The Blood Spell (Ravenspire, #4)(72)
Lucian pulled away and roughly cleared his throat. “I better get these deliveries out the door, Miss Blue. Don’t want to miss the docks today.”
“The docks?” Blue squinted at him.
He gave her a questioning look. “It’s the day the bounty hunters from Llorenyae come through with their shipment of monsters for Akram. I thought the whole city knew about that.”
“It is?” She glanced at the wall calendar that was nailed beside the sink, but she hadn’t changed the date on it since the night Papa had died.
“See you there!” he said as he rushed out the door.
Abandoning all thoughts of running the shop for the afternoon, Blue made sure the protection potion was ready to soak for the next two days, turned the shop’s sign to Closed, and hurried toward the docks.
Seeing the bounty hunters from Llorenyae on their twice-yearly journey through the port of Falaise de la Mer to the northern kingdom of Akram with the monsters they supplied to one of Akram’s prisons was excitement few of the city’s inhabitants missed. But in addition to seeing the monsters who weren’t completely hidden in their crates, Blue was interested in the other wares that might arrive on the ship. Usually there were yaeringlei seeds, maelsa wood, and an assortment of unusual gems and minerals mined deep in the mountains on the fae isle. Sometimes, Blue and Papa had even found fae-made jewelry or clothing, though Grand-mère had forbidden them from wearing anything made by a fae. Something about possible curses woven into the threads.
Sunlight stung Blue’s eyes and heated her skin as she made her way through the merchant district and south toward the docks. Already the streets were choked with people. Carts set up along the main road that led to the port sold iced shirella drinks with crushed walla berries floated at the top of the cup, fresh ginger cakes, and bags of spicy popped corn. If Papa had been with her, they would’ve purchased a bag of the popped corn and cooled their tongues with iced shirella as they took in the sight of the busy docks, the ships coming into port, and the fascinating pair of bounty hunters who handled terrifying monsters with ease.
But Papa wasn’t here, and Blue wasn’t ready to do their traditions by herself. Bypassing the food carts, she made her way through the crowds to the edge of the docks. Several ships were coming in, but she was only interested in the black vessel with five sails and a flag that was ice blue on one side and sunshine yellow on the other. The symbols of the Winter and Summer courts were embroidered into their respective colors, and the sculpture of a water nymph clung to the bow as if she’d just risen from the sea itself.
Another boat was docking while the black ship from Llorenyae approached. A fancy dark blue craft with brass trimming and the crest of Súndraille’s ruling family on its bow. Blue was surprised to see Kellan, Nessa, and the queen, all dressed in formal afternoon attire, standing at attention in the center of the dock where the blue ship was being tied to several posts. A dozen royal guards surrounded them, keeping onlookers at bay.
Nessa was looking at everything, a huge grin on her face. When her eyes found Blue, she lit up and waved Blue over. Blue hesitated, shaking her head, but the queen noticed and lifted her hand in a regal summoning. Quickly, Blue crossed the dock until she was beside the royal family. She risked one glance at Kellan, found his warm brown eyes on hers, and quickly looked at the queen instead before the telltale racing of her heart could somehow show on her face.
“Blue, I’m glad to see you here, though we can’t talk long. The royals from Súndraille will be disembarking soon as part of their tour of the western kingdoms, and we’ll need to greet them and escort them to the castle.”
“It’s good to see you too, Your Majesty.” Blue curtsied.
The queen smiled. “I wanted to thank you for the headache cream you created for me. It’s worked wonders.”
Blue returned her smile. “I’m so glad. I thought moss glider venom might be the key. I can get more next week and make another batch if you’d like.”
“Moss glider venom?” Kellan’s voice sounded strangled. “You put lethal snake venom in a cream and gave it to my mother?”
Blue frowned at him. “It has numbing properties.”
“It has killing properties.”
She tapped her foot impatiently. “It’s a perfectly safe dosage. I tried it on myself three times to be sure.”
His eyes widened. “You tried it on yourself? You’re nearly half her height!”
“Which is why I knew if it didn’t kill me, it wouldn’t kill her.”
“And you call me reckless.” He glared at her, but she could see the worry and care in his eyes.
Praying his mother couldn’t read his face as easily as she could, she said quietly, “I’m fine. And your mother’s headaches are better. Everyone’s happy.”
He didn’t look happy. He looked miserable. She understood the feeling perfectly. It was awful to stand next to him and be aware of every bit of space between them. Awful to long for him and make herself turn away.
The slap of a gangplank hitting the dock brought Blue to her senses. Tearing her gaze away from Kellan’s, she turned to see a young man who looked around Kellan’s age and a girl with long, sun-streaked brown hair and a wide, easy smile walking toward them. Quickly, Blue moved out of the way so the royal families could greet each other. Nessa caught her eye, her hands discreetly signing.