Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Marcus hesitated outside of Fedra’s room.
He lifted his hand and stared down at his open palm.
The pain had vanished, but it wasn’t something he would easily forget.
He had always thought he could tolerate pain well, but nothing could have prepared him for that.
Forming words had been nearly impossible.
Even his body had refused to listen to him. In short, he had been incapacitated.
It had been six hours since Con had practically carried him from the room. Six hours of going over every detail of what had happened from the time he’d reached for his magic until he collapsed onto his bed. He never wanted a repeat of that agony.
What he couldn’t figure out was why it had affected him more than it had Con.
Since Con had been touching her, it stood to reason that he should’ve been hit harder.
What was the difference? Marcus wanted to know the answer, but he wasn’t willing to put himself—or any of the other Kings—through that again.
He listened as Sian talked on the other side of the door. There were still many things he needed to sort out about the chamber. He should be working there, instead of standing outside Fedra’s room. But he still couldn’t make himself leave.
Just a quick look at her, he told himself. That’s all he would do. Once he found out she was okay, he would leave. He gave himself a nod and pushed the door open. As he stepped inside, he saw Sian place the bowl of medicine in Fedra’s hands.
Someone had given Fedra a royal blue sweatshirt, a pair of gray sweats, and some thick socks. Her midnight locks had been taken down and combed, and she had gathered the length over her left shoulder where it pooled beside her on the bed.
“Who’s here?” Fedra asked.
Marcus walked to his spot across from the foot of her bed and leaned back against the wall. It was a safe enough distance that he wouldn’t attempt to touch her. “It’s me.”
Sian nudged her arm. “Drink while it’s still hot.”
“Is there honey in it?” Fedra asked.
Sian glanced at him as she said, “There is.”
Fedra lifted the medicine to her lips and drained it in three gulps. Sian took the bowl, rose, and walked to Marcus, then plopped a small container into his hands.
“What’s this?” he asked in confusion.
Sian turned to the side and glared at Fedra. “She’s injured. I need to return to my lab. I have an experiment going that’s about to finish, and I need to be there. One more dose, and I’ll take the bandages off,” Sian told Fedra before hurrying out.
Marcus watched Sian leave before his gaze slid back to Fedra. He had no idea what she was thinking or feeling. Even if he asked, he wouldn’t believe what she told him. He curled his fingers around the small jar and pushed away from the wall.
“I can see to the wound,” she said.
He frowned at her words. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing.”
“What happened?” he asked in a firmer tone.
She flipped the covers over her legs. “I walked around the room because I was tired of being in bed.”
He slowly strolled toward her. “The only furniture in the room is the bed, tub, and the chair next to it. And the candelabras.”
“I don’t know what’s in the center of the room, but I know there is only the bed and three candle holders.”
He looked at each candelabra and saw that the one to his right had a new candle.
His gaze snapped back to her. Then, he raised his hand and looked at the jar resting in his palm.
Marcus removed the lid and looked at the balm inside.
It was used for burns. His eyes snapped back to her as his gut tightened.
“Your silence is making me nervous,” Fedra said.
He lowered himself to the mattress. “Where were you injured?”
“My hand,” she murmured.
“Let me see,” he bade softly.
She hesitated before holding out her right hand.
He saw the edge of the blistered skin beneath the cuff of the sweatshirt.
Marcus set the medicine aside and gently moved the sleeve away from her injured hand and up her forearm.
He looked over the burn. Though the injury was small, it still had to hurt her.
He looked at the tray Sian had left and saw several tools she used to apply ointments. He chose the wooden stick with the flat end and dipped it into the salve, getting some on the end. Just before he applied it, he looked up at Fedra.
“Tell me what happened,” he bade.
Her lips flattened as she released a breath. “I was prepared for furniture but not candles. My foot hit the holder hard enough that the candle toppled and landed on my hand.”
“You could’ve been gravely injured.”
“I know.”
He adjusted his hold on her hand and gently spread the cream over the burn. She jerked her arm and sucked in a quick breath. He glanced at her and continued to cover the burn. “I’ll have the candelabras removed.”
“There needs to be light.”
Normally, there wouldn’t be a need for candles, but since the torches didn’t work, they had no choice. He couldn’t use his magic to hang the candles either. He would need to devise another way.
“I’ll figure something out,” he told her.
She shook her head. “Now that I know they’re there, I’ll be more careful.”
“Even so, you could still run into one again, or worse, fall against it.”
“If I remain blind, I’ll need to learn to navigate the world. If I can’t move around one room, I’m in trouble.”
He finished with the salve. “True, but that doesna mean you can no’ be safe in the room you’re in.”
“I’ve already been a big enough problem.”
“Are there other burns?”
Before she could answer, he carefully turned her right hand over and inspected it before lowering it to her lap. Then he took her left hand and looked it over. He reached for more of the balm when he saw the slight burns on her fingertips.
“I barely touched the fire,” she said when he began spreading the medicine.
“I can see it, which means it needs the ointment.”
She said nothing more as he worked. He took longer than necessary, but he wasn’t ready to release her. When he finally finished, he placed the spatula on the tray and released her hand. He then replaced the lid on the medicine and set it on Sian’s tray.
“What happened to you the last time you were here?” she asked.
He stared at her face for a long stretch before pushing to his feet. “Nothing.”
“I was worried. I thought something might have happened.”
“As you can hear, I’m fine.”
She tilted her face up. “Do you regret finding me?”
He wasn’t sure he could answer that. On one hand, he had been ready to do anything to reach her. On the other, now that he knew that magic couldn’t be used around her, he was concerned about why she was here.
“I see,” she said and dropped her chin to her chest.
“I didna answer.”
She sighed. “Your silence was telling. I understand,” she said before he could say anything. “You don’t trust me.”
“Do you trust us?”
Fedra swallowed.
“I doona expect you to,” Marcus replied. “Trust is something that is earned, not freely given. We’re just learning about each other. It’s natural for both sides to feel anxious.”
“The only way for you to believe what I tell you is for me to give you proof, and that isn’t something I have.”
He walked to his normal position against the wall. “The more details you give us, the more we can investigate and find the proof.”
“That means I must trust you before you trust me.”
“I ask for no such thing. I’m asking for your story to be verified. I doona think that’s an unreasonable request. We did find you in our home, remember?”
She nodded slowly. “A home that wasn’t always yours.”
“I doona dispute that. But there is no record anywhere about those who once occupied the city, much less who built it. When we came here, Iron Hall had long been abandoned. So, aye, it is ours now. There are those here who need to be protected, and we will do what is necessary to ensure they’re no’ harmed. ”
“You asked for my story, and I gave it.”
He widened his stance as annoyance set in. “You gave vague details. You can no’ even tell us the date of when you went into stasis. We can no’ even try to guess how long you were there.”
“Since I’m blind, I’m completely at your mercy.”
He noted her clipped words. She was getting testy, too. “And if you could see? What would you do then?”
“Leave.”
“To go where?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Does it matter? As long as I’m not in the city, no one feels threatened.”
“Maybe. Maybe no’.”
“In other words, you wouldn’t let me go,” she stated angrily.
Marcus leaned back against the wall. “We’re doing some investigating to see if we can find anything to match up with what you told us.”
“You’re kidding, right?” she asked with a snort. “You might be able to find someone who has some history from a hundred years earlier, but nothing more.”
“Why are you so sure of that?”
She jerked her chin toward the bedside table. “You use candles to see. I’m sure you noticed the technology used for the stasis pod.”
“Technology that is nowhere else in the city.”
She stilled, realizing too late that she had given something away.
“If,” he continued, “you did live here, that kind of tech would be everywhere, no’ just in one chamber. Besides, how do you know we doona have our own technology? Did you ever think that we might have put candles in here on purpose?”
“To fool me, you mean?” she snapped.
He grinned at her response, almost wishing she could see his face. “You do jump to the worst conclusions. You’re in a separate area from others, and we doona waste resources.”
“Oh,” she murmured.
“That isna something we’ve shared, so it makes sense that you would think that. Plus, you doona have the use of your eyes yet.”
She released a long sigh. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have imagined the worst.”
“That’s human nature. You’ve woken among strangers. We’re all trying to find our footing in this situation.”
“I have no right to, but I must ask you for a favor.”
He quirked a brow, his interest in her growing. “What might that be?”
“Are you agreeing?”
“I willna agree to anything until I hear what you want.”
She hesitated, clearly considering her options. Finally, she asked, “Regardless of whether I regain my sight or not, will you take me out of the city? I’m not asking for you to accompany me. I just need a direction.”
There was a reason she wanted to leave, just as there had been a reason for her to be in the stasis pod. He would figure out the answers, one way or another.
“Well?” she pressed.
“Let me think on it.”