Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Heat seems to roll off Conláed in waves, his rage palpable by the heat in the room somehow. “The fuck are you doing here?”
I was about to ask the same, maybe a little politer. Amira gets up from my bed, her hands on her hips. The internal fight I have when I see her is going on in full force. Of course I am happy she is alive and well, but she and her brother did break my trust, and with it my heart.
“What are you doing here?”
“You two know each other?”
Conláed immediately responds no, while Amira simultaneously confirms with a yes. Which is great. Perfect. Exactly what I need right now, more lies.
“Cut the crap, Conláed, you shouldn’t lie to her.”
“I don’t make the rules and neither do you.”
“Fuck the rules, she deserves to know the truth. All of it.”
Truth. Such a funny little word, especially hearing it out of her mouth. The one who made me believe so convincingly that she was dead. “I’m glad you realise that.”
She flinches. I know it’s a jab under water, but currently, I couldn’t care less. She hurt me too. But when I take in my best friend, her eyes are full of sorrow, and deep down I know she didn’t want this either.
“Please Mai, listen to me. I came here to explain. I’ve been —” she notices my bandaged hands and quickly steps closer. “What happened to you?”
“She is fine, not thanks to you though. You can’t tell her and you know it. It is not your choice to make.”
“You should leave, Con. This is between Mai and me.”
“Is it though? I think it affects more people than just the two of you.”
“What are you talking about?”
Waves of sharp pain in my temples come and go, intensifying with every passing minute. It’s hard to keep up with the conversation, but I’m not even sure if they notice me. They keep bickering, not hearing a word I say. It only adds heat to the burning feeling inside of me.
“Let’s go to Mrs Delalune then, shall we? I’m sure she’ll be delighted by your early arrival. She will decide what to do.”
“Yes, we will go, but only after I have explained everything.”
A knock sounds at my door and since I am the only one who notices, I open the door, seeing Aramis standing in the hallway.
“Great, really freaking great,” I murmur.
His smile falters, even more so as he takes in my room. He walks past me.
“Sure, come on in. Don’t be shy, it’s not like this is my room, right?”
I close the door a little harder than necessary and the scent of burned wood stings my nose, but it’s gone within seconds. I try to refocus on the discussion that is currently happening, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t get a word between them.
“...has the right to know.” That’s Amira.
“Now…not…right time. Look…her.” Conláed’s voice is coated in anger.
Three heads turn to me, but it’s Aramis who breaks the silence. “It will never be the right time…figure it out…close to the truth…don’t want…lie.”
Their voices mingle into one and I shut them out again.
I would love to know what more secrets they are keeping from me, but the throbbing in my temples is constant now.
I don’t think I have ever had a migraine attack like this before.
I beg them to leave my room, take their conversations elsewhere, but it’s no use. They aren’t listening.
I can’t take it anymore, I slowly lower myself to the ground, my hands covering my ears, and my eyes shut. My temperature is skyrocketing. Something is not right.
“Enough,” I whisper, but they don’t hear me.
“Enough,” I say, but the voices only grow louder.
“Enough,” I plea, as the tears run down my cheeks. My head is going to explode.
“ENOUGH!”
And finally, silence remains.
Drops of water run down my face, my neck. I’m soaked, gasping for air that isn’t there. I try to count to ten, think about happy things and any other technique I can remember to calm down, but it’s no use. The pain is excruciating and I scream, unable to contain it.
The scent of burned wood is back, but I barely register it.
“Don’t touch her, she’ll burn you.” I hear Conláed’s words, but they don’t make sense. How could I burn someone?
“I don’t care, I’ll heal. She is hurting.” Amira counters, which is funny since she caused a lot of the pain I am currently feeling.
“And she’ll hurt even more if she knows she hurt you. Keep your sister back, Aramis.”
It’s so hot in here, why is it so hot? I need some air.
I can’t make sense out of the words they say. I try to open my eyes, but all I see is white light, so I close them again. I place my hands in front of me, trying to remain upright, find some grounding. It’s no use. The floor shakes underneath my palms. A whine escapes from my lips.
Two hands cover mine, holding them. They too are warm, but not as burning hot as mine.
“Maily, look at me.”
I shake my head. “I can’t, it’s too much.”
“Yes, you can.”
One hand releases mine and caresses my cheek softly. Everything is muffled for a couple of seconds and I carefully open my eyes to slivers, surprised to see it’s not Aramis sitting in front of me, but Conláed. He looks different — I tilt my head to the side — but I can’t quite put my finger to it.
I look around me, seeing small fiery sparks surrounding me and flames licking up the walls. What the…?
The throbbing in my head comes back instantly, even stronger than before now. I quickly search for Aramis who is holding Amira. Worry, awe and maybe reverence are visible in their eyes, written on their faces, but no fear or shock.
An image plays in front of my eyes, a father playing with his daughter. A white-headed boy chasing a girl. Nature surrounds them, full of colour and life. I blink and it’s gone.
My hands go to my head, pulling at the hair there. “Make it stop, please. Make it stop. I can’t take it anymore.”
“I’ll have to move her, she needs Althea. Her body will break otherwise. Amira, go find Mrs Delalune, Aramis, you’re with me.”
I’m gently scooped up by strong arms and it feels like a hazy deja vu. The scent of pepper and smoke and something citrusy calming my racing heart just a little.
I’m carried out of my room, the only way I notice it, is because of the slightly cooler air that flows past my face. I know he’s running down the stairs, but I lay steady in his arms.
I wave in and out of consciousness, the pain a constant now and I am so fucking warm. It feels like I’m burning from inside out. I don’t think I’ll ever cool down again. I can’t keep a groan from escaping my lips.
A cool, glowing hand floats above my forehead and I feel the slight sensation of raindrops falling on my head like soft kisses.
“We have to go faster, Con. She’ll burn out.”
“Don’t you think I know that? I feel it too. I try to take as much as I can, but it’s different with her. Can’t you heal her?”
“She is way past that.” I cry out, the intensity of the pain reaching its crescendo. “Hold on, gorgeous, we’re almost there.”
“Can’t you move us?”
“I can try.”
Conláed stops walking “Do it. Hold her tight and don’t let go.”
One second, we stand in the hallway, the other in the middle of the medical bay at the Sanctum. I probably passed out. How did I go from not going to the Sanctum to being here three times in such a short period of time?
“Althea!”
Running footsteps near us.
“What in the name… Dear moons, what happened?”
I don’t hear the answer, but faintly notice we are descending, the air full of oxygen and a cool blanket for my burning body.
I hear splashing of water somewhere nearby, right before drops of water touch my skin, I hear it hissing.
I hold tighter to the one who is holding me — Conláed — my fingers digging into his bicep.
“We’re just below the Sanctum. It too is a sacred place with multiple large ponds and large stalagmites and stalactites surrounding us. We’re going to try to lower your temperature. It will hurt in the beginning, but you will feel relief shortly after.”
It takes everything in me to do so, but I manage to open my eyes just a tiny bit. Conláed still holds me tight, closely watching me with his glowing amber eyes, his features even more striking than ever before. If that’s possible.
I reach out my hand to touch his cheek. “You’re so handsome,” I whisper, not even sure if he hears me. He leans into my touch, or maybe I am imagining that too.
“It’s time, Conláed, don’t forget to keep her moving. Her temperature has to decline slowly. If it drops too fast, she will go into shock.”
He looks up to whoever was speaking and nods. “Got it.”
When his gaze finds mine again, I see faint golden-red swirls hanging around him. It’s the most peculiar thing. I close my eyes, my mind too tired if it’s creating things that aren’t there.
“Let go, sylvaehtrin, I will take care of you. I promise.”
The words sound familiar, but I don’t think I have heard that language before. Or maybe I did, a long, long while ago.
I’m aware of Conláed sitting down somewhere, holding me as he lowers my feet into the water.
He was right, the pain is nearly making me faint.
He keeps talking to me, whispering words I cannot hear.
Another voice guides him and when I don’t feel like I’m going to erupt out of my own skin, he emerges me fully into the water.
Opening my eyes costs a lot of effort, but eventually I manage and see I am no longer in the waking world.
The lush green scenery is one I have only seen in my dreams. And so is the presence that is accompanying me, standing on the edge of a small river as tiny waves roll over my toes. “It has been a while,” I state.
“Indeed, it was to be expected. You needed time to adjust and that should never be rushed.”
Not sure what he means by that, but I won’t ask. It doesn’t really matter either. “Things are about to change, aren’t they?”
“Yes…I’m afraid so.”
The sun shines a little brighter and I close my eyes for a second, reveling in the warm beams that touch my skin, not one worried thought occupies my mind.
“Is it a bad way of change?”
The man doesn’t answer immediately, but maybe he doesn’t know the answer either.