“Will you sit down, my lady?” Gerald asked, offering me a chair.
“I will not.”
“That’s for the best anyway,” Loelle said. “We must leave at once.”
My eyes narrowed. “Why now?”
Her frown deepened, and she glanced at Gerald before continuing, “You are in danger, from Captain Tenger.”
By now, my pulse was racing and I shook my head, incredulous. “He means to harm me? Because I didn’t end the relationship with Simon?”
“No, my lady. It’s because—” Gerald sighed. “When you healed the king before, was there a moment when your souls connected?”
I hesitated, but if my life was in danger, I had to be honest. “Yes. It was the only way to keep Simon … with us.”
“Of course.” Gerald cleared his throat before continuing. “During that connection, the king observed something in you that is very concerning.”
I stared over at him with no idea of what he could possibly mean. Finally, he added a single word: “Corruption.”
My face felt hot. “That’s impossible. I’ve not had magic for even a week.”
“Yes.” Gerald nodded. “So you can understand the problem.”
I crossed my hands over my stomach, as if the corruption were there, as if it were a tangible mass that could be cut out surgically. Simon had tried to talk to me about this in the garden. And apparently Tenger already knew about the corruption too. He wasn’t going to wait for me to kill Endrick. He’d replace me with a new Infidante instead.
Trina.
I shook my head. “I won’t run away—I can defend myself against Tenger and against anyone else.”
“Defending yourself is not the problem,” Loelle said. “And you’re not running away.”
“You must be sent away.” Gerald took a step toward me before adding, “When the Halderians came to Lonetree, Captain Tenger offered us a compromise. If we backed down and allowed him to restore your memories, in exchange, you would stay out of the Hiplands.”
I looked to Loelle for confirmation and she nodded, twisting my heart even deeper. So Tenger had always intended to separate me and Simon. The necklace was only an excuse.
As gently as possible, Gerald continued, “You must leave the Hiplands tonight and promise to never return. You bring danger to our king, and to all our people.”
“I saved your king, and I’m trying to save your people!”
“We are grateful for what you did in the battle, please believe that. But many Halderians are frightened of you.”
What had started as a tremor of worry was quickly swelling, filling my entire chest with heartache. “Simon asked me to stay, and I agreed. When he wakes up and finds I’m gone, he’ll come after me. He always does.”
Gerald’s eyes saddened. “My lady, if you do not leave, then the king will never wake up.”
My attention shifted to Loelle. “What is he talking about? Is Simon sick?”
“There’s an infection in Simon’s arm, and it’s spreading.”
“Infection?” This must have been in the arm he’d been favoring earlier. Why had he hidden that from me? “Is it serious?”
Loelle’s eyes betrayed her answer. “Very serious.”
Without another word, I pushed past them both and marched into the corridor. Trina stood upright, though from her position, she had obviously been listening through the door.
She quickly said, “I swear to you, Kestra, I’m not part of any plot to replace you as Infidante.”
I ignored her and went to the east wing of the home, where Simon’s room was supposed to be. I wouldn’t have known which one was his except that two guards stood at either side of a door.