The Exile's Curse
Page 34
Chloe nodded. "Mine either. And I'll tell you all about it. But first the temple."
The next few hours moved quickly. The healers at the temple took charge of Lucien, even Domina Francis herself coming to the hospital wing of the building to assist. The dominas questioned Chloe and Irina about firewort and everything they had done, including the bond. Then shooed them both outside the room after assuring Chloe the bond wouldn't be affected by a distance of twenty feet or so.
They sat with Imogene, waiting. The urge to force her way back into the room crawled under Chloe’s skin. Being unable to touch Lucien after the near constant contact of the last few days felt wrong. Irrational or not, she wanted to be with him.
Strange. A little over two weeks ago, she'd still hated him. Now she didn't know what she would do if he died. Other than, perhaps, burn the world down around those who had hurt him.
After an eternity, Domina Francis reemerged from the room. She was smiling, and Chloe's heart started pounding. "Is he awake?"
"No, child. But he has improved. I think he will rest a little longer, but I expect he will wake in the next day or so." Domina Francis had eyes as green as any Andalyssian, but her hair was blazing red streaked with silver, a sign of her strength in earth. Her words tolled through Chloe, and she knew they were true. "You and the Lady Irina did well. But now both of you need to rest. Then we will see how to proceed with your husband once he awakens and we can assess him. Whatever he was given, it was strong. He may need to recuperate for some time."
"But he won't die?" She sounded like a child asking to be reassured that there was no monster under the bed, voice quivering.
"No, he will be well,” the domina said, voice pitched to a soothing tone. “And you must rest. Your bond will give him strength, but not if you make yourself unwell through worry and exhaustion."
"I—" The urge to lie down and sleep was overwhelming. But she wasn't done yet. "I need to talk to the emperor."
"You need to rest. Aristides will wait." The domina's tone was steely. She turned her attention to Imogene. "Your Grace, perhaps you can tell His Imperial Majesty that Lady Castaigne needs to recover from her journey before she speaks with him?"
"Of course," Imogene said. She squeezed Chloe's hand. "Domina Francis is right. Aristides will wait. I will go to him, and your fellow lieutenants can brief him on anything urgent. I'm guessing sending another Truth Seeker to Andalyssia might be one of those things."
Chloe nodded. "But not until I can speak with them. Giane and Theo don't know everything that has happened."
Imogene smiled. "All right. Now go see your husband. Then sleep. We’ll wake you when you're needed."
"I can see him?" Chloe asked.
"Of course," Domina Francis said. "We've made up a bed for you next to his. I thought you would want to stay close." She smiled at Irina. "We’ll make up a room for you, child. Then, after you have slept, I think we may have things to talk about."
Irina's smile at that was somewhat triumphant. But Chloe would worry about her later. Now, she wanted Lucien.
Domina Francis walked with her back into the room, shooed the other healers out, and told Chloe they would check back regularly. Then she left the room, closing the door softly.
Lucien was still sleeping, but there was, she thought, more color in his face. And her sense of him through the bond felt more solid.
She sat on the bed beside him, laid her hand on his chest so she could feel his heart beating, then leaned down to kiss him, willing him to hear her. "Keep breathing. Wake up. I need you. And we have traitors to hunt."
* * *
THE END
A note from M.J.
I hope you loved reading THE EXILE’S CURSE.
The Daughter of Ravens series will continue Chloe’s story in The Traitor’s Game. You can also read Courting The Witch, a prequel novella featuring Imogene and Jean-Paul.
As an indie author, it really helps me when readers get the word out about my books, so if you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review at the store where you purchased it and tell your friends! If you want to stay up to date with all my news, find out about new releases and sales, then please sign up to my newsletter.
About the Author
M.J Scott is an unrepentant bookworm. Luckily she grew up in a family that fed her a properly varied diet of books and these days is surrounded by people who are understanding of her story addiction. When not wrestling one of her own stories to the ground, she can generally be found reading someone else’s. Her other distractions include yarn, cat butlering, dark chocolate and watercolor.
To keep in touch, find out about new releases and other news (and receive an exclusive freebie) sign up to her newsletter. She also writes contemporary romance as Melanie Scott and Emma Douglas.
You can email her at
mel@mjscott.net
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Also by M.J. Scott
Romantic fantasy
The Four Arts series
The Shattered Court
The Forbidden Heir
Courting The Witch (Prequel novella)
Coming 2021 - The Daughter of Ravens series
The Exile’s Curse
The Half-Light City series
Shadow Kin
Blood Kin
Iron Kin
Fire Kin
Urban fantasy
The Techwitch series
Wicked Games Wicked Words
The Wild Side series
The Wolf Within The Dark Side
Bring On The Night
The Day You Went Away (free prequel short story)
Acknowledgments
This book was pure fun to write so maybe I should thank Chloe and Lucien for behaving. But thank you to everyone who has been reading my books and telling me you enjoy them.
Thank you to Whendel for his gorgeous cover, which is so beautiful!
* * *
Big hugs and thanks as always to my Mum, the Lulus, Sarah, the Office gang and everyone else who’s been sharing these weird times with me. Smooches.