Chapter 48 #2
I stiffen. I don’t want my magic to consume everything or hurt anyone. Yes, I’m mad at Aramis, furious even, but maybe I should’ve shouted or thrown a good punch. I don’t want to burn someone alive. I release Conláed’s cheek and close my eyes, finally bringing down the dome of flames.
“I am sorry for all of this, I would never want to —”
Fingers touch my chin and tilt it up so I meet his intense gaze once more.
“Nothing happened, feather. You have nothing to apologise for. Given the circumstances, you were kind to him. I know a lot of fae who would have given him hell and wouldn’t let him walk away so easily.
You’ve done nothing wrong and the kind heart that beats in your chest remains, no matter what happened. ”
But even my kind heart has its limits and thinking about…forgiving or learning how to live with what Aramis did, currently feels impossible.
Conláed stands up in one smooth movement and holds out his hand to me. “Come.”
“To where?” I ask as I take his hand.
Before I know it, I’m thrown over his shoulder, being carried away to the centre of the mat. “You didn’t think I would leave our little battle unfinished now, did you?” He gently places me back on the ground. “Come on, feather, bring it on.”
Crawling under a blanket and crying for hours sounds like a more tempting idea, but he is really trying and I do not want to disappoint him.
So I go at him with the same fury that was in my flames, but with a technique that improves with every single beat.
At one point he has me cornered, pulled tight against his chest with my arms trapped underneath his. “What now, little feather?”
Our bodies are covered in sweat, chests moving up and down simultaneously, his heartbeat strong against my shoulder. And for a second, I close my eyes, let my head fall back, resting against his face and shoulder, enjoying this some sort of embrace and his divine scent of smoke and black pepper.
One of his arms falls down and embraces my waist, fingers caressing the bare skin there.
I feel him relax against me and my hands grab the arm that is around my chest. I know I should enjoy this moment and dear moons, believe me, I do.
It feels like he needs me as much as I need him, my skin tingling everywhere we touch.
So when I pull hard against his arm and throw him over my shoulder towards the mat, straddling him instantly with one arm at his throat, surprise flickers in his eyes.
Our faces are inches away from each other and our breaths mingle. “I win.”
He watches me for a moment, eyes wide and mouth open a little, but starts laughing instantly, the sound low and feelable through my whole body. His hands land on my hips, holding them in place. “That you have, feather, that you have.”
When I finally leave the dojo it’s already dark, to my biggest surprise.
It’s not even that late, maybe four in the afternoon?
And even for winter wonderland, that is pretty early.
Yes, I did shower in the dojo, watch the others train, eat lunch with a surprisingly sweet Conláed and watched the very advanced group — including Conláed — train which was…
hot. And I’m not just talking about the temperature in the room.
There is just no other word to describe it.
Conláed still had some work to do, so I leave, debating if I should go to the Greenhouse or relax on my bed for a couple of minutes.
Since I haven’t visited the greenhouse in a long while, I decide to go there first. It might ease the tight ball that grows again in the pit of my stomach. Nature did always bring me peace, although I’m not sure if it will help me this time.
As I am surrounded by trees, I hear the cracking of twigs and branches. Probably an animal scurrying by. An animal that is apparently following me. I don’t know how I know, I just know. A flashback from when I went on a similar walk surfaces, and I didn’t like how that ended.
When a loud crack sounds, I stop and look over my shoulder, but nothing’s there. Only snow and ice, trees swaying in the cold breeze.
I pick up my pace. Something’s not right and if the ominous feeling inside my chest is right, I need to get away from here as soon as possible. The cracking only grows louder the closer I get to the greenhouse. I try to summon my flames as I nearly run to the greenhouse that is now in sight.
Nothing.
Frustration crawls at my throat. How? Why? I could’ve set the whole forest on fire this morning, why aren’t they coming to me now?
Running it is then.
But as soon as I take my first steps, dark vines creep up my legs and pull me down and I fall face first into the snow.
I try to tear them off, but only end up cutting my fingers, droplets of blood now fall into the snow.
The more I move, the harder the vines constrict around my ankles, my legs, my stomach, until I’m completely covered.
The scent of rotting leaves fills my nose and I know I’m out of time. Six of the daunting, long limbed creatures prowl through the forest until I am surrounded. The Myrvael have returned.
When I’m completely covered in vines, my nose and eyes the only place that remain free, a strong scented flower is pushed in my face and I have no other choice than to inhale.
Consciousness slips between my fingers and a screeching voice fills my ears, mumbling words I do not understand as the world goes dark.