Chapter 14
Islept rather well that night. The furs trapped in every ounce of heat my body produced, so much so that I was almost sweating when I woke up in the middle of the night. The dark room still had a calming blue glow living in its walls, like fireflies on a summer night.
My dreams were filled with flashes of Cassian, his empty home, and his shattered heart. I didn’t know if I’d ever forgive myself for aligning myself with the wrong monster in my past life. Blamore would be lucky if he never saw me again.
I sat up in bed for a moment, taking a second to cool off as I shifted the top fur pelt to the side. The air was so crisp and clear, like I was always breathing in a whiff of peppermint. I stretched my legs outward, flexing my toes back with a long yawn.
Until I realized they weren’t moving.
Fear immediately burrowed into my veins, my heart stopping as my gaze froze on my exposed feet. I tried to move them again, focusing only on my right foot.
Nothing.
No…anything but that.
I tucked my legs to my chest, my heart hammering so hard I could feel it pounding against my knee as I held my foot close enough to see it in the faint light.
It was difficult to see, but there was no denying the slight tinge of black appearing in my nail beds.
I woke up to find a table full of food waiting by my bedside the next morning. I rubbed my eyes, ensuring this wasn’t some sort of dream, but the moment my hand slipped out from the warm furs and touched the icy mattress, I was quickly reminded what being awake felt like.
My toes felt cold, but I was too anxious to do more than slip my wool socks back over them without taking so much as a glance. I couldn’t let the poison distract me, not when I still had a job to do.
Besides, there was no known cure.
A loud round of knocks interrupted my thoughts, and the sudden sound nearly made me jump out of my socks.
“Wh-who is it?” I stammered, straightening my dress as I swung my legs over the side of the bed.
“The only other person in the castle,” Cassian’s voice echoed through the door, his familiar voice calming my nerves.
“Then how are you knocking?” I asked.
“I threw some snowballs at the door with an ice catapult,” he said as simply as if hallway catapults were a staple in every frozen castle. “May I come in?”
“Uhh, sure?”
His reflection appeared on the inside of the door, his usual attire looking a bit more spiffy than normal with an ice rose pinned to his lapel and his hair swept just a touch more to the left.
“Good morning, Safara,” he said brightly, waving his hands at the rock-solid curtains to make them move aside a little further. “I realized last night that I wasn’t much of a gentleman the first time I entered your room, so I’m making strides to be more thoughtful this time.”
He removed the frozen rose from his lapel, then pushed it outward from the wall until an identical one sprouted out of a tiny vase next to my breakfast. His gaze wandered to the disheveled pile of furs I had left in a mess on the bed, then to the rock that was still proudly displayed on my bedside.
“Ah, I see your unsightly companion will be joining us for breakfast,” he said with a sour glare. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring a rose for him too.”
“Poor Douglas will be so heartbroken,” I said with a shake of my head, trying to hold back a laugh as Cassian did his best to be polite to the stone. “He just hates to be left out.”
“It has a name?” Cassian blinked.
“And a purpose,” I said, giving the rock a little pat on what I had declared to be his head. “He’s served me well as both a protector and a companion. I wouldn’t have made it this far without his help.”
Cassian made eye contact with the rock, the two of them sharing a silent exchange before Cassian ultimately decided to give him an approving nod.
“I see.” His image shifted closer to the rock, his curiosity piqued.
“I suppose in many ways this Douglas is similar to my ice. I, too, seek companionship and aid from stiff sources.” He waved his hand, and a tiny ice top hat appeared on Douglas’s head with a darling ice rose tucked into the brim.
“Very well, he can stay so long as he’s not dressed so informally. And doesn’t break anything, of course.”
This time I couldn’t hold back my laughter. A small giggle escaped my lips, drawing a soft smile from Cassian that made my cheek feel strangely hot.
“I’m sure he appreciates it. Roses are his favorite.” I smiled at the cheerful rock. “Or, at least I assume so. He’s more of a listener than a talker.”
“What a lucky fellow,” Cassian said, his cloak sweeping behind him as he shifted into the wall across from me. “I would love to listen to someone like you all day.”
My heart fluttered, and I shifted my attention to my plate where a half-thawed croissant was waiting for me.
I took a bite, my teeth still aching from the cold, but my stomach relieved to be full again.
My eyes drifted toward the rose he’d brought me, and the details once again astonished me as I noticed even drops of dew sculpted along the petals.
“What about you, Safara?” Cassian asked. “What’s your favorite flower?”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever had a favorite,” I said, my fingers brushing against the cold petals. “But today, I’m quite fond of roses.”
“Then we shall have to plant a garden come spring,” Cassian suggested, his voice feeling closer to me somehow, despite his image never moving. “Then you can plant as many as you like and decide which you love the most.”
In spring?
“Do you think we’ll see a day like that again?” I asked, the question a delicate one that I was almost too afraid to speak. “One where flowers will bloom in the sunshine?”
The room didn’t feel so cold at the moment, and when I looked at Cassian’s hopeful smile, I could have sworn I noticed one of the rose petals drip.
“I should like to,” he said, his hands twisting together. “If my people ever accept me, then maybe I’ll be made whole enough to see spring with you.”
“I’d like that,” I said, my fingers growing numb from the cold petals still under my touch. I retracted my hand, my breath catching in my throat as I spotted the tiniest tinge of black at the base of my nails. “Let’s get your kingdom back as soon as possible. There isn’t a moment to waste.”
Especially now.
“There’s no need to rush things,” Cassian insisted, taking a seat on the nearest chair. “In fact, I think taking some time to let my storm calm down might help persuade the citizens even more. I dare say it’s gotten easier to control with you here.”
“You want to wait?” My stomach knotted.
“I do.” He said it so sweetly that I almost forgot about the poison killing me slowly. “I’d love to spend some more time getting to know my future queen.”