~ZEPHYRUS' POV
"No," Alaric said quietly. "I do not."
Before either of us could speak again, three presences materialized inside the chamber.
I saw Zade and Lucian first, before I saw Isla, the royal healer.
Her spine curved forward, forcing her shoulders into a permanent bow that looked almost fragile, yet nothing about her felt weak.
Thin braids of silver-white hair framed her face and fell over her shoulders, each braid tied at the end with tiny metal rings that clicked softly when she moved.
Her eyes were the most unsettling part of her. They were too alert, and too aware, studying everything with quiet hunger.
She smelled like dried leaves crushed between palms and smoke that had never quite left the fabric of her robes.
I noticed Lucian carried a leather case in his hands. When he set it down on the table beside my bed and opened it, several glass vials glowed faintly inside.
"We stopped at the medicine bureau," he said, lifting one carefully. "Your daily elixir."
