Followed by Fros(68)

Imad clapped his hands. “Excellent. Until tonight, then.”

“Imad?”

He paused at the door.

“Lo hasn’t returned yet, has he?”

“Not yet, but soon. I’m sure you’ll see him before you leave. Have you met Faida?”

A twinge. “Yes. She was very kind to me at your banquet.”

He smiled and stepped out of the room. The two guards who had followed him into the room trailed behind.

I did want to see Lo again, if only to say good-bye. Regardless of where either of us went in life, I considered him my dearest friend, the man who didn’t fear my curse and who brought me books to ease endless hours of free time. I still labored to fit the pieces of my heart back together, but I knew that, if I saw him again, I would not have to feign a smile.

I turned to Aamina, who had finished putting away my laundry. “How much longer will it take before I’m healed enough for travel?” I asked.

She thought for a moment. “A week, perhaps. The doctor can let us know for sure.”

“A week. That’s enough time for me to make a wedding gift, isn’t it?” A pang. “And something for my sister and my parents. You’ll help me, won’t you, Aamina? Oh! And I can see your nephew now!”

Aamina laughed. “Yes, you can! He’s such a fussy little babe, but he has his father’s face, so no one can stay mad at him for long. I worry I’ll be the only one with the heart to discipline him when he gets older, and he’ll run rampant through the city, stealing things and making the poor girls swoon. But how do beads sound? I bet you can hold a needle now. I’ll show you. Women love necklaces, even Northlander ones, so I hear. But is a necklace a proper wedding gift? Perhaps we should get you that big loom and work on a baby blanket! That’s as appropriate a wedding gift as any. The wee ones tend to come along awful quickly with the way Zareedian blood flows. Ha!”

I laughed with her, though the thought of Lo and Faida’s children pulled at those delicate pieces in my chest. How beautiful he would be, especially if he had his father’s eyes. Surely it would be a boy. For some reason, I pictured Lo first with a son, then a daughter.

Taking a deep breath, I agreed to rest while Aamina gathered yarn and beads for the gifts. She stayed with me the entire day, helping me plan the necklaces and the pattern of the blanket until a servant summoned me for my dinner with Imad. We ate with his father, who looked tired but well. He spoke in the cleanest Northlander I had heard since coming to Zareed, and he told me of a time he had gotten lost in the mountains of Iyoden as a boy. What a blessing it was to dine with a king and a prince—my dear friend—without worrying about causing them discomfort.

That night the doctor affirmed that my wound would take another week for it to heal enough for travel, and though I wanted to skip and play and dance in the sunlight, I focused on resting and eating well to build up my strength. Every day Aamina joined me in one of the palace’s sitting rooms to work on the gifts I was preparing. The fifth day after I awoke, I went to her sister’s small home and met Shukri, who was indeed the handsomest babe I had ever seen, and the sister a bigger gossip than Aamina herself!

Day six, I began packing my things and working with Kitora on a pattern for a Northlander dress, which she claimed would be much easier than her usual designs.

Day eight, I would leave Mac’Hliah.

On day seven, Lo returned to the palace.





CHAPTER 28





I heard his voice in the dining hall on my way to my bedroom for my last fitting with Kitora. My heart thrummed so quickly my head swirled, and I had to pause for a moment to regain my bearings. I had come to believe that I would not see him before I left for Euwan. Aamina had already agreed to deliver the baby blanket to him on my behalf.

My chest seemed to stretch downward like pulled taffy at the thought.

For a moment I held my breath, debating. Would it be better not to see him, to focus on the new opportunities before me, rather than on the one I had lost? I left tomorrow . . . Surely I could avoid him and Faida until then.

But my body already inched toward the dining hall. Lo’s voice draped over me like a warm blanket. He was talking to Imad. I peeked inside, but while I could see Imad, a drapery hid Lo from my view.

“—in the caverns. They’re empty.”

“That’s because she’s here, Lo, and leaving tomorrow.”

I pressed my palm to my drumming heart. They were talking about me.

“For Kittat?”

Imad laughed. “For Euwan!”

“What?”

“You haven’t heard? The captain of my own guard hasn’t heard so much as a rumor about the man who nearly killed me?”

Lo’s feet shifted forward, and his reply came out gruff. “Of course I heard; I rushed back to Mac’Hliah for that very reason. Imad, you are leading me in circles! What transpired while I was away?”

“A failed one, and the perpetrator was shot down before he could escape the city, thanks to Smeesa. Didn’t you notice the clear sky, Lo? Her curse has been lifted.”

Lo didn’t say anything. The room became silent, save for the sound of my own pulse in my ears.

I stepped inside and peered past the drapery, the sight of Lo making me blush—how strange it felt to actually blush again! I touched my cheeks to cool them. My pulse thrummed in the deep scar the arrow had left behind. He had trimmed his hair but still wore the short half beard. He didn’t wear his uniform, but commoner’s clothes in beige and tan. His gaze was fixed on Imad, his dark brows skewed. He did not see me.