A human seer and an elven prince have one thing in common: a missing sister.
Seraiah's dreams have a habit of coming true, but when all her dreams turn into nightmares, she fears for her sister's life. Each nightmare is a little different, but they...
Sterling woke to find herself in a bed with a tangle of sheets around her. Her wool dress was gone, replaced by a light cotton shift. She tried not to think about some stranger undressing her.
She pushed herself up on her elbows to look around the room. The light was dim and murky, making her surroundings appear in shades of gray. A wash basin stood on the far wall, but otherwise, there was nothing else in the room.
Hunger clawed at her stomach—an angry beast demanding to be sated. Sterling tried her best to ignore it as she sat up all the way, propping herself against the wall behind her. Her body was weak, but besides the hunger, Sterling realized, she could no longer feel any of the other aches and pains she had acquired.
She touched her nose with a single finger. There was no sharp stab of pain as she had expected. In fact, her nose felt normal, no longer swollen—slightly crooked, perhaps—but normal.
A door creaked open, startling her, to reveal a woman holding a tray. The delightful aroma of soup reached Sterling's nose. "Oh," the woman exclaimed when she saw Sterling sitting up. "You're finally awake."
Sterling noticed she was wearing a dark robe like the one Ren wore. She had the brief thought that perhaps she had been taken by a cult.
"If you are feeling up to it, I brought soup for you," the woman said, stepping closer to the bed with her tray.
"That would be nice." Sterling's voice came out rough from disuse. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth.
"Careful," the woman said, setting the tray down on Sterling's legs. "It's hot."
As Sterling thanked the woman, she caught a movement behind her. Ren was leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest—watching them. When he noticed Sterling looking at him, his mouth curled up in that infuriating smirk.
She glared back, and the woman turned to see what Sterling was staring at.
"Shoo," she said when she spied Ren. "She is still recovering. You can bother her later."
Ren winked at her before pushing himself off the door frame. "I'll see you later then, Silver."
Sterling couldn't tell if that was a promise or a threat.
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After the meeting, Kai excused himself to attend to other matters, leaving Seraiah with Kestrel.
"What happens now?" Seraiah asked, following behind Kestrel as she left the meeting room.
"Now, you go back to your rooms and practice those visions, and I go to prepare to leave again."
"You're going to the Seelie Court then?"
"Of course. It's not ideal, but it's our current best option unless you manage to have another vision."
