“Don’t let her move. I’m closing her wound,” Thaan barked.
Pheolix lowered himself close to her, whispering in her ear. Thaan watched him lean into her, a strange look in his eyes.
Someone pounded at the door. I jumped at the sound.
“Wait, Deimos. Don’t answer it yet.”
“That will be the King’s men. Reporting Emilius’s attack to his advisor.”
Selena blinked at us. I reached for her hand, still unable to speak. But she didn’t see me. She sat up, or tried to, leaning into Pheolix’s chest.
“Cebrinne,” Thaan snapped. I whipped my head in his direction. “Go to your rooms and lock all doors. If a human enters, sing to them and leave them for me. Deimos, clean this mess.” He turned his attention to Pheolix with a violent glare. “Find the key in my top drawer and take Selena to the lowest level of the servants’ quarters, down to the last door. Do not leave. Wait until I come for you. After tonight, you’re relieved of your post.”
“No—” she started to say, but I didn’t hear the rest. I’d already turned out of the room.
Pheolix followed me a moment later, asking for a dress.
Find him one,Thaan commanded in my head. His voice grew distant. It echoed as he walked, and I knew he was already halfway across the sky bridge with Emilius’s men.Don’t speak to them. Don’t speak to anyone. Sit on the couch and wait for my return.
So, I did.
Pheolix took Selena. And suddenly all was quiet.
Alone with my thoughts, I sat all night.
I sat. I sat. I sat.
In the empty dark.
46
Cebrinne
Shadows ran across the walls, hiding in the corners of the ceiling. Wind knocked at the glass like nails scratching in the dark. Rain pelted the tower in hard waves. The vision of my sister, bleeding and unconscious on Thaan’s table, wouldn’t leave my mind. It repeated over and over like the spoke of a spinning wheel, each thought like a string turning from its loom. Around and around and around.
When the door slammed, I latched to the sound. Selena was already halfway across the room, tracks carving down her cheeks. She closed our bedroom door just as hard.
Thaan sat across from me.
I met his gaze, my throat numb from hours of swallowing that burn that had gathered at the back of my mouth.Is she all right?I asked him.
Go to my administrative wing,he replied.
My legs straightened. I turned toward the hall.Is she all right?I demanded as my body carried me out.
He didn’t answer.
The offices were still dark when I arrived. Empty. I stood just inside the main door, watching the sun rise through the windows, chasing shadows as it climbed.
Secretaries began to arrive. Dressed in their black uniform dresses, the humans sent me odd looks as they found their desks. The Naiads ignored me. They must have recognized the hollow look in my eyes, the way mybody stood too rigid, too still. Self-preservation had taught them to pretend not to see such things.
Is she there yet?Thaan’s voice asked. Quietly. Distantly.
Who?I answered.
But it became clear as she stepped through the door.
Relax your shoulders. Walk to her desk.
