I had drained every last drop of magic from myself, and then from every other mage in the Sickbay, until we were all left swaying on our feet, barely upright. But the patients—one by one—opened their eyes, blinking at the world they’d almost left behind. When they learned I’d pulled them back, their gazes pressed in on me, heavy and searching, until I wanted nothing more than to disappear behind the cardinals and the pope. Something in the cardinal’s eyes had changed, a silent agreement that whatever doubts they’d held about me had vanished.
The pope’s voice was soft, almost fragile, but the moment she spoke, the cheerful noise in the room faded away like mist in the morning sun. Every head turned, some faces registering her presence for the very first time.
“There were one hundred patients in this room. Many we had long given up on. Today they were saved by our newly appointed Cardinal Ruby Yuwen.”
Cardinal!?
I wanted to shout, to protest, to run. I was no cardinal—I had never even prayed to the celestial gods, let alone knew their scripture. But the look in Lucrezia’s eyes pinned me in place, leaving no room for argument. So I swallowed my words and let the silence settle over me.
The other cardinals looked just as stunned as I felt. Back in the chamber, they might have argued, might have found a way to block this, but now it was too late. Too many witnesses, too many whispers about what I’d done. For the lower clergy, it was obvious—I belonged in a higher place. But the cardinals beside me, I could almost feel their disappointment, their plans unraveling in the space of a few sentences. Lucrezia had upended everything, for them and for me, with a handful of words that left no room for protest.
Lucrezia led a brief consistory ceremony for me in the main hall, and my nerves felt like they might spill out onto the marble floor. Some of the cardinals wore expressions of grievance at having their candidates for the cardinal seat overlooked. Lucrezia held a golden orb in one hand and a scepter in the other—the same symbols I’d seen in the hands of the celestial gods in my dreams. The orb bit into my skin with its cold, and the scepter’s weight burned against my shoulder, but Lucrezia’s face never changed. She only looked down at me with a gentle smile, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, as if she was quietly pleased with how she’d cornered me into this role.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to speak—the ceremony passed in a blur. They draped me in a robe like Seymour’s, all bright yellows, reds, and oranges, triskelions stitched where the colors bled together. The hooded cape was black inside, deep blue outside, heavy on my shoulders, as if it already knew the weight I’d have to carry.
When I pulled the robe over my dress and turned, I saw the patients had gathered in the main hall. The men stood on the black side, the women on the white, all of them watching me with a kind of reverence that made my skin prickle. As soon as the ceremony ended, their cheers and wild howls shattered the quiet, a sudden storm after the hush.
Thankfully, that was when a whole retinue of Solar knights appeared to escort me home, Elio at the front, surprising me with one of his rare smiles. For once, I was grateful for their presence, for the shield they offered between me and the world. Lucrezia made me promise to come back the next day and forbade me from using my mana for anything but healing until then.
The Yuwen household stared as I stepped out of the carriage, still wrapped in the cardinal’s robes. Janus, who must have just returned, eyed the robes as if they were something poisonous, then hurried me past his stunned family and into our room. Even Maria nearly dropped her book, her mouth hanging open.
Once we were alone, Janus just stared at me, his eyes searching mine for answers.
“I-I didn’t know she would make me a cardinal… I swear I thought at most of an honorary bishop.”
“Did the other cardinals come up with that, or was it her idea?” he asked, suppressing his rage.
“They were just as shocked as I was. She announced it right after I finished healing everyone. Once Lucrezia spoke, no one could object—too many people had heard, too many had seen what I did… I’m really sorry, Janus. I really am.”
I felt tears prick at my eyes, threatening to spill over.
“Sigh.”
Janus pulled me into his arms, holding me tight.
“I’m not angry at you, and I’m not angry that everyone finally sees how incredible my wife really is. It’s just… I’ve been drowning in work at the castle, and now you’ll be pulled away even more, spending less time with the kids and me. I wish I could shake that old hag until she sets you free, sends you back to us.”
“Hag? Really?” I laughed, pressing my finger against his chest. “Don’t go picking fights over me, okay? She promised I could come home to Rosedron after this summer. Benjamin already said he’d cover for me while I’m gone.”
Even though Benjamin sounded less than pleased in his letter at the prospect of not seeing me for over a year.
Janus’s eyes lingered on me, worry etched deep in his face.
“You still don’t get it, Ruby, but that’s not surprising; you haven’t attended the same meetings I did. There is war coming, not from the Ibasans, not from the Dwarven expedites, but from within. The South is amassing troops at its borders while our relations suffer under all these assassinations, not to mention that the Halflings are close to trying a rebellion to form their own state. I fear that when it eventually starts, you will be asked to the front lines to heal the wounded.”
I stared at Janus, confused.
“Isn’t that exactly what I’m already doing in Rosedorn?”
“Yes, but there you might be out of my reach. No thick walls, just a thin tent between you and danger. In Rosedorn, the walls are high, and I’m always close by.”
I could tell that was what he really wanted—to stay close, to keep me safe.
“If they ask for me to defend King and country, they will most likely also ask for you then.”
Now it was my turn to look at Janus with worry, but he just brushed it away with a wave of his hand.
“I will be fine, don’t worry.”
“You have to promise me that if it looks like you will lose, you run, okay? Do it for me, do it for Sera and Alex, you hear me?”
“I promise to always return to your side. Is that enough?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I leaned in, our lips meeting softly, and a single tear slipped down my cheek.
