Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Vad
A sour taste filled my mouth, and I forced myself to meet Rhielle’s gaze.
Everything in me rebelled against the truth in her words, and I wished I could tell her everything.
“For the time being, I must play nice with everyone.” I inclined my head, though my shoulders weighed heavy from this fecking game I had to play.
“But eventually all games end, and all bills come due.”
“Make sure to bill Kaylen her share then,” Rhielle muttered. Her fingers curled over the blanket, her nails digging into the fabric as if it were Kaylen’s throat.
I forced a small smile that probably didn’t reach my eyes. “I hope your recovery progresses swiftly. Whatever you need, please inform the physicians and their attendants.”
She huffed and lifted her chin. “I need to get out of here. Physician Karu said I’ll be out of danger by tonight, but it’ll be a day or two longer before I’m back to full strength.”
“I’m afraid time is still required for healing.” With that, I exited to the hall, closing the door behind me. I tucked my wings in tighter so that they didn’t brush the walls in passing. There was one other person I wished to speak to in the Healing Hall.
As I entered the main area hall, I spotted Chief Physician Morlo speaking with a younger red-haired attendant.
For as long as I had been alive, Morlo had overseen my family’s health.
His posture was a little more rounded now in the shoulders, and his blonde hair was less gold and more silver, and a little less shiny.
He still wore it slicked back and fastened low against the nape of his neck, his appearance, as always, immaculate.
He gestured to the nervous attendant in a calm manner, likely offering some form of correction, based on how he pointed to different vials of herbs and powders on the slim shelf beside him.
Once the attendant scurried away past the pillars, he turned toward me.
A small yet sad smile tugged at his narrow mouth.
“Your Highness.” He stopped in front of me, his hands folded before himself.
“Helfir mentioned you were with Rhielle, but I did not wish to intrude. I want to offer my personal condolences and sympathy in the matter of your father.” He bowed his head so low his chin pressed against the collar of his green robe.
Today, in addition to the black iridescent staff in a circle embroidered on his lapel, he wore a pin that depicted a sleeping shadow beast resting beside a smaller one, his head pressed protectively over hers.
Both were encircled with black roses. Morlo had chosen to honor my mother as well as my father, the pin representing them both.
My throat tightened. “May we speak in private?”
"Of course, Your Highness." Morlo gestured toward a small alcove beyond two towering carved stone pillars. "My private consultation room is this way."
I followed him into the circular chamber.
The walls were lined with shelves of books, herbs, vials, and glittering crystals, the air rich with the scent of dried herbs and incense, though rosemary and sage were the strongest scents.
A small round ebony table with three chairs sat in the center, lit by an elegant oil lamp with a long fluted globe, its flame low.
Morlo closed the doors. “No one will be able to hear us here. A Sylvan friend helped me carve permanent sigils into the walls and door to prevent sound from passing through so long as the door is closed.” He crossed to the table and adjusted the wick on the lamp.
The smell of rosemary and sage intensified.
“How may I serve, Your Highness? May I offer you food or drink?”
“Neither. I need your counsel on two matters.” I paced five steps to the end of the room and turned.
An uncomfortable idea had been building in the back of my mind, adding to my headache.
“Would it be possible to detect whether someone is draining the lifeblood from someone else and using it to strengthen or heal themself?
And what level of certainty can be provided for it?
I don't want hints or implications. I want proof.”
Physician Morlo’s eyes and forehead wrinkled as he hmmed. “An intriguing question, and one I never expected to be asked.”
“I wish I didn’t need to ask, but nonetheless, I need an answer.”
He twisted the heavy onyx ring on his finger and then tapped it, his gaze unfocused.
“If the one drawing from another’s lifeblood does not take steps to shield their participation, it should be easy enough to tell if you know what you’re searching for.
But anyone who is skilled enough to do so for their own benefit will know how to mask the signs. ”
I held back a bitter laugh.
“If you can tell me the kind of fae they are draining and bring me a hair sample with the root of the person you suspect may be receiving the magic, I can determine whether they have been absorbing another’s lifeblood.
” He held up one finger. “But the root is the important part of the hair, which may make it difficult to obtain.”
That might be more than difficult, but I’d find a way. Anything to prove Briar’s innocence and locate my father’s killers. “Once you have that, how long would it take for you to determine?” I had days at most, so my plan relied on getting the results quickly.
Morlo hesitated and crossed to one of the shelves.
He picked up a dark purple vial and swirled the contents.
“It depends on the individual. If the person has done nothing to cover their tracks, then it is a relatively swift and simple process to prove their guilt or innocence. But if someone is using magic to mask themself, it will take more time. Perhaps two or three days.”
My stomach dropped. That might be all the time I had.
I needed to obtain Kaylen’s hair quickly.
“Test Rhielle. I’ll bring you other samples as well.
If there is any way to confirm this information sooner without risking the results, then please do so.
” Though I was relatively certain Kaylen was the true threat, I needed evidence when I went to the Shadow Council.
“The fae who is being drained is a Terran. A male if that makes any difference.”
Morlo’s eyebrow arched. “You have the victim? May I speak with him?”
“It isn’t an option yet.” I shook my head as another wave of fatigue passed over me, spiking the nausea and aching in my skull. I released a deep breath and massaged my temple. “When it is an option, I will gladly permit it.”
He nodded, then strode to the opposite wall.
With a soft hum, he removed another vial, this one full of shimmering black liquid with an emerald cork.
As he brought it over, it caught the torchlight and glistened with iridescent flecks.
“Please allow me to speak with him as soon as possible. If he hasn’t been fully drained, after he has been treated, I may be able to procure additional information from him that will help me determine who has devoured his lifeblood and magic. ”
“Is that what that’s for?” I gestured to the vial.
He chuckled. “No. This is for you.” He tucked it into my palm. “You need rest, Your Highness. These past days have taken a heavy toll on you. This will help you sleep and restore your strength at a faster rate.”
“But…” I held up the vial between my thumb and forefinger, knowing that there was always a price.
“It tastes bad. And it’s quite rare. You may have strange dreams, but that’s a bargain, considering what you will get in return.”
I considered his words, but as I stared at the vial, an unsettling memory returned to me.
A few nights ago, I’d had the strangest drunken vision or dream about a silver stag.
It had torn through the paintings and the walls.
My stomach twisted at the memory, and I clenched the vial tighter.
I recalled the stag’s somber expression and its sharp antlers, which it had used to shred my family’s portrait.
“I see…does it cause visions that have meaning?”
“Hard to say. It depends on what one thinks of dreams in general. Personally, I don’t put much stock in dreams or visions unless they come true.
In some cases, they’re caused by the mind searching for answers and finding them even when they aren’t truly there.
The restorative rest is the important part here.
Keep the vial on hand. If you can sleep without it and recover, fair enough.
But you don’t look as if you’ve had more than a few hours’ rest in the past two days, and I doubt you’ll get much more in the ones to come. ”
“I don’t suppose you have something that would keep me awake and give me endless energy.” My lips twisted in a faint smirk.
“I’m afraid not.” He smiled, but his brow furrowed. “Do not give this to Elara though. She is not physically strong enough. Her mind is, but…for someone in her condition, it would be too strenuous.”
“She’s gotten worse. Significantly.” It wasn’t a question, and I watched his face intently.
He sighed, and a shadow of sadness passed over him. The lines in his face deepened. “I still do not know her true ailment, and because of that, I can offer no cure, I’m afraid. Is she resting currently?”
“She should be.” I tucked the vial inside the inner black satin pocket of my surcoat. “But this loss has struck her quite deeply.” I braced my hands on my belt and brought voice to an observation that terrified me. “Her glamour is masking a great deal, isn’t it?”
He frowned. “Has she spoken with you about her condition?”
“Not recently.”
His brow tweaked. “Well, I do not wish to speak out of turn, but I would have assumed she would tell you…perhaps she wanted to wait until the wedding and coronation were past. Rest, food, and Shadow magic are doing more to keep her alive than any of my incantations, sigils, brews, or antidotes. But it is undeniable that she is… fading .”