34. Chapter 34
T he scent of burnt flesh assaulted my senses as soon as we walked into the empty antechamber. It was bad. Orm had downplayed the situation so much that I couldn’t help giving him some very serious side-eye.
At least he’d come to get me straight away. But our relaxed banter on the way here felt completely inappropriate now. I was so close to scolding him that I took a deep, calming breath, regretting it instantly. Now wasn’t the time to indulge in anger. Not when the suffering of so many threatened to overwhelm my senses.
The place was cold, with unglazed windows meant to reduce the stifling smell of open wounds. Unfortunately, that also made the wounded soldiers’ moans sound eerily frightening. I knew one raróg could be challenging to deal with, but an entire nest? Those fire demons might be as beautiful as falcons, but being the size of a horse with flames issuing from their beaks, claws, and wings, they were more deadly than any bird of prey.
‘Vahin, how are the other dragons? Should I send some healers there? Please tell me they are all right … Vahin, answer me, you overgrown—If you don’t answer, I will come to your lair and beat the answer out of your scaly arse right now!’
My thoughts were frantic and worried as it suddenly occurred to me that if riders were here, their dragons might also need help. I started freaking out when Vahin didn’t respond immediately.
‘They are fine, Little Flame. Some are a little battered, but we heal fast, and mostly, all we need now is to hunt and feed. You almost knocked me out of the sky, blasting me with your worry. Help your fellow humans and don’t worry about me or any other “scaly arses.” We have ways to heal our injured brethren,’ came the amused thought. I inhaled deeply, thankful I could focus on the problems here.
The first issue was breathing. The further inside I walked, the stronger the stench grew. We stopped by a large oak door, and Orm opened it with one hard push. A few men and women in undyed linen aprons turned to stare as we entered but soon dismissed us, returning to their duties. I couldn’t see anyone in green healer robes. That could only mean that they were elsewhere with the injured soldiers in their care.
I could smell the herbal paste often used by healers to prevent wounds from rotting, but this one had the distinctive smell that only Katija could achieve. Yet I failed to see the herbalist anywhere.
When my gaze swept to the furthest corner, I saw a man, marked by death, his eyes glazed by poppy tincture and body charred beyond recognition. ‘Why didn’t you tell me it was this bad?’ I asked quietly. ‘Orm, you need every pair of hands you can get.’
‘I came to find you the moment I’d left the last man on a bed. I couldn’t come earlier, Ani. I led these men, and it was my responsibility to get them help first. I failed and—’ I turned, glaring at him, too exasperated to hold back.
‘You didn’t fail them,’ I hissed. Orm’s confession made me realise how broken he felt bringing back so many wounded soldiers. ‘Go to the quartermaster and ask them for all their clean linen and healing paste. Find Katja. If she is not in the garrison, send her here to help with the wounded, then rest—and no, don’t argue.’
‘I sent the healers to the garrison, but not your friend. I will find her and bring her here.’ His voice was uncertain, I took pity on him.
‘Katja probably went with them, so leave her be,’ I said, shaking my head when he opened his mouth. ‘What did I say? Don’t argue with me, not right now. Just do as I ask, please.’
‘If you’re sure you don’t need me … Is there anything else before I go? Fuck, I feel so useless.’
‘Orm, we’ll take care of your men. Just ensure we have the supplies we need,’ I replied, and he walked away. For a moment, I observed his large back and slumped shoulders disappearing into the corridor’s darkness before a cry for help woke me from my stupor.
I looked over the beds and noticed Alaric bent over the one in the far corner. He hadn’t noticed our arrival, as his concentration was focused on a healing spell. I could see the aether move through the sigil as green light surrounded both him and his patient. I couldn’t see the victim, but the silence was not a good sign, so I hurried over. ‘Ari? How can I help?’ I placed my hand on Alaric’s shoulder, and he looked at me like a person awoken from a deep trance.
‘The damage is too extensive, and my reserves are nearly depleted. He needs someone with plenty of power to maintain the high magic of the healing arcana sigil. That’s the only thing that can heal him now. I barely have any aether left, and I can’t sustain it.’ The pain etched in his features mirrored that on the soldier’s face.
‘The only way I could do it is by using foul magic and a blood offering, and that doesn’t work well with humans,’ he explained, more to himself, and I knew he was using my presence as a sounding board.
Instead of working on his idea, I threw my solution into the pot. ‘Or … you could use me. I’m a conduit, remember?’ His pupils widened, and he shook my hand off his back. ‘You would have to Anchor me to do that, and I can’t allow it,’ he said sharply, but I raised my eyebrow.
‘Ari, when I arrived here, we practised the tethering glyph. Draw it on my palm and let me touch you. You can channel my magic using it, and I will simply be a source of energy; I can be just that, a tool in your hands. That’s why conduit mages are so valuable … We are, in essence, a source of power.’ I smiled when he looked at me with confusion.
‘I hadn’t thought about that, the fire when you Anchored Vahin …’
‘That was Anchoring. I was the channeler while he was the source. We’ll do the opposite. I will be your source, and all you have to do is accept my help, create the bloody glyph, and let me touch you. You didn’t have a problem with that before. You wanted my touch. What changed? It feels like you’re rejecting me.’
Alaric’s face went pale. I’d clearly struck a nerve, but my dark fae regained his composure without answering the question. ‘Fine, but I will have to use my blood.’ When I nodded, he pierced his forearm with a dagger and used its tip to draw a complex glyph on my hand. I watched the red runes disappear, almost as if my skin were a sponge absorbing the spell.
‘My turn. All I need is your bare skin to place my hand on, so try to relax … if you can.’ I was still talking when Alaric reached up and untied his shirt, stripping it off his shoulders without a moment’s hesitation. My breath caught at the sight, my fingers trembling as they made contact with his bare, muscled chest. I watched Alaric trace an incredibly complicated set of sigils over his patient, so fascinated that I forgot where my hand rested.
‘I’m ready.’
That was the only warning I received before he started chanting a cantrip. I felt the pull of his magic and opened myself to it. Being a simple conduit for power was easy. It was so easy, in fact, that the skill could be used against my will if there was a mage strong enough to force the connection.
This time, however, I was willing. The sensation, the feeling of warmth that came with the aether flowing from my body into Alaric’s, gave me an immense sense of satisfaction. I couldn’t really heal others myself, but at least I was able to support a man who could.
As I had nothing else to do but stand there, letting him siphon my aether while Orm’s and Vahin’s Anchors stabilised the flow, I focused on the healing process. It was never too late to learn, and with all of the recent attacks, I hoped to pick up a skill or two.
The world around me was suddenly made from shades of grey as my eyesight adjusted to the aetheric realm. Alaric’s sigils were exquisite. The visible parts were so complex that I didn’t even know where they started, nor did I recognise the patterns.
What I saw when I opened my mind to the veiled world of the aether took my breath away with its beauty. Even Arno, skilled as he had been, couldn’t have created as intricate a design as the one coating the burnt man’s body in otherworldly light.
Alaric kept chanting a spell in his native language. I joined in, repeating the words I remembered, adding my will and power to the healing spell that glowed green over the patient. I saw the aether entering his body, filling every corner and lighting it from within, mending the charred skin and muscles shredded by a raróg’s claws.
What Alaric did was nothing short of miraculous, and I knew it must have cost him dearly because he was taking energy from me faster than I expected. I closed my eyes, feeling the life force of every living being in the room, then further still until the entire building lit up in my mind like a summer bonfire. I siphoned energy from the surrounding area, careful to avoid burdening the injured.
When the pull stopped, I exhaled slowly. Alaric’s hand was on mine, holding it to his chest. His muscles tensed when I tried to pull away, but he let me go and looked at me with a yearning that took my breath away. ‘That was incredible. I felt … you hide an addictive power, Ani. I understand even less why they let you walk away from the university and the king’s service.’
‘They didn’t. I had to fake my death to break free, but even then they kept my geas.’
I looked at the patient. He was still injured, but he was no longer at death’s door. His breath was now even, and I could see freshly closed scars instead of open, weeping wounds. Alaric turned his head, and I saw the amusement on his features as he said, ‘I sometimes forget how resourceful you can be.’ I shrugged, then changed the subject.
‘Your skill is impressive. I don’t think I’ve seen someone so well-versed in high magic … What you did to his body, it feels like you could raise the dead without necromancy.’
‘That’s what a couple of centuries of practice will do. I cannot heal the dead, though. I could raise a soulless corpse with the foul magic in my blood, but I’m unwilling to pay the price for such an act.’ The darkness in Alaric’s gaze as he looked at me was shocking, but it disappeared as he continued, gesturing to the next cot. ‘Are you ready to continue, or do you need a rest?’
Before I could answer, the door to the chamber burst open, revealing Katja and, to my surprise, Bryna. ‘Gods, it stinks worse in here than the garrison’s forge after the apprentice poured molten metal on his leg,’ Bryna commented, wrinkling her nose before Katja elbowed her.
‘You insisted on coming here, so shut your gob and help. We need fresh water and lots of it. Grab your soldier friends and make yourself busy,’ Katja ordered, and the half-orc rolled her eyes.
‘Fine, and good to see you again, Ani. Better late than never. These men need you more than the commander needs you in his bed,’ she remarked, heading back to get some water. I looked at both women, baffled as to why the blacksmith was there.
‘Bryna’s helping the healers?’ I looked at Ari as he ushered me to another cot.
‘She came after the first victims arrived. Quite a few women volunteered to look after the wounded. Bryna decided that since she was the garrison’s favourite blacksmith, she’d also be the soldiers’ lucky charm—an unusually tall lucky charm … with a hefty hammer,’ he said with a smirk.
I turned towards Katija, giving her a tentative smile before speaking. ‘Yes, that’s our Bryn. I’m sorry that I didn’t come earlier. When everything settles down, I need some female company to help deal with the recent overload of males. Lately, circumstances have been, well, difficult .’ Katja rolled her eyes at my attempt at explaining.
‘Yes, I know about your circumstances, all three of them. News spreads like wildfire here, and I’m telling you, this place is even worse when it comes to gossiping than our town square during market day. Let’s help these patients, and you can share all the details later.’
I chuckled, watching Katija take over the care of those with minor burns, leaving the severe injuries to be magically healed.
After finishing up with a second patient, Ari and I found a good rhythm, and I even managed to repeat a few words of Ari’s incantation without prompting. Not that I knew their meaning. But I repeated them anyway, trying to learn from the more experienced mage. We moved from one patient to another, repeating the process until all that was left were the soldiers whom Katija and the other volunteers had already patched up.
I washed my hands and walked out to sit in the fresh air. I hadn’t noticed the passage of time, but the day had turned into evening. As soon as I sat down, the tiredness that always came with using my conduit skills hit me with a vengeance, and I felt my eyes closing.
I was half asleep when Ari walked out and sat next to me. He was quiet for a moment before embracing me and pulling me close. After an entire day of fighting death and pain, sharing the aether with a man whose skin felt like exotic silk made me feel close to him, and I welcomed his touch. With a deep sigh, I lay my head on his shoulder. It felt so right.
I could see several dragon riders mingling with the females next to the small lake while fae lanterns awakened to life in the falling dusk. ‘I missed you,’ I whispered, and he leaned over to kiss my forehead. ‘I know, sweetheart, I’m sorry.’
Every now and again, a dragon descended to the landing field before heading for the caverns to rest. Crickets and owls filled the evening with their soothing melody, and even exhausted to the bone, I felt calm and at peace.
Home.
The thought made me smile, and I observed the citizens of the fortress wrapping up their tasks before they went to rest. Every one of them was unaware of my thoughts and the silent promise I had made to protect this beautiful, secluded place with everything that I had.
‘We worked so well together,’ I whispered, feeling the slow, languid stroke of Ari’s fingers on my back. Alaric felt different, and I missed his mischievous smile and endless teasing. Still, he was here beside me and I cuddled to his side, enjoying the moment for as long as it lasted. Eventually, his soothing touch made me yawn and relax into him. I should have gone to bed, but I didn’t have the energy even to keep my eyes open.
‘You’re tired, Domina. Let me look after you,’ he whispered, almost too quiet to hear, but I was definitely too sleepy to understand. Lifting me gently, Alaric laid my head on his chest.
‘I can walk,’ I argued weakly.
‘I know,’ Ari answered, but didn’t put me down.
He carried me to the castle, and I simply closed my eyes, my face resting next to the symbols of his curse. Ari’s shirt was still open, hanging off his shoulders, and I touched the unblemished skin above the marks. Even though I was exhausted, my magic still responded to him.
I chuckled, brushing my lips over the figures, and Ari inhaled sharply.
‘Annika, please,’ he murmured, pressing me harder to him. His voice was so strained, and I could see he was fighting temptation.
How my life has changed, I thought, remembering how vehemently I had denied the idea of having another Anchor, and now I was contemplating seducing a dark fae to complete my bond. Complete . That word summed it up perfectly. I needed each of them for different reasons, but together, we felt complete.
With my mind on a flight of fancy, I smiled.
This is going to get complicated. I wonder how we’ll make it work.
A vision of the three of them surrounding me as I twirled in happiness filled my thoughts. It would work; I knew it would. As the vision darkened and faded away, I felt myself slipping into slumber. I tightened my grip on Ari’s neck and let my thoughts drift away, safe in the embrace of a cursed necromancer.