This time when she nodded, the world wasn’t quite aswobbly. Thinking she had regained at least some composure, and feeling a little ridiculous in Efrem’s hulking arms, she beckoned him to put her down and he did. She noticed the haphazard wrap around her aching palm and the tear in the sleeve of his uniform and thanked him.
“So what does this mean? Are you, like, able to use your magic now?” Micah was still swarming her, watching her every move to make sure she was alright.
Although she felt utterly exhausted, Kestrel managed a small grin and confirmed his suspicions. “It would appear so.”
Without missing a beat, Micah punched her in the arm, all signs of worry evaporating.
“Well good on ya! Although maybe next time don’t attempt to bleed out on your own. If we hadn’t come when we had, you could’ve died.”
Kestrel staggered on the impact, but managed to hold herself up. “Over a cut to the hand? That’s unlikely.”
“It’s true.” His chest puffed up with mocked bravado. “We saved your life just now.”
“My heroes,” Kestrel said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Only Efrem didn’t laugh, too focused on what really mattered. “What was the vision about?”
In her disoriented state, Kestrel had almost forgotten about it. The eerie black forest flooded her thoughts now though. “I think I was in the Hollows.”
Micah shuddered. “Sounds more like a nightmare.”
“It wasn’t though. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like something has been calling me there. The queen she—we found something in a lake, and I think it might’ve been meant to cure her.”
Micah and Efrem exchanged a look, Efrem’s seeming more skeptical than his brother’s.
“Should I…tell her? I mean, I don’t want to get her hopes up. I’m still new to this, so I’m not sure what it meant exactly but—Isawher change. Whatever was in the Hollows, it’s like when she touched it, it leeched the curse out of her, leaving her former self behind.”
Looping his arm around Kestrel’s shoulder, Micah’s grin was conspiratorial. “Not gonna lie, I don’t understand this magic stuff either. But if anyone does, it’s the queen. And trust me, she’ll want to hear about this. In fact, she’ll have our heads if we don’t tell her, right, Efrem?”
His brother grunted.
“Should we summon her then?” asked Kestrel.
“Now?” Micah’s eyes bulged out of his skull. “Dragon’s fire, no! She’d also have our heads for disturbing her on a day like today.”
The curiosity was finally too much for Kestrel to bear. “What’s wrong with her? I mean, I’m guessing it has something to do with the curse, but I thought her curse was under control as long as she stayed inside the castle, out of sunlight.”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” replied Micah, folding his arms behind his head. “Every couple of months though, there’s a day when she refuses to leave her room, and we are forbidden from seeing her. Not sure if it’s because of the curse or something else.”
Kestrel worried her lip, wishing she were close enough to the queen to ask, but knowing if she did it would be another one of those she’ll-have-your-head type of things.
“But—” continued Micah— “first thing tomorrow, we’ll send word for her, tell her you’d like to speak with her immediately.”
He started walking back the way they’d came, presumably to return to the quick bite he had left back in the dining hall. Despite herself, Kestrel stopped him.
“Wait, we’ll need to summon the princess too.”
He looked over his shoulder. “Oh yeah? You want your new best friend there?”
Kestrel cheeks burned. “She’s not my—no. But she was in the vision. I think she has to come there with us.”
Shrugging, Micah continued down the hall. “We can try, but don’t get your hopes up. The queen hasn’t allowed Princess Elora to leave the grounds. Not until her wedding is final.”
It made Kestrel’s stomach sour to think about it, both the wedding and Elora’s continued captivity. Despite their disagreement earlier, nobody deserved to be kept locked away.
Even if it wasn’t a matter of morality though, the vision had been quite clear: Elora had been with them. More than that, she had been unbound. Free.
And come tomorrow, Kestrel would have to insist they allow her to join them in the same way, because somehow, she knew that was the only way they would be able to see her vision to fruition.
