32. Ash
Ash
“You sure as hell took a beating,” Caspian pressed a folded cloth into my hand. It was warm and damp, the crushed herbs inside releasing a floral scent that burned clean through the fog in my head.
The Kindly Cure was anything but kind. The place reeked of bitter roots and boiled leaves, the air thick with smoke from a low-burning fire.
Shelves lined every wall, crammed with jars of dried herbs, powders, and things I didn’t want to identify.
A patchwork curtain divided the narrow space, swaying every time someone passed through, offering little in the way of privacy.
Caspian had nearly dragged me here, half hauling me through the streets when I’d found him. The world had spun the entire way, my vision pulsing at the edges.
But nothing compared to the pounding in my skull now.
“I got my ass kicked by a damn dwarf,” I grumbled, pressing the cloth to my face. The coolness seeped into my skin, dulling the ache just enough for me to think straight. “He barely reached my chest.”
“Well, he sure knew how to fight.”
I shot him a glare. He winced.
“Sorry. I know I got your hopes up to go get her. I thought she’d be there.”
“She’s dress shopping.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Claire.”
The healer reappeared without warning, parting the curtain with a flick of her wrist. Her expression hadn’t changed since we arrived—a perpetual scowl with narrowed eyes.
She pressed a cold, calloused hand to my forehead, held it there a moment, and grunted in what I assumed was approval before hobbling back through the curtain without a word.
“You’re lucky you didn’t break your nose,” Caspian commented.
“No shit.”
“So, what’s the plan now?”
I exhaled slowly. Even that hurt.
“I’m working on that. He’s too damn stubborn to release her. He doesn’t even want her.”
“Then why keep her?”
“He wants her to have his children.”
Caspian blinked. “Oh.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Oh.”
“Who would want to have kids with him?”
I let out a humorless breath.
“I’m sure he has no shortage of women willing to try.”
“He has too much money, and with that kind of power, he thinks he owns everything. Poor Claire. What were we thinking, bringing her to him?”
Those words landed harder than any blows I’d taken in the fight. At the time, it had felt like the only way out of my debt. Garrick didn’t let go of things he owned, not without taking something worse in return. Running would’ve only made things bloodier.
“What’s the plan now?” Caspian pressed again, quieter this time.
“I’m getting her out,” I gritted out, already pushing myself upright. Pain flared, hot and immediate.
Caspian’s hand shot out, pressing me back down.
“Absolutely not. You’re in no condition to fight.”
“Like hell I’m not.”
“That dwarf already proved you wrong once.”
I glared at him. “I won’t just leave her there.”
“I’m not saying you should. I’m saying maybe we don’t solve this by you throwing yourself at the problem until you collapse.”
The curtain shifted again. The healer’s head appeared, eyes flicking between us. “Visitor.”
That was it. One word.
Caspian straightened immediately, satisfaction flashing across his face.
I frowned. “Are you expecting anyone?”
He winked. “Absolutely.” He stepped aside just as the curtain was shoved open.
The woman was dressed in structured layers of dark fabric with not a thread out of place. Her hair was pulled back tight, no strand dared to fall free, and her gaze swept the room once in a quick assessment before landing on me.
“Caspian,” she snipped, voice crisp. “You said this was urgent.”
“It is,” he gestured toward me. “This is my friend, Ash.”
“I gathered,” she replied coolly. Then to me, she stated, “You look terrible.”
I winced as I pressed the cloth back against my throbbing forehead. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“She means that as an observation, not an insult,” Caspian appeased. “Ash, this is my cousin—”
“I don’t need an introduction,” she cut in. Her eyes never left mine. “I’m Calista. I’m a licensed advocate of Norwich.” She didn’t hesitate to get right to the chase. “You’ve entangled yourself in a contractual arrangement with Duke Halloway.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“And now, you’re attempting to extract the primary party from that arrangement without legal grounds.”
“Her name is Claire, and she’s not a thing to be extracted,” I snapped.
Calista’s brow arched. “No. But she may as well be, depending on the terms of the debt.”
I went still.
Caspian winced. “She’s very good at what she does. She could argue with a stone wall and somehow make it apologize.”
“I don’t need good,” I muttered. “I need a way out.”
Calista’s eyes narrowed, interest flickering. “Then start talking. I need every detail, what was promised, what was signed, and what was implied.”
I hesitated. Her expression hardened.
“If you want to save her, you need to answer precisely. Now.” Something in her tone told me she wasn’t asking.
So, I told her everything. She just listened, mind working faster than I could track. When I finished, Calista didn’t speak right away. She paced once, fingers tapping against her arm as she replayed every word I’d said. Then she stopped.
“There it is.”
Caspian leaned forward. “What?”
Her gaze slid to me.
“The flaw. The contract states that Claire is to fulfill the debt through marriage. But it never specifies that the marriage may be enforced.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means that her participation is required.”
A beat.
“She has to choose to marry him.”
The room went quiet.
Caspian blinked. “So… if she doesn’t—”
“Then the contract cannot be completed,” Calista finished. “And an incomplete contract is not binding in the way Garrick is attempting to enforce it.”
My pulse kicked. “He can’t force her?”
“No. Legally, he has no ground to stand on. I’m a bit surprised that neither of you caught that when you first read the contract. And for the record, forcing a marriage is illegal in Norwich.”
Caspian let out a low whistle. “So all this time—”
“He’s been relying on fear and your ignorance of the wording.” Calista finished.
Her eyes locked onto mine, a wicked glint gleaming.
“Which ends now.”