Page 68 of Tides of Shadows

Cassandra stood like a rock, but her eyes were blank.

I immediately knew what it was. I could feel it in my veins. Plague.

Aidenar knelt by Cedric at once. He rolled the boy’s sleeve and found black blotches on his forearm. He rolled it farther and revealed the bite, a black, filthy wound oozing pus. The sight made blood run cold. Everyone gasped, as if afraid that simply breathing the same air would contaminate them.

Aidenar bowed his head a moment in thought, then commanded, “Take him to the medical wing,” he ordered. “Give him a nightshade tea, something for fever. If the wound’s cleansing doesn’t help, sever his arm. If there is no improvement in two days, summon me.”

The words landed like a verdict. For the first time I saw him not as the reckless boy but as the lord he was born to be. His shoulders squared beneath an invisible crown.

Cassandra’s whisper cut the quiet. “Kill him now.”

I gasped.

Aidenar met her gaze without an ounce of pity, colder than she.

“If you were bitten should I kill you at once?” his voice was steel. “I gave him two days of life and hope. At least that’s what he deserves. If you think he’ll spread the Plague, we could all be dead by now. He worked all evening. What was supposed to happen already happened.”

He wasn’t sentimental. He was reasonable and brutally fair.

He rose and strode toward the palace, speaking to the captain of the guard about strengthening patrols, closing gates, and checking the rest of the servants. His movements were quick, precise, as if he had long practiced issuing orders.

He didn’t look at me. He didn’t seek me with his eyes. Only when he was leaving the square, did he stop mid-step, and the wind caressed my cheeks. It was his goodbye.

Something in him had changed. The frivolous boy who once tossed jokes like coins was gone. Life had touched him differently now, with the weight of duty, decisions, and with what was inevitable.

I returned to my chambers with a head full of sorrow. The Plague was no longer a port rumor or a story from distant lands. It affected us here and now and no one was safe.

Cedric. He was so young, full of life, he did no harm to anyone. I had to find Mirabel. I had to check if she was alright.

Chapter

20

Sleep never came for me.. I still felt Aidenar’s hands upon me, his lips, his breath, his touch. Those memories mingled with the image of Cedric lying on the ground and his body trembling with fever.

Mirabel wept through the night. I heard her sobs until they thinned into exhausted silence just before dawn.

When the sun finally rose, pale and cold, I left my chambers and made my way toward the medical wing. I needed to see Cedric.

The palace infirmary was peaceful and quiet. The air smelled of herbs, boiled linen, and something faintly rotten beneath it all. In the heart of the halls I met the old medic I had spoken with before. He stiffened when he saw me, surprise flickering across his lined face before souring into irritation.

“It would be better if you were not here, my Lady,” he said curtly. “The Plague crawls everywhere.”

Helpful as always.

“Is Selene here?” I asked.

“Selene?” He frowned, turning the name over in his thoughts. “Ah. The young one with the doe’s eyes. No. She has left the city for good.”

Shame.

“I wish to know how the man brought in from the ball was feeling.”

The medic studied me with renewed interest.

“Ah yes. Yes.” He nodded too quickly. “The bitten one. He is not well.” He hesitated, fingers worrying the edge of his sleeves. “Would you wish to see him, my Lady?”

“If I may.”