Crescent (Book 1)

+ 15 +

Everything hurts like hell. I'm not sure it's possible for every muscle and ligament in my body to still be torn, but I'm sure I've somehow done it.

"Drink this and it will help ease the soreness." Jackaby holds out a mug toward me, its steam smelling positively foul. I take one whiff of the milky substance and nearly gag. "It's Narcuss root. It tastes a lot better than it smells."

I truly want to believe him. He adjusts his glasses watching me, and I plug my nose as I swallow a sip. The taste is like rosemary and honey, and within seconds, warmth blossoms in my gut. My limbs slowly start tingling, and my lips buzz as he takes the mug back from me. "Is it supposed to...?"

"That means it's working," he nods as he sets the porcelain aside on his desk. The bottleware and insectary are squared away in cabinets this time, but the counter is still covered in empty jars and glasses.

I nod, the sensation of my lips rubbing against each other strangely foreign. I start, my mouth forming sluggishly around the words: "I haven't seen you around."

"I was called away to tend to a few soldiers stationed west of here. Some kind of virus going around the camp." He waddles back to his station to retrieve a few leaves of parchment for me. Scrawled across them, all sorts of testing results glare back at me. Mainly, all medical jargon I'm unfamiliar with. "I was uh- able to test your blood. Everything seems fine. You just heal more slowly than others."

I consider the scribbles again, but I doubt I'll be able to decipher it. I tuck the papers beneath my arm. "Are the soldiers... alright?"

He averts his gaze, and I finally decide I've made up my mind about him: He's kind- and he's a terrible liar. "Oh, yes. Everything is fine now. Spick and span...The party is coming up in a few days." His brows waggle as he reminds me.

Ever since I shifted, time has been fuzzy. My senses feel sharper, and I'm so focused on minute details it's hard to think of much else while Moira and I've been planning. "The party's going to be- something. That's for sure."

Jackaby pats my hand as he leans against his cane. He gives me a vexing look, one I can't decipher. "I would expect nothing less."

I give him a tight smile in reply.

||||||||||

Moira isn't in the kitchen like she usually is. It's unlike her to leave without telling me. Especially when I'm left to wander the castle alone without her. I stroll down one of the corridors searching for her when I hear voices behind a set of french doors. During the tour, Moira told me it was a meeting room for Ceth and his counsel. It's a man's voice I hear:

"If it's a matter of who's to train her, I can do it." I recognize Ajak's voice immediately, and I know that they're talking about me.

Another male replies: "Who will take your place while you spend the next few months doing that? You can't just abandon your duties."

"I'll do it." A woman speaks up, more bored and dismal than the rest. There's a moment of quiet after she speaks, and I lean closer to the door to hear. "Humphrey is right. Ajak has the boy to train- and his other duties. I won't be busy preparing for the gala. I'm the best option."

"You?" the other male snorts. "You really think you're the best option to train her in the arts and-"

"Do you propose that we have her follow your fat ass around for eight months, Humphrey? She'd have better luck learning from the pigs," the woman nearly laughs, but the male is quick to yell back:

"You better watch your tongue, guardian!"

"Silence- all of you." Ceth's voice is dark, and even through the door, I know it scares everyone still. There's another long pause before Ceth clears his throat. "Ajax will continue training with Nic. Saren, you'll be in charge of Brenna's training. And Humphrey... I suggest you get in contact with the Ambassadors soon. I want all of the preparations settled before the party, Friday. Saren, stay. The rest of you, dismissed."

I know better than to get caught listening in on private conversations. I hear chairs squeal as people push them backwards, and I scramble back as I look for a place to hide. I cross the hall, yanking a door open, and twisting the knob closed just as the meeting doors open. A group of people shuttle out, voices discussing back and forth as they disappear down the hall. I tilt the door open a crack to peer back into the meeting room.

Through the open doors, I see a woman with braided ginger hair sitting in a high back chair facing a table. She twists the end of her braid, obviously bored as the male across from her- who I only guess is Humphrey- assesses her with pinched brows. With a pale hand, he grips the hilt of a blade sheathed at his side. I can't see her face, but her voice is sweet, taunting: "Is there an issue with Lord Shawcross's arrangement?"

Humphrey's face twitches, but he gives the slightest shake of his head as he glances at the head of the table. "No... My lord, I expect to hear back from each of the realms soon."

Ceth's voice is drab. "Then what are you still doing here?"

Humphrey stands, bowing toward Ceth at his dismissal. He's halfway down the hall before I hear the meeting room doors swinging shut. The last thing I hear from inside is the woman's hearty laugh and then Ceth's voice: "Whatever am I going to do with you?"

A door opens down the hall, and I lurch as footsteps near. A servant skirts past the door, heels clicking as they pass, but I know it's time to leave anyway. I prowl down the stone corridor on light feet. The library doors are shut tight, but Moira's sweet voice comes humming through them and she smiles when I step inside. "There you are. Thought it might take you forever to find me."

She stands on the second level today, and her hair is down, falling over her neck. She's merrily arranging stacks of paper into neat piles at one of the private tables laid out. Four empty mugs sit at the edge of the table, and she nurses a fifth one in-hand.

"Have you been up all night?"

She shrugs as I thumb through a particular stack titled The Art of a Hostess. "The party is soon, and I was supposed to have this done yesterday. Even Janice is behind on the cake. And the decorations- Well. They'll be up on time." Her body goes rigid, her eyes wide. "Which reminds me. I still have to get Nic's suit from the tailor in town. You have your dress right?"

I sit beside her, tapping one of the lanterns. A flame comes to life within the emerald colored glass. "Don't worry about my dress. Everything will come together. We'll make sure of it." She nods, absently dropping a stack of paper in front of me. I raise a brow. "You're not going to have me balance a book on my head and walk in a straight line, are you?"

Her dark eyes clear and her mouth parts. "You have danced in heels before, right? Because I didn't plan time to practice-"

"Heels?"

Moira winces, rubbing her temples with the back of her hand. "Gods. Alright, it looks like we have our work cut out for us."

I glance at the seven other volumes of pages and attempt my best smile. "I guess so."