Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Rhi teleported them to the halfway mark between the great hall and Fedra’s room, and they tested their magic again without any issues. Their next stop was a third of the way there. Again, no problems.
It wasn’t until the next location that things went awry.
It took Rhi two attempts to change the color of her nail polish.
Worry darkened her silver eyes as she lifted them to Marcus.
He steeled himself as he held out his hand and told his magic to give him an apple.
It appeared easily. But when he tried to make it disappear, it wouldn’t.
They shared an anxious look, but neither said anything.
They reached the hallway where Con was waiting.
He hadn’t moved from the spot where they had left him.
He studied both of them as they silently walked to stand beside him.
Rhi nodded, indicating that she would go first. He and Con waited, but nothing happened.
A heartbeat later, her hair was suddenly braided.
Rhi blew out a nervous breath. “It took me three tries this time.”
“And before?” Con asked.
“Two when we were a quarter of the way there,” she answered.
Marcus was ready when Con slid his gaze to him. “I didna have an issue until our last stop.” He held up the apple. “I made it appear, but I couldna make it vanish.”
“Both of your magic was obviously affected the closer you two got to Fedra,” Con replied.
Marcus tossed the apple into the air and told his magic to make it disappear. In an instant, it was gone. He was relieved, but it didn’t mean that all was well, and they knew it.
“Let’s try near the door now,” Rhi said reluctantly.
Con took her arm. “You doona have to.”
“I do,” she said, a small smile curving her lips as she looked into his dark eyes.
Con nodded, and the three of them walked together to stand outside Fedra’s room by the door. The bed was about ten feet from the door, which made it a good place to see how close they could get to Fedra without their magic being affected.
Once again, Rhi was the first to attempt magic. She pointed to her gold dangle earrings. “I’m changing these to silver,” she announced.
The color changed a few seconds later. Then it was Marcus’s turn again.
He looked at the tray holding the soup and imagined another tray containing a teapot filled with hot tea and a cup.
He counted five seconds before it appeared, but during that time, he felt a dull ache in his bones. He immediately looked at Rhi.
“You, too?” she asked.
Con looked between them. “What?”
“It isn’t pain, really,” Rhi began.
Marcus grunted. “It’s an ache in my bones.”
“Aye. Exactly,” she said with a nod.
Concern tightened Con’s face. “Doona do anymore,” he told Rhi. Then he asked, “Did either of you feel anything before?”
Marcus shook his head.
“Nothing,” Rhi answered.
Con glanced at the door. “It’ll be worse inside.”
“I have to find out,” Marcus said.
Rhi nodded. “We do.”
“No’ you,” Con said, facing her. “Magic is part of us. That means, it’s part of our child. If something should happen, I—”
She pulled his head down until their lips briefly touched. “I know. And I agree. I’ve already said I wouldn’t use magic inside.”
“No matter what, doona use it,” Con ordered her.
Marcus put his ear to the door and listened, but he couldn’t hear Fedra in the water any longer. He rapped his knuckles on the wood. “I have food when you’re ready.”
“Just a moment,” she replied.
Once she bade them to enter, he opened the door to see her in the robe, standing with her back to them.
She turned her head to the side, allowing him to see her profile in the candlelight.
He paused as heat stole through his body at the sight of the tendrils of hair stuck to the sides of her face and neck.
The robe clung to still-damp patches of skin, drawing his eyes.
Rhi touched his shoulder, jerking him out of the moment. He cleared his throat and said, “Rhi and Con are also with me.”
Fedra turned toward them, her hands gripping the robe’s cuffs. Marcus couldn’t tell if she was tired or nervous.
“How do you feel?” Rhi asked her.
A smile curved Fedra’s lips. “Refreshed. I don’t know what Sian put in the water, but it worked wonders.”
Marcus set the tray on the bedside table and walked to her. “Shall I guide you to the bed?”
“Please,” Fedra murmured and held out a hand.
He was all too eager to touch her. His gaze lowered to their hands when he grasped hers and watched as her fingers curled over his. He moved up beside her and wrapped his other arm around her. His blood thrummed loudly in his ears as all the nerve endings where their bodies touched came alive.
Aware that Con and Rhi were watching them, Marcus reined in the surge of desire and focused on getting her to the bed. Her hand lingered on his as he lifted the covers for her to get settled. She was quick to put her bare feet beneath the blankets while Rhi plumped the pillows.
“We brought soup again,” Con said. “This time, there’s bread, too.”
Rhi sat on the edge of the bed facing Fedra. “At this rate, it won’t be long before you’re eating regular food and moving about easier.”
“I hope so,” Fedra replied with a grin. “I don’t like being so helpless.”
“We’re happy to help,” Rhi replied.
Con handed Marcus the tray of food and stepped back, waving Rhi to him. Once Rhi stood, Marcus took her place. He waited until Rhi stood with Con near the open door before turning his attention to Fedra.
He placed the tray on his lap and then handed her the bread. “I imagine it’s no’ easy being in a position where someone needs to feed you.”
“It isn’t,” Fedra answered.
“I can give you the bowl if you’d like to try it yourself,” Marcus suggested.
Fedra shook her head. “As much as I wish I could, I’d rather not have food spilled on me.”
“It’s no problem at all.” Marcus lifted a spoonful and brought it to her mouth.
Con asked, “How do your eyes feel?”
Fedra swallowed the soup. “They feel normal, but I don’t know if that means I can see or not.”
“Sian will let you know when it’s time to test it,” Marcus said as he gave her another spoonful.
Fedra tore off a piece of bread and popped it into her mouth. “I’m both excited and terrified at the prospect.”
“That’s understandable,” Con replied.
Marcus studied Fedra’s face, and Rhi filled the quiet with stories of the children’s antics as he fed Fedra.
Several times, she smiled in response to something Rhi said.
Everyone wore a mask of some kind, and everyone had secrets.
The problem was not knowing if Fedra’s secrets could harm those in Iron Hall.
He set the empty bowl on the tray and moved it to the floor. “I also brought tea. Would you like some?”
“Please,” Fedra said eagerly.
Marcus poured the tea into the mug and waited for Fedra to eat the last of the bread before taking her hand and gently placing her fingers into the handle. Once she had a hold of it with both hands, he removed his. Then, he pushed to his feet and walked to the end of the bed.
“Are you up for more questions?” Con asked.
Fedra slowly brought the cup to her lips and blew into it. “I’ll answer what I can.”
“I’m sure you have some questions of your own,” Rhi added.
Fedra blew into the mug again. “I do.”
Marcus settled against the wall as he watched the scene before him.
“The last time we spoke, you told us your people were eradicated,” Con said. “Can you tell us more about who you went to war with?”
Fedra went eerily still before she tilted the cup and took a sip. “This is good,” she said, then paused. “Monsters.”
Marcus stiffened as he looked to Con.
“What kind of monsters?” Rhi asked.
Fedra continued to sip her tea. “That’s what we called what came to take our homes and country.”
Marcus couldn’t tell if she was referring to men or actual monsters.
“There are those who seek war for glory or simply because they enjoy killing. Then there are times when there is no choice but to go to war to defend your home.” Con released a sigh. “Peace seems elusive.”
Fedra angled her head. “Is there a war now?”
“There are those near us who once waged war. That has stopped for the time being,” Rhi explained.
“That’s good.” Fedra continued to drink, never taking the cup far from her mouth.
Marcus asked, “Were the battles nearby?”
“They were everywhere.”
He met Con’s gaze. If that was the case, then maybe one of the dragons had seen something and could confirm her story, as well as give them a time frame for when it happened.
“It’s a good thing Iron Hall was here for you to escape,” Rhi said.
Fedra lowered her arms to her lap, the cup now empty. “I don’t know what we would’ve done without it.”
“We’ve no’ found any bodies,” Con said. “When we came to the city, it was abandoned.”
Fedra shrugged, frowning as she said, “That means either everyone was killed, or those few that managed to survive left to start anew.”
“I thought your race was dying. That’s why you were put in the pod,” Rhi pointed out.
Fedra’s smile was forced. “I’m guessing. I was already in the pod. As I explained earlier, our numbers were declining rapidly. I’d like to think they went on living.”
“Why no’ wake you and take you with them?” Con asked.
She smoothed some hair from her cheek. “You’d have to ask them, I’m afraid.”
Marcus pushed from the wall. It was time for him to test his magic. Just as he was about to, Fedra’s head turned to him.
“Could I trouble you for more tea?” she asked.
He walked to her and took the cup from her cradled hands. Once he filled it, he replaced it. As he started to rise, she touched his arm. He looked at her, waiting.
“Is something wrong? You’ve been quiet,” she said.
“I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”
“And I kept you waiting as I soaked.” She removed her hand from his arm and brought the cup to her lips again.
He straightened but decided to remain beside her. “It wasna a problem.”
“It’s because I said your name, isn’t it?”
Marcus wished he could see her eyes. He wanted to look into their dark brown depths to see if he could discern between the lies and the truth. “How did you do that?”
“I’m not really sure.” She tapped a finger on the mug as her brow furrowed.
“The times I did wake, unable to move, I used to scream in my head. Then, one day, I heard voices. Sometimes, they were far away. Other times, they seemed to be close. Eventually, I heard you. I thought you were in the room with me. One time, I screamed for help, knowing that no one would hear me. But you answered.” A small smile curved her lips.
“I couldn’t believe you actually heard me. ”
“It sounded like a whisper.”
She took a drink. “I was screaming, but it got easier to reach you the more I did it. Then I heard them say your name.”
“You were able to reach Marcus all over the city,” Con said. “How did you do that?”
Fedra shook her head. “I have no idea.”
Marcus looked down at the bare floor and thought about her cold feet. He needed to use his magic anyway. Might as well do something to benefit her. He steeled himself and reached for his power. The moment he did, agony seared him like a hot iron scraping muscle from bone.
His breath locked in his chest as he doubled over, but it was just the beginning. The pain streaked across his body like the arms of lightning, freezing his joints and stiffening his muscles. If this was what Con had felt, how had he hidden it, much less stayed on his feet?
“Marcus?”
He heard Fedra call his name as if from a thousand miles away. Suddenly, Con was beside him, holding him up.
“What’s going on?” Fedra demanded, the worry evident in her clipped words.
Marcus saw Rhi’s black boots as she hurried over.
“You spilled,” Rhi said to her. “Did it burn you?”
Somehow, Marcus got his legs to obey as Con moved him away.
“I’ll get some more tea, and Marcus will give Sian an update,” Con called as they left the room.
The pain didn’t start to abate until they were out in the hallway. Then, Marcus was able to stand on his own with the help of the wall. “Fuck me,” he murmured.
“What happened?” Con asked.
Marcus looked at him. “What do you mean, what happened? I tried to use my magic to create a rug and was hit with pain the likes of which I’ve never experienced before. How did you manage to talk and walk out on your own?”
“It wasna easy, but my muscles didna seize as yours did.”
“So, it hits people differently.” Marcus leaned his head against the wall and snorted. “That’s just what we need.”
Con sighed. “We were both right next to her, but I was actually touching her. I would’ve thought that might hurt worse.”
“I think we can confirm that Fedra’s the cause. Now, we need to determine if she’s doing it on purpose and is something she can control, or if it was caused by her being in the pod.”
Con looked back the way they had come. “She suspected something was wrong. I’d rather her no’ know anything for the time being.”
“Agreed. We need to pass on this information to the others immediately. Keep everyone who doesna need to be around Fedra away.”
“I already planned on it.” Con motioned with his chin. “Come on. Let’s get you to your room to rest. You’ll feel much better the farther you get from her.”