Chapter 48 #2
I nodded to Calista and Faelith, who stood at our arrival. “Faelith, please take Farris outside.” My gaze turned to Calista. “Please go to the kitchen and bring tea and cakes.” I glanced at Dorion and Laphira. “Unless you’d prefer a full meal.”
“Something light would be fine,” he said. Laphira nodded.
Calista curtsied. “Very well, my queen.”
The women left, Farris scampering along with Faelith on his leash.
Something odd happened with Farris, I told Lore. We’re going to share everything with Dorion, correct?
Yes.
What about Laphira?
Perhaps.
My thought exactly. He needs to hear what I discovered. Let’s hope he remembers Halendor myths and riddles.
Now you’ve piqued my interest, wife, he rasped.
“Some would say that’s rude,” Dorion drawled, glancing between us.
I lifted one eyebrow his way.
“Fated mates.” He tilted his head toward his hand linked with Laphira’s, showing off the matching mating marks on their wrists. “I’ve heard of some mated couples being able to speak to each other in their minds. How did you make it happen?”
“Um…” My face heated.
Lore leaned close to Dorion and whispered.
“Ah, yes.” Now Dorion flushed. “Very well.”
“What?” Laphira asked, a delicate frown creasing her brow.
“I’ll share later, love.”
I waved to the sofas flanking the fireplace. “Please sit. We have a lot to talk about.”
A flick of Lore’s finger, and the fireplace blazed.
We sat, Lore and I on one sofa, Laphira and Dorion on the other, facing us. He warded the room just in case.
“I want to thank you for all you did for us,” Laphira said right away and with complete sincerity. “We…” She looked down at her hands lying on her lap. “My mother was not a kind woman.”
“I…sensed that.” I was proud of how diplomatic I sounded
“She bound me with a spell to keep me compliant. Five years ago, after she discovered Dorion and I planned to run away together, she…” Her chin lifted and her hazel eyes met mine. “She locked me up. Forced me to marry someone else.”
Dorion took her hand, squeezing it. He leaned close and kissed her temple. “Love you.”
She gave him the sweetest smile before turning back to us.
“I was given no choice but to marry him. I thought Dorion had left me. I only recently learned he was locked inside his family’s labyrinth all this time.
When my husband died, my mother started talking about arranging another marriage.
I tried to run away with Brys, but she caught me and cast her spell.
I don’t remember much after that.” She swallowed hard and her eyes sparkled with tears.
“I’m grateful you could see something was wrong, that you brought Dorion back to me. ”
He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles.
“And now I’d like to repay you in whatever way I can,” she said with complete sincerity. “Dorion told me a bit about your situation. There must be something I can do to help. It’s past time our courts established friendly relations. It makes no sense to war when we could be allies.”
That’s enough for me. I think we can trust them both, I told Lore.
I agree.
“How much do you know?” Lore asked.
“I explained a few things,” Dorion said. “I hope that’s alright.”
Lore and I nodded.
“We don't have long,” I said softly, leaning forward. “Lore's birthday is the day after tomorrow. If we don’t fuse the three talismans before midnight, he’ll die, but we don't know how to do it.”
Dorion's jaw tightened. Laphira sent Lore a look of concern.
I shared all the clues we'd collected, and told them about the vision at the shore. “This was there, and I believe it may play a vital role.” I pulled the feather from my pocket, holding it up.
Dorion's eyes sharpened. “A feather?” He frowned. “My grandmother always said the old magic worked in sets of four. Four elements, four directions, four…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “It’s probably nothing.” His brow drawing together, he sat back against the cushions.
“I'll share what I can about the riddle, but why don't you make your wish on the featherdorn pendant first? From what Laphira said, it responds to sincere intent. You hold it, speak your wish aloud, and the magic decides if your heart is true.”
“I’m still…” Laphira’s smile trembled. “I’ve worn that pendant since my father handed it to me on his deathbed.
I thought I’d one day give it to my son.
To think, all this time, it’s been part of something more ancient.
I don’t know what to say other than I hope we can fuse it with the other talismans and save King Lorick. ” She shot him a shy smile.
“Lore, please,” he said.
“Very well. Lore.” Her smile widened. “What I’m trying to say is that I know this may mean we’ll no longer control the featherdorn, and that’s perfectly acceptable.”
“Thank you.” Would many willingly give up a court treasure that granted wishes? I doubted her mother would, but I wasn’t going to ask how she’d handle the loss. I didn’t care, frankly, as long as I saved Lore.
Calista arrived with servants hoisting trays carrying enough tea and sweets to feed three times our group, asking the staff to place everything on the low table between us.
As she stepped back, she frowned, her eyes flickering toward the pendant, her expression tightening.
“Is something wrong?” I asked her.
“I…don’t know,” she said slowly. “I just felt a draft.”
I glanced at Lore. Neither of us said what we were thinking. Prager’s reach had always been long.
After giving us a full curtsy, she hurried from the room.
I poured tea but left the snacks for now.
I took a sip, savoring the heat and warmth of the brew, plus the subtle sweet undertones of the herbs.
After I placed my cup on the low table in front of us, I drew the pendant out of the soft pouch tied to my belt.
As I held it up, it twisted on the chain, its tiny wings fluttering, firelight winking off its wings.
A gust of wind burst through the room, and a whisper brushed the back of my neck.
I looked around, finding no one nearby.
With a grim expression, Lore tripled our wards.
Time was running out, and all I wanted was to throw myself into his arms and forget about talismans and curses. But the pendant gleamed in my hand, reminding me that saving him meant focusing on the task.
“Who gets to stab Prager when she appears?” Dorion asked with a wry twist of his mouth. “Because I think all of us will be pulling blades.”
“She’s mine,” Lore growled.
Unless I reach her first, I said equally grimly.
His smile slick, he nodded my way. I do enjoy your feral side, love.
As long as it’s not directed at you.
Oh, please direct it my way.
With a shake of my head I turned back to the pendant still subtly twisting on the end of the chain.
Laphira watched it with equal parts sadness and acceptance, and I was grateful that she was willing to sacrifice such a precious thing to save a life.
I glanced up at Lore. “What should I wish for?”
“Look in your heart.”
“What if I ask for the wrong thing?”
“You won’t, because whatever you ask will be guided by love.”
Love couldn’t fix everything. That was what the curse wanted me to believe. But as I stared at the pendant, feeling the weight of everyone's faith in me, I realized the curse was wrong.
Love had brought us this far.
Love would always be enough.