Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
There was no denying that Con was rattled after touching Fedra, but Marcus had been watching her closely, and he hadn’t seen any type of response from her.
Con’s ability to heal anything had never failed.
The only thing he couldn’t do was bring someone back from the dead.
And yet, Fedra’s vision remained impaired.
Then there was her noticeable satisfaction that Sian didn’t use magic.
Could it be that Fedra was like so many other humans on Zora and detested anyone who had an ability?
It was a possibility he couldn’t rule out just yet.
He glanced at Con and Rhi as they walked out of the room, but they left the door ajar and looked back at him.
He gave Con a nod before his gaze slid back to the bed.
“I can’t help feeling as though you’re staring at me,” Fedra said.
He cleared his throat. “Apologies. I imagine it is difficult to be surrounded by people you doona know.”
“A little.”
Her answer was what he’d expected. If she said no, it would make her appear as if nothing flustered her. But neither could she say yes, because she didn’t exactly act frightened. Her admission showed that she was on edge but had prepared for it.
It was a response any of the Kings would’ve given.
“Would you like any food or drink?” he asked.
She shook her head, the curtain of her midnight hair sliding against her clothes. “Not yet.” Her tongue peeked out as she licked her lips. “Do you know how the hallway caved in? I’m just wondering if you would’ve found me sooner had it not been damaged.”
The urge to protect her was strong. Still, doubt lingered. Maybe it was because he had been through so much that he didn’t readily believe everything she said. “I’ve no’ figured out what happened to the corridor yet. It was suspicious that it was the only one damaged in that area.”
“The only one?” she asked, a small frown puckering her brow.
He narrowed his eyes as he stared into her impaired eyes that were locked to the left of him. “You seem distraught to hear that.”
“Is it normal to have one corridor damaged like that?”
“If there were any structural cracks in that area, that could potentially lead to such a case.”
Her frown deepened.
Marcus clasped his hands behind him. She wanted to say something else, but it seemed she was holding back. So, he decided to test her with a couple of lies. “That entire area has been blocked off for ages. There’s no telling when it was damaged. No other areas have such destruction.”
“Do you know who blocked it off?”
“I doona. That was before my time.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Does that mean you’ve not lived here your entire life?”
“That’s right. I arrived no’ that long ago.”
“I see,” she murmured, her gaze moving down and to the right. “How long have the rest of your people lived here?”
Seemed it was her turn to probe a little to see how much she could get out of him. “That’s hard to say.” It wasn’t an outright lie, but not exactly the truth either. “I must ask. Did you willingly go into the stasis pod?”
Silence stretched as he waited for Fedra to answer.
She had gone still, as if the question hadn’t been one she’d anticipated.
He could be reading too much into it, but after millennia of betrayals and facing enemy after enemy who wanted to wipe them out, he mistrusted everyone.
Maybe Fedra had been forced into the chamber and was dealing with those memories.
Or perhaps she was coming up with a lie.
Marcus flattened his lips as he waited. The longer it took her to answer, the more he began to suspect her.
“I wasn’t forced, no,” she replied.
“It took you a long time to say that.”
A small smile flashed over her lips. “I was wondering how long it has been since I went in. I doubt anyone I know is still around.”
Surely, they had warned her that it was possible. “Do you know when you went in?”
“I…I’m not sure of the date.”
They hadn’t found any dates or records of any kind in the chamber yet. They might never know exactly how long she had been there. From what Ryder had told them, the pod had been designed to last at least a thousand years.
“Why did you go in?” Marcus asked.
She released a long breath. “To help my people. I had no family or anyone counting on me. It made sense for me to volunteer over others.”
Her words rang true. And yet, he sensed a lie in them.
“You don’t believe me,” she stated softly.
“We just discovered a stranger in a derelict part of the city within a stasis pod put there by people we doona know. We would be remiss if we took everything you said at face value.”
Her lips curved slightly. “You would spend hours in that area without saying a word. I should’ve guessed you would be intelligent, as well.”
“Silence doesna equal intelligence.”
“Perhaps not, but you seem like someone who observes before forming an opinion.”
He was aware that she had changed the subject. He let her. For now. “Have you been awake the entire time?”
“I would become aware for short periods. What were you doing that had you there for so long without moving or speaking?”
“I was looking over the building plans.”
Her brows shot up as surprise filled her face. “You construct buildings?”
“Aye. I was attempting to discover what happened to the corridor.”
“I hope you’re able to figure it out.”
He noticed someone at the door and glanced over to see Sian. Marcus waved her in as he answered Fedra. “Oh, I will.”
Fedra’s attention shifted to the door the moment Sian entered the room.
“I’m Sian,” the Alchemist said as she approached the bed with a small tray topped with a bowl of steaming water, another empty bowl, some bandages, and several small bottles.
“Rhi told me about your eyes. I have a few things we can try. If these don’t work, then I have another idea.
I’ve already started brewing it, just in case. ”
Outwardly, Fedra appeared calm, but Marcus saw she had her hand fisted in the blanket. Did Sian’s presence make her uneasy? Or was this about her eyes? It could be both.
“I’m going to sit beside you,” Sian said. She waited for Fedra to nod before lowering herself onto the bed. “Turn your head toward me, please. Thank you. Now, I need to touch your face so I can look into your eyes. Is that okay?”
Fedra swallowed nervously before giving another nod.
Marcus moved to stand behind Sian to protect both her and Fedra, should something happen. He watched as Sian carefully pulled back one of Fedra’s eyelids and peered at the eye before moving to the second.
Sian sighed and lowered her arm. “I don’t see anything in the eyes, but that doesn’t mean something didn’t enter them. Are you in any pain?”
“It’s uncomfortable,” Fedra admitted. “My eyes itch.”
“Don’t rub them. That could make things worse,” Sian hastily advised.
Fedra blinked rapidly. “I’ve been trying not to.”
“Can you see anything at all? The more I know, the better,” Sian said.
“It’s not completely black, if that’s what you mean. I can see black and gray, and every once in a while, a flash of yellow.”
Sian looked over her shoulder at Marcus while she pointed to the light beside the bed. Marcus walked to the table and lifted the lamp without saying anything. Then he brought it closer to Fedra.
“How often do you see the yellow?” Sian asked.
Fedra’s face scrunched up. “Every now and again.”
Marcus quietly replaced the light.
“There. I just saw it,” Fedra suddenly said.
Marcus jerked his head to Sian to see her forehead furrowed in a deep frown. “You just saw it?” he asked.
Fedra nodded.
He looked at Sian, who jerked her chin to the light. He lifted it once more. This time, he held it right in front of Fedra’s face. “What about now?”
She blinked. “It was gone the moment I said something.”
Still, Marcus held the light for another few seconds before setting it down.
“The yellow is back,” Fedra said. “This time, it’s staying longer. Oh. Wait. Never mind. It’s gone again.”
Sian turned to the tray she had set on the bedside table and began mixing some ingredients from the bottles into the empty bowl, then plunged the bandages into it.
“That’s helpful. Right now, I’m going to soak a bandage in some medicine, and then we’ll cover your eyes with it.
First, I’d like to wipe your face with a warm cloth. ”
Sian dipped a cloth in the bowl of water, wrung it out, and gently dabbed it around Fedra’s eyes. When she finished, she deftly lifted the bandages that had been soaking in the medicine and wrung out any excess before wrapping them over Fedra’s eyes.
“The best thing you can do now is sleep,” Sian said.
Fedra’s lips twisted. “I’ve been sleeping.”
“If you want your vision back, you need to rest and not overwork your eyes just yet,” Sian cautioned.
Fedra dropped her head back onto the pillow. “I understand. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. This might not work,” Sian said as she got to her feet.
“You tried. That in itself deserves my thanks.”
Sian grabbed the tray and turned to Marcus. “Make sure she stays in bed.”
He grinned at her before she walked out of the room.
“Is she a leader of your people?” Fedra asked.
Marcus moved to stand near the foot of the bed and leaned back against the wall. “Nay, but she’s earned her position. We listen when she has something to say.”
“From some of the conversations I heard, it seems like Con is in charge.”
Just how much had she heard during the months they had occupied Iron Hall?
They had always spoken freely, believing there wasn’t anyone in the city they needed to worry about.
Now, however, it seemed that might have changed.
There were too many enemies still out there for any of the Kings not to be wary.
“Why do you say that?” Marcus asked.
She shrugged and shifted lower on the bed. “I heard you and the others defer to him.”
“We do.”
“So, he is the leader?”
“One of.” The situation was complicated, and there was no reason for her to know everything.
She flashed a quick smile. “I’ve misspoken, haven’t I?”
“No’ at all.”
“Your voice changed when I asked that. That makes me believe you don’t like the question and don’t wish to answer.”
He grinned as he looked at the floor. It seemed he wasn’t the only one reading into every word and tone. “Con is a leader, but he isna the only one.”
“You must mean Rhi as his…mate, right? I take it mate means the same thing as wife.”
“It does. And, aye, Rhi leads with him.” She was their Queen, just as Con was their King.
Fedra slipped her hands beneath the covers. “Tell me about the realm? I’d love to know what’s happening outside.”
The change in subject again was noticeable. This time, Marcus hesitated. “It would help if I knew how things were when you went into the pod. Maybe then I can determine how long you’ve been in there.”
“Hmm,” she murmured.
He could practically see her mind working to come up with an answer. She had been so determined to get out of the pod that she had managed to reach out to him. There was more to why she had been in that chamber, and it was likely linked to her rush to get out.
“Can you no’ remember?” he asked.