59. Isabel

Chapter fifty-nine

Isabel

T he sudden flare of Healing magic sent a wave of shock through my body.

I jolted awake.

My mind raced as I tried to piece together how I ended up on the floor with a ferret-masked Healer looming over me. Three masked men stood nearby, standing guard with loaded crossbows.

I reached back and rubbed my aching scalp. My hand returned coated in blood.

"Please, Honored Vessel. Do not move. The Healing is complex." Bony hands pressed me back down.

"How long have I been out? Where is the Pri—I mean, Mistress?" I asked as I scanned the hall.

The ferret shook his head and struggled to maintain his Healing focus while answering. "Our men are still searching for her."

My mind raced .

It would take more than two hours to cross the lake. I could beat them there, but it meant using the last of my Traveling charms. That couldn't be helped. Everything hinged on the next few hours.

"Finish quickly. I leave within the hour." My voice left no room for debate.

"Yes, Honored Vessel." Ferret's hand began to shake. "Your head will still hurt. The Healing will not be complete, and there is no way to know what else you may experience."

"You can finish when I get back. Get on with it," I snapped.

A handful of moments later, I stood in my private chamber, wringing the blood out of my hair. I couldn't understand how Jess had been stolen from beneath the watchful eyes of hundreds of my people.

A timid knock pulled me back to the present.

"Honored Vessel?"

"What?"

A broad-shouldered man wearing the mask of a hawk entered. He eyed my naked form, then lowered his gaze to stare intently at a crack in the marble floor. "Honored Vessel, we captured one of the intruders. He is in the royal chamber, dosed and asleep."

I grabbed a towel and began drying my hair. "Wait outside. I want to see this man. "

"Yes, Honored Vessel." He bowed and backed out of the room.

As I dressed, I thought of all the ways I would shred the skin from this wretched man. I scooped up my last Traveling amulet and stormed down the hallway.

When the door opened and I saw Justin, my Justin, nausea consumed me.

The boy's face was more purple than pale from the bludgeoning he had taken. I winced at the sight.

Two robed figures stood against the wall.

I approached the bedside, careful not to show recognition, a task that took more self-control than I would have anticipated. I peered down and nearly lost my composure. I was suddenly thankful that everyone in this blasted place wore a mask.

The idea of sacrificing Jess, of seeing her killed, wasn't something I relished, but it had been necessary. I had not been close with my daughter in years. Her constant rebellion and petulant attitude were forever a thorn in my side.

But Justin was another story altogether.

Since the day I first held him, he became my world. As he grew, our bond deepened and strengthened to levels I scarcely knew possible.

He was smart, kind, loving, respectful .

Jess was only respectful when she wanted something, even on her best days, but Justin craved any wisdom or guidance I offered. In my mind, he was perfect—the heir the Kingdom should have, rather than some insolent girl who dared think herself capable of ruling, a girl who could barely command the respect of her own family.

My fingers grazed Justin's cheek in a gentle, motherly gesture, then I remembered my audience and pulled it back. "He is so young. How did this boy get into the temple?"

The ferret stepped forward. "Honored Vessel, he was one of four. Our men killed two. The fourth is the man who struck you and fled with Mistress."

The other figure spoke. "Honored Vessel, this is Prince Justin Vester. Second in line to the throne."

"Of course he is, you idiot. Do you think I don't recognize him?" I glared at the Child, who now cowered in place. "Get out, both of you. Now !"

The men scurried out of the room, leaving Justin, the ferret, and me.

"Heal him . . . gently . I want him kept here and treated well until I return and decide what to do with him."

"Yes, Honored Vessel." The ferret bowed.

My mind raged as I returned to my chamber.

Justin?

How could that idiot Alfred allow our boy to go on a military mission?

I slammed the door to my chamber and stalked to the dresser, inspecting myself in the large oval mirror. I forced myself to take deep breaths and brush out my hair, a simple act that had calmed me since I was a girl.

It also gave me time to think.

If my calculations were correct, Jess and her rescuers still had an hour or more before they arrived in Cradle.

I still had time.

My memory of the events in the ceremonial chamber was fuzzy, but I thought Jess called out to me, called me "Mother." That would complicate things.

A spike of pain shot through my head, and I realized I was pressing the bristles into my wounded scalp.

Breathe. Just breathe, nice and slow.

I set the brush aside and checked myself in the mirror. I didn't want to look too made up for this performance.

Satisfied, I gripped the amulet and muttered a few words.

My chamber shimmered, and I felt myself vanish from the room.