Page 122 of A Sunwoven Ascent

“Yes,” Aurelia snapped quickly. “I am quite fine. Continue.”

“I do not believe you,” Evelyne replied, her voice firmer now. “You have not been still for more than a moment since we arrived.”

Aurelia let out an exasperated breath, lowering her fan.

“Very well,” she said. “If you must know, I feel… strange.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “My skin is hot. My thoughts will not settle. It is as though—” She cut herself off, shaking her head. “Forgive me. It is nothing.”

She reached for her empty glass.

“Mauri!” she called out frantically. “More water, if you please.”

Evelyne stepped closer, lifting her hand to Aurelia’s forehead.

“Gods,” she murmured. “You are burning. This is not normal. We should call for a healer.”

“No,” Aurelia said quickly, waving her off. “The ball is in only a few days. We must continue.”

Heidara had already moved. “I will fetch a cloth,” she said, slipping from the room before Aurelia could object.

“Aurelia,” Evelyne said, more gently now, “you are not yourself.”

“I am not ill,” Aurelia insisted, though her voice faltered slightly. “Perhaps, perhaps it is simply stress. I have had much to consider.” She exhaled shakily. “Though,” she added under her breath, “a cool cloth across my entire body would be most welcome. I feel as though I may come apart if I do not calm myself.”

Evelyne frowned. She had never struggled to hold back her shifting. If anything, she had embraced it. But Aurelia… Aurelia was different.

“Try breathing,” Evelyne said. “In for four, out for eight.”

Aurelia obeyed, reluctantly.

They repeated the rhythm several times until Heidara returned with Seraphine, both carrying cool cloths.

“May I?” Heidara asked softly.

Aurelia nodded.

Heidara placed the cloth at her neck, across her chest, and Aurelia let out a long, relieved breath.

“More,” she murmured. “Please.”

Seraphine took over tending to Aurelia, replacing the cool cloths and fussing over her until she seemed to calm, if only slightly. A moment later, the sound of male laughter drifted in from just beyond the tea room, and Evelyne rose, turning toward the doorway. She caught sight of Cillian escorting Kaldrek and Holden back inside after whatever “preparations” they had been occupied with—though judging by the scent that followed them in, Evelyne was quite certain those preparations had involved cigars and whiskey.

Aurelia was going to have an even bigger fit.

Kaldrek slowed at the threshold, pausing before stepping fully into the room. The three of them filtered inside, Holden trailing just behind, when Cillian suddenly halted mid-step.

“What is wrong with—” he began, then stopped short. His brows pulled together sharply as he inhaled, his expression shifting in confusion. “What is that?”

“What?” Aurelia snapped, clearly agitated. “For heaven’s sake, Cillian, can you not see I’m unwell? Just—please leave. This is humiliating enough.”

Cillian didn’t argue. He backed out of the room slowly, as though something had genuinely unsettled him, his gaze flicking once more toward Aurelia before disappearing into the hall. Kaldrek and Holden, however, remained where they stood, both of them staring at her in a way that puzzled Evelyne.

Kaldrek let out a slow, controlled breath before turning toward Holden. Without a word, he pressed a firm hand against Holden’s chest and began pushing him backward—actually pushing him—out of the room and into the hallway.

A low, threatening growl sounded and Evelyne and Heidara were on their feet instantly.

“What is going on?” Evelyne demanded.

Aurelia shoved the wet cloth from her body and stood as well, her patience clearly gone. Outside the doorway, Kaldrek and Holden had begun shoving one another—though it was far less of a struggle and far more Kaldrek forcing Holden toward the exit.