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Chapter Eleven
Kate
We emerged in the room of the castle we had departed from, and it was blissfully empty and silent. No sooner had the darkness of the wraith world faded from the edges of my vision than the world seemed to shift and tilt. A wave of nausea followed, and my vision darkened for an entirely different reason.
“I need to lie down.” My stomach roiled. “Now, please,” I whispered.
Instead of retreating, Emrys lifted me into his arms, cradling me against his chest.
Horrified, I turned my face away from him. “I might throw up on you.”
Emrys stepped back into the shadow he had just left. “I am washable. What are your symptoms? Your heart rate is accelerated, but not erratic.”
“Nausea, dizziness—” A wave of debilitating exhaustion hit me like a brick wall. Keeping my head up took far more strength than I had left. Reluctantly, I rested my cheek against my husband and ceased resisting his offered help. “—Fatigue, weakness, all the usual culprits.” My face warmed as shame washed over me. I was useless and weak. As the tremors flooded in to further emphasize my brokenness, tears spilled down my cheeks. “I can’t even face down my brother without falling apart.”
Emrys stopped walking and sat down, cradling me against him. I dared not open my eyes. As it was, my nausea was subsiding, which was strange since usually it took much longer for relief to come. The emotional turmoil, on the other hand, intensified. “I am so sorry that I am so weak.”
“Drink.” He pressed a vial of elixir to my lips.
The now familiar bitterness of an elixir filled my mouth. I grimaced and swallowed, willing my roiling stomach to calm and not reject the nasty tasting substance.
Meanwhile, Emrys held me. Radiating warmth and comfort, he acted as though he hadn’t just threatened my former suitor in the presence of my brother, another king. I groaned. Even I knew that wouldn’t end well.
“Pain?” He asked.
“Worry.” I pressed my face against his shoulder as my stomach churned. Would my brother be foolish enough to act against Emrys because of the offense?
Emrys’ arms tightened slightly. “I will protect you,” he whispered, the words stirring my hair. The pleasant tingle of his magic flickered over me, making my senses heighten as I realized I didn’t know where we were.
I opened my eyes to wisps of gray magic curling around my arms and hands where they nestled against my husband’s chest. Beyond that, I could see nothing. Blackness hemmed us in, surrounding us in a thick sphere of shifting smoke, his magic.
So many questions flooded in, but on their heels came a wash of nausea and then pain as a headache blossomed. Lowering my forehead so it rested against his chest, I closed my eyes. “I am sorry.”
“Hush.” His thumb caressed my upper arm as his voice rumbled in his chest beneath my cheek. Calm settled over me. Slowly, my hunched shoulders eased as I gave in to his offered comfort. As my breathing deepened, I knew sleep would soon follow. I fought it, but then Emrys rested his chin on the top of my head. Something deep within me let go with a happy sigh into sweet oblivion.
~~~~~
Emrys
I left Kate in our chamber, nestled under my bedding and sleeping soundly. After ordering Lady Channing and Elinor to see that she wasn’t disturbed, I made my way toward my study. Durvin had been sending periodic messages since we had returned, notifying me that an ambassador had arrived.
“How is the queen?” Durvin asked as I stepped from the shadows into my study.
“Sleeping.” I glared at the stacks of missives and documents on my desk. Their height had tripled since I left for Solderland. “Can you summarize what I am facing?” Durvin would’ve already skimmed most of what sat on my desk.
“About half of them are petitions to come to court. A third of the remainder are requests for you to strengthen the land’s fertility using your royal magic, and there are ambassadorial and political requests. In addition, multiple visitors await your attention in the receiving room. A human wishing to speak to you regarding the Wild Hunt. A gargoyle hoping to renew trade relations, a woodwose wishing to speak to you about the war situation, and a twilight elf with a petition from their queen.”
“A twilight elf?” Our cousins from the south rarely emerged from their self-isolation. A twilight elf emissary in my receiving room was unheard of in my almost century-long reign. In fact, the last significant political interaction with them had been during my father’s reign. “What does he wish to discuss?”
Durvin shrugged. “All he would do is demand to see you and complain about the human.”
“Kate?”
“He just says that the human is making him uncomfortable.”
I nodded my understanding. “Is he in the receiving room?”
“No, he refused to linger in the same room with the gargoyle. Something about not being able to trust a gargoyle. I put him in the Velvet receiving room.”
