Chapter 12
Ninety-Three
Evelyn’s head was heavy. Her whole body ached with pain and exhaustion, but at least she was lying on something soft, not the cobblestones from earlier. She tried opening her eyes, but no, that was too much work.
“Are you sure she’s okay?” a voice asked impatiently.
Father?
“Yes, she will be fine,” a calm, feminine voice answered. “Her injuries were minor, just scrapes and bruises. Her Fire abilities prevented any burns on her skin, but she depleted her magic. Her body needs to rest in order to replenish it.”
Evelyn’s eyes fluttered open. She didn’t recognize the small room with plain walls. A wood table and two chairs sat in one corner. She was on a cot, not a proper bed. Next to her was an armchair for a visitor to sit in. The whole place smelled unnaturally clean.
This must be a hospital. How did I get here?
“How long?” King Tristan asked.
“Everyone is different,” the Healer said. “Maybe a few hours, maybe a few days. But the amount of magic she was able to summon is a testament to her strength. I would expect her to be back to normal sooner rather than later.”
“Thank you,” the king told her.
Light footsteps indicated the Healer left the room.
“Father?” Evelyn rasped.
“Evelyn, sweetheart.” Her father rushed to her side.
“Is Damien okay? Where is Leo?”
“Who?” The king shook his head. “Evelyn, why were you in the city again?”
“Are you mad at me? I know I wasn’t supposed to leave.”
King Tristan sighed. “No, but you scared me tonight. We could see the fire from the palace and I didn’t know where you were. Then I found out you were in the hospital…”
“I’m sorry, Father.”
He took her hand. “You saved so many people tonight, Evelyn. I don’t know who else could have done what you did. I hope you never have to do that again, but I am so proud of you. I’m sorry I haven’t been listening to you.”
“All I want is for you to trust me,” Evelyn confessed, tears falling down her cheeks.
“I do, sweetheart. I just also see you as that little girl with tangled hair, chasing after her big brother to zap him with magic for stealing her book.”
Evelyn laughed. “Rowan made me so mad!”
“Irritating his baby sister was always Rowan’s favorite game.” Her father smiled. “Even when you were a baby, he would pinch your arm to make sparks fly from your fingertips. It was so much easier to be your father back then.”
The door opened and Damien entered the room. He sighed in relief at the sight of Evelyn. “You’re awake.”
Damien was filthy, covered in soot and ashes. One of his sleeves was missing and bandages covered his arm. He brushed his loose hair out of his face. His eyes were red-rimmed like he hadn’t slept in days.
How long has it been since the explosion?
Remembering protocol, Damien bowed. “King Tristan, I apologize for interrupting. I wanted to see that the princess was all right.”
King Tristan reached out to shake his hand. “Thank you, Captain Fontaine, for all the work you’ve done here. You don’t hesitate to step in and get your hands dirty when it means you can help someone. I admire you for that.”
Damien blinked at the compliment. “Thank you, Your Majesty. But most of the credit should go to your daughter. I don’t think anyone would have survived the blast had she not cleared the fire.”
Evelyn’s father beamed at her. “I’ll give you two some time to talk.”
The king left the room and Damien took the seat beside Evelyn.
“Where’s Leo?” she asked.
Damien rolled his eyes. “Of course that’s your first question. He’s talking to King Gerard. Can’t you hear the yelling?”
Evelyn went quiet. Now that she was listening for it, she could hear a familiar bellowing in the distance. “What is he mad about now?”
“Maybe that a princess almost died? That Leo could have died. That so many soldiers did die.” Damien paused to take a deep breath, which made him cough.
“Where are we?” Evelyn asked after Damien settled.
“The army hospital. You are special enough to get a private room. I argued against that, of course. I told them to just throw you anywhere.”
Evelyn ignored his sass. “How long have I been here?”
“It’s nearly dawn now. You’ve been asleep most of the night. Leo carried you here and refused to leave until a Healer promised him that you would be fine.”
“What happened after I passed out?”
“That fire you launched into the sky got the whole kingdom’s attention. Soldiers who were on duty last night showed up pretty quickly. We spent hours pulling everyone out of the bar and bringing them here.”
“How many people died?”
Damien frowned. “We don’t need to—”
“How many?” she demanded.
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “Two hundred and seventeen.”
Evelyn’s heart stopped at the number.
No, gods, no.
“Evelyn,” Damien said, sensing her rising panic. “Ninety-three are alive because of your magic. You saved nearly a hundred lives.”
“But hundreds are dead! I couldn’t get the fire out fast enough and over two hundred people died!”
“Evelyn, listen to me.” Damien seized her wrist. “You are not responsible for any deaths. Not one. Nothing that happened tonight was your fault.”
Evelyn stared at him.
He sounds like he’s told someone that before. Or maybe someone else said it to him.
“Ninety-three people will get to go home,” Damien continued, his tone softer. “That’s what I need you to focus on. Ninety-three people get to see their families again because you did the kind of magic I thought was impossible.”
Evelyn nodded, trying not to cry. “You’re a great captain, Damien.”
He released her wrist. “Did you just now figure that out?”
Damien’s smile was warm and his green eyes were bright. Even covered in ashes, Evelyn wanted him to keep looking at her like that.
“Do you know what caused the fire?” she asked.
“No. They’re trying to figure out if it was an accident or not, but they’re pretty sure magic was involved.”
“Could it be connected to the four soldiers we found?”
“Maybe. We don’t know enough yet.”
“Do you have to tell all the families what happened? Like you did for the soldiers?”
“Not all of them, but yes, I’ll start contacting families after I leave you. It’s going to be a long process because we can’t—” Damien grimaced.
“Can’t what?”
“Nothing, never mind.”
“Tell me, please.”
Damien groaned. “We can’t identify everyone yet. The fire… some people were too close to it.”
Evelyn swayed with nausea. “How will you find out who they were?”
“The Healers might be able to help. Some of the fae from Lochmatten might have magic that can… I don’t even know. What we really need is a list of everyone who was in the bar last night.”
She thought of something else. “What about Angelina? Did she make it?”
All of the light drained out of Damien’s eyes. He didn’t look angry or mournful. His face was empty, which was so much worse.
“None of the bartenders survived,” he said, his voice as blank as his eyes. “The bottles of alcohol burst in the explosion, and the fire was more concentrated along that wall. They also couldn’t run away as easily, stuck behind the bar.”
“I’m sorry,” Evelyn whispered.
Damien’s eyes came back to life then, and he gave her a sad smile. “Me too, Princess. But right now, you need to rest. I’ll find a Healer to come check on you. They have potions that will let you sleep without dreaming. And I’ll tell Leo you’re okay.”
Damien kissed the top of her head like Evelyn’s brother used to when he wanted to be sweet instead of a jerk. Then he left, and the room was quiet again.
How many more people could have survived if I’d put the fire out faster? Could I have done more if I hadn’t passed out?
Two hundred and seventeen people died. Was it an accident? Or did someone attack the bar, knowing a princess was there?
Did Haydn get out in time? A few minutes of flirting doesn’t mean I know him, but I don’t want Haydn to be dead. To have burned alive like so many others did. And I definitely don’t want his death to be my fault.