Tharen knelt by the furs, deft hands unraveling a leather pouch, revealing his tools.
"You said,leave," she prodded, breath catching as Tharen tugged the furs she had pulled to her chest, concealing her bareness. Underneath, the dress stuck uncomfortably to her waist, tangled around her legs, feathers tickling her skin. Her arm shot up to band around her breasts as the furs fell to her hips, one hand braced behind her, keeping her sitting up.
The air thickened at the sight of her, sitting among the dark furs that pooled to her hips, upper body bare, small breasts flattened with the way her arm was held over them. Her lower belly quivered. Their scents thickened.
Tharen cleared his throat, shifting on his knees until he sat behind her, his strong thighs bracketing her hips. She couldn’t see his face. She stared out at the others as the Prima worked. The bandages slipped from her flesh, cool air rustling against her feverish skin. She swallowed as Tharen’s fingers prodded the knobs of her spine, moving up, up, up along her back, growing closer to her wings. He seemed to be waiting for something, testing her. When his fingers pressed at a particularly painful spot, she gasped sharply. His fingers stilled.
It was Vale who answered her question. "We are leaving Serpentis. As soon as Tharen deems you well enough to travel."
"What?"
Leaving?
"You didn’t think we could go back to the castle after it crumbled?" Graves’s low, rough voice made her flinch. He sounded angry.
"C-crumbled?" she stammered. "It’s gone?"
No, she couldn’t have made the castle fall… could she?
"We do not know if it has truly fallen. We can’t risk going back and being seen. If it weren’t for your wings, perhaps we could have, but this is a fine line we all walk. Those permitted in the castle are loyal—to a fault," Vale said. "I trusted they would keep your change in appearance a secret. And they did. Because they knew what would happen if they betrayed me. Wings are another story. The angels are… not cherished by all. Some think them too pompous and pure, or some think they should be more involved in matters of this realm."
"Demons aren’t held to the same standards," Az groused from his spot near her feet.
"I doubt anyone wants a demon to stick their nose in shit that doesn’t concern them," Tharen countered. She felt his finger stroke lightly over her feathers, his forearms brushing her sides.
Bastian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can you two stay on topic?"
Tharen scoffed, but grew quiet.
Luella hadn’t realized it before, but her demon and the mage were alike—somewhat. They were both gruff and fearsome. Az’s hard exterior hid a heart of gold. She couldn’t say the same for the Prima.
A cool paste was rubbed along her back, leaving tingling sensations in its wake as it was applied.
"The note Tharen found from Merath…" Vale continued. "She wants us to go to the Fallen Isles. It is the perfect plan. We discussed it while you were sleeping."
"Who is Merath?" Of all the questions she could have asked, that was what tumbled from her lips?
"An old… friend." Vale’s lips twitched in discomfort, as if he couldn’t think of a better word to describe this female.
Her chest tightened.
"A plan is already in place for something like this," Bastian added. "It’s not great, but we have no other choices right now. We’re backed into a corner."
"So when cornered," Graves uttered, "you go to sea."
Sea.
The tightening in her chest grew even worse. When Vale’s dragon had carried her to the den, she had been too overcome to grow fearful of the roiling water below them, but now, it was all she could think of. The memory of salt in her lungs, choking her.
But…
"What about a ship?" she voiced hesitantly.
"That is our plan—a contingency. I have a ship hidden in the caves below for this very purpose. It will take us to the FallenIsles. Once there, we can recoup, find Merath and Emarelia, and finally get some answers about your wings." Vale’s eyes pinned her to the spot.
There it was again. The dread, the anger. She was sick with it, full of it.
Tharen sat back, hands landing on her shoulders. "All done. She’s healing well. With my potions and her fae healing, she should be right as rain soon. Come dawn, we can set sail."
