Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
After what felt like the shortest and the longest night at the same time, I stand in the dojo, much earlier than usual. I couldn’t stay in bed any longer and hear or feel or see how Conláed’s heart stopped beating.
Every time I blink, I see him, either falling from the sky or already on the ground, my fire dome around him. So I punch the bag until the pain shifts my focus to my hands.
A familiar scent reaches my nose followed by a wave of heat that I ignore, my brain somehow not connecting the signals that my sentences try to tell.
Conláed appears in front of the bag and I keep punching, hoping his image will disappear again. But when fists wrap around my wrists and pull me flush against a hard chest, I stop.
Conláed. Not just a flicker of my imagination.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“How…why…” I sigh, stupid mind. “Are you…okay?”
His eyes flicker across my face. They glow that golden red hue, and without thinking twice about it, I reach out my palm and place it against his cheek. “Conláed?”
He blinks and the glow fades slightly. He releases my wrist and places his hand across mine, leaning into my touch. His eyes are closed and he inhales so gently, scared I might withdraw.
After a couple of seconds, he lifts my hand from his face and guides it down towards his heart. The movement is way more sensual than it should be, or maybe it’s because although his eyes don’t glow like they did before, the intensity is still very much there.
His heartbeat pumps strongly underneath my palm, my skin glows faintly, a small electric wave travels up my arm straight to my own heart.
“What does this feel like to you?” I look at his chest, see how his large hand makes mine disappear.
His beat feels strong, steady. I look up, the beat stumbling for a second only to steady once more. “Tell me, feather.”
“It’s a strong beat,” I say a bit hesitantly.
He snickers and releases my hand, and even though I don’t want to, I let my hand fall too. “Did you know you could do that?”
Make his heart skip a beat? No, I am very surprised by that and I’m sure he would deny it if I’d bring it up. But that’s not what he’s getting at. “I didn’t.”
He takes a step closer, lowering his head until he’s in my personal space.
“I knew your powers were different from mine. Yes, you have flames within you, but not in the same way as I do,” he says as he brings his lips next to my ear, the sensation causing shivers to roll down my spine.
“Although I am forever grateful, it can be a dangerous power to have.”
I raise my brows, my own heartbeat now picking up its pace. “How come?”
“We all have lost someone dear to us. If word would get out about what you can do…”
Fae who need my help would come looking for me, maybe try to misuse my power even. “But I want to help. If this show of power isn’t a one-time kind of thing, why wouldn’t I offer it to others as well?”
Conláed leans back and takes in my serious face. I am not kidding and he knows it. He frowns and creates some type of shield around us.
“What —”
“We’re not in danger, it’s just so that unwanted ears wouldn’t hear us.”
“Pretty handy.”
“It is. Now, feather, I need you to listen to me very closely. I died.” The words make me stagger back, images flash past me, but he won’t let me.
“Stop, we both know it and again, I am grateful you brought me back. It only proves how strong you are, or can become with training. But if Morvith would hear of it and capture you…” His fingers wipe away the curls that rest on my forehead, just like I did when I thought he was dead.
“She would suck you dry or do even worse.”
I can’t think of anything worse, but I won’t let my mind go to that place. “I will be fine, Conláed. Besides, I won’t tell anyone.”
He steps back, arrogant expression back on his face, probably remembering who he is again. “Good. Now, I hope you are ready.”
I tilt my head to the side. “Ready? For what?”
“Your battle of course.”
What in the moons is he talking about?
“Didn’t I tell you? Every three months there is a small contest, just for practice of course, but also so we can evaluate someone’s skill.”
I clench my fists. “No. You didn’t tell me.” I let his words sink in. “And I haven’t even been here for three months.”
The shield around us disappears and he walks away from me. “Huh, I thought I had.” He looks over his shoulder, fire burning in his eyes. “I could search for someone else if you’re not up to it.”
A challenge.
One he knows I won’t back away from. One of the corners of his mouth tips up just a little bit.
I swallow down a sigh and ask, “When does it begin?”
He turns back around and walks towards one of the equipment rooms. “One hour. It should be enough.”
One hour later I stand in a crowded dojo, with an audience overlooking the mat and other competitors I recognise from when I was training, standing around me.
My palms are sweaty and I wipe them dry on my leggings. I shouldn’t be nervous. The fact that Conláed thinks I can handle it must say something, right? Let’s just hope he’s not overestimating me.
The first duo is called to the mat, a male and female I do not recognise. The female is petite, but her technique is immaculate. She receives a few hard punches, but hits back twice as hard.
“Are you ready?”
I jump up, looking to my left to see Aramis standing next to me. “Why are you…”
He wiggles his fingers, green dust dancing between them. “Someone needs to heal them when they get hurt.”
Makes sense. The girl lands a high jump kick against the temple of the male and he instantly falls to the ground. Point proven.
Aramis enters the mat and quickly heals him. He looks a little dazed, but manages to get off the mat by himself. The next competitors are called to the mat and Aramis stands next to me once more.
“Did you know about this? Of this battle?” I ask, nerves gathering in my stomach like a tight ball.
He scratches the back of his head. “I do not know who you will compete against, no. But I might have heard that you were joining the competition. I’m sorry, gorgeous, I wasn’t allowed —”
I place a hand on his arm. “Don’t apologise. It’s fine. Knowing it a little sooner would’ve given me more time to practice, but it would’ve also given me too much time to think and stress about it.” And I am already a tangled ball of nerves as it is.
We watch the following contestants enter the mat, two females this time that fight as venomous as vipers. If this is a preview of the battle I am in for, I am not sure if I am ready for it.
“So…you can heal others?” Aramis asks.
My gaze is instantly ripped from the fight in front of me. Calm yourself, Maily. Others are allowed to know you can heal. Nothing more though.
“It’s a handy skill to have, Mai,” he continues when I remain silent. “One that doesn’t appear often.”
So they say. I frown and tilt my head to the side. “You can heal.”
Aramis snickers. “Yes, gorgeous, I can. We all can do some mending, but mostly to ourselves. There are some — like me — that can do more than that, but let’s say someone’s hand gets cut off,” my eyes go wide and my mouth contorts.
The thought alone gives me the shivers. “Relax, it rarely happens. But if it would, I could stop the bleeding, keep the heartbeat steady, and take a small amount of pain. But the hand would be lost. Althea on the other hand? It would take time, it’s something that demands a lot of power, but she could do it. ”
Yes, the aura that clings around the head of the sanctum hums with power, but I wouldn’t call Aramis weak either.
“You’re staring. What are you thinking?” Aramis asks, eyes twinkling.
“…and Daelan.” A voice echoes in the distance.
“You’re not weak.” I say with certainty.
He grins, a bright light shining behind his forest green eyes. “Let’s say I possess other powers that are more powerful than my healing skills.”
Instantly my vision goes black, I grasp for air and know I am the only one who witnesses this.
Around me, small sparks of light appear, not my fire but a warm light and I catch the faint sound of fluttering wings.
The starflies from the cave. Phantom hands caress my arm, my waist, my ribcage.
“You looked so beautiful there, I didn’t understand how you couldn’t see it.
I know I just met you, but the urge to kiss you was overwhelming and —"
“Feather.” I startle, and find myself standing in the dojo once more, looking at a very annoyed Conláed. “Get your head out of the clouds. You’re up.”
A blush creeps up from my neck to my cheeks and I quickly enter the mat, catching Aramis’ wink that doesn’t help calm my galloping heartbeat.
Only then do I notice my opponent waiting for me.
The other contestants were of course muscled, each and every one of them have probably trained most of their lives, their skill something I admire.
But the male in front of me… Well, let’s say if we would meet in a dark hallway, I would take a run for it.
He is huge, I don’t even think he can fit through a regular door. He looks just as arrogant as Conláed, the air around him full of confidence I totally get, because what in the moon's name am I supposed to do against someone like him?
My throat dries out instantly, what is Conláed even thinking? I throw him a quick glance he — of course — completely ignores. I think I even prefer one of the viper women from the earlier combat. A ringing sounds and Conláed steps away from the mat. No time to back away now.
I move toward Daelan, but keep enough distance between us as we circle around each other. I need to find a weakness, in strength he can beat me easily, but my agility might be in my favor.
I try to bait him, make a feint in the hopes he will strike first. He sees through it and wipes my feet from underneath me. I only have a second to brace myself before the air is punched out of my lungs.