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He cracked an eye open and raised an eyebrow, but Joel replied, “I’ll send a message saying we wish to come to the castle and speak with him tomorrow.” His questioning expression asked much more than what he said aloud. He wanted to know if she was ready to tell Calle the truth. All of it.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and released it slowly before nodding. “Yes. Can’t put it off any longer. Tomorrow then. And ask Skaja to come, too. It involves her as well.”
Another grimace at the pulsing heat in her foot. She suspected it was broken. Pain crashed into her like a relentless wave, similar to when Liam had broken her leg months ago.
“Stay here,” Joel instructed. “Get comfortable. I’ll ride out and get Cian—”
“Not necessary,” Killian interrupted, mouth wide open in a yawn. “Lyyli can help you. Though, you may need ink and parchment.”
Before he elaborated, he fell asleep.
A small smile found Lyyli’s lips as she lifted her hands and… Nyana’s eyebrows shot up when the other woman used sign language to speak, none of which made sense.
“I beg your pardon!” she gasped, trying to enunciate her words. “I didn’t realize you were deaf.”
Lyyli’s smile remained unwavering as she shook her head. She lifted one finger, asking for a moment. Movement in her throat caught her attention when she swallowed, and then sound escaped. “I am still learning.”
“How to speak?”
“Something like that.” She spoke slowly as if concentrating, and an entire wall of questions rose up within her. Could she not speak before? Or had she lost her voice? Clearly, she knew sign language like it was her dominant language. Something had happened. But what?
More concentration lingered in Lyyli’s expression, and when she spoke again, the words flowed more smoothly. “I have a little sister named Astra. She is six years old.” The mysterious woman plucked a vial from Killian’s briefcase filled with clear liquid. It looked like water, or perhaps even tears. “Your Maisy reminds me of her. Perhaps we can introduce them one day.”
Emotion welled up in Nyana’s eyes as she regarded Lyyli in a new light. Lyyli was at most a couple of years younger than her. Likely human, judging by her rounded ears.
She nodded. “I would like that.”
I could desperately use a female friend.
For many years, she’d been alone. No family except Maisy and Eva. No friends except the women at court who pretended to like her.
“After our honeymoon,” Lyyli said as she dabbed the clear liquid onto a small, square cloth, “I need to return to the ocean for a few weeks. And then we can meet again.”
Ocean?
Nyana’s mouth made an ‘O’ shape when the realization struck her. Lyyli wasn’t a human but a mermaid. Could that be why she was learning how to speak?
She wanted to ask but inhaled sharply when Lyyli dabbed at her foot with the cloth. A burning sensation tingled through her ankle down to her toes. But slowly, the swelling decreased, and the pain ebbed. Pain transitioned into relief as the injury healed. How was this possible? What substance lay within the vial?
Beside her, Joel released a tense breath as if he’d been holding it. Despite his fatigue, he offered her a tired smile. “I’ll draw a hot bath for you.”
“Why?” she scoffed. “Because I stink?”
“Because you’re still shivering from the cold and just went through a terrifying ordeal.”
Her heart warmed. What a sweet, sweet man. “Oh, Joel…”
Mirth played around his mouth. “And you stink.”
Laughter escaped her throat as she pinched his side. “I hate you.”
“Not what you said earlier tonight,” he said in a teasing, sing-song voice.
When she attempted to pinch him again, he ducked out of reach and disappeared into the kitchen with his own laughter trailing after him. She gazed at the spot where he’d disappeared and sighed contentedly. Their marriage had only just begun, but she looked forward to more years to come.
Glancing back at Lyyli, she found the woman smiling knowingly as she gently turned Nyana’s ankle in circles as if to check for any further injuries. Nothing hurt anymore.
What a miracle! One she didn’t understand.
