Page 71 of Stranger's Choice
Sebin nodded and let her take the letter from his numb fingers. All of him was numb. His father or brother had died. He knew it. One of them was dead, and the only emotion he had felt since seeing that seal was gratitude. Gratitude that it could not possibly be Merine. That it would not be news of anyone he would mourn deeply.
Auraelie slid her nail under the seal, cracking it and sending the bits of ribbon floating to the ground. She unfolded the heavy paper and smoothed it out. Then she squeezed Sebin’s hand with one of her own and used the other to lift it to where he could read.
His father kept it short and simple. Aster was dead. He had tripped over a water trough in front of a tavern, of all things, and broken his neck. His wife was pregnant with the new Moialan heir, but an unborn child was an uncertain situation.
Sebin squeezed Auraelie tighter, but continued reading.
Until Princess Chasa gave birth, Sebin was technically the heir. If anything happened to the babe, Sebin was the heir. He needed to return to Moial. Immediately.
Auraelie listened instunned silence as Sebin relayed the news in the letter. His brother was dead, and his father wanted him home as his heir. He had to leave Pynth.
Sebin didn’t look or sound upset over the news about his brother, but she thought he might be in shock. He kept staring at the letter, as if expecting the words to change if he looked at them long and hard enough.
Then he threw the letter down. “No.”
“No?”
“I’m not going back. He doesn’t need me.” Sebin turned and put both hands on Auraelie’s shoulders. “If Chasa is pregnant, then I am not the heir. I don’t have to return.”
“Sebin—”
“No. Father is overreacting. The odds of something happening to the child are slim. Chasa will have the best physicians, access to the finest magical healing charms money can buy, and constant care until she gives birth. The baby will have the same once he or she is born. And father is as healthy as a horse. The odds of something happening to both him and the child within a short time are even slimmer. I don’t need to be in Moial.”
Auraelie could see the desperation in his eyes. Whether or not he was right about the chances he’d be needed as heir, she knew he could see other reasons to return, and he didn’t want to. He wanted to convince himself everything would be fine without him, but he knew better.
“What are you really afraid of, Sebin?”
He released her shoulders and turned to the wall. “Chasa only cares about shopping and socializing. She won’t be able to teach her child anything about ruling a kingdom. I doubt she’d even care to try. She and my father will both ignore the child the majority of the time, which wouldn’t be so bad, if I didn’t know that when they pay attention, it will be the wrong kind. I don’t even know if they will hire proper tutors, because I know my mother was responsible for my tutors as a child.”
Auraelie understood what Sebin was saying. “You need to go for the child’s sake.”
He spun back around. “It’s not my responsibility. There are other people who can make sure the heir gets the education needed. Other people who should.”
“But you don’t trust that they will. Or that what they think is needed will meet your standards.” Auraelie reached out for Sebin’s hand and drew her fingers down his, tugging his ring off as she went.
It took him a moment to notice what she was doing, but the instant he did, he pulled his hand back. The ring remained with her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to see your future, Sebin. I’m going to find out what will happen if you stay or if you go.”
She dropped the ring onto the table, but Sebin took a step back. He shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. I’ll touch you for only a moment. Just long enough to get the vision I need.”
“Can you break contact yourself, or are you lost to the visions once they hit?”
“I have some awareness of my physical surroundings while in the visions, but if you want to be the one to touch me, instead, that is fine. Just make sure you touch me for at least three heartbeats. I’m going to be looking for all the possible futures, and I need to see what happens to your family if you are not with them, so I might need a bit more contact than usual.”
“And that long won’t hurt you?”
“That long won’t hurt me,” Auraelie assured him.
With direct skin contact, and searching several years into the future, three heartbeats of touch would be enough to drain most of Auraelie’s power, but she wouldn’t be touching anyone else for a while, so it shouldn’t matter. It might be best if they sat first, though. There was a chance she would lose her balance, and she knew Sebin would react poorly to that.
“Here, let’s sit down. Then you can take my hand and control the contact.”
Sebin frowned at her, but sat facing her. She held out her hand, and he slowly reached up with his own.
