17. Chapter 17 #2
He must have heard her dissatisfaction in her voice, because he said, “I’ll make sure to communicate changes with you earlier next time.”
Although he had said so as a gesture of goodwill, Yareli felt like a petulant child.
“Thanks.” Then, wanting to defend herself, she added, “She’s my friend.”
“Of course. Go settle in and come back in about half an hour.”
She lingered a moment longer, staring at his back as he left the room, and renewed embarrassment about yesterday washed over her.
She had acted brazenly, which was not typical of her.
She ran to her bathroom, running the tub.
She would drown her humiliation away and return downstairs as if nothing had happened.
Yareli was the last to arrive. Erick waved at her—a steaming cup of tea nursed between his two hands with a large bag plopped in front of him. Leo smiled at her, the cheery expression a direct contrast to his behavior two days ago.
“How’d it go?” His voice boomed across the room.
She bit the inside of her cheek; his tone was accusatory, like he knew what had happened between August and her.
“Well, my curse isn’t broken,” she said and plopped down on a wooden chair. She met his eyes. “But my memories are healing thanks to Erick’s tea.”
She wasn’t going to hide from her actions. She was free to do as she desired, but lingering guilt escaped her clutches, and she fidgeted, pushing her hair back from her face.
Erick slammed his hands on the table. “How much have you remembered? Does it come and go? Or is it a consistent stream of memories?”
“Ok, Doc,” she said, chuckling. “Slow down for a minute. We can talk about it after.”
He looked put out, but he acquiesced.
“I take it the Curse Eater was of no help?” Leo prompted.
“The Curse Eater was not completely useless,” August said. “It provided us with two options—bring a vial of Tuom’s blood, or kill him.”
Leo whistled. “Sheesh. Neither of those options will be easy. I vote for murdering the bastard. It’ll be a huge blow to my brother.”
“While it’s my preferred option as well, politically, it would destabilize the precarious balance,” August said.
“The balance is as much of a farce as my brother’s rule.”
Yareli watched yet another one of their silent exchanges.
“Regardless,” August said, “as the Keepers, we must maintain the balance as long as possible. Killing Tuom will be our backup plan.”
“Then, how do you propose we get blood from him? He’s as slippery as a fox. It won’t be easy cornering him,” Leo countered.
“I’ll have a tail assigned to him, get a better read on his daily movements, and we’ll spring a trap on him. Erick will prepare some sleepbane to use on him, and it’ll be a quick in-and-out operation.”
Yareli was impressed. August had come up with the plan’s framework in less than twenty-four hours. Leo seemed to agree and nodded.
He said, “Tuom is difficult to trail. You’ll need the best of the best for it. I’d offer my old team, but they’re compromised.”
“I assumed as much about your spies,” August replied. “I have someone in mind. Any updates on the Air Court?”
“Consort Ollie paid a visit.”
A strong, unpleasant odor filled Yareli’s nostrils, and she looked toward the source—Erick. He was dutifully going through the herbs he had gathered. She gave him a look, seriously?
He mouthed back, Multi-tasking, and resumed sorting. She pinched her nose, scooting her chair away from his. In an attempt to ignore the smell, she tuned back into the discussion.
“Consort Ollie has been sniffing around the Air Court for a while now,” August said.
“He has.” Leo agreed. “But this is the first time he met with only a select few of the elders.”
“Which ones?”
“Elder Beihr and Elder Zalher.”
August straightened, hands on his knees. “When did he visit?”
“About two weeks ago.”
“Then, it’s no surprise they initiated another vote regarding their official stance on nox creatures.”
Leo narrowed his eyes. “What are you implying?”
“We need to warn our allies in the Air Court. I suspect there might be some foul play soon.”
Yareli chimed in, confused. “What do you mean? You think they would sabotage their own court? Why?”
“Both elders are cowards,” Leo answered.
“Cowards have their own reasons for acting,” she pressed.
August answered. “To force a vote on the queen’s decree. Currently, only the Earth Court opposes it. They need the Air Court to call for a Council of Review.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s meant to be a check of sorts. To ensure fairness, the courts are given the power to call for a Council of Review to vote on a queen’s decree.”
She frowned. Why would a consort, whose loyalty was first and foremost due to the queen, be plotting against her? Unless… he was an agent planted by the Watchers, but that still left the question about the elders.
“What do they gain from this?” she asked.
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” August said. “Leo, send a missive to Owl asking for any information they may have, and inform them to keep a close eye on any suspicious behavior.”
To Erick, August said, “Check Yareli’s memories.”
“On it, boss man.” Erick was out of his seat faster than Yareli could say “I.” He dragged her out of the dining room and up the stairs before she could ask more questions.
Right as they reached the top of the stairs, August called out to him. “I almost forgot—contact Hale. We’ll need him for Tuom.”
Erick groaned. “This is why you make yourself scarce at the end of the meeting, Reli. If not, they’ll pile on duties!”
“I heard that.”
“You were meant to hear it, dork,” Erick shot back.
Yareli laughed. “Alright, come on. Let’s take a look inside my mind.”
It was her turn to drag a despairing Erick to her room.