CHAPTER 63: BE A DEAR AND DIE 1

FIA

I was still holding my tea when the knock came.

Bo stood and crossed the room. She opened the door just wide enough to see who was there.

An Omega stood in the hallway. She wore the standard servant’s uniform and her hands were clasped in front of her. When she saw me sitting on the bed, she dipped into a polite bow.

"I apologize for disturbing you this early morning."

I set my mug down on the nightstand. "It’s fine. What is it?"

"I was given instructions by Elder Thorne, the healer of the pack to get you." She kept her head lowered. "The Grand Luna, Luna Morrigan, requests your presence at her quarters."

I stood. "Oh. What for?"

The Omega bowed again. "I do not know."

"I’ll be there."

She turned and left. Bo shut the door and looked at me. I could feel the tension climbing up my spine and settling in my shoulders.

"Don’t worry," Bo said.

I rubbed my arm. "Easy for you to say."

"It’s a known secret that you spent the night at the Alpha’s quarters." Bo walked over to me. "Perhaps the Grand Luna just wants to know what happened."

I let out a long breath. "That has to be it."

"So tell her."

"I’d probably have to lie to her." I looked down at my hands. "I don’t like lying."

"You can be honest. Mostly." Bo picked up my empty mug and carried it to the small kitchen. "You did spend the night together. You two were probably on the same bed. That’s something. I’m sure that’s more than enough to make the Grand Luna happy."

Maybe. Maybe she was right. But the thought of sitting there and trying to navigate what I could say and what I couldn’t made my stomach turn.

I was still unnerved by what happened with Cian.

"I need something to wear," I said.

Bo smiled. "Let me handle that."

She pulled open the closet and rifled through the clothes hanging there. Most of them were formal. Too formal for an early morning summons. She pushed past a few dresses before pulling out a simple blouse and a skirt that fell just below my knees.

"This will work."

I changed quickly while Bo gathered my damp hair and twisted it into something presentable. She worked fast and her fingers were gentle. When she was done, she stepped back and looked me over.

"You look fine," she said. "Just breathe. You’ll be okay."

I nodded even though I wasn’t sure I believed her.

I left the room and made my way down the hall. The corridors were quiet this early. Most of the pack was probably still asleep or just waking up. I passed a sentinel standing near one of the side doors and stopped.

"Excuse me," I said. "Can you tell me how to get to the Grand Luna’s quarters?"

He pointed down the hall. "Take the stairs at the end. Go up two levels. Her quarters are on the left. You’ll see the guards."

"Thank you."

I followed his directions. The stairs were narrow and dimly lit. My footsteps echoed against the stone walls. When I reached the second level, I saw two sentinels standing outside a set of double doors. They didn’t move as I approached but their eyes tracked me the entire way.

I stopped in front of the doors and one of them knocked twice. The door opened from the inside and Elder Thorne stepped out.

He looked me over. His expression was flat but something about the way his mouth pressed into a thin line made me think he wasn’t thrilled to see me.

"The Grand Luna will not let me see her unless..." He paused. "You were inside as well."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I hear you call yourself a healer as well. Even bragged about it with the Grand Luna. Perhaps she wants to see you work your ’magic’." His tone was sharp. Belittling. "You should know, Luna, this is the rot. And your title is just honorary. You are still an Omega."

Heat rushed to my face. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to stay calm.

He flicked his fingers toward one of the sentinels. "Get her a hazmat suit."

"That will not be necessary." I retorted.

Thorne raised an eyebrow.

"You have to know it is only when you are extremely careless that you can get it." I kept my voice steady. "As a healer yourself, you should know. Or do I have to school you like I schooled you with the mourning moon poisoning?"

His jaw clenched. The muscle in his cheek twitched. For a second, I thought he might snap at me. But then he exhaled through his nose and reached into a bag near the door.

"I was just looking out for you."

He pulled out a mask and a pair of gloves. He put the mask on himself first and then handed a pair of gloves to me. I took them and slipped them on.

He held out a mask.

I shook my head. "It’s not airborne, you know."

He scoffed. "No wonder Doctor Maren likes you. You’re reckless just like her."

"I’m careful where it counts."

"Better safe than sorry." He adjusted his mask. "It’s a fungus, after all."

I didn’t argue. There was no point. He was set in his ways and nothing I said was going to change that.

He pushed open the door and I followed him inside.

The room was dark. Heavy curtains covered the windows and blocked out every bit of sunlight. It made sense. The sun made things worse for people with the rot. But even with that explanation, the room felt wrong. Old. Like it had been kept this way for years.

The walls were cracked in places. Some of the wallpaper had faded to a dull gray. The air was thick and stale despite the faint herbal scent that clung to everything.

I noticed something in the corner. A cryopod. It was tall and sleek and completely out of place in a room that looked like it belonged to a different century. The glass was clear and I could see inside. It was empty.

I wondered if Luna Morrigan was usually in there.

"Don’t touch anything," Thorne said.

I pulled my eyes away from the pod and followed him deeper into the room. We passed through a narrow hallway and into what looked like a lounge. It was just as dark as the rest of the quarters. Candles flickered on low tables and cast long shadows against the walls. The air smelled stronger here. Herbal and bitter.

Luna Morrigan sat in a high-backed chair near the far wall. She wore a robe that covered most of her body but her neck was exposed.

I winced.

The rot had spread. It crawled up from her collarbone and covered the even the upper half of her neck in thick, reddish patches. It looked angry. Inflamed. Worse than it had been last night at dinner.

But when she saw me, she smiled.

"It is so wonderful to see you, Fia." Her voice was warm and genuine. "How are you?"

"I’m good."

I moved closer but kept some distance. Not because I was afraid of catching it but because I didn’t want to crowd her.

"It looks like you’re having a bad flare-up," I said.

Thorne made a noise behind me. "It’s Maren and her western medicine. This is why we stick to herbs like the good ole days."

I thought about my mother. About the way her rot had progressed slowly. Steadily. This looked different. Faster. Angrier.

The idea of the rot flaring on and off sounded insane to me.

Morrigan waved a hand to Thorne. "Don’t be like that. Both you and Maren are good, which is why I alternate between your medicines."

I straightened. "Whose medicine did you use last night before your flare-up?"

"Thorne’s."

Thorne shot me a look. "You’re not trying to imply that my medicine is—"

"Do not antagonize the girl." Morrigan’s voice cut through his protest. "She is just worried about me."

Thorne went quiet. He turned back to a small table where a mortar and pestle sat next to a row of glass bottles.

Morrigan looked at me again. Her smile softened. "Forget about healer business. How was last night?"

I swallowed. "It was good."

"Define good on a scale of one to ten." She leaned forward slightly. "Did it happen?"

My throat tightened. "No."

"Where are these herbs, by the way?" I added quickly, hoping to change the topic.

Morrigan pointed to the table near Thorne. "Over there."

I moved toward the table. Thorne was already pounding something fresh in the mortar. The sound of stone grinding against stone filled the silence.

Then Luna Morrigan continued.

"Why not?" Her voice followed me. "Did you not want to? Or did he not want to?"

I reached for the first bottle. The label was handwritten in tight script. I opened it and sniffed. Chamomile. Maybe some lavender. Plenty of honey and willow bark.

"I think it will happen naturally," I said. "Don’t you think?"

Morrigan sighed. "I don’t know. Heat season is so far away. What is to say I will be there at the time?"

Thorne stopped pounding. "You cannot be negative, Grand Luna."

"I’m just being a realist."

I moved to the second bottle. This one smelled like peppermint and something sharper. Eucalyptus, maybe. But it was clear that was to hide the main ingredient which was hollow berry stems. I closed it and reached for the third.

The moment I opened it, the smell hit me.

My nostrils burned. My eyes watered. The world tilted for half a second and I saw red.

I blinked hard and forced myself back into the present.

"Elder Thorne," I said. My voice came out sharper than I meant it to because I was trying not to choke. "What is this?"

He didn’t look up. "It’s a soothing balm made of—"

"This is poison."

The room went silent.

Thorne’s hands stilled over the mortar. He turned slowly and looked at me. His eyes narrowed behind his mask.

"Excuse me?"

I held up the bottle. My hand shook. "This is poison. I can smell it. Hemlock root. Plenty of nightshade. I don’t know what else is in here but this is not medicine."

Morrigan sat forward in her chair. "Fia—"

"Luna Morrigan, you have to believe me!"