Chapter 36 Calytrix
THIRTY-SIX
CALYTRIX
Iforced myself to watch. I felt so helpless, but then it struck me: I might be able to help.
I’d suspected for days we could share magic, even if we aren’t melded, in theory.
I’d begun to feel the strength of his power as if it was nudging me, tempting me to reach out for it.
Maybe that was how the meld began? Our magics slowly reached for the other until they finally embraced and merged into one.
The thought was quite beautiful. I’d always seen it as such a romantic notion, the merging of two opposites to become a formidable symbiotic pair.
It was living up to my idealized notion.
I dropped to my knees beside him, finding the strings of power between us easily. It took me a minute to untangle them. There were so many, more than just a few days ago. Our bond was strengthened, I noted with a thrill.
I pushed magic towards him, ignoring my reserves and the objection of my body, knowing he needed it. I would keep him alive even if it meant us both clawing to life with our fingertips.
He grabbed my arm harshly. “Don’t bleed yourself dry. You might need your magic to escape.”
“What’s the point if you don’t survive this?” I said through my teeth.
“This isn’t about me.”
I laughed through a snarl. “I’m not letting you leave—yet.”
The fae around us moved in and held hands over his body, using their own magic to seek what was tracking our movements.
Faolan’s head snapped back, and his body lifted as they worked over him.
The veins in his arms protruded, and every muscle flexed, like they were slowly sucking the life out of him.
I wanted to stop them, but I knew this was our only route to safe harbor.
At first, I had to force my magic into him, but slowly, he began to draw it out of me, like he was drinking from an open faucet, unable to quench his thirst. I siphoned some, trying to keep him alive without fully draining myself.
My heart rate sped up like I was being bled and could feel the color drain from my face.
I grabbed his tunic and squeezed the materials between my fingers, holding on to the physical world as my vision narrowed.
What felt like a lifetime later, Faolan hit the ground, his body limp. It took me a moment to realize I was even alive before I could get my arms to move. I searched him for a pulse, pleading with the God of Sun and life.
Don’t fucking take him from me, I begged.
Not yet.
“How is he?” I asked the latest visitor who’d come to check on Faolan as I’d kept watch, curled at his side.
The dark figure lifted his head, still completely shrouded by his cloak’s hood, which created a deep cowl concealing his face. There’d been lots of movement in and out of the room in the last few hours, but no one revealed their identities or spoke to us, and I needed to know—something.
“He remains stable, and he is strong. I’m hopeful.”
I blew out the breath it felt like I’d held since we landed.
Faolan was strong, and this fae sounded as though he knew him enough to rely on it.
Was he the friend Faolan had thrown himself at the mercy of out there?
His deep voice had curled around me with his reply, and I realized if he was, he’d disguised it before.
“Are you who we met before, outside?” I asked.
“I am. It’s been decided it is I who will be your contact. It’s better to keep our secrets. It’s how we’ve survived this long.”
“I understand.” I glanced over as Faolan stirred, muttering something in his sleep. “How long will it be?”
“He needs to replenish his magic so his body can heal, which is a difficult task in the wastelands.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Can’t you feel it?”
I frowned, not sure what he was talking about.
He cocked his head, considering his words. “Do you know how to gather magic from the land?”
“Faolan showed me some. I’ve been practicing.”
“Connect with it. Feel how dry the ley lines are.”
I closed my eyes and did what he said, finding dust where the River Kingdom had life-giving rivers producing seemingly endless power. It felt like scraping the bottom of a bowl for the last drops. “Did someone cut it off?” It was the only way to explain it.
“We don’t know.” He paused again. “Magic is hard here. There is less magic everywhere than in years past, but the Desert Kingdom is one of the places hit the hardest.”
“So he’ll heal slower?”
“Yes. His body needs magic to repair itself. He has old injuries too that weren’t fully healed.”
“And what if they find us again?” I felt like they were closing in on us still, and maybe it was just my fear, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I was walking into a trap.
“They won’t find you here. The tracer is gone, and if they can catch up with your trail, they will find nothing here but barren land and assume you took to the mountains.
“Could they be tracing him in a way you wouldn’t recognize?”
“Anything is possible, but I don’t think so.
We’ve had some of our best examine him, and our protections and wards are strong in this place.
But there is never zero risk.” He folded his hands in front of him.
“We have been fighting this King for many years, and it’s always a balancing act.
We could be discovered at any moment. Hence, all the safety measures.
You know, even being here means your life will never be the same? ”
“I know. But it’s better than swallowing it like my ancestors before me have done.”
“Don’t think they also didn’t fight. You don’t know the change others have enacted, so we could be here together now.”
I nodded. “You really think the past queens have done anything but get comfortable in their life of luxury?”
“The last queen is long dead. Don’t you think she’d still be alive if she were docile and compliant?” He had a point.
“Who knows?” I hated to think of any of it or what they endured.
I didn’t know what kind of fae the last queen was.
Our dukes were selected, not succeeded father to son, otherwise, the line would be so inbred by now, the kingdom wouldn’t be worth saving.
Maybe it was easier to think they wanted to be there, but was that doing them a disservice?
“We only know what we see before us, but the board was primed long before we were even born to bring us together. We must trust in His guidance.”
I gasped. “You follow His guidance?” I’d had my fill of the Goddess worship that was forced on us under the unification. To hear another from outside Light refer to Him was like fresh air after almost drowning.
The fae simply nodded once and said nothing more.
“My sister keeps telling me to trust.” I blew out a breath.
“Tell me what you want?” I hated beating around the bush.
We might as well get this over with while Faolan was out of commission.
He wouldn’t approve of this and would only try to talk me out of making a bargain, but he was leaving, so he didn’t get a say.
“It’s a complicated question. You were not in our plans, so we’ve had to reconsider. We have spent much of the night deliberating.”
“What does that mean?” I understood that they’d have to discuss my offer, but I just needed a direction to cling to, or I’d lose my sanity when Faolan left.
“We aren’t sure. Maybe we will decide by the time he heals, or maybe plans will simply have to evolve. We need to build trust with each other.”
I opened my mouth to say I trusted him, but he held up a finger.
“I’m sure you believe in the cause, and your rage at your situation gives false trust, but you will soon be in a place where you can’t trust anyone and thus will doubt everyone.
Trust must be built.” He curled his fingers under the edge of his hood and slowly lowered it, revealing not a fae face.
Bone and skin woven together, leaving an unfinished face, like the Gods had abandoned his kind before adding the final touches.
Thick muscle weaved down his neck, more pronounced than in a fae, while antlers grew out of his temples in front of my eyes, crowning the top of his head in an almost regal way.
His eyes burned from dark sockets like fire, orange and unlike anything I’d ever seen before.
“I am Ryuu, and my kind was crushed under the boot of the Twelve Kingdoms, much like yours. There is much we can do for one another.”
I gasped, unable to help it, but quickly clapped a hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry,” I barely managed, not wanting to offend him.
“Do you fear me?” His mouth moved almost like a smile.
I shook my head. “No. But I thought your kind was—”
“Legend? Dead?”
“Gone. Moved on from here, either past the veil or to other continents.” I shrugged, not sure what I’d thought.
“The ones of us left went deep into hiding. Some went into a hibernation they may never awake from, and others live their lives on the fringes where they are more accepted, but some of us want to release the old magic and gain our freedom.” He met my eyes, and I shivered.
“So you want this as much as I do?”
“Yes, which is why I revealed myself to you. Laying the foundations of our trust.” He replaced his hood.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“It keeps everyone more comfortable.”
“But they’ll have to get used to it eventually, won’t they?” I asked.
“Who knows how long that will be?”
“It’s coming. I can feel it.”
“I too.” He got up.
“Ryuu,” I said.
He paused. “Yes?”
“I need to know what to do. How best to move this forward. You don’t have to tell me now, but think about it.”
He inclined his head again. “For now, remember your access is everything. Get as close to those in power as possible. Make them trust you. Gather every detail. Even the most minor may be our key to the prophecy.”
“The prophecy?” This was the first I’d heard about such a thing.
“All will reveal itself to you in time.”