Chapter 36
Braxton
Despite the fact everything inside me screams to go follow her, I don’t. She can handle her own things and didn’t look like she wanted me to follow. As I am somewhere in my head, still debating what to do, the door opens.
A stumbling Eliane strolls inside.
Before I can ask what is wrong, she falls onto the bed, in her stretched arm the bottle she was aiming for. She isn’t burned out because her eyes look at me. A yawn on her face, forcing me to think things I shouldn’t think of. I crawl over the bed towards her.
“Are you okay?” My hands brush her skin, but I pull it back in reflex.
“Jeez, you’re burning.”
She gives me a thumbs up, laying her head down on the mattress. Despite the fact something is wrong I can’t help but chuckle. She looks up at me with her head lifted and brows furrowed.
“You’re laughing, again?” she asks confusedly, emphasis on again, her scrunched up nose making me laugh indeed. I hold my voice low and raspy, pulling myself together.
“Well yeah, I seem to do that a lot around you lately,” I purr. She crawls up, sitting cross legged against me, yawning again.
“Sorry,” she yawns. “I used a bit of power,” she continues, waving her hand to ease the yawn. I shrug it off. We will deal with that later.
“Now tell me how we are going to get those memories back in that mind of yours.”
She doesn’t hesitate before answering.
“It appears I can’t.”
Her eyes focus on the glitters dancing in the bottle she is holding close to her face. I climb closer, focusing on each glitter individually as I get dragged away by one of her memories.
Her first training with Fintan.
A smile appears on my face while I am dealing with mixed feelings. Will she ever experience those the same way she did before?
“Why not?” I ask. Hate fills her eyes.
“Because Annie is a betraying bitch,” she spits out, throwing the bottle carefully on the mattress.
She jumps up. “I am going to shower and maybe rest some bit. I think I should listen to your brother’s advice,” she breathes as she presses out a yawn again.
She looks over her shoulder before stepping into our bathroom.
“Oh and don’t plan on going after her, I think I did enough damage.” She grins as I hold my hands in the air in defense.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
She narrows her eyes at me.
“Yes, you were, don’t lie to me,” she teases, pointing her finger at me, leaving me stuttering on the bed as she steps into the bathroom and the sound of sprinkling water fills my ears.
Who is this remarkable badass and what happened to the girl who didn’t want to hurt people?
As suspected, Eliane was in my mind.
“She is still there, but she is not letting people fuck her over anymore.”
“As she should,” I purr to her. “Now get out of my mind and rest.”
And she listens, because bit by bit, I feel the light dimming.
So how am I going to get these memories back to her?
I hesitate before knocking on the door. As if Caleb feels my presence the door swings open. Manes, I am glad Gwen is gone, because that secures me of the fact Caleb is the one opening the door. How in hell did they share a bed together? A brown silhouette fills the doorway.
“Hello,” I breathe out, kind of stiff. My hands are in my pockets as I try to meet his eyes.
As if this is the most normal situation, he claps me on my shoulder and invites me in.
“Hey, mate,” he starts. “What’s up?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
With the small golden cord of the necklace rolling between my fingers I leave his room.
“Thanks,” I thank him, lifting the corner of my mouth.
“Always a pleasure.” He makes a bowing gesture.
I give a nod, walking out.
I open the door to our room and find her illuminated by a single glowing light orb, dancing in front of her face.
Reading of course.
“Hi,” she says, not looking up from her book.
“Hi, Honey.”
Her voice is tired. “Can you sit up please?” I ask, using my real voice. I switch the light on, and she comes out under the blanket. I step behind her, pushing her hair out my way, or what is left of it.
“I kind of like the short hair,” she whispers, biting her lip like she could feel my guilt because of her hair wash over me. She probably could feel it.
“I like it too,” I whisper, not sure how to react. I swing the necklace around her neck, letting the small sun shaped medallion fall between her collar bones, just above the top of her satin pajamas. She shivers under my touch as I close the necklace.
“Where are your memories?” I ask politely. She nods into the direction of her drawers. I open it and there they m. I pull the cork off it and twist it a bit.
“Close your eyes, please.” Deep down, I am kind of scared they will fall past the medallion or will not fit.
I click the medallion. I tilt it and with a sound of magic, like faeries and twinkles, the sparkles fall perfectly in place.
I hope it works. As if the memories understood my intentions, they form towards the shape of the necklace and I can close it with ease.
I catch Eliane peeking through one eye.
“You can open them.” I chuckle.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asks, not meeting my dark gaze.
“Because you had good memories and I know they are your saving.” She holds the little sun in her bold fist.
“Thank you.” She smiles, her face close to mine.
I feel the sudden urge to kiss her. Press my lips to that precious mouth of her.
Could I kiss her here? Would she want me to?
I lean even more forward, so close our noses almost touch, my hand brushing her leg.
Before I can taste her lips, I slip in her mind.
And all she is thinking of are good memories.
Even though I believe her first kiss would be another good memory, for me at least, I don’t.
I don’t want to ruin her reliving all the memories with Da. With me.
It isn’t the moment, so I contain myself.
“You know, I can feel them when I really try, holding them close.” She smiles, closing her eyes. But all I can do is look at her pretty face as she doesn’t look at me.
I have no idea how to answer that, so I keep quiet.
All I do is smile at her, until she crawls back into bed again, closes her eyes and falls asleep until the trials will wake her.
And all I will do is draw. Draw the feelings away. Draw away the strong urge to kiss her. So after a few days I finally hit my cabin again. I draw and draw until the night comes and I force myself back to bed.
A loud bang on the door makes the both of us sit up straight in our bed.
“Be ready in five!” a low man’s voice shouts at us and all the other candidates. I jump out of bed, not bothering to shower.
“Are you a bit reloaded again?” I ask, putting my leathers on. She nods at me, smiling widely.
“Yes, I am.” She follows my lead and changes into her fighting leathers. My eyes catch her hands putting the small sun necklaces under her tight leather and the corner of my mouth twitches upwards. She looks up from packing her backpack.
“What?”
I just shake my head, smiling as an answer. I fly her daggers towards her, while tying my own weapons to my back.
“Ready?” I ask.
She gives a nod and I open the door. She takes the lead and marches towards the entrance of the side building. It is still dark outside.
This time we aren’t last, but not the first either. Kailey is already stepping inside the carriage. How did she get that good out of Hazel’s death anyway? Eliane must be thinking the same thing because she asks.
“Are you okay? Like, aren’t you hurt?” she asks, not holding a blade in front of her mouth, stepping in the carriage that will be dragged by horse to wherever they want to take us.
I follow her. There is room for one more in this carriage and so there will be at least one more I assume. I sit down next to Eliane, who dumps her backpack between her legs and starts braiding her hair. Kailey is also busy with putting her hair up as she answers.
“I blocked her out on time. My magic was gone for a few hours, but I definitely didn’t get the real blow.”
“Are you okay?” She reaches for Eliane’s hand.
Eliane gives her nod and forces out a smile.
I slip into her mind and despite the fact that she looks pretty calm, I feel the rage bubbling inside of her, growing.
Like magic tried to interrupt us and wanted to give Eliane an escape, something is stuck in my shoe, again.
Her eyes meet mine and that makes it clear to me she feels the same thing.
We bow together in sync, each pulling out the small cylinder that likely holds our hint, since Kailey doesn’t take anything from hers.
Eliane glances at me, her eyes widening slightly.
“I thought we already got our hint,” she suggests a kind of beat. Well, it seems like something between me and Zef really changed. He wouldn’t have given us a hint if he and I weren’t on good waters. He gives us a tip, just from bother to brother, friend to friend.
“I thought so too.”
I hand Eliane my cylinder because I still can’t get those stupid things to open, and we hold the two pieces of parchment next to each other.
When the world turns, don’t delay,
run at once or fade away.
Well, that is comforting. Before we can discuss the meaning of it the carriage starts riding. A friendly face runs after us, and I turn to the rider.
“Stop, we are missing someone,” I call out to the rider.
It isn’t a question, but a demand. He turns to look at me and as soon as he notices who he is talking to he stops. The door of the carriage opens with a swing. A red and sweaty faced Caleb jumps in.
“Thanks,” he breathes and as usual he claps my shoulder, sitting down in front of me.
Eliane’s eyes meet mine.
“Should we tell them our hint?” she asks, as sweet as she is. She wants to help them, save them. Before I can answer she turns her paper around for everyone to see. I clap my hand on my forehead and bow forward. As much as we like these two, in the trials they are our enemies.
Caleb repeats the words, but stops halfway as he catches sight of the chain of Eliane, her necklace blinking in the sun. He gives me a smug smile, but doesn’t speak about the paper anymore.
During the rest of the ride, Eliane and Kailey chat and Caleb chimes in occasionally. I sit and observe.
After what must have been an hour of three or four, the carriage stops and the door opens.