Chapter 128
It seemed as if her eyes had only been closed for a few moments when the sound of voices from the antechamber had her blinking in that direction. She noticed Avinia was gone even without rolling over as the warmth from that side of the bed had dissipated. Deciding it was too much trouble to actually sit up or look, Kit kept her eyes closed and tried to determine what she was hearing.
“How is your arm?” Avinia asked in a quiet whisper. “Did Armant stitch it up?”
“It’s fine. Yes, he did and wrapped it with a poultice.” Even though he was whispering, Kit would’ve known Eli’s voice anywhere. “How is she doing?”
“Not well. She pretends to be stronger than she is, which I think is helpful, but I keep waiting for that hard exterior to crack and the little girl we both know so well to reappear.”
“I don’t think you give her enough credit, Vinny. She’s grown up a lot these past three years.”
Vinny? Kit thought to herself. Since when did Eli have a nickname for Avinia?
“Perhaps you’re right, but it makes me nervous. The fate of the entire realm rests on whether or not she will take a stand. It’s disconcerting to see her bend the knee to her mother over decisions she’s fully entitled to make alone according to Yewforian law.”
“Disconcerting?” Eli asked. “I think it’s quite clever. Why not allow the queen to think she has influence when she doesn’t if it changes nothing?”
“You know she will find a way to eliminate you, don’t you?”
Despite the ugliness of the sentence no matter the meaning, Kit was hopeful Avinia meant Rona—not she, herself. Surely, her cousin didn’t think she had a mind to cut Eli from her Choosing because of their recent disagreement, did she?
“Of course, I do. That’s why it’s imperative that everything is in order before that happens. She can’t do this alone, but if she has enough backing, I honestly feel that she could be successful.”
“I hope you’re right. At any rate, you should get some rest. You are aware of your trip on the morrow?”
“I am. I won’t let it be my undoing. I hope that Seph has learned quickly enough where her true loyalty should lie.”
“I’ve spoken to her a bit, and I have faith she can be converted. I only worry she might be too frightened to do so.” Avinia let out a sigh which was louder than any of the words she’d spoken thus far.
“I should have the opportunity to speak to her myself.”
“Does Rona know yet—that it was you?”
“She does. That’s where I’ve been most of this time.”
There was silence for a moment. Kit was still trying to catch up, to piece the conversation together in her muddled thoughts, so she welcomed the contemplation on the part of her cousin. When she spoke, it caught Kit off guard as she was nearly asleep again. “No punishment?”
“I wouldn’t say that. A stern warning. I asked her if I was supposed to let him kill me. Obviously, whatever she had planned went awry. Either Merek wasn’t privy to his part of the farce or Pierce blundered it.”
“Kit could’ve been killed. Why does Rona take such awful risks?”
“If I knew that, perhaps we wouldn’t be in this predicament to begin with.”
Avinia’s silence indicated she agreed. Enough time went by that Kit nodded back to sleep again until she heard her cousin say, “Get some rest,” and then the settee in the antechamber adjusted as if she were standing before she asked, “Are you certain you don’t want a blanket?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine. I’m used to sleeping on the ground. This is like a cloud.”
Avinia stifled a giggle, and a few seconds later Kit’s bed moved beneath her as Avinia slipped back in.
The entire conversation was shrouded in mystery. Kit thought perhaps by the light of day she’d be able to unwind some of it, make sense of bits and pieces. But for now, she was exhausted and slowly began to drift back to sleep, hoping she’d remember enough of what she overheard to ask her cousin or Eli about it in the morning.
