isn’t drowning, so maybe you should let him decide. But know that if he takes a sudden turn for the worse, you or I will have to make the decision for him.”
“Are you sure he’ll be okay for tonight?”
“With Aura one can never be sure, but if he gets sick again tonight, I can tell him and let him decide for himself. My blood would likely work better than yours, anyway. No offense.”
“None taken.” Would it work? Was Malex lying? I was skeptical since I’d never heard any rumors of a fae turning a human into their kind, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t hopeful. This would be a pivotal decision in Phillip’s life. Choosing to become the thing his parents and countrymen hated was no easy choice. If Phillip became fae, he could never return home. The prejudice in Grithim would be too much to overcome.
I took my broom, swung my leg over the handle, and flew up and into the night air. The sky was clear, save for the smiling crescent moon. I flew fast to the forest west of Ringsted. It took longer than I expected, but I finally found Terigon’s hunting party. And to my luck, they were in pursuit of a wild boar. Their horses whinnied, galloping after the crazed, squealing animal. Their torches dripped fire onto the forest floor, igniting small clumps of leaves in their wake.
Tsk. Tsk. They should be more responsible in autumn. The whole forest could become cinders due to their carelessness.
Weaving recklessly through the forest, Terigon’s horse suddenly faltered and fell. Terigon was thrown to the ground and rolled down a small embankment, only stopping when his stomach wrapped around a boulder. I jumped off my broom and threw him onto his back, straddling him and holding him still with my broom and thighs.
“What the hell are you…? Witch,” he breathed. “What do you want?” he asked venomously.
I removed my knife and smiled. “I want your tongue.”
“Why?” he gritted, trying to buck me off.
“I need one for a spell, but Malex specifically suggested I take yours.” His eyes widened as I whispered in his ear. “You must have really pissed him off.”
I used a spell to keep him quiet, and then held his arms, legs, and jaw open with magic until I was finished slicing. By the time I tucked his thick tongue into my bag, Terigon was gagging on his blood, tears running into his cropped blond hair.
Hatred radiated from every inch of him and he flashed me a look that promised retribution. I stole his memory of the event just in case he decided to lash out once I was untethered from Aura.
I took to the air just as his men came to his aid. A few moments too late for their liege, unfortunately.