21. The Crows

It had been a whole day since Thorn put the pearl in Leila’s mouth. The sphere was slowly melting and growing smaller due to her body heat. But there was still no sign of her waking any time soon.

“You should rest, my prince.” Healer June stood up from bed. She lit a new candlestick and disposed of the old, melted wax. “You’ve barely slept since she…”

“I’m fine,” Thorn cut in. He hadn’t shaved for days. His eyes, however, were distinctly sparkling with hope. He stretched his long legs and leaned in toward Leila, gently stroking her hair. “The pearl is smaller now.”

June observed the red dust in Leila’s hand. “Be patient. It’ll work its wonders after it completely integrates with her blood. Look.” She showed Thorn the red dust; its movement seemed much less volatile and its hue wasn’t so aggressively red. “The serpent blood dust has been affected by the pearl already.”

Thorn nodded with great relief. Ula didn’t lie to him—the pearl was actually working. But he wondered about the oth