Of Whispers and Daggers ✓ [TLRQ #2]

Chapter 4.1 - Aster

Dedicated to Sue Awad for her insightful help
with our Of Caverns and Casters' Wattys entry

Her golden skin is sickly pale. Her face is devoid of makeup, her unstyled hair tucked beneath her head. She looks like a stranger. Stars know Mother would rather have her name erased from the records than ever be seen like this.

A maid dabs her forehead with a washcloth, and Sela sits beside the large, canopied bed, holding Mother's hand. The matching silver marks on the back of their hands suddenly take on an ominous tone. Before, the images of the Tree always spoke of assurance: this is the Jacquelinian heir, the chosen one for the throne. Now, it burns that no one receives their inheritance before their predecessor's passing.

"Look who finally decided to turn up," Ren says as we enter.

Sela looks up and drops Mother's hand. "Aster! How are you here? How did you get—is there a breach in the wall?" She starts to move around the bed as if scrambling to fix the situation.

"Sela." I hold up a hand. "Sela, it's fine. Calm; all is well. No one could have come the way I did."

She pauses, bewilderment still claiming her expression, but she closes her eyes, drawing a deep breath. When she opens them, she says, "I'm glad that you somehow made it here so quickly. You'll need to tell me how you—"

"What do you mean, 'quickly'?" Ren accuses. "Have you been in communication with him?"

"Not exactly." I glance at him. "As a side effect of a spell, she was able to briefly relay to me the Kadranians' attack, but we've not conversed other than that." I turn back to Sela. "I have a prisoner in our dungeons."

Surprise fills her face once more. "Who?"

"Amarris Veradeaux. She was working with the Kadranians and may have information on their plans."

She nods slowly. "Good." She turns to our brother. "Reyan, we need as much as we can get from her. I would prefer you spoke with her yourself."

Reyan? Is that not his— I barely manage to restrain from stating what, to them, is obvious: Ren has already been officially coronated and dubbed with his regnal name. It's disconcerting to think of him as, technically, a higher station than either Sela or me.

"Surely this doesn't simply cancel Aster's neglect of his duties," Ren—Reyan—objects.

"We don't have time to worry about it now. What's done is done and will be rectified after we push these northern savages out of our country."

His nostrils flare, but he nods. "Of course." He leaves.

A moment of silence passes. Sela seems to have something on her mind, but then she turns away and moves back to Mother. I approach the bed's opposite side.

"How is she?" I murmur. I'm afraid I already know the answer but hope that what Reyan implied isn't true.

Sela looks up at me, sorrow hanging in her eyes. "She's dying, Aster."