Nic insisted that Asa check Gabriel, just in case, and over Gabriel’s protests that he didn’t have time for healing and that he was just fine, thank you. Among his many strengths, Asa brought a no-nonsense refusal to listen to the blandishments of his liege wizard. In every other way, the Refoel healer deferred to Lord Phel, but within the infirmary, Asa ruled with absolute authority.
“Nice case of magic backlash,” Asa noted, his tone as cool as his healing magic. “Lady Phel was right to have me treat you. This kind of thing creates a shock to the system that will only worsen if not immediately addressed.”
“I don’t have time for this,” Gabriel growled irritably, though he subsided when Nic raised a brow at him in reminder that he’d promised her.
“Alise is here,” she said, as her little sister walked into the bright and airy infirmary, “along with Han and Iliana,” she noted, as the pair followed Alise. “So we can discuss strategy without further delay.”
“And I’m done,” Asa said, removing his fingers from Gabriel’s temples and stepping away. “You should feel better now, Lord Phel.”
“That would require admitting I didn’t feel good before,” Gabriel said drily, then caught Nic’s hand and kissed her fingertips. “I do feel better now. Thank you, my heart.”
“Why the summons?” Alise asked. She looked weary, running a hand over her sleekly styled short hair, her wizard-black eyes dull, her dusky skin drawn.
“How’s Maman?” Nic asked, squeezing Gabriel’s hand lightly, hoping he’d take the hint and give Alise a moment to vent her worries.
Alise shook her head. “The same. The bond with Papa is definitely severed, I can feel that much, but she just lies there and stares at the ceiling with those feline eyes…” Her voice wobbled a bit on the words.
“The eyes are healthy, as is the rest of Lady Elal,” Asa put in. “There’s nothing physically wrong with her.”
“There’s also nothing right with her,” Alise snapped.
Nic went to her baby sister and put an arm around her. They weren’t close—at least, they hadn’t been in recent years since Nic lost her dream of becoming head of House Elal when she manifested as only a familiar, while Alise turned out to be the wizard she wasn’t—but they had found a new affection with recent events. Especially with their mother, who’d they’d rescued from their father’s cruelty, and yet could not seem to fully extract from the aftereffects of being kept in her alternate form for too long.
It was Nic’s fault, as her papa had forced her maman into feline form in retaliation for helping Nic, but Alise had never spoken a word of accusation. They both felt terrible and there seemed to be nothing they could do.
“Time will tell, Wizard Alise,” Asa said with compassion.
“Yes, I know.” Alise straightened, shrugging off Nic’s embrace, but not unkindly. Wanting to stand on her own, something Nic understood. “There’s something you should know, Wizard Asa, which is that Laryn isn’t doing well either.”
He stilled. “The severing of the bond?”
“That could be. She’s listless, wan. I can’t tell if it’s depression or something more. I assume you haven’t been to see her?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t see any need to. Besides, it’s…”
“Difficult,” Gabriel finished for him, gripping the healer’s shoulder. “No one blames you for that.”
“Nevertheless, it’s my duty to see to her health, both as her former wizard and as House Phel healer. I’ll go examine her after this.”
Alise nodded, turned to Gabriel. “So, Lord Phel, is this about Jadren and Selly?”
“Yes,” Gabriel replied, scooting off the examination table. “The news isn’t good. I’ve been able to determine that they’re in House Sammael.”
Iliana murmured in dismay and Han took his lover’s pale, freckled hand in comfort. “Prisoners, I assume?” Han asked with a concerned frown.
“I don’t know,” Gabriel answered. “I wasn’t able to determine specifics. Only that they’re both inside the manse.”
“Still, that’s impressive magic, finding out that much,” Alise noted. “I’d love to learn that trick someday.”
“If I can figure out how to teach you, I will,” Gabriel promised with a warm smile. Though Nic couldn’t say she felt zero envy that Gabriel and her little sister shared wizardry—a club she could never belong to—that green-eyed monster had lost considerable bite with recent events. Alise had given up her birthright as the heir-apparent to House Elal to stay at House Phel and help them build a new, more equitable society. Or die doing it, more likely. She’d also risked her life to save Nic and had been spending all of her time and energy nursing their maman. At this point, there wasn’t anything Nic begrudged her wizard sister.
Also, though she knew their maman’s lack of progress in recovering weighed heavily on Alise, Nic worried about her sister’s dark mood. Alise was too much alone, sitting with their maman—and, clearly, checking on Laryn, too—doing her work about the manse, installing the desperately needed elementals for basic comfort and setting cleaning gremlins to work on the seemingly endless task of getting the once-sunken and still-decrepit place to a habitable standard. They had a long ways to go before the manse would be presentation-ready for the expectations of a Convocation high house, but Alise was all work and no play.
Of course, none of them had time to play.
“We have to rescue them, of course,” Alise said firmly, with a grave determination far beyond her tender years. Recent events had aged her, too. The young wizard should be at Convocation Academy, enjoying her classes, the tournaments and holidays, being with other wizards her age, not scheming against high houses.
“I hate to say it,” Gabriel said slowly, looking to Nic, probably to see if she’d immediately disagree, “but it’s entirely possible that Jadren is not there against his will.”
