Phantom of the Heart Read Online Free Page A

could’ve left those marks. She had left similar ones, countless times, on Cybralle. She calmly meets her daughter’s eyes.
    “Is it about Lady Hernina?”
    Sterling dropped her face in her hands. “Mother…”
    There was knock on the door and before they could respond, the door swung open, admitting Cybralle. For a moment they all stared at each other before Cybralle walked over to the bed and pulled the bedding from Sterling. “Enough of this moping. I have a plan.” She frowned and looked at Mesmeria. “Why are you here?”
    Mesmeria shrugged. “Last I remember, I gave birth to her.”
    Cybralle grimaced. “As if I will ever forget that day.” She pulled Mesmeria up and against her chest. “You were up early today, I did not get to greet you properly.”
    Smiling brightly, Mesmeria threw her arms around Cybralle’s neck. “I went for a ride.”
    “Maybe I am not fulfilling my duties, if you wake up with so much energy to spend.”
    A loud groan sounded, followed by the rustling of bedding and hurried footsteps as Sterling made herself scarce. They both laughed at that. Mesmeria could not believe that, after all this time, the ruse still worked.
    Sure that Sterling was out of earshot, she turned serious. “She is avoiding me. What is the plan you mentioned earlier?”
    Cybralle brushed a soft kiss over her lips. “Not intentionally.” She pressed another kiss on Mesmeria’s lips. “We need to woo someone.”
    Mesmeria’s lips fell open in surprise. “Who? And why are you involved?”
    “I cannot tell you the name of the fair maiden,” Cybralle whispered. “As for my involvement, I managed to get you to fall in love with me. That alone makes me a renowned counsel on affairs of the heart.”
    Mesmeria stared at Cybralle for a long moment, before she threw her head back and laughed heartily. “I was the one who pursued you , if I remember correctly.”
    “That was my tactic,” Cybralle boasted, her bearing upright and powerful. Mesmeria rolled her eyes at the posturing. They both know that if she had not gotten tipsy that night and ordered Cybralle to lower her head so she could kiss her, they never would have been where they are now. She decided to let it go.
    “Will you take care so she does not get hurt?” she asked softly, her mother’s heart aching for her child.
    “She is already in pain, sweetling,” Cybralle said. “I doubt she can hurt more than she already does.”
    Mesmeria leaned against Cybralle’s chest. Of all the things that could cripple her child, it had to be love.
     
    ***
     
    Orla studied the horseshoe carefully. Satisfied, she dropped it on the work bench. That was the last job for the day. Now, she only had the stables left. A group of nobles had arrived earlier in the day for the Solstice. After the long trip, the horses needed feeding and grooming. She had sent the other groomsmen home early. The annual Solstice celebration was tonight, and it drew large crowds from surrounding towns and provinces. Unlike the boys, she did not care much for celebrations. This year, like all the other years before, she would spend her time working. With the city brimming with revelers, she always made good money. It was time to fix the small barn adjoining their hut. Her mother also needed cloth for new clothing.
    She stretched languidly. As soon as she was done with the horses, she would see if her private bathing spot at the creek was unoccupied. Closing her hut, she purposefully walked over to the stables. She walked straight to the stall holding Sterling’s horse. Over the past weeks, she had developed a deep liking for the stoic stallion. Orla was the only one of the grooms the stallion allowed near him. She entered the stall and chuckled when the horse began nibbling on her shirt.
    “It would appear you missed me too,” she murmured as she patted him.
    There was a soft sound from behind the horse, and Orla quickly stepped away from the stallion. She knew immediately who it