From Selene’s expression I knew that she had misspoken.

  “Selene! What happened to Helian?”

  She sighed. “Please calm down. I was going to tell you anyway… I intended to tell you as soon as I arrived, but you were in no condition to-”

  “How could you keep this from me?”

  “If I told you, you would have gotten yourself onto a horse somehow and rode back immediately, and you probably would have been permanently injured as a result. Or worse!”

  Ugh.

  “At the very least, perhaps you better understand what I was saying now…”

  “What happened to Helian?”

  “She fell asleep again, that’s all. She’s going to be alright. Rosa is with her.”

  Why would she specify that?

  “… Rosa’s with her?”

  Selene had said I wasn’t needed at home, I was needed in the county.

  “You sent her somewhere? Away from the estate? Why the hell would you-”

  “She’s at the temple, Frost. They’re going to treat her condition, or at least try to. And as I said, Rosa’s with her. She’s safe.”

  I realized then that I was gripping my cup so tightly it was on the verge of breaking, so I forced myself to relax my hands.

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  “It’s not too far from the estate – we made sure she wouldn’t leave the county. Once you return home, you can go straight there. But you have to promise to speak to your mother first, okay? She’s been very worried about you, so you must see her before you go. To be honest, Sola tried to convince me not to tell you. She was concerned you’d spend the whole trip back distraught and thought you shouldn’t learn until you returned home.”

  Considering how I felt right now, she probably had the right idea.

  “But as I said, sometimes it’s better to disclose a secret earlier. I trust you’ll handle this correctly, yes?”

  “I can’t make any promises, Selene… but okay, I’ll do my best. I’ll see Mother first.”

  The dame walked over and wrapped me in a hug.

  “It’s going to be alright. Just take things step by step. Make up for lost time once you see Helian again, okay?”

  “This is probably a bad time to mention that I had another topic to bring up…”

  Selene grimaced. “Is it worse than the first one?”

  “Probably… it depends on your perspective. The world might be ending.”

  “Oh… yes, don’t tell Helian about that. Not yet at least.”

  “The dragon said the reason it’s getting warmer is that a natural cycle has been delayed. It’s supposed to be regulated… by dragons, saintesses, and the tree.”

  “The tree you two lit on fire?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  “And our saintess happens to be sleeping right now… yes, I can see how that would be a problem.”

  “This is the part where I mention that I don’t have any idea how to go about regulating nature. I suspect Helian doesn’t have any idea, either.”

  “So two of the three pillars holding the world up are out of commission, essentially?”

  “Something like that. On the bright side, she said Helian and I haven’t failed in our duties, and we’d know when the time was right… so maybe it will be fine?”

  “For now… let’s assume that it will be fine. You should focus on Helian. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll contact some acquaintances and ask them to investigate the weather. They’ll write to you if they learn anything.”

  I nodded. “That’s better than doing nothing, I suppose.”

  “I was planning to tell you to get some rest and leave tomorrow morning, but I assume you wouldn’t be able to get a good night’s sleep anyway…”

  “Yeah… I think I’ll leave as soon as I can.”

  Selene patted me on the shoulder. “Be safe. I’ll see you and Helian soon enough, back at the estate. Make sure to thank Lady Rosa for her hard work.”