Chapter 10 Zara
Chapter ten
Zara
Iblink several times, waking to the sounds of pages turning and bottles clinking.
I wipe my eyes with my palms and realize I’m in a cot in the healer’s room of the palace.
I sit up, and everything spins as the last twenty-four hours catch up to me.
My stomach churns and my head aches. I press my hand over my abdomen.
Something’s different. I glance downward.
I’m still wearing my blue gown, but my corset is gone.
More papers shuffle. I squint my eyes through the throbbing in my skull and glance around to find the source of the sound.
The room is tiny. Aside from the cot I’m resting in, the space consists of a large white marble table and two bookcases built into the walls.
There are no windows, and the room is dimly lit with a single wall sconce creating a slightly dank and eerie ambiance.
Miniature glass bottles with herbs and colored liquids are aligned in neat and tidy rows on a hanging shelf swaying in the corner.
And just beneath it, seated on a wooden stool, is the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen.
And he is…human. Isn’t he?
It’s an impossibility, of course. Humans haven’t existed in the realm for over a hundred years, eradicated through wars and disease. Their mortal bodies were no match for this dangerous world of creatures and magic.
I gawk at the stranger. He’s focused on the large text open on the table in front of him. His golden hair is cropped short above rounded ears, and his green eyes are affixed to the pages. A muscle tenses in his perfectly angled jaw, and he arches an eyebrow as he reads. His face is so familiar.
I clear my throat to get his attention, and his hand pauses mid-page turn.
He lifts his chin slightly then turns toward me.
I’m awestruck with his beauty, facing those gorgeous eyes head-on.
My mouth goes dry. I’ve seen those eyes before.
In a dream. Or a premonition. Or perhaps it was simply in my substance-induced haze.
“You’re awake.” His voice is softer than I expected yet holds an air of hostility.
I open my mouth to say something. Anything. But no words fall from my lips.
He arches a brow. “How are you feeling? Are you having difficulty speaking?” He stands and slowly moves toward my cot.
He picks up a small candle from a nearby table and holds it near my face, his eyes narrowing slightly as he assesses me.
“You fainted. Most likely from your choice in garments. You are aware that tying a corset too tight is a great way to get hypoxia.” It was more of a statement than a question.
I wasn’t aware of that. I don’t even know what hypoxia is. Oh gods. Was he the one who undressed me? I’m still unable to form a sentence and nod slightly before attempting to stand. The room twirls around me, and I sway before falling backward.
The man catches my elbows and guides me safely back on the bed.
“You should rest for a bit.” His eyes meet mine, a hint of worry flashing in them and his hand lingers on my arm longer than necessary as he helps me sit.
When he’s sure I won’t tumble to the floor, he returns to the desk on the other side of the room and immediately starts reading through the ancient looking book he left open.
My cheeks burn, and I absently brush my fingers over the warmth his touch left behind. “You’re a human?” This. This is the only sentence my tongue can muster. I cringe. But also, I’m curious.
“She speaks. And so astutely.” He turns to face me with those intense eyes glowing brightly against his sun-kissed skin. “It is simply the shape I chose.” His expression is hard and unreadable, and he returns to reading.
He shifted. Into a human form. That seems unlikely—they’re such ancient creatures. “Human? That’s your other form?”
Shifting magic is something we’re supposed to learn and master when we're young. Our forms are decided on by our body’s will and agility, and genetics.
There are those who can even wield other magic like healing or manipulating elements.
My father transforms into a massive white wolf and can set the whole realm ablaze if he wishes.
I suppose I’ll take the form of a wolf as well when I shift.
If I shift.
The man tightly seals his lips and heaves a sigh through his nostrils. “It’s one of my forms, yes.”
“One? Are you saying you can shift into more than one? That’s impossible.” I’ve never heard of such a thing, and I definitely don’t know anyone who can muster that kind of magic in Masseda.
He doesn’t look up from the text, and his tone is flat. “Not impossible. It simply requires a bit of focus.” He lifts his chin and glances over at me, eyeing me up and down with an arched brow. “I suppose it might be more of a challenge for some.”
I glare at him. “What’s your name? Do you know to whom you speak to in such a manner?”
“Yes, I’m aware of your status and that I’m beneath you.
But I’m also a physician, and you almost suffocated to death.
Thus, my presence was requested by your father and my services offered.
Apparently, your own court’s healer is otherwise engaged.
” He flips a page in the book, not giving me a second glance.
“I know everyone in the palace, but I’ve never seen you.
I don’t think…” He does have a familiar face but between the illicit substances and the lack of oxygen, I can’t remember.
I gaze at him as he studies his books and papers.
I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, a tingling sensation building low in my abdomen.
Rude or not, he’s truly exquisite.
He must sense me staring because his shoulders slump and he slams the book closed.
Spinning on the stool to face me, he crosses his arms over a trim and artfully toned chest. “I’m sorry, did you need something else?
I’m a bit occupied at the moment with a task for King Hardin and your little mishap at breakfast has already created quite a delay in my work.
So, if you don’t mind.” He spins back to the desktop and busies himself with a stack of papers.
“We can’t all bend to your every whim, princess. ”
Okay, his attitude is definitely the opposite of exquisite.
I’m about to tell him exactly where he can shove that stack of papers when the heavy door creaks open.
Worry creases Emlyn’s brow, and she rushes over and sits down next to me on the cot. “Are you okay? I heard what happened in the dining room this morning!” She tucks a strand of hair behind my ear then takes my hand.
“Well, now that you’re conscious, and your friend has arrived, she can fulfill the position of nursemaid.
Please, don’t try to get up again until you’ve adequately rested.
” The arrogant human stands near the bed, holding an armful of books.
He doesn’t make eye contact, barely even nodding in my direction before slipping out the open door.
“Who was that? He looks so familiar.” Emlyn crinkles her brow then turns her attention to me, instantly forgetting about the strange human.
“I should’ve been the one to help you dress, but your stepmother asked me to assist the King of Lanray this morning.
I’m so sorry! This is all my fault.” Her soft hand rests on mine in my lap.
“It isn’t your fault. I'm capable of dressing myself. Elara tied the corset. I think she was a bit frustrated when she found out about our little excursion last night.”
Her eyes widen. “What? How did she find out?”
“She has sources everywhere. Or so she says.”
“Creepy.” Emlyn folds her arms over her chest and pretends to shudder.
“She probably has some weird magic mirror she uses to spy on me or something.” We both laugh though I’m partially serious. “What happened last night? The last thing I remember was making out with that handsome courtier in the underground…then things get fuzzy.”
She laughs, “Don’t ask me! Alix basically carried me to my rooms. I woke up in my bed this morning, fully dressed in the clothes I wore last night.”
I sigh and lie back onto the flat pillow on the cot. “Great.”
She lies down next to me, her ebony hair fanning out and tickling my shoulder.
“I have some bad news.” I tense. She flips onto her side.
“You have to meet your future husband in two hours, and I don’t think you’ll be able to get out of it this time.
I mean, how many times can you use fainting as an excuse? ”
“That depends. How tight can you tie my corset?”