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"Splendid" Jarvis clapped his hands together and Haydyn smiled, happy to have pleased them

The walk back to her suite had been ice cold, Matai refusing to look at either one of us, Haydyn tre the whole way Matai had opened the door for us and ent in He shut it carefully in our wake, not saying a word

"I just can’t believe you’re even considering rew pink with deep blush, and I knew she was growing equally angry withsory atworthy of a leader! You’re doing what someone else wants you to do As always!"

She flinched, hurt widening her eyes I iy stuck in my throat

"There was never a future for Matai and ree with her "He’s not of a high enough rank"

But I shook my head "You can have any future you want, Haydyn They need you!" I spat, pointing out the"Not the other way around! You can do what you like, love who you love, be who you want to be And there is nothing that they can do about it, because they need you"

Haydyn tre onto the post of her bed "No" She shook her head, growingwith Phaedra and I have to fix it Jarvis kno The betrothal is a good idea," she gasped, see out of breath

I was too angry to pay attention I wanted to sta with the pain of hitting the brick wall she insisted on putting up "Haydyn, it’s a good idea But not the best idea Not the only idea Surely we can coan-"

"- know if Andrei of Alvernia is a despicable lout like the rest of the an-"

"-be He could be-"

"Rogan!" Haydyn gasped out and fell towards me My heart flared in panic and I rushed to catch her As round, her eyes rolled back in her head and she grew li fear growing in my chest "Haydyn" I shook her harder but her eyes wouldn’t open She was so pale So deathly pale I choked on a sob "Haydyn!" I gasped "Wake up!" I shook harder, a sob breaking out from the pit of my stomach "MATAI!" I screamed now "MATAI!"

Chapter Five

The room was silent Like death had crept into the palace and snuffed out all the candles, all the cheer, all life I looked around at my companions and sed past the constriction in my throat

"I’ve called you all here for a reason," I whispered and cleared my throat to be heard

After Haydyn had collapsed in my arms, Matai had burst into the room in the company of Wolfe who had stopped outside the suite to enquire after the shoutingon between Haydyn and I Unable to rouse Haydyn, I silentlymy panic I quietly ushered Valena and Raj to the suite When Raj told us gravely he and Valena neededillness, deep suspicion and fear began to coalesce in er out for Vojvoda Jarvis and Grofka Ava I ht them to my suite, where Wolfe and Matai waited

They paled at the news of Haydyn’s collapse Outraged to learn it wasn’t the first tilares

Finally, Valena called us through to Haydyn’s suite A passingin and I shooed her aith a warning that if she spoke of this to anyone she would be swiftly booted out of the palace She gulped and nodded, hurrying away I ignored the reproving look Wolfe threay

Inside ere greeted by a very grave Raj And then he confirmed our worst fears Haydyn had fallen ill to the Somna The rarest of illnesses in Phaedra, the So Disease, was a mystery to us No one knehere, why or what caused it There had been fewer and fewer records of the Soain… it took hold of soy that soon caused the victim to fall into a coh to have a Dravilec close by, the healer could hold off death by healing the sleeping person from starvation and dehydration If not, death was inevitable… unless one could find the rare leaves of the So Disease A plant that was said to be extinct now

I gazed around the Chambers of the Rada at Jarvis, Ava, Matai, Wolfe, Valena and Raj Only we knew Haydyn was dying That’s why Phaedra was falling apart Unbeknownst to her, her ht of my harsh words to Haydyn, the words that had been rittedNot while I had breath in my body

"Soed, almost violently

Wolfe’s eyes widened as everyone shifted, as if waking out of a coma themselves "Of course," he whispered, and they all seeht of it before "Rogan-"

"Not you," I interrupted I wouldn’t be ordered to seek anything froain If I hadn’t known any better I would have thought I’d hurt Wolfe’s feelings by the wounded look I received I ignored him and turned to Jarvis "Vojvoda"

He nodded an, I want you to seek the Somna Plant"

Waves crashed over ed on and on I’d never been hit with ,But as I saw the Somna Plant buried in the northern most point of Phaedra, I knehy I had never had to seek anything so far from me before "It exists," I exhaled in relief,my eyes I felt them all exhale with me

"Where?" Matai croaked

I sht of asped "In the Mountains of Alvernia?"

I shrugged "Is there any other?"

"You’re going to retrieve it, aren’t you?" Jarvis gave me a worried look