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“You think this has something to do with the veil thinning? I thought it was just that it was easier for guardians and the like to get out. Not for things to get in.”
I nod slowly. “So did I.”
“Have any souls escaped?” She chews her bottom lip, worry etched between her brows.
I shake my head. “No. They’re all presently accounted for.”
We lapse into silence as we climb the tower stairs. Shifting back to the woman’s room would be faster, but I sense Kaia’s need to mull this over in her head, so I give her the time and the quiet.
By the time we reach the door, her shoulders are squared and her jaw set. I wave away the wards and locks, and she raises a brow.
“Were you ever going to tell me about her?”
“Those aren’t for you. They’re mostly for Aeris. Gods know I don’t want her finding out about this until I can figure it all out.”
Kaia murmurs her agreement and steps around me into the room. The healer dips into another curtsy, and Kaia offers her a kind smile. Crossing to the bed, she stops short.
“Elora.”
I rush to Kaia’s side, looking from her to the woman and back. “You know her?”
She shakes her head, capturing her bottom lip between her teeth. “I met her the other day. She was standing outside a little cabin on the edge of Rhagana when I arrived for my feast day celebrations. I told her not to go into the forest.”
She steps closer, reaching out a hand to tuck Elora’s hair behind her ear. “I wouldn’t normally give that warning. But there was something about her. I can’t explain it.”
I huff out a breath. I know the feeling where Elora is concerned.
“What have you given her so far?” Kaia asks the healer.
Neither of them pay me any mind as they begin discussing the different tinctures, balms, poultices, and potions the soul has used and her theories about the wound itself. Kaia makes little noises of agreement while the soul speaks.
I’m drawn closer to the bed as they murmur behind me. I have no idea what it is about this woman who stumbled blindly into my realm. No idea why I can feel every beat of her heart in my chest as if hers and mine were sitting side by side.
I reach out a single fingertip, prepared to trace it down her arm. I haven’t touched her once, not bare skin to bare skin, but standing this close to her, there’s an unshakable pull to do just that.
“I want to do a full exam,” Kaia says at my elbow, and I drop my hand to my side, curling it into a fist.
“She’s had a full exam,” I tell her.
“I’m sure she has.” Kaia tugs back the coverlet and shifts her body in front of mine to block my view. “I’m going to give her another one to make sure nothing was missed.”
When I don’t move, she peeks at me over her shoulder, brows raised. “You can go, my lord. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
Inclining my head, I leave the room, locking and sealing the door behind me. I would trust Kaia with my life, but it’s still more difficult to leave than I want it to be.
Shaking my head, I shift to my study and slip out of my robes. Hanging them on a hook by the door, I grab my favorite dagger and shift to the middle of Síra. Surely there is someone within these desolate boundaries I can work out my frustrations on.
Anything to keep my mind off that bewitching puzzle of a mortal woman asleep in my tower and everything her presence implies about what’s happening to the Shadow Realm.
Chapter Eight
Lavender. That’s the first thing that registers as I float on the edge of consciousness. The heady scent of lavender.
It’s not unfamiliar. The entire town of Rhagana is steeped in lavender and rosemary. You can hardly turn around without seeing a bundle of it hanging in someone’s window or doorway for luck or blessings or prosperity.
But I’m not sure why the smell would be so strong inside my cabin. Strong enough to invade my dreams and rouse me out of sleep. And I must be sleeping because the surface under me is impossibly soft, the blankets warm and cozy.
The weight on top of me suddenly disappears and with it, the warmth. I shiver and shift to cover myself, but my body will not obey. I try again to grasp the blanket, but my hand doesn’t move save for the twitch of my fingers.
