The Catalyst

Chapter 9

Flinching at the sound of rustling feathers, Tessa spun as the red-tailed hawk landed gracefully upon her windowsill, folding his wings.

"I've been expecting you." Tessa's bare feet made no sound on the fluffy carpet as she went to the window. This was not her first time seeing Kitera's demon, but she still felt nervous around it.

Tessa untied the rolled piece of parchment from the hawk's claws and began reading. Clearly scribbled in haste, Kitera's note didn't reveal much, save that Noah Starborn might be suspicious.

All the more reason to have sufficient leverage on him. Tessa would take care of that soon enough. Fingers closing on the nearest quill, Tessa penned a quick reply, instructing Kitera to carry on with everything as planned.

After the small roll of parchment was secured in his grasp, the hawk took flight, shedding a feather. Tessa closed the window, shivering. She was adjusting a gossamer shawl about her shoulders when the guard outside announced, "The Lady, um, Healer Bellissa Ethemani."

"Let her in," Tessa called, annoyed. That damned guard always fumbled with titles.

Bellissa slipped in quietly, holding a small tray with a single cup on it. She set it down on the low table, next to the other trays bearing delicacies Tessa hadn't yet touched. A sigh escaped Tessa's lips as she eyed the contents of the cup.

"Everything all right?" Bellissa took her usual place on one of the sofas, replacing her skirts. She reached for a slice of pear.

Tessa sat next to her friend. "I won't be needing that potion anymore."

This particular concoction was the main reason why noble ladies paid high prices for Bellissa's services. Tessa was not the virgin queen the realm believed her to be. However, the image was easy to maintain, given there had never been a single pregnancy.

"Things aren't good with Tomas, I take it?" Bellissa asked.

Tessa's affair with Tomas Clay, Captain of the Felleran Army, was a secret tightly-kept from all but two people. Bellissa was one of those two.

"He knows about the engagement. I wished for him to hear it from me. It shall be publicly announced in six days, at the ball," Tessa said.

Bellissa nodded slowly as she spread cheese onto a slice of bread. Discussing Tomas pained Tessa, but she supposed Bellissa was the perfect person for it. She was the kind that listened much and spoke little. Far along in her thirties, Bellissa was gifted with pleasing curves yet favored simple garb, her dresses loose rather than tight, choosing comfort over fashion. The noble ladies residing at the castle mocked her for it. If they knew how little Bellissa cared, they might stop. Or perhaps not. Tessa suspected those women truly had no better occupation with which to fill their days.

"What did Tomas say?" Bellissa asked.

"Nothing." Tessa clutched a pillow to her lap and plucked at a loose thread in the gold embroidery. "He's disappointed, of course." She tried to keep her voice level, to hide how much it hurt.

She wished her dogs were here. Her chambers always felt rather empty without them, and their presence comforted her. But the maids had taken Warrior and Onyx out for their morning stroll.

"Disappointed you're getting married," Bellissa asked carefully, "or disappointed you're getting married to the Azurian heir?"

Tessa threw her hands in the air. "Both. Well, he's surely the only soul in the entire realm that disapproves of a marriage. I'm not getting any younger and Fellera needs an heir. The Gods help us all if one of my daft cousins ends up on my throne." She shook her head. "But a marriage to an Azurian? Tomas is hardly the only one upset. People simply don't understand. I have no choice. It's over."