Chapter 16 — Rhiannon
“Commander,” Olcan greets me with genuine surprise.
He’s standing by Haron’s bed. Her delicate wrist hangs in his hand as he examines her. Haron is awake as reported, but from the looks of it, just barely.
She’s lying there with her head to the side, her white-blonde hair splayed out on the pillow. Her face is covered in swelling purple and blue bruises to the point where one of her eyes is almost entirely swollen shut.
A hospital gown covers her, and one arm lies across her lap, bandaged completely from elbow to hand, covering two of her fingers. Goddess, help me, I can’t imagine how it must pain Stasio and Holden to see her this way. It’s no wonder they are so enraged.
I nod to Olcan. He lowers her other arm to the bed before turning to us. The man looks haggard. Deep lines cut across his face, and the gray at his temples seems more pronounced than usual. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days. I imagine this has been a long evening for him as well.
“Healer,” I acknowledge him. “How is the patient?”
“Fair,” he says, and the corner of his mouth lifts.
“At least, as fair as we can expect. Forgive my surprise. I didn’t think you would be paying Haron a visit so soon after the attack.
” His eyes flicker over to Ethan, then to me, then back to Ethan again.
“How are you feeling, Ethan? I hope your ribs are not still giving you pain.”
“They aren’t.” He dips his chin in gratitude. “I’m doing just fine for now. Thank you.”
“Olcan?” I say, bringing his attention back to the matter at hand. He clears his throat.
“Yes. So.” He comes closer to us and lowers his voice.
“Her left arm is fractured in two places, as are her ribs on the right side. The bruises on her face are clearly indicative of numerous instances of blunt force trauma . . . but those injuries are only superficial compared to the others. The lacerations across her chest and torso are frighteningly deep. It took me quite a while to stop the bleeding.”
None of that sits well with me, and I cross my arms to hide it. “That sounds a little far from ‘fair,’ Olcan.”
“She’s awake. That’s better than I expected,” he responds.
“She’s suffered internal injuries to her organs as well.
Now, despite her current state, I’d say that she’s improving.
She is Shaman, after all, and a very important one at that.
I suspect that she was placed under a protection charm to keep her safe. ”
“That sounds promising,” Ethan says. “That means she’ll make a full recovery, right?”
“I have no way of knowing that for certain, given how badly she was injured. All I can say is that for the time being, she needs rest so that her body can repair itself.”
I take in a deep breath. It’s probably a bad idea to question her right now, but what other choice do I have?
The sooner I find out what really happened, the better it is for us all.
“I need to speak with her,” I tell Olcan.
“Just a few questions about what happened tonight while the memory is still fresh.”
He nods. “As long as it doesn’t take too long, Commander.”
With that, he steps aside, and I give Ethan a silent cue to follow as I approach her bed. As soon as she sees us, she offers a small, pained smile.
“Commander . . . and Ethan.” Her silvery voice is raspy and weak. Every breath she takes between words sounds labored. “You have come to visit. How lovely. Forgive me for not freshening up.”
Ethan chuckles. “Not necessary, Your Grace.”
“Your Grace?” she says, her one good eye widens. “How formal. I thought we were friendlier than that.”
His face flushes a little. My wolf bristles possessively and I have to shove down the urge to growl at her. Haron is severely injured, but my wolf doesn’t care about being logical.
She is in no shape to steal your human even if she wanted to.
“Haron.” I keep my voice level. “We’re not here for a social visit. We need to know if you can tell us what happened to you. At least, as much as you can remember.”
Her small smile fades, and Haron takes a moment, her breath rattling with every movement of her chest. “I was attacked,” she says finally, “by the guard who was escorting me through the Luna’s garden.” She recites it like she’s reading it off a page.
“Can you tell me any details about the attack?” I ask.
Haron pauses, looking at Ethan as if to ask for his help. He says, “We just want to get the facts straight. That’s all. Just tell us what you remember.”
His words seem to put her at ease. Her smile returns and she says, “After dinner, the guard — Jayme, I believe you called him — walked with me to the Luna’s garden.
He led me down a beautiful lane of the reddest roses I’ve ever seen.
I was . . . amazed by them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen flowers so bright. ”
She closes her eye, and for a second, I think maybe she’s drifting back into unconsciousness, but then she opens it again.
“I told him that I thought they were beautiful,” she says. “And then I turned to ask him if he knew how the Luna grew such lovely flowers. That’s when he struck me in the face, the first time.”
Her pleasant countenance is gone, and her swollen face grimaces in pain. “I fell to the ground, and he growled at me . . .” Her voice cracks. “The next thing I knew, claws were ripping away my clothing. I tried to get away, but he grabbed me and— and—”
She starts to weep, so I place my hand on hers. “It’s all right,” I comfort her. “Take your time.”
She gives a small nod, followed by a sniffle.
“I tried to use light magic to shield myself, but he was too strong. Everything went black. The next thing I remember is your face, Commander, as you carried me away. All I could think was that I had to tell someone what happened. Please tell me he’s been arrested.
I’m so afraid that he might hurt my father and brother. ”
“He’s been imprisoned,” Ethan says. “You don’t have anything to be afraid of.”
This seems to relax her, and she looks at him as if he alone saved her life. “Thank you, dear Ethan. You are so kind.”
My wolf paces, her agitation cloying through my skin. “Thank you,” I say to her, patting her bandaged hand. “We should let you rest now.”
“I’m glad I could assist,” she says, more to Ethan than me.
We leave. As we walk down the halls, my wolf’s frustration floods my conscious mind.
The same territorial instinct from the feast finds its way back, setting me on edge.
Ethan was being polite. I know that. But my wolf doesn’t do polite.
She sees a threat circling what belongs to her, and no amount of reasoning will convince her otherwise.
The disconnect between rationality and animal instinct is maddening. It’s taking more control than it should to suppress her jealousy. I can’t believe that with all that’s at stake, I have to worry about reining in my own wolf.
“Hey,” Ethan says, touching my arm to get my attention. I stop, but I don’t look him in the eye. I just want to get this night over with. “You all right?”
“Yes, of course I am.”
He just looks at me, waiting.
“Honestly, you have to be the single most annoying creature I’ve ever encountered. Can’t I just be bothered for no reason?”
“No one is bothered for no reason.” He pins me with his stare. “What’s going on with you?”
What am I supposed to say? My wolf wants to rip that Shaman girl’s throat out? I need to change the subject, so I ask, “Was she lying?”
“Rhiannon.”
“Was she?”
He looks at the ceiling for a beat. “No. She wasn’t.”
I stare at him. “I’m shocked by you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I scoff. “Do you really think that both of them are telling the truth? She’s obviously the one that is lying, and you’re just covering for her because— because—”
Ethan raises another eyebrow and suddenly, I’m really embarrassed. “Ugh, never mind.”
A laugh escapes him.
I glare at him. “You think this is funny?”
“A little...” He grins.
I turn away from him with an angry pout, my shoulders tense, my whole body rigid. My wolf whimpers at his teasing.
“Come on. Don’t be like that.” He nudges me with his shoulder, the brief contact sending a familiar ripple of heat through my body. His scent — that intoxicating blend of cinnamon and musk — fills my senses, making it harder to keep my head straight.
“Don’t you have someone else to annoy?” The words come out half-hearted and I know it.
“You know you’re my one and only.” He playfully raises his eyebrows twice and flashes that boyish grin again, the kind that crinkles the corners of his jade-green eyes and reveals the dimple in his left cheek.
That damn smile melts my irritation faster than snow in summer.
“Seriously, though,” Ethan leans closer. “Why don’t we go somewhere private to talk through what we know about Jayme and Haron?”
“At this hour?”
“C’mon, like you’re going to sleep with all the excitement tonight.
” Ethan squares his shoulders, his muscles taut beneath his shirt as his arms lock across his chest. “There’s gotta be something we’re missing here.
Maybe we can figure it out if we don’t have to worry about a walking lightbulb coming to interrupt us and tell us we’re not trying hard enough. ”
Walking lightbulb. I have to laugh at that.
He’s right, though. There’s no way I’m getting any sleep tonight, not until we get closer to the truth.
“I know a place,” I say, already turning down the corridor. “Follow me.”