Six
Kyrundar
I stepped between Zidra and the door. “Friend or foe?”
“Either way, I don’t need your protection,” she huffed.
My shoulders tightened. “You can’t shift, and you have no sword.”
“And whose fault is that? On both counts!”
I clenched my teeth until they ached. Why was she so determined to hate me? And here I was, thinking of her ungrateful dragon hide as a close friend.
“I smell a human and an elf,” Zidra said.
“Ice elf?” I inquired without thinking, but quickly added, “I know, we smell the same unless we’re actively using magic, sorry.” As useful as it was that shifters could usually discern human from elf from shifter by scent, it would be nice if they could tell the differences within those groups.
Based on the impression I was getting of her emotions, she was probably thinking again that I had sea-foam for brains. Maybe she wasn’t wrong.
I kept returning to what she had claimed. Was it my fault that her life was in danger from the ice curse? She wasn’t entirely wrong that my presence had complicated her meeting and distracted her.
“Stop blocking the doorway,” Zidra groused.
Ignoring her, I stepped into the hall. The apprentice was returning, a lantern in hand, and with a spindly ice elf woman at her side. Reassured, I returned to my seat in the corner.
“The ice elf physician, then?”
I nodded, not in the mood to talk to Zidra.
She returned to sit on the bed with her legs dangling off the side. The sight of her feet hanging above the floor almost made me smile. I’d never met any other wyveri, so I didn’t know if she was short for her people, but she was short compared to most elves. She’d never appreciated me pointing out how much taller than her I was. Her height did make her easier to carry…although she probably wouldn’t see that as a positive.
The glow of the lantern preceded the apprentice and the healer into the room. Mirlanwen bustled around the apprentice and made right for Zidra. Her white hair fell down her back in a braid, and her unwrinkled skin and pink-tinged cheeks indicated she wasn’t old. For an elf, that could mean anything from being around my own one hundred fifty-five years to being in her early five hundreds.
“Rengir Eilmaris, I’m Physician Mirlanwen.” She bowed, since her russet physician robes weren’t wide enough to accommodate a proper curtsy. “Quillan explained the situation. How are you feeling?”
Zidra lifted her left shoulder in a noncommittal shrug. “The entry site still hurts, but less than it did. It feels like a minor burn, but also cold, in addition to the pinching of the stab wound.”
Mirlanwen nodded. “May I remove the bandage and examine it? I will use my magic to probe the wound and the ice magics.”
“Of course.” Zidra adjusted her position to give the healer easier access.
Since I couldn’t get a good view from my chair in the corner, I stood and moved closer. Subtle hints of pale blue swirled around Mirlanwen’s fingertips as she felt around the wound. A chill brushed against my own arm at the same moment as Zidra shivered.
Mirlanwen drew her hands back with a frown and then turned to me. “You did well, Rengir Ilifir. To say I am impressed with your work here would be an understatement.” She faced Zidra again. “And you, Rengir Eilmaris. I am astounded you are not only alive, but so hale. To look at you, one would assume you’d suffered a far less serious injury. I can sense the traces of the ice curse and Kyrundar Ilifir’s magic. They came very near your heart, yet your dragon fire appears strong and unharmed.”
Along with the flattered pride coming through the bond, I sensed the physician’s words eased a little of Zidra’s anger .
“Unfortunately,” Mirlanwen continued, “there is nothing I can do.” She turned both her hands palm up and dropped them back to her sides. “Rengir Ilifir’s power is far stronger than mine.” She looked to me. “You were unable to extract the curse?”
I gulped and shook my head. “I tried, but I wasn’t even sure how. What I was trying wasn’t working, so I did the best I could.”
“You did well,” she reassured me with a smile. “The problem is, if the curse was too great for your power, and your power is greater than mine, I will be unable to remove it as well. You will need to remove your magic, and a more skilled ice elf healer will have to then remove the curse.”
Zidra paled. “I thought Physician Quillan said you were the only ice elf at Merael’s?”
“I am.” Mirlanwen’s expression pinched. “I recommend you find Gautindar Rouven. He was a senior physician—in fact, he was the most senior physician on staff until he abruptly retired around six months ago.”
“An old man?” I tried and failed to hide my skepticism.
“Rouven is six hundred, yes. But he’s still very capable, and he’s more powerful and far more experienced than I am. If anyone can extract this corrupted ice magic, it’s him.”
Zidra took a deep breath. “Where can I find him?”
Mirlanwen grimaced. “I don’t actually know.”
My breath lodged in my chest, and I wasn’t sure if it was my own reaction or Zidra’s. “I beg your pardon?”
“When Rouven announced his hasty retirement and that he was leaving Laedresh, he said he didn’t want to be bothered. He was always an eccentric old grump, but he loved being a physician. His behavior when he left was odd, to put it mildly. He refused to tell anyone where he was going or why he was leaving. He hails from a noble family, but his relatives in Glacori haven’t seen him.”
“Is there any other physician that can help whose whereabouts you do know?” Zidra demanded.
“I’m sorry, rengiri.” Mirlanwen shook her head. “I don’t know any other ice elf healers who possess the skill and power required for this task. You could visit them without luck and end up wasting more time than you would simply finding Gautindar Rouven—time you don’t have. The potent ice curse and your strong dragon fire are both fighting against Rengir Ilifir’s barrier. It won’t last forever.”
Frost swirled around my fingertips as fear and resolve tangled in my soul. “We’ll find him, Zee.”
She groaned and lay back on the bed. “This is a nightmare.”
“I have contacts,” I insisted. “And I’m an ice elf, too. We will have his location within days, I’m sure—”
“Iskyr, give me grace,” Zidra mumbled. She turned her head to peer at Mirlanwen. “Are you sure you can’t accompany me and remove Ilifir’s magic?”
My teeth clicked as I snapped my jaw shut. Of course she didn’t want to spend days or weeks with me. Not when she blamed me for this predicament. Or was it not merely that she blamed me, but that I had misinterpreted our relationship all these years? Perhaps she didn’t think of me as a friend at all .
Or had she gotten so caught up in her quest to be the best rengir, she’d forgotten our friendship? I’d just have to remind her.
Mirlanwen tilted her head and glanced between us. “Rengir Eilmaris, Kyrundar Ilifir did remarkable work in constraining the ice curse. Right now, his magic—which again, is far more powerful than my own—is the only thing preventing irreversible frostbite. However, it’s a temporary treatment, and one that has never been attempted before. You will need him to monitor and adjust the barrier. Besides, I cannot simply leave my post in the infirmary and my teaching position. I apologize that I cannot do more for you.”
Zidra sighed. “I understand. Thank you for trying.”
“Of course, rengir. It is my oath to serve all in need of healing, my honor to serve rengiri, and my great pride to serve a recipient of the Emperor’s Merit.” Mirlanwen bowed again. “Can I assist either of you with anything else?”
Zidra shook her head. “No, thank you.”
Mirlanwen turned to me, and I shook my head and thanked her as well. She left. Silence fell on the room, smothering us like a wet wool blanket.
After a moment, Zidra stood. She stole one of the candles from a sconce and moved toward the door without acknowledging me.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to the West Quarter Haven to borrow someone’s sword. Then back to Castle Grivolen to fetch my sword and examine the bodies. Alone. ”
I exhaled through my nose and followed her. “Zee, someone just tried to murder you, and you want to go back there alone? What if whoever sent the assassins sends someone to check on why they haven’t returned? Besides, it’s a long way, and I can get you there faster since you can’t shift.”
The sorrow that crackled through our heartbond threatened my own composure.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I could have phrased that more considerately.”
“It’s true.” She continued down the corridor, her movements jerky. “But no, we need to spend time apart. Maybe if we put some distance between us, the heartbond will break.”
“Heartbonds don’t work like that.” At least they didn’t for elves. I doubted they did for shifters, either.
“Maybe it’s new enough it will!” Zidra’s pace increased, and her steps echoed louder against the stone. “Besides, in normal circumstances, bonds aren’t accidental. This one might work differently.”
I stopped. She was right. Heartbonds were never accidental. As far as I knew, they had to be consensual, too—heartbonds never simply happened between two people who didn’t love each other, who weren’t devoted to one another.
Granted, heartbonds weren’t generally formed when one person threaded their magic through the other person’s veins, either. Perhaps she was right, and this one would work differently .
That didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t let Zidra return to Grivolen on her own.
I jogged to catch up to her. “Fine. I’ll return to Riverfront Haven, and we can try being apart for the night—after we return to the ruins.” She glared at me, but I spoke again before she could protest. “I forgot your sword, and I brought you here, where they couldn’t even do anything. Besides, if we go together, you won’t have to detour to the Haven first. You can borrow one of my swords if needed. It’s my fault, so let me repay you by taking you back and forth to the ruins faster than you can go on foot.”
A muscle along Zidra’s jaw ticked. “As long as it doesn’t involve you carrying me.”