Page 20 of Hymn of Breath and Bone

“What’s wrong?” Caspian asked, poking his head around the curtain to glare at Mira.

I rolled my eyes and Mira sighed.

“Your Majesty, if you would—”

“Shoo, you overgrown seagull,” I snapped, glowering at him. “No one is murdering me.”

Caspian frowned again but acquiesced, although I could practically feel him listening on the other side of the thin curtain.

“His Majesty tells me that you have flare-ups often,” Mira said softly, glancing at where Caspian’s shadow loomed. She pressed a bottle into my hands and perched on a stool before me, our eyes level. “That you’ve struggled since birth. Is that true?”

I nodded, and she smiled sadly, as if I had confirmed her diagnosis.

“Your lungs are damaged beyond repair, Your Highness,” she said. “Managing your symptoms is the best we can do, and preventative care is key to that. Your selkie healers have been reacting to the flare-ups. My goal is topreventthem, and I’ve been successful before with similar patients.”

“Mira is the most skilled healer among my people,” Caspian shouted around the curtain.

“If you’re going to eavesdrop, then you may as well get in here,” I sighed, exasperation mingling with affection. “And I don’t mean to seem ungrateful,” I added to Mira as Caspian did as he was bade without the slightest hint of embarrassment. “I was just…surprised.”

Disappointed, was what I meant. Caspian had gotten my hopes up that his people could cure me completely. Still, this was better than any other healers had been able to offer me. I should be grateful.

Mira patted my hand in understanding. “We have discovered herbs and minerals on the mainland that can do amazing things,” she said, “especially when combined with fae healing magic. It’s possible that a more permanent treatment will be available someday. And I will of course continue to adjust your medicine as needed if you have flare ups. Treating chronic illnesses like yours can often be a bit of a guessing game at first.”

“Do any sirens have healing magic?” I asked.

Mira shook her head. “Sirens all have wind and song magic. My skills in healing come from study and practice.”

Caspian sat beside me and took my hand. “Mira can do miraculous things though, Urchin,” he assured me, giving the healer a respectful nod. “She brought Astraios back from near death once. I trust that she’s right.”

Mira blushed furiously, and I wasn't sure if it was because of Caspian’s praise or the mention of his second mate.

“You’d have to go to the Fae Realms for true magical healing,” Mira continued, the blush fading only slightly. “Or perhaps the new Witch Queen could manage it.”

“Perhaps after we’ve dealt with our many problems,” I sighed, smiling resignedly at Caspian. He gave me a hard look, and I knew if I asked him, he’d take me to the Fae Realms today and beg their queen for a cure. I squeezed his hand in reassurance. “I’m fine for now.”

“Say the word, Urchin,” he murmured, kissing my brow, “and I’ll fly you there myself.”

“Best to wait until her concussion has fully healed,” Mira warned, glaring at her king. “And since you clearly couldn’t follow myotherinstructions, here’syourcontraceptive.”

“He didn’t—” I blushed, looking aghast as Caspian shot Mira his catlike grin. “We didn’t—”

“Come on, Urchin. Mira doesn’t need the sordid details.” Caspian lifted me off the exam table and pocketed the vial Mira handed him.

She rolled her eyes and turned back to me. “Please let me know at once if there’s a change in your symptoms, or if you don’t feel relief within three weeks.”

“Thank you,” I said as Caspian pushed me from the room. I saw Mira roll her eyes again as I glanced back, a faint blush still staining her cheeks.

“Did something happen between her and Astraios?” I asked, dropping my voice to a whisper lest the healers overhear me. There were several in the wing this morning, some attending patients while others wrote notes or mixed medicines. I almost considered asking Caspian to let me stay and watch. “She blushed when you mentioned him.”

“Oh, the usual,” Caspian drawled, guiding me by the small of my back. “He bedded her after she healed him, and she would rather like him to do it again, I think.”

“What?” I choked, smothering a cough as Caspian glanced down at me in wry amusement. “Are they mates?”

“No.” He shook his head. “They would be bonded already if they were. Either Astraios’s mate hasn’t been born yet, or they aren’t here.”

I frowned, trying to read his tone. “You think other sirens have selkie mates?”

“It stands to reason,” he replied. “Or they could be in Nordhavn. Some sirens never find their mates, though.”