by Zora Marie
She read the note scrawled across the top of the little wooden box. It was from Yalif, the Hyperian healer who had pieced her back together not all that long ago. It read:
A gift to help you heal, just spread it across the wound twice a day and you will be healed in no time. Take care and stop getting yourself blown-up, cut open, and shot, it is getting quite obsessive!
-Yalif
P.S. In case you missed it, there is a dress in that pocket dimension from Dain. The fool is still determined to make you the perfect outfit.
“What’s that?” Alrindel asked.
“Healing cream from Yalif. It’s the same thing he used on me when Yargo brought me to him the first time. Asenten used a spell I couldn’t heal from, yet I couldn’t die.” Zelia shook her head, as if trying to dispel the tainted thoughts. “I might heal fast, but this helps a lot.” She closed the pocket dimension and set the box and ball of ice beside her.
“You say you’re not used to anyone caring about you, but it seems that lots of people do.”
“I guess,” she paused, “it’s just different with you and Eadon.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just, I have all these memories from when we were younger and I know we can never have that back. And I can hide my pain from everyone else but around the two of you, I can’t.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re finally letting your guard down. You’re safe here with us.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll never be safe again as long as the other wizards live. The Darkans, all the death, it’s all because of them. They wanted to draw me back from Dragon Island and they succeeded.” She paused, not sure how much to tell of her time there. “I hadn’t planned to go to Dragon Island when I left Hyperia, that’s just where Lumid happened to have been looking. I got lucky with where I ended up and I didn’t plan on coming back. I knew I would endanger all of you if I did. Now they’ll be after me again or maybe they’re just testing me, lining me up to use in their game.”
“Shh, you worry too much.” He eased onto the bed and pulled her into a soft hug. “You’re safe here. We won’t let them take you again.”
“I have to worry. You don’t know what they did, what they made me do.” She pressed closer to him, as if his presence could stave off the horrible memories of her past.
“And we won’t know, unless you let us in.”
Her breath caught at the thought and he rested his cheek on top of her head. “Just know that I’m here whenever you’re ready.”
I don’t think I’ll ever be ready.
2
“Are you sure?” Alrindel asked.
“Of course, I’m sure. Go, have a little fun. No need for us both to be cooped up here.”
“Alright, I’ll be back here soon.” Alrindel left the room, and a guard stepped in.
Really? Another guard. With a sigh, she twirled a flame around her fingers and let it fly across the room like a phoenix. The guard edged closer to the door and she could only imagine what he thought. She knew she shouldn’t scare the guards, but she was so bored and it wasn’t like there was anything else she could do.
“Zelia, no fire in bed, you’ll burn the tree down,” Eadon said as he came into the room.
“You know I would never burn our home down. Besides, the tree is my friend, and she’s better company than him.” Zelia nodded towards the guard.
“It doesn’t take much to be better company than him, he’s the least entertaining of the Elves,” the tree creaked and Zelia grinned.
“Let me guess, the tree is talking to you again?”
“Again? Who told you about that?”
“Skylar told Eleanor and me.”
“And that doesn’t surprise you?”
He shook his head. “It seems you’re more Elf than we are anymore. Since you seem to be feeling better, I need you to tell me more about what happened with your heart.”
“I thought Skylar told you.”
“He told me what he could, but I need to know as much as you can tell me. I can’t help you if I don’t know.”
Zelia chewed the inside of her lip as she struggled to decide where to begin. “I… the spell Asenten used bound some shrapnel to my heart and lungs. Yalif said they can’t be removed, even if they are what cause my death they will still be there when I come back. I could explode, and the shrapnel would come back with me. But even if it wasn’t a part of me, I don’t want to be trapped like that, especially since I’m not stuck in The Cave anymore and…” she trailed off, not wanting to open herself up to questions about her nightmares.
“Then we will do what we can to prevent that. Come on, let me have a look at your side.” He unwrapped the bandage and inspected her wound.
She glanced down at her side. It already showed improvement. The inflammation was down, and she hadn’t even used the cream Yalif had sent yet.
Eadon heaved a sigh. “I wish elvish healing worked on you, why do you have to be so difficult?” He tapped her nose, and she smiled. “See? There’s a piece of the old you still in there somewhere.”
Pieces, but I’ll never be her again. Her smile fell away and she could no longer meet his gaze.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he stitched her up.
“It’s just… she’s gone. The old me, who I used to be, she died the second time I… should have died. Through the years, bits and pieces of her have been chipped off and there’s hardly any of her left now. There’s more darkness than there is light left in me and part of it was my doing.”
“What happened to you is not your fault.”
“I understand that, well, the logical part of me does, but the emotional part of me doesn’t follow suit. There are many things I could have done differently. As for my own doing, I wanted to forget. I wanted to forget you and Alrindel, and everyone else here. Memories made my reality seem all that much worse. Even when I had lost hope, I knew what I was doing was wrong.”
“Alrindel said he thought something was on your mind, but I never thought it would be this.” He tied off her stitches and went to fetch a fresh wrap.
“Oh,” she said and wiped the tears from her eyes, “I almost forgot to tell you, Yalif sent some healing salve in the pocket dimension.” She pulled the little wood box out from under the mound of pillows behind her.
“Changing the topic now, are we?”
“Kind of, but I thought it would be nice to put it on before you wrap me up.”
He took the box and skimmed the top. “I’d have to agree with Yalif. You know what it says, don’t you?
“I can read it. I’m not Alrindel, I actually paid attention to your teachings.”
“When you were not running off to go riding,” Eadon teased and wiped some of the salve on her bandage. For a moment he paused, his tell that Eleanor interrupted his thoughts. “Well, I hate to change the topic, but Eleanor has asked me to. What’s this I hear about Skylar’s wolfblood friend, Nikolas?”
“He’s not just a wolfblood, look close at his eyes, you’ll see it. Nicolas is a god-child, like Skylar’s great grandfather was. But this time Yargo was not the father.”
“Then who?”
“The so-called god of the dead. They’re the only ones with so much black in their eyes.”
“Well, I would not worry too much about Nikolas. I’ve known him for years. He may be an outsider, even among his own people, but he is a kind person.” He tied off her bandage and pulled her gown back down.
“You say that, yet you worry about what it means.”
“Perhaps you know too much for your own good.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my Eadon?” Pain interrupted her little chuckle and she cringed.
“Settle down before you rip out your stitches. I will go find someone else to look after you before you scare the guards off. Oh, a
nd stop using fire and ice so soon after one another, you are slowing down your healing.”
~
Some time passed, and her uncle Koin came to visit. “So, ready for some fun?”
“Don’t lie, Eadon enlisted you to watch me as if I were a baby. Even when I was a baby, they didn’t watch me every hour of the day.”
“Yes, but when you were a baby you didn’t go around doing things that got you hurt all the time and I was not lying.” He pulled a board from behind his back and propped it up against the far wall. “We’re going to practice knife throwing.”
“Okay, I’ll bite, even though I think you’re all just trying to distract me from something else.”
“Alrindel is right, you have changed for the better since we got home. Either that, or you’re putting on a front.” He handed her a green handled knife and pulled the one from his boot for himself. “But for the moment, let’s practice.” He held the knife up by his head and with a flick of his wrist it stuck into the board.
“You know, you make that look so easy, but I know better.”
Koin let out a soft laugh. “It just takes practice. Go on, your turn.”
“You know, I missed your laugh.” She threw the knife, and it bounced off the board. “Yep, this will take some time.”
“Hm, maybe we should wait until your side heals more so you can put a little more force into it.”
“Koin, coming up with excuses to get out of practice? What has gotten into all of you? First Eadon says I might know too much and now this?”
“Really Koin? Knife throwing?” Lighnif asked from the doorway.
“What? I was just showing her,” Koin replied, a delicate hand to his chest in feigned offense.
“And judging by the knife on the floor, she gave it a shot too. You know she’s supposed to be resting.”
“He just pointed that out. No need to scold him. So, what brings you by?” Zelia asked.
“Eadon asked me about keeping an eye on you and after hearing that Koin was here I figured I should check in.”
“Says the Elf I had to order to sit when she broke the cut on her leg open,” Koin protested.
Lighnif gave him a quick glare and nodded towards the door. “Go on, Koin. I’ll watch her until Alrindel, or Skylar come around.”
“Fine, but only because I have a couple young Elves to round up for training.” He sauntered past her and grinned just before passing out of sight.
“He’s full of it today, isn’t he?” Lighnif laughed and sat down on the side of the bed.
“With the way he was when Leena died, I never thought I’d see him so happy,” Zelia said.
“You remember that?”
“Yes, it’s the small things I forgot. Well, I didn’t recognize you, but you’ve changed a lot. Most things I forgot are little, like I didn’t remember what it was like to ride a horse. I remembered everything about it, I just didn’t remember the feeling riding gave me, the freedom.” She shook her head. “That’s enough about that, let’s talk about your feelings.”
“What do you mean?” Lighnif questioned.
“For Alrindel, you already admitted it so no sense in hiding it now.”
“You didn’t tell Alrindel, did you?” There was a slight sense of panic in her voice.
“Of course not, that’s between the two of you and he’s still clueless.”
They talked about Alrindel and things that had happened over the years she was gone. They did this for the rest of the evening, and the next few days weren’t that much different.
3
“You are free of bed rest so long as you take it easy, okay?” Eadon looked at her knowingly.
“Anything to get out of this room.”
“If you go now, you can catch the boys eating breakfast. They’re on the balcony overlooking the pasture and lake.”
“Thank you Eadon.” She gave him a quick hug and headed out the door. Pain still dug through her side, but she ignored it.
Alrindel, Skylar, and Nikolas all glanced at her when she entered the room, but didn’t say a word as she eased into the chair at the table.
“So, what are you planning to do today, Skylar?” Alrindel asked.
Skylar tossed an apple across the table at him. “I don’t know. If I’d lost that bet, I guess I’d be following you on the hunt today. But since I won, I’m free to do whatever I please. Even mess with squirt here.” He messed up her hair and took a bite out of his own apple.
Nikolas dug his teeth into a lamb’s leg. “What bet?” he asked with a mouth half full.
“They made a bet about whether or not Skylar would find that man at The Tavern back in Riverdain.”
“So not only did I get the bounty, but Alrindel has to go after the next one with me. And I don’t have to haul in his kill from today’s hun—”
He stopped short as a yell came from the pasture.
They looked out just in time to see an Elf jump the pasture’s vine and tree root fence. A big black horse sailed over the fence, narrowly missing the Elf as his thundering hooves hit the ground.
Zelia let out a long whistle. The horse skidded to a stop, his ears perked as the Elf fell into the lake. She shook her head and headed out to her horse. The stallion pranced in excitement before spinning in a circle like a dog as she approached.
“Bête Noire, why are you chasing the Elves?”
She cringed as he pressed his head against her chest, his nose pressing on her healing wound. “They refused to let me see you. Then they tried to tie me up! You know I hate tack and men, Elf or not!” he replied.
“Well, I’m here now.” She rested her head against his forelock as she stroked what little of his long delicate neck she could reach. “But you know you can’t go charging at every being you don’t like.”
Alrindel helped the dripping Elf to his feet from the shallow water’s edge. “Don’t feel bad, he charged me the first time I met him. We’ll take care of him, go dry off and warm up.”
The Elf waddled off around the edge of the lake. His clothes stuck to him as if dipped in glue. Bête Noire pulled back to look at his latest victim and nickered at the Elf with a bob of his head.
“Back in the pasture Bête Noire, and no more chasing Elves.”
Skylar and Nikolas stepped back as he pawed the ground.
“So, I can chase these two?”
“Bête Noire.” She glared at him.
“Fine, you’re no fun this morning. Call me when you’re in a better mood.”
Zelia plopped down at the edge of the lake with a sigh. She had only closed her eyes for a moment when a loud CRACK rang out, followed by the small pops of a tree falling over. There was a piercing scream, and she looked just in time to see the tree splash into the water, the hand of an Elf reaching for help as the tree dragged them underwater.
Alrindel and Skylar took off around the edge of the lake to help the Elves on the far shore lift the fallen tree.
They’ll never get it off them in time. She leapt to her feet, forgetting her injured side. Ice formed under her feet as she ran across the water’s surface. She didn’t have time to make more than a thin sheet of ice, but it held long enough for her to dash across it.
When Zelia neared the fallen tree, she dove in and grasped the Elf’s wrist. It was a girl about her age, and she wasn’t thrashing or moving, almost as if she were asleep. Her silky white hair floated around her face in all directions.
Zelia forced the water to freeze, lifting the tree. As the tree lifted, Zelia’s vision blurred from the effort and the pain rippling through her side. She felt someone’s hand on her shoulder, pulling her from the water. For a moment, she struggled against the hand as she reached for the girl’s limp wrist.
She felt the girl’s wrist in her hand as her head breached the surface of the water, just in time for the ice to cr
ack and drop the tree. A shudder went through her as she hit the hard sand, her feet still in the water as someone took the girl’s wrist from her grasp.
Zelia tried to catch her breath in gasps as she watched an Elf tend to the girl. The girl didn’t draw in air on her own, so he pinched her nose and blew into her mouth. Her chest rose and fell once, then twice.
The girl shivered as she rolled to her side, coughing up water.
Zelia breathed a sigh of relief and sat up on her knees. Her hair was plastered to her face and neck. She raised her hand towards the shivering girl, but paused, staring at the cracks that wove up her fingertips. She had toyed with fire earlier that morning and the use of ice so soon after had its price. The prickling of pain shot through her cold fingers, shouting that she needed to pace herself.
The girl gave Alrindel a nod as he approached. What’s that about?
Then she remembered the freezing water that covered both of them and made it fall away from them in a puff of snow. Still, her hair clung to her face from the static caused by the sudden loss of moisture. Alrindel scooped Zelia up and she lost her train of thought.
“I’m glad you saved her, but you’re not supposed to be exerting yourself like that.”
Her side throbbed, and she clutched it, leaning her head against him as his warmth staved off the cold.
“I know, but why did the tree fall? It’s not even windy.”
“I don’t know, but let’s let Eleanor and Eadon worry about that.”
“Fine. Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for the hunt?”
“Maybe I should stay here with you.” They walked back along the edge of the lake.
“No, you should go. Skylar here can keep me out of trouble, or maybe it’s the other way around.”
Nikolas wrapped his arm across Skylar’s shoulders.
“Here, I’ll keep them both out of trouble.”
Alrindel rolled his eyes. “Fine, but only because it’s the last hunt before hard winter hits and with Nikolas to feed, we’ll need the meat.”
“Good. Now, would you put me down? I have legs,” she wiggled her feet with a grin, “and Eadon said I am allowed to walk.”
