“Why?” Phillip’s tone tensed, as he picked invisible dust off his black turtleneck without looking.
“Nothing, we simply wish to obtain more information about the Reckoning.”
Phillip stilled. “Is Emma okay?”
A shout traveled into the waiting room from behind the double doors of the hospital “Give me the damn epidural.”
Phillip didn’t know about Emma’s powers, and we intended to keep that to ourselves. “Yes, she’s fine.” I met Emma’s eyes. “She’s been worried about the wedding and everything in between. She just wants to make sure the wedding is perfect and doesn’t want any surprises.”
Emma’s eyes rounded and her jaw went slack. I was also impressed with myself. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it certainly shielded our situation.
He relaxed back in his seat. “Yes, of course. Well, you tell Emma the wedding will be perfect.”
This was why I asked my father. He was straight to the point and had trust in my judgment.
“I don’t care if it’s too late. Give me two of them.” Krystan’s shouts finished off with a growl of pain.
Regina’s voice came from the background. “Is that my son and future daughter in law?”
Emma shook her head, eyes widening in a way that reminded me of a doe sensing danger.
My mother’s face appeared on the phone. Thankfully my father did not say anything about the book. “Tell Emma everything is going perfectly. The florist changed out the roses for orchids and lilies. Now it won’t look like a commoners arrangement.”
Emma bit down on her lip with a pained expression.
I hadn’t been involved much with the wedding planning, but I did know Emma loved roses. My mother was all hands on deck when it came to the wedding, wanting to control everything down to the last napkin ring—which I still didn’t understand. Why did napkins need a ring around them? Tempted as I was to intervene on Emma’s behalf, I resisted. Travis explained to me that it was “the women-folk's place to plan a wedding, your job is to smile and nod.”
Another shout came from behind the double doors to the left of us. “Get me an epidural or a shot of whiskey, or a tranq dart right now or so help me god.”
“You have to tell her,” Emma said in a hushed tone, her eyes catching on the nurses that rushed by us. They were likely headed toward Kyrstan’s room.
“Tell her wha—” I stopped when I realized what she was referencing. When I moved the phone toward Emma she shook her head and crossed her arms. Dread began to rise in my stomach.
“Mother, about the guest list,” I started. Travis chose that moment to pop out, his eyes wide and fearful. He waved Emma over. She hopped right up and practically ran over to him. They shared some words and Emma disappeared behind the swinging doors while Travis took a seat next to me.
Regina laughed on the other line. “You called me mother, I like it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to warm me up to some unpleasant news.”
I first opened, then shut my mouth.
Some of her smile faded. “What about the guest list?”
I was tempted to ask her to put Phillip back on the phone. He was fare more reasonable when it came to these things and less volatile. It’s why I had chosen to contact him about the book.
“We need to add five people to the guest list.”
There was a beat. “Who is being added?”
“Ylang, a guest, as well as Jo, his mother and sister.”
Another long pause. “You’re joking,” she said finally though her voice lacked any mirth.
I sent Travis a quick glance, this was not likely to end well.
Regina leaned closer to the camera, narrowing her eyes. “Are you telling me I have to accommodate those idiots at the last second—”
Sitting up, Travis said in a loud voice, “Calan, quick. We need your help. There's a... a troll in the dungeon.” He reached over and hit the button, ending the call.
“Thanks,” I breathed.
