Peter had already let Orken and the others in when Aurelie and Kirin made it to the house. They had entered just in time for him to start complaining about the amount of noise Leila made with her howl. Apparently, she had raised half of Redayrah, Peter included. Nonetheless, the table was set with the chicken and mash from last night's dinner.
They looked up from their plates as Aurelie and Kirin entered the house. Daerious closed his eyes and swallowed what had looked like a giant rock that had been stuck in his throat. "Aurelie," he said and stood. His curly hair was oily and three shades darker than she remembered it. "Thank God!"
She ran up, and hugged him, examining his arms and legs to make sure he was still whole.
"Orken." Aurelie acknowledged him with a quick shake of the head and received one in return before glancing back up at Daerious. A scar ran from his lip all the way up to his ear. It had sealed, but the skin was still bright pink and small traces of scabs remained. "I'm so glad that you're okay."
"You look awful," he said and took a step back to look her up and down, then hugged her again.
Aurelie laughed and punched his shoulder. "Look who's talking, scar-face."
Something metal fell in the kitchen. "Leila in there?"
He nodded. "Mhm, trying to find more food."
Aurelie saw Peter's head turn toward the kitchen from the corner of her eye. "Oh, for the love ofâ"
"Now, now," Orken interrupted Peter, "you don't want to be a bad host, do you?"
Red veins bulged in Orken's eyes and heavy bags hung right under. His wrinkles formed harsher lines, and his beard had lost most of its grey and turned white. Though exhaustion played a part, she was sure; it was grief that had aged him ten years. This was something that Kirin noticed too as his eyes did not leave Orken as they entered.
"We'll talk about where we'll go tomorrow," Kirin said to Peter, his voice leaving no room for arguments but Peter didn't seem to care. "Let them settle first, please."
"I've opened my house to you," Peter began, his voice rising sharper after each word. "I've welcomed that abomination," he pointed at Aurelie, "and you people just keep multiplying. I want you out by the end of the weekâ all of you. I don't care where you go. This isn't a bloody hostel!"
Kirin took a step forward. Purple lines swirled around his wrists. "We'll leave whenâ"
"Silence!" Peter shouted. "This is my house, child." He spat and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "You leave by the end of the week."
Aurelie laid a gentle hand on Kirin's back to calm him. "But Peter," Aurelie said, attempting to keep her voice soft and even. "That's in two days."
"Yes, that's right. I guess, you better start packing." He looked Kirin square in the eye, turned and marched up the stairs.
Seeing Orken in that state had somewhat paralyzed her. Peter paused slightly atop the stairs toâ Aurelie assumedâwait for her to respond in her usual, short-sighted anger. Only there was none left. Aurelie gasped back tears as total helplessness overwhelmed her. She turned away from the others and stared at the doorâfantasizing to open it and run away from all their troubles.
Kirin stepped in behind her and tapped her back. "It's fine," he held her around her waist, "we'll find somewhere else to go."
If only she had the courage to tell him what was happeningâno! That's the weakness taking over. Kirin's doubt would maim her. Those people in the cloaks gave her an easy out. Aurelie refused to question why though that would have been smart.
Kirin pulled her closer. Keeping her steady on her feet yet suffocating her at the same time. His scent engulfed herâclean air before the rain fallsâand she broke herself free of him.
"Aurelie?" Leila's voice called in the far distance as if through a dream.
Aurelie reached for the doorâshe was back on that fieldâand paused. The reek of charred flesh stung her nostrils and crushed her lungs. Her feet pressed against wet grass. She shut her eyes. You're in Peter's home. Breathe. Her heart raced with fear. The smoke coming from the bodies grew thicker and made it hard for her to breathe. You're not there.
"Can you hear me?" Hands gripped her. She fought them off, struggling to find the doorknob.
Aurelie pushed and the door swung open. She walked, still in a state of confusion and panic.
What's happening to me?
Her vision completely darkened, as if the very thought worsened her condition. The scent of flesh had gone, but her pulse rose, as if her heart had replaced her brain and knocked against her skull. She pushed herself forward, afraid that she would fall, but unable to stop. Something blocked her path. In patches, the city around her became visible once more.
"Ow," a girl cried. Boxes crashed down at her feet. One fell open, and a pair of royal blue, high heeled shoes fell out.
"I'm so sorry." Aurelie kneeled down and helped the girl pick up her belongings.
"No!" the girl squealed. "Please, your highnessâplease stand." She looked up wide-eyed. "I beg your pardon." The girl rose to her feet and bowed.
Aurelie picked up the boxes and stacked them one on top of the other. The girlâa servant as far as Aurelie could tell by her white apron and capâlooked from Aurelie to the boxes, seemingly unsure whether to assist or continue bowing. "Master Donahue." She bowed again.
Kirin stood in the doorway. "And you are?"
The girl's lips parted. She mirrored a wild kitten, twitchy and frightened in strange company. "My name is Margret," she looked at Aurelie as if for approval, "Your Majesty."
It was the second time being addressed by a royal rank that Aurelie realized it had been used in relation to her. "Who sent you?" Aurelie gripped her arm. Kirin jumped from the porch at Aurelie's reaction and she took a step to the side to come between him and the girl.
Margret's eyes widened. "The Morels, ma'amâ" she closed her eyes "I mean, Your HighnessâMajestyâI was sent to give you an invitation to the annual ball hosted by Nicolai and Blair Morel."
God, the ball. Aurelie gritted her teeth and leaned back her head. She hadn't told Kirin about Nick, never mind the ball.
"Why on earth would the Morels invite you to a ball?" he asked.
Margret kneeled down to pick up the boxes. "I think young Master Nick fancies the Princess. There were rumors all-round the manorâ"
Aurelie coughed, silencing the girl. It wasn't as discrete as she hoped but a slap wouldn't have been much better and that was what she really wanted to do.
"Would you care to explain?" Kirin looked as if he had learned the sun was but a man. Enraged, she could handle, but this she had never seen before. His hand was on his hip, and his left foot shakingâalmost on the verge of an angry tap.
Aurelie waved Kirin off and turned to Margret. Not for a second did she believe that he would abandon the topic but now that Margret was here he would leave it for later. "Is that for me?" Aurelie pointed at the boxes.
Margret nodded. "Sure is, Master Nick asked me to apologize for the short notice but the gown took weeks to make."
"When's this ball?" Kirin asked, folding his arms.
Aurelie eyed the boxes. They were big enough to hold clothing for everyone in the house. Golden in color and tied with shiny white lint, Aurelie thought the contents would excite her more. She had never been to a ball and didn't know of a single girl that wouldn't squeal and jump around in excitement. There were too many things to worry about, and now she had to add almost fainting and hallucinating to the list. Something similar had happened before, just after the festival that Nick had taken her too. The severity, however, could not be compared. Karah was her only hope of finding the cause.
"Tomorrow night, the carriage will be sent at eight, and I'm to help the Princess prepare."
Orken shuffled in beside Kirin. "She's not going," he said. "You can tell your master that." Shaelyn stood beside Daerious with Leila to her right, almost hidden behind the door. Aurelie smiled, and mouthed, "Hello." Her eyes fell on Shaelyn, who returned an acidic glare.
She turned her attention back to Orken. "I am."
"What?" Kirin took hold of her shoulder and pushed it back so that she faced him.
"Remember the medicine I gave you? The woman traded it for a favor, and that happened to be an invitation to the ball. I gave her my word."
Kirin's cheeks pressed his eyes into thin lines as he scowled at her. "So, give her your invitation."
"I can't." Lying came easier to her now, as if by second nature. "She made me promise that I accompany her." Aurelie had questions for Karah and they couldn't wait until the others were convinced that she would do as they told. Tomorrow seemed too long away. She feared that she would have more hallucinations and she couldn't go back to that field again. Not again. Her arms trembled at the thought.
"Frankly, my dear, I couldn't care less about what you promised. You can't be going off on your own with people you don't know," Orken said.
"He's a good boy." They all looked around to find where Peter had come from. "He won't let the girl be harmed."
Aurelie stepped further out and looked up to the windows. Sure enough, there he was. The curtain closed just as Aurelie spoke, still looking up, "He's right if Nick wanted to hurt me, he had plenty of time. He was here while Kirin was unconscious, helping me."
Admitting to that felt like dragging a burning blade across Kirin's back. His whole body stiffed, and she had to stop herself from explaining that nothing had happened between them. Firstly, she expected him to have enough faith in her to not dwell on such ridiculousness, and secondly, she wanted the conversation over so that she could leave.
"In a way, I think he saved me," Aurelie added an extra sting, knowing exactly where to push Kirin now that she knew he loved her. Her heart ached with the dirty guilt of betrayal, seeing his reaction.
Kirin's eyes budged, and the skin around his cheekbones hardened. "Well, I guess there's no stopping you, is there? Never been one to listen to reason."
"Kirin," Orken lifted his hand, attempting to stop him from going into the house, "it's madness."
Margret stood with all the boxes, balancing from one heel to another. "Will you help me carry the boxes to my friend's shop?" Aurelie asked. The girl stood still as a rock, looking down and making herself as scares as she could. "Margret," she looked up, "will you help me carry the boxes? I will be getting ready there tomorrow as the two of us are going together."
Karah wasn't there when the three of them arrived. A young boy, who introduced himself as Harry the shop assistant, took them to the back and helped them find an open storage table among the herbs and spices that Karah kept in her back office.
"Is she coming back soon?" Aurelie asked the boy as the packed the last box on the very top of the others and pushed it up against the wall. "I had a few things I wanted to ask her," her eyes fell toward Leila who was listening very closely to just exactly what Aurelie wanted to ask her new friend, "about the medicine she gave my fiance."
Leila's head cocked to the side at the sneaky revelation that Aurelie included to distract her. Her mouth opened in surprise and then stretched into an excited smile. She tapped Aurelie's arm and shook her head, biting her lip.
"Not allowed to say, ma'am."
"I'm not asking when--"
"Doesn't matter, ma'am." He gave Margret a knowing look and then extended his hand toward the front door of the shop. "May I show you out? My mistress doesn't like people in here when she isn't unless they're picking up an order."