Page 33 of The Blade in the Ashes
“No, we are not.” I chewed on my lip, dropping the herbs before I nervously started tearing off their leaves. “It’s not just normal worries, though. I’ve been having nightmares about the castle too.”
Elaina frowned, stepping towards me and running a hand up and down my back. She nodded gently, encouraging me to continue.
“They’re fragmented,” I told her, frowning as the scenes played out in my mind’s eye. “Just flashes here and there, but I’ve been dreaming about her every night. In my dreams, she’s changed. There are little changes like her clothing and how she styles her hair, but bigger things too. She’s dining with Hyrax and letting Caldrius undress her.”
Goosebumps raced down my arms as I thought back to my latest nightmare. Gods, it had felt so real. He had pulled a pin from her hair, and the blonde waves had toppled down around her. Then, she'd been on her feet in front of him, and he’d been staring at her with such desire as he undid the laces of her gown.
Elaina pulled my hands into hers and began leading me to the bed. With a reassuring smile, she pushed me to sit and bent to help me unlace my boots.
“You should try to rest, Camilla. You’re worried. We all are. No one is sleeping well.”
I rested back in bed and let Elaina pull the covers over me. Maybe she was right. I was overworked and overwhelmed, and my anxieties were simply getting the best of me.
“And you should check on your patients,” I teased halfheartedly. “Don’t waste time worrying about me. I’ll be just fine.”
She tilted her head to the side and tapped the tip of my nose once more. “You are one of my patients. My first and favorite. And my professional recommendation for you is to relax.”
She gave me one last lingering glance before patting my hand affectionately and rising. When the door swung closed behind her, I forced myself to close my eyes. Forced myself to breathe deeply. Forced myself to count to a hundred.
Over and over and over.
Chapter Ten
Thea
“Do you feel like that cat has been following us?”
I followed Nessira’s gaze to where a small, fluffy ball of pure white fur peered at us from behind the bushes that lined the edges of the palace gardens. Snowflakes fell around it, lining the leaves of the evergreen hedge near where it lingered.
“It must be freezing!” I mused, crouching down and opening my arms to the poor creature.
It approached me hesitantly, whiskers shifting in the wind and tail swishing from side to side.
“Do you think she belongs to someone?” Nessira asked, watching as the cat sniffed at my fingers tentatively.
The tiny beast peered up at me through oddly aware eyes. Its gaze was a potent weight, assessing my movements as I leaned down towards it.
“Where have you come from, little one?” I whispered.
It made a quick huffing sound, sneezing into my outstretched fingers, before scurrying away without a second glance.
Well, alright then.
I swallowed my bitter laugh, watching as the cat sprinted between the legs of my guards and disappeared around the corner of the castle.
“Not even the stray animals here trust me,” I quipped.
Nessira chuckled under her breath, carefully watching the guards who lingered a few yards behind us. “If only it were as easy to getthemto run away.”
I inclined my head in agreement. “Even if we don’t freeze them away from us, at least we can take joy in knowing that they’re extremely uncomfortable.”
Nessira and I hadn’t been outside long, perhaps only half an hour. The guards had frowned when I’d first announced I needed to stretch my legs in the fresh air and demanded that Nessira and I go for a walk in the gardens. They clearly weren’t happy about lingering in the frigid winter temperatures. Indeed, the two were still sending us intensely irritated stares while aggressively rubbing their hands in front of them, blowing hot air on their fingers every so often.
“I won’t be able to keep this up for much longer,” Nessira warned, pulling me closer to her.
Nessira wasn’t a particularly powerful Fire Elemental, but her powers were just enough to warm a small cocoon of air around us so that while the guards froze behind us, we were perfectly toasty.
It actually made for a rather pleasant stroll through the dusting of snow that covered the grounds.
