39. Rosalina
Rosalina
Ariver of fire races down my spine, but I have never been so happy.
Tears of joy spill over my cheeks as Caspian’s briars lift us up through the earth. A smooth floor, then a fluffy bed envelops me. I know where I am. This is my chamber in the Gem.
Caspian is bent on all fours, and I can tell from the way he’s breathing, it’s truly him. I share a look with Kel. Without speaking in his mind, I know what he’s feeling. He’s in pain, but the only emotion that flashes in those sapphire eyes is love.
I crawl over and place a hand on Caspian’s back. He shudders beneath my touch. “Cas.”
He rises, a flower unfurling to the first rays of the sun after a long winter. But as always, he’s more beautiful than any bloom, even with his hair in wayward strands across his brow and cheeks stained with tears. Those eyes, so wonderful and violet, I could stare at them forever.
His gaze sears over me until he tentatively touches the thorn cuffs on my wrists. “I release you from this bargain.”
The cuffs writhe, then wither to the ground.
I gasp as if it’s my first gulp of air after being underwater.
Magic prickles along my skin. Without hesitation, I reach for Kel, feeling for the skills I learned from Ezryn and from carrying the blessing of Spring inside me, and send a burst of healing through him.
The wounds on his body begin to knit closed, and he grimaces. “No, Rose, heal yourself first.”
I don’t listen, just watch as he regains his strength. The tension in his brow fades. Caspian approaches him like a nervous cat. Slowly, he reaches forward and unclasps the collar. It clatters to the ground, disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
Caspian shrinks back, staring at the empty space as if it offended him.
“Come on, Cas,” Keldarion says. “Admit it. It turned you on seeing me in that.”
The words crack Caspian out of his shock, and he releases a laugh, wiping his eyes.
Keldarion places a hand over mine. “Enough. I am fine. Help yourself or I will not be able to bear it.”
After being caged for so long, my magic is sluggish, especially after pouring so much into Keldarion. “My bag,” I say. “Ezryn made a healing balm.”
Keldarion stands and returns a minute later. I could cry with relief as he spreads it across my back. A cooling numbness replaces the burn, and I’m awash in the smell of honeysuckle and echinacea. It’s almost as if I can feel Ezryn’s touch across my skin.
“Help me, Cas,” Keldarion orders.
Caspian stares blankly for a moment before crawling behind me. “I don’t deserve to touch her. Not ever again.”
“Cas,” I say, hoping the soft sound of his name can convey all the words I want to pour into him. Words he might not be ready to hear.
But Kel is gentle as he says, “Start by holding her hair up then so I can get the top of her back.”
This must be alright with him, because I feel Caspian’s touch as he lifts my hair and Keldarion smooths the last of the balm across my shoulders.
Sighing with relief, I turn to them. Keldarion is still shirtless, hair gray with dirt, but happy. Cas is rich with splendor, yet he has the saddest expression on his face.
“I understand if you hate me,” he says. “I never wanted to become this.”
“But you did,” I say. “To save Wrenley. You’ll always do whatever you can to save those you love.”
He glances at Kel. “You should have killed me.”
I huff. “If I’m mad at you for anything, it’s that request.”
“I tried, Cas,” Keldarion says. “I couldn’t do it.”
Caspian hisses in through his teeth and draws his knees to his chest. “You both need to get out of here. My magic is weak from taming the fire. Rose, use your briars and go.”
We both stare at him. Say nothing.
“What if it takes me over again?” Caspian continues. “What if Sira realizes I’m not under the Baron’s control anymore? I’m still bound by her bargain with Aurelia.”
“She can’t command you to do more than one thing at once,” I remind him.
“No, the Green Flame helped me resist that. Without that magic, I’m as vulnerable as your mother. She could command me to kill you. Kill you both. You need to leave. Besides, she has the rose. I gave it to her.”
I exchange a look with Keldarion before I grab Caspian’s head between my hands. “We’re not leaving you, not ever. I came down here for you.”
Keldarion touches Cas’s shoulder. “We’ll figure this out together. For now, have faith that Sira still believes you’re under the Green Flame and us your prisoners.”
He nods, the thought seeming to calm him. I weave my fingers through his hair.
“Then there’s just one thing I need to know,” he whispers, looking at us. “Do you think you could ever love me again?”
This answer resounds in my very soul. “I never stopped.”
I cup his face, brushing soot from his jaw. He’s really here. Really back.
I press my forehead to his, and a tear slips down my cheek. I kiss him, deep and slow. A kiss to remind him he’s home. That no matter how far he fell, my heart never stopped waiting.