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Chapter 39 - Combustion
Luella
During the next few days, Demetria visited Rowali to tap into any dormant powers. The first two days, there was nothing. The young girl was frustrated, but at least her energies had been redirected to something else. She no longer wallowed inside her room, for one. My room had become a refuge for her, and at times, she even slept there. She enjoyed talking to Francilia and me during the late hours.
On the third day, Rowali began getting glimpses of our minds. She terrified Fuza when she read her nurse’s hand. It seemed that the nurse was having a dalliance with the guard Clem, who was a few years younger than she was. She was married to somebody else and was deeply ashamed that her charge could read her thoughts.
“Do you miss him?” asked Rowali cheekily.
“I – I do. I do not think it is a conversation I want to make with someone as young as you, Your Highness. Please do not tell my husband about it.”
I supposed that was the danger of finding out if Rowali had any seeing ability. She could be exposed to conversations and visions too adult for her.
“Was that not a seeing ability? I do not think that is how mediums work,” Francilia wondered, and I agreed.
“She has the gift of sight. Did you feel something foreign coursing through your body?” asked Demetria.
“You mean a spirit?” asked Rowali, eager to be a good student. She probably thought this was more interesting than her studies. I groaned inside at remembering another thing that I had neglected to do, finding someone to tutor the young girl.
“Yes,’ cawed the crow.
“I did feel different like someone - or something - was trying to control me, but I controlled it instead,” the girl declared triumphantly.
“Ah. Well. Time will tell if you are a medium or a seer. By the rate you are progressing, we will find out soon enough,” Demetria said sagely.
“I must find someone to tutor Rowali,” I suddenly said.
Everyone looked at me as if disappointed at my suggestion.
“But I thought we were leaving, anyway,” Rowali complained. “Metheus will not mind if I never got any studying done here.”
My cheeks flushed at the suggestion that I was only doing it to please Metheus. However, Rowali was also right. We will be leaving soon.
After leaving Rowali in the safety of Fuza’s watch in her room, Francilia went to fetch Cora. The three of us assembled in my room to find out what her week’s effort had resulted in.
Cora’s flirtations with Ari did not result in anything much. She did say that he seemed to believe her, especially when she claimed to be still hurt over Metheus’s marriage. Cora apologized for telling the duke that she found me shallow and vain. I suspected it was her initial assessment, but I could not complain.
“Do you think he is up to something sinister?” I asked.
“Well, he tried to get me to bed not too long after I feigned interest in him,” Cora shuddered. “Does he hate me?” I asked.
“On the contrary, Your Majesty. I think he covets you,” she said frankly. “He said that you are too beautiful for a cold man like King Metheus.”
Metheus was anything but cold. I ran hotter, yes, but he was passionate. I was glad that I was the first to see that side of him, and I would make sure that I would remain the only one. I felt my cheeks warm as I felt possessiveness taking over, knowing I was in for ruin. He had never told me he loved me; I reminded myself.
“He is a fool then, telling you that if he wants to get you into bed,” spat Francilia.
“Well, he seems to be trying to spin a tale,” Cora agreed. “He wants you, Your Majesty, for your beauty. Most of all, I think he wants you because you are King Metheus’ wife. The more I found out as I talked to him, the more he revealed how much he dislikes the king. He also said that he hated how his mother seemed to love King Doro more than his father.”
“How did you get him to talk to you for so long?” asked a suspicious Francilia. “Did you get him drunk? We want him careless, but it seems he went too far?”
“Oh, I may have let me touch me in places I would not normally let I man do,” Cora said, unembarrassed.
“You what?” Francilia and I sputtered at the same time.
“Do not look at me like that. I am not a victim. I am a woman with desires, and the duke is a handsome man with, um, talented hands.”
“You know this man is a backstabber at best and a plotter and murderer at his possible worst, Cora. Yet, you still did that?” my dear spinster friend demanded an answer.
