Ch. 81..85: Alpha King’s Lost Luna Chapter 81-85

Chapter 81

ASHER

Chapter 81 A taste of jealousy

When Ca ssandra Keller arrived at my study for the health check the next day, was still thinking about Adalyn’s accusatory words. I wasn’t st upid enough to fall for the claim that the healer was somehow entangled with the king of Yurene. There

was no way she had anything to do with him..

I knew Adalyn’s words had come from jealousy.

And yet, I couldn’t help but consider Kaleb. The way the king from the North treated Ca ssandra bothered me greatly. There was something there in the way the tall, foreign man studied her. There was an affection that I didn’t like, one that even now, I couldn’t deny.

But a spy? No. There was no way that the beautiful healer I’d plucked all the way from Wild Crawler was an operative.

“Is everything okay?” she asked me quietly.

“Sure,” I remarked simply.

She spread her supplies out on my desk and then got to work. As she poked. and prodded me, my mind began to wander until I finally slipped back into reality. Ca ssandra was engrossed in her work. I watched her closely as she made notes about my blood pressure and then moved on to the next task with ease.

I wanted to make small talk, but I had the sense she didn’t want to speak with me at all after what had happened between us in my chamber yesterday. What could I say, and what could I do about it all?

A sigh escaped me before I could stop it.

“You can sit closer,” I said-softly.

Ca ssandra looked up from her notes and seemed taken aback by the offer.

“Excuse me?” she asked as her brow furrowed.

“You can sit closer,” I repeated myself, and then I took a breath. “I promise, I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to.”

Her cheeks flushed scarlet and then she nodded. She scooted in a little closer, but I could tell from her body language that she was still too nervous to be around

1.

“About yesterday,” I said after I cleared my throat. “About Margaret. I just wanted to apologize for what she did. There was no reason why she should have shown up to your chambers and tried to seize you. Her guards had no reason to lay a single hand on you and I promise it’s being dealt with. I’ve always tried to play nicely with her for my brother’s sake, but clearly, there’s no reason for it.”

I didn’t mean to say the last sentence aloud, though it was true. I’d always wanted to send Margaret away, and now since my father was gone, there was really no reason for her to remain in Anemond. But I resisted the urge to exile her for Kane’s sake. I didn’t want to damage my relationship with him by sending his mother

somewhere else.

But clearly, I’d been too lax with her. I needed to punish her for what she’d attempted to do to Ca ssandra.

“It’s okay,” the healer remarked quietly. “After all, Your Majesty, Adalyn was wounded in my laboratory. I understand why Margaret would be angry that her daughter-in-law was wounded.”

I wanted to say something in response but didn’t know what. I was reminded of

an earlier conversation between us where Ca ssandra had asked me if I cared about

my relationship with Adalyn, and I’d said no.

The unease in my heart grew stronger.

“I heard that Kaleb was the one that stopped Margaret,” I continued.

Ca ssandra nodded and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“I also heard that the king had a private conversation with you,” I said. Ca ssandra stopped what she was doing and raised her eyes to meet mine.

“Yes,” she said. “He did”

I waited for her to elaborate, but when she didn’t, I decided I needed to pry a little bit more. Why wasn’t she sharing any of this with me? Did she really trust me so little and the king of Yurene so much? Why was she being so coy?

“What did he talk to you about?” I asked her directly as my head began to pound.

Ca ssandra remained silent and then her eyes fell to the ground.

“Nothing of great importance,” she said. “The king of Yurene wanted to make sure that I was alright out of his courtesy as a gentleman. He brought me some salve from his country to soothe my burn. I don’t know if he’s sent any to Lady Adalyn, but the stuff was quite useful. It took much of my pain away.”

“I checked on Adalyn last night,” I said. “At her family’s estate. She said she was feeling just fine.”

Ca ssandra fell silent. She stopped making notes in her journal and her mouth

drew into a thin line. Her hands shook a little, but she managed to steady them quickly and offer me a response.

“It’s nice to hear that, Your Majesty,” she said quietly.

Normally, I didn’t object too much to the formalities that came with my position, but I didn’t like hearing the words “Your Majesty” coming from her lips. They were too cold, too courteous, too/polite. As absurd as it seemed, they almost felt like an insult coming from her.

Did she speak with Kaleb in this manner? Or was she closer with the King of Yurene? Did they have a closer friendship? Were they more than acquaintances?

I then pictured Kaleb in her room. Had he sat down beside her and applied the balm directly to her skin? The guards had told me that the king had spent quite a deal of time in her room. What had gone down there?

Had he sat on her bed? Seen her in a more intimate light than I had in my chambers last night?

I knew it was childish to think this way, but I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t stop

myself from these feelings of jealousy. I cared too much about Ca ssandra, certainly,

I

and I wanted to make sure that she was safe.

But it wasn’t my job to do so.

Whatever was going on, I needed to trust that she could handle it. Ca ssandra

I was a capable woman who could easily handle herself. If the king of Yurene had been improper to her, she would have taken care of it or at least told someone else. All of these were made-up possibilities in my mind.

“Did you speak of anything else?” I wondered.

“No, Your Majesty,” Ca ssandra replied.

As she sorted through her things and continued the health check, I felt a knot forming in my stomach. With every instrument and notepad she stashed away in her. kit, I considered different things to say. I wanted to press further, beg her to tell me more. Hell, I’d even demand it if I had to.

But even though I was the Alpha King of Wegalla, I couldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to do. The more I forced her, the less she would trust me.

So instead, I nodded and let her continue her check. I sank back into my chair and closed my eyes.

Chapter 82 Let’s open the box

CA SSANDRA

Even though I wanted to tell Asher everything and reveal what the king of Yurene and I had spoken about after Margaret had left the room, Kaleb had asked me to keep the details of our conversation a secret. I couldn’t betray anything about his father’s illness, not when he’d been kind enough to save me so many times.

And besides, there was no way I could even remotely mention Kaleb’s offer to join him in the North. There was no possible way Asher could understand that, not even a little bit. Hell, I couldn’t even understand it myself, not when there was so much going on.

The snake pit.

Adalyn.

The encounter with the Alpha King in his chambers last night…

I certainly couldn’t say anything after last night.

I could hardly stand to be in the same room as Asher. His proximity to me was far too much already that I could barely handle this health check without losing my mind.

Was he still thinking about it as much as I was? Still thinking about me, the way I’d wrapped my legs around him, the way I’d quivered under his touch? Did he spend the night as I had, dreaming about what could have been if Prince Marco hadn’t walked into the chamber and interrupted us?

Pull yourself, together, Ca ssandra, I chastised myself. I couldn’t succumb to those thoughts, not now.

I half-expected the Alpha King to get upset with me for not betraying my encounter with Kaleb, but he didn’t. He simply sank back into his chair and closed

his eyes. I had the sense that a headache had arrived, so I decided not to push too

far.

I worked in silence for a while, taking notes, measurements, and different details of Asher’s health. Just as he’d mentioned, it seemed like the disease was in fact progressing. I wished I had more research on the subject to tell me how this was going to play out, but at the end of the day, it just wasn’t there.

I didn’t want to worry him, but this new mark on his forearm wasn’t looking good.

“Have you heard anything more about the vipers in the basement?” Asher shifted the subject.

His eyes opened, and as they stared into mine, I was grateful for the shift in subject.

“Becky told me that many venoms were noted,” I relayed. “But many of them were new or ones that she recognized as non-lethal and the ones that contained the worst kind,

but there were a few others we didn’t know about.”

had little information about them in our books. She wrote down the

“I see,” Asher remarked. “Mystery venoms? That certainly doesn’t bode well, does it? I wonder what can be done about it all? We can’t risk any more viper attacks around here. We only have so many healers, and I don’t want to risk anyone’s safety any further.”

“Right,” I agreed.

I finished up the health check and began to pack my supplies away neatly. As ! made sure everything was in its proper place, my mind wandered, and suddenly, a thought appeared.

The strange box in the royal library.

“Your Majesty, do you know anything about the box in the royal library?”

“Excuse me?” Asher asked, and his eyebrows creased together.

“The box in the library,” I repeated, and then I clarified. “The one in the private

room?”

Asher still didn’t seem to understand.

“I don’t know of any such box,” he said, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “Describe it to me.”

“Large, wooden,” I said. “It’s got a large lock on the top. I asked the librarian what it was, but she had no recollection of it either. She said it’s been sealed for the entirety of her employment.”

“Large wooden box…” the Alpha King mused, and then he sat up. “Okay, I know what you’re describing. But I’m afraid I don’t know anything about it. Why, what does it have to do with the vipers? I don’t understand.”

“There’s a definite possibility that I could be wrong,” I said slowly. “But I think, Your Majesty, that the box might be related to the Ewonmiams.”

Asher leaned forward. “Okay, Ca ssandra, now you’ve lost me entirely. Catch me up to speed about whatever key details I appear to be missing. What are the Ewonmiams and what have they to do with anything we’ve discussed?”

I went into detail about everything I’d uncovered in the royal library. I explained the Ewonmiams and the sorcery, every last thing I’d read about in the books.

Asher listened carefully, and once I reached the part about Wegalla being built to fight the Ewonmiams and stop sorcery, he frowned.

“I… I’ve never heard anything about that,” he remarked. “I was never told.”

“I don’t think any of us were,” I said as I shook my head. “I think it’s an idea that has long been buried.”

I told him all about the poisons they’d produced, and that although they’d been mentioned, there were few details about them.

“If I could find out more about the poisons, I might be able to find their cures,” I

said.

Asher pondered the idea and then nodded thoughtfully.

“So, it’s a gut feeling?” he asked. “All of this?”

Heat spread to my cheeks and I nodded back. The Alpha King’s assessment was correct. All of this was merely a theory. I didn’t know how much merit there was to it. I lacked some credible sources, and I had no idea what could actually be inside the box. All I knew was what I’d found in the books and the story that Becky had

told me in the lab.

Now that I’d said it all out loud, I felt a little ridiculous.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” I apologized quietly. “I know this seems silly. I’m probably not right about any of it.”

I half expected a laugh, but Asher shook his head and cleared his throat. He rolled his shoulders back and stared into my eyes with great intensity. I had no ideal what was about to happen. Would he laugh at me? Write me off completely?

The Alpha King rose to his feet.

“I’ll go check the box with you,” he announced, much to my surprise. “If there’s something there, we need to find out right away. I want to get to the bottom of this mystery. The last thing any of us needs is another fatal attack. As the king of Wegalla, it’s my duty to undercover any possible threats. So, let’s do whatever we can to find out the truth, even if the theory seems implausible.”

“The box is sealed, Your Majesty,” I reminded him. “We may need some heavy tools to pry it open.”

Asher smirked at my proposition. “I’m a very capable wolf, Ca ssandra. I think I can handle a closed box.”

For a moment, I was stunned. For the first time in what felt like forever, I saw the Asher of the past, the one who could oftentimes be arrogant, but mostly confident.

I smiled.

“Okay,” I decided. “Let’s go open up the box.”

 

Chapter 83 Stolen

CA SSANDRA

We left Asher’s study immediately, and the moment we set foot in the hallway, the guards stationed outside both glanced at each other in alarm.

“Is everything all right, Your Majesty?” one asked as he studied the Alpha King’s expression. To his credit, Asher was looking slightly exhausted. His dark circles were far more present than they’d been in the past week. As the illness was affecting him more and more, his physical appearance began to look more sickly. He was still as handsome as ever, but it was evident he wasn’t sleeping much these days.

“I’m fine,” Asher answered him politely. “I’ll return shortly. I’m going accompany Healer Ca ssandra on an errand. Remain here.”

to

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guard replied obediently, and after he offered Asher a nod, the Alpha King turned to me and gestured forward.

“Let’s go,” he said, and then we made our way down the hall.

Our walk down to the royal library was silent, and I once again found myself surprised that Asher was entertaining this theory of mine. I hadn’t expected him to go along with this, but I was grateful that he was giving my idea the time of day.

When we entered the building, the librarian rose to her feet and bowed to the Alpha King. “Y-your Majesty,” she stammered. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Yes,” Asher replied simply. “Healer Ca ssandra and I would like to take a look in the private room if you don’t mind. Could you unlock it for us?”

“Of course,” the librarian said, and she offered the king a brilliant smile. “Let me find the keys and I’ll let you in. The library is empty today, so you’ll have all the privacy you need.”

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Asher nodded. “Perfect.”

The librarian rooted around in her desk, and after she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and ran a hand through her white-blonde hair, she approached the door and held it open for us.

We beelined toward the room, and as we got closer, my heart dropped, along with my jaw.

“What in the world…” Asher trailed off.

We stopped in our tracks and took in the sight of the disheveled room.

The entire place had been trashed. Books littered the ground, some spine-down, others completely ripped up. The shelves were off-kilter, and the desk had been overturned.

“The box,” I breathed, and I rushed into the room. I maneuvered around the piles of discarded books until I reached the back. The large wooden box was still there, but it was wide open. I peered inside the trunk-like vessel, but much to my shock, it was empty.

“What happened here?” Asher demanded, and all of the color faded from the

librarian’s face.

“I… I don’t know,” she admitted as she shook her head in shock. “This room is usually locked, Your Majesty. In fact, no one’s been in here lately other than Miss Ca ssandra, and the last time she was

here, everything was normal. I’m just as confused as you are.”

Asher stepped into the room and began to inspect it all. His eyes darted in every direction, and suddenly he stopped.

“There are some footprints back here,” he said, and we rushed over to join him. Sure enough, beyond the stacks, there was a set of muddy footprints leading from the windowsill.

“Someone broke in,” I realized as I followed the trail with my eyes.

“They must have done it yesterday,” Asher added. “It was raining all day.”

We turned to look at the librarian, and much to my surprise, she looked as if she

were about to burst into tears.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I… I don’t understand. I swear the window was locked, but I must have done it improperly.”

“Hey, don’t cry,” Asher assured her gently. “It’s not your fault-”

“It’s mine,” I uttered, and when they turned to face me, heat spread to my cheeks and a lump formed in my throat. “The last time I was here, I opened the window to get some fresh air. I must have forgotten to lock it.”

The librarian sniffled and Asher looked as if he were going to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he walked out of the room for a moment. When he returned, a trio of guards were with him.

“Check the room,” he ordered and then he inclined his head toward the librarian. “She’ll help you navigate since she knows this place better than anyone.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guards replied, and then they turned to the librarian. She nodded vigorously and then gathered herself. As they got to work and looked through the room, Asher and I stood aside and waited. I crossed my arms and tried not to beat myself up. I felt so guilty for leaving the window unlocked, and I hoped I wasn’t in too much trouble.

Their inspection took a good twenty minutes, and when they stepped out into the main section of the library, the librarian’s face looked grim.

“Your Majesty, the books about the Ewonmiams are missing,” she reported.

“What?” I breathed. No… no no no. This wasn’t good. Was the intruder looking for things about the Ewonmiams? And if so, did that mean the things in the box were related to the sorcery academy?

Could the intruder have been the same man from the basement?

“Your Majesty, the intruder’s footprints are suspect as well,” one of the guards.

spoke up.

“In what way?” Asher asked.

“The prints match the same pattern that’s on the boots of all of the guards,” the guard replied, and a deep line formed between Asher’s brows.

“Does that mean the intruder could be an imposter?” I wondered. “Someone impersonating a guard to get around the palace undetected?”

No one seemed to have an answer. The room fell silent and all eyes fell to the Alpha King. Asher remained quiet, his expression cold and difficult to read.

An imposter in the palace was a serious issue, one that put everyone in Merliscire in danger. There were hundreds of guards in the palace, each stationed in different halls and chambers. It would be almost impossible to check everyone out and investigate in a short period of time, and even if we managed to do so, the imposter could get away with that much notice.

This was a terrible thing.

Anyone among us could be an intruder.

“Da mn it,” Asher cursed, and his nostrils flared. “How could something like this happen right under my nose?”

He turned away from us and released a sigh. I wanted to reach out to him and tell him none of this was his fault, but it didn’t seem like my place. He seemed too agitated and cross.

We needed to find a solution, and we needed to do it quickly. If the intruder was in the palace, time was of the essence.

Suddenly, an idea crossed my mind. Perhaps there was a solution after all.

“The intruder seems to be keen to find anything related to the Ewonmiams,” I spoke up after I took a deep breath. “And if that’s true, there might be a way for us

to lure him out.”

Chapter 84 Her plan

ASHER

“Your Majesty, I think the intruder could be the same man from the basement,” Ca ssandra explained from the far side of the room.

After the healer had announced her theory in the library, I’d asked her to speak with me privately back in my study. I didn’t want to further trouble the librarian, who was already completely on edge or give the other guards further reason to panic.

If the intruder was amongst the guards as we suspected, I also didn’t see any reason to reveal too much information to the ones present in the library. I wasn’t sure who I could trust these days, apparently, so I assigned the ones who’d investigated the trashed room to clean up for the librarian.

So now, it was just Ca ssandra and I alone together in the study. As she explained her train of thought, I couldn’t help but admire her intelligence. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, but she was very smart, and I liked it.

Cora had been highly intelligent too. It was one of the traits I loved the most.

about her.

I forced myself to shove aside thoughts of Cora and return to the present.

“Go on,” I encouraged her.

Ca ssandra cleared her throat. “The book and the box in the library were both taken and tampered with right after we discovered all of that stuff in the basement. I think it’s too strong of a coincidence. The man might be monitoring us.”

“Interesting theory,” I murmured as I considered the idea. “So, how do you suggest we ‘lure’ him out as you suggested in the library?”

The healer’s cheeks flushed scarlet.

sitting.

“It’s just an idea,” she began, and then she walked closer to where I was sit “Since we caught the vipers and found his hidden lair, I’m sure the man is curious to know if we’ve figured out the different types of venom. I was thinking that we could exploit that curiosity. Maybe we spread the information that we did find something interesting about the venom in our research, and announce an emergency meeting for the royal healers to discuss it.”

“An emergency meeting,” I repeated back.

She nodded. “Yes. I think the idea of an emergency meeting to share our findings would be enough to get him to try to steal the results of our research.”

“So, we’re setting a trap,” I clarified. “We’re goading him out into the open.”

Ca ssandra nodded again. “Yes. It’s just an idea. I have no idea if something like that would actually work. The man could be a lot more cautious this time around. He might not fall for the bait at all. But I think it’s worth a try.”

I studied her for a moment as I mulled over the idea. It was undeniable that this plan was well-thought- out and considered. Ca ssandra was smarter and craftier than I gave her credit for. We could set the trap with little difficulty or effort and still craft a way to check up on all of the guards in the meantime.

“I think we need to keep the truth of all of this to only the guards you can trust,” she suggested. “I worry about the possibility of there being multiple imposters.”

“Do you think there’s a chance of that?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “I don’t see why not. I’d like to think the threat isn’t that large, but based on all of our evidence… I would rather us be overly cautious.”

I nodded.

“I think the lab needs to be reinforced,” she said. “Maybe add another guard?”

I frowned. “I don’t know. It’s already heavily guarded. I know the man who stands outside of it personally. I think he could handle it. Besides… I worry that the intruder would know better than to go straight to the lab. In fact, if I were him, I

would try to get to-”

I stopped as the realization hit me. Ca ssandra stared at me with a look of confusion until finally, her eyes widened and she understood what I was trying to

say.

“Me,” she breathed, and she took a step back. She began to pace and I felt a knot form in my stomach.

The man had already tried to take her away before. It made sense to me that it would be easier for him to try to get the answers directly from her rather than try to infiltrate a heavily guarded lab. Ca ssandra was known to be the best new healer in Merliscire. She was an easier target.

She took a long, deep breath and then turned back to face me.

“I’m willing to be the bait,” she announced, and she held her head high. “I know it’s risky… but the guards you assigned to me are never too far away. If something were to go wrong, I know they’d be around.”

“This is asking a lot of you,” I stated slowly as I stared into her eyes. “In fact, this is highly dangerous. You know that, right?”

Ca ssandra nodded. “Yes. I know the risks, Your Majesty. But if we don’t find the intruder quickly and figure out what he’s up to… all of Wegalla could be in danger. Sorcery is nothing to make light of. We don’t know what he’s planning. You and I have seen for ourselves how lethal those vipers can be. If more were raised…. people could suffer.”

more

My thoughts felt like a storm blowing around in my mind. This was so much to consider and I didn’t know what to say about it all.

“What if I didn’t want you to take the risk?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Ca ssandra’s full lips parted in surprise.

Behind her, the rays of the setting sun had started to stream in through the

window. Her copper hair was illuminated and her deep green eyes looked even darker. She was so pretty. I couldn’t imagine putting her in harm’s way like that. She was too special, too fragile. I didn’t want to see her hurt.

She approached me slowly and then offered a brave look.

“You have to let me do this,” she said gently. “You’re the king of Wegalla. You have to do what’s right for your people.”

My voice caught in my throat.

Her gentleness, her bravery… she had to be Cora. Even without testing or solid physical proof, I knew it to be true. Only Cora could be so empathetic. Only Coral would be so willing to put her own needs behind those of others.

I didn’t want to let Ca ssandra do this. I didn’t want to put her in harm’s way. But she was right. We needed to do something and we needed to do something quickly.

“Okay,” I decided, and I took a long, deep breath. “I’ll send for Lancel

immediately. If we’re going to do this, I want to make sure that he’s looking out for your safety.”

you.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she said, and she offered me a small smile. “Thank

I nodded. This was a crazy plan, but I had to trust Ca ssandra knew what she was doing. In the meantime, I would make sure that my most trusted guard would do everything in his power to make sure she didn’t get hurt.

I couldn’t lose her.

Chapter 85 Unexpected visitors

CA SSANDRA

“Lancel looks so sullen,” Becky whispered to me quietly.

My assistant and I were hard at work in the lab, and Asher’s head guard was perched near the door. The older gentleman had a look of disdain on his face, but I wasn’t sure if that was due to any actual reason or if it was just his appearance.

Either way, I stifled a giggle.

“Don’t take it personally,” I whispered back. “Maybe he’s just having a bad day or something.”

“Or maybe it’s just his face,” Becky joked. I started cracking up immediately. Though we were two different people, we had the exact same sense of humor. Becky always knew how to make me laugh.

My assistant was right of course. Lancel was a very serious guard and performed his duties diligently. I’d hardly ever seen him smile. Even when I was younger, I rarely saw the man’s expression change.

Then again, Lancel had never really liked Cora. I didn’t know why exactly, but maybe it was because he thought the poor, miserable girl brought his Alpha too many difficulties and struggles. Every time there’d been any sort of drama happening in my life, he’d always seemed to have his nose turned up.

Of course, it seemed like Lancel didn’t really like me now either. When Asher had asked his guard to protect me and keep me safe, the older man’s expression had been one of disbelief. Though he was too loyal to question his king’s orders, he didn’t look all that willing to lay his life on the line for me.

But he cared for Asher too much to defy him.

Once Lancel had agreed to the idea, Asher and I set the rest of the plan int

motion. It wasn’t too difficult. The message had been spread out and well-received in the palace that Healer Ca ssandra had found something important among the vipers. Maybe a little too well, because when I returned to my room yesterday, even Erika had started to ask me about it.

The maid had been highly concerned about the vipers, but I assured her, just like everyone else, that the information would come in time.

Two days had gone by since the plan had been set in motion, and I was wondering if we’d messed everything up. Even though the library and the basement of the house had been thoroughly investigated, we couldn’t find any more clues about the imposter.

Had he already gone? Slipped away into the night?

I knew logically that it was unlikely since Asher had made a decree that no one was allowed to leave the palace or Anemond for that matter without a thorough. check. But what if the imposter had found a way out?

Or even worse still, he didn’t believe the gossip about the supposed meeting and wasn’t falling for the trap that we’d set.

Any easy, the meeting for the royal healer was scheduled in a day. If the man didn’t turn up before then, all of this effort would have been for nothing.

I wanted to sigh and throw my head down on the desk. Everything was immensely frustrating and I just wanted to find the answers so I could get back to my life. Palace life had become such a tangled web of drama and secrets. All I wanted was to continue my research so Finnick and I could go back to Wild Crawler.

I managed to pull my thoughts away from my old life. I wasn’t naive enough to believe that it would all go back into place so easily. Things were far too complex.

now for that.

I turned back to my research. I’d hoped that Becky and I could find some clues through the venoms of the snakes we’d sampled, but unfortunately, we didn’t know enough about poisons. As much as we tried, our countless hours in the laboratory hadn’t gotten us very far. We needed to make more progress on the matter.

Becky and I continued the day in silence. I kept to my workstation and she kept to hers. As I studied my papers, I thought of Marley. Though she was still a healer in training, having another medical and scientific mind around would be of great help. I wondered if she would be able to see some kind of pattern that we didn’t.

When the sunlight in the laoratory’s window dimmed, I realized it was the end of our work day. I cast my books aside and piled them neatly on my desk.

“Becky?” I prompted my assistant. “I think we’re done for the day.”

Becky looked up over her book and then glanced at the clock.

“That went by quickly,” she noted, and then she closed the book and gestured to me with it. “If it’s okay with you, I might take this with me. Maybe read ahead and see if it could be of any use?”

“Totally fine by me,” I said. “Just make sure you’re getting some rest, okay?”

“Will do,” she replied, and then she offered me a small smile and a raised eyebrow. “Make sure you’re getting some decent sleep yourself, Ca ssy, okay? I know we’ve been pulling some long hours lately, and I want to make sure you’re doing alright.”

I smiled back at her gratefully. “I appreciate it, Becky.”

She winked at me and tucked her short dark red hair behind her ear. In the light. of the setting sun, her hair looked like fire. She was very pretty, and I admired her intellect and warm heart. I had no doubt in my mind that she was one of the kindest people I’d met here in Anemond.

“Becky?’ I prompted her again as she headed toward the door.

“Yes?” she asked as she looked over her shoulder.

“Thank you,” I said. “For all of your help. And for being my friend.”

“Likewise,” she replied. After she winked at me, she approached the door, and Lancel grumpily moved to the side. He huffed a little as she walked out and then

glanced at me. I took that as my cue to hurry.

I packed up my things and then Lancel and I locked up the lab and headed to my chamber.

Lancel followed me closely but remained silent as we traversed the halls. I tried. to broach the awkwardness between us, but Lancel wasn’t having it. The older man was short with his replies, so finally, I gave up and stayed quiet.

Once I reached the door of my chamber I heard someone talking within the

room.

I frowned. That was strange. Only Erika should be in there.

Due to the riskiness of the plan, I’d asked the maid to bring Finnick to her place and watch him there, but Erika had insisted on being here to take care of me.

Meanwhile, Finnick had been sent to a different wing with two other maids and extra guards. Though I hadn’t been certain of that plan, Asher assured me that my son would be safe, so I allowed it. Finnick didn’t want to be away from me, so I’d had to bribe him and promise to buy him some new toys when this was all over.

He was reluctant but finally gave in. It was a small price to pay to make sure he was safe. I paused for a moment and then decided to take a leap and open the door. When I did, I was greeted by a pair of unpleasant faces.

My heart dropped.

What were Adalyn and Marco doing here?