Ascent

by Bethany Adams

  Maddy spared a glance for the windows bracketing the front doors, but she couldn’t make out many details with the growing darkness. “Ice storm?”

  “It hasn’t reached here yet, but there might be one tomorrow,” Cora explained. “There are spells stabilizing the tree limbs above any structures, and more spells guard the buildings in case those fail. Mostly, it will be unpleasant to navigate the outdoors.”

  Remembering the chill she’d already experienced, Maddy shivered. “Sounds like I picked a great time to train.”

  Both women grimaced in sympathy. “Especially since the healing tower is along an outside path,” Cora said.

  Damn. Hopefully, Cora would have some boots she could borrow—and maybe some warmer clothes. Maddy had packed a couple of sweaters but hadn’t considered it might be cold enough for a coat. “Speaking of the healing tower… Am I meeting the healer there? I assumed he would be here when I arrived.”

  “He was finishing up with a patient,” Cora explained. “Want me to show you the way?”

  “Fine by me.” Maddy shifted her backpack higher on her shoulder. “I’m ready when you are.”

  Lady Meli clasped her hands in front of her waist. “I’ll bid you farewell here. I do hope you enjoy your time at Braelyn, and if you should have any need, please notify me or my bonded at once.”

  Maddy smiled at the softly spoken words. The other woman might not have been born here, but Maddy wouldn’t have guessed it based on her calm demeanor. “Thank you. I will.”

  As the lady turned to go, Cora led the way toward the elaborate pair of doors to Maddy’s right. Her steps slowed as they neared the exit, fear overtaking her feet, but she forced herself to catch up. This was the right thing to do. It might scare the hell out of her, but it was the best choice.

  The only choice.

  Fen flopped down in the chair and propped his feet on a nearby stool without regard for the others’ opinions. He’d been more tired in his life, but that didn’t make his current exhaustion any easier. Right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. If Aris and Kezari believed him to be rude for sprawling out, then so be it. But although Aris cast him a curious glance, the dragon woman didn’t appear to notice at all. She was too busy pacing the sitting room.

  “Why are you so agitated, Kezari?” Dria asked. “For all we know, the dragon sighting was only a rumor.”

  “If there are dragons here, they could help sway my Moranaian kin,” the dragon said, her voice taking on a deeper, more resonant tone. “My own kind called me foolish for keeping my connection to Earth instead of stamping it out, and my leaders refused to believe me when I sensed the poison here. But if there are dragons who remained… They would still have that connection, unbroken. They would be more my kin than the dragons I grew up with on Moranaia.”

  Fen winced in sympathy. The others might not get the importance of that, but he knew all too well what it was like to feel like an outcast.

  The dragon’s friend seemed to understand. Aris placed his hands on her shoulders, stopping her restless pacing. “Then we will search for them properly. If they do not wish to be revealed to humans, your doing so would earn you no favor with them.”

  Kezari slumped. “That is so.”

  “Please, sit. We will help if we can,” Vek said, waving toward the pair of empty chairs between his seat and Fen’s. “But I must hear from my nephew first.”

  Although the dragon frowned, she pulled away from Aris to take the chair to Fen’s right. The cool air of the chamber warmed perceptibly around him as she settled in. How the hell had Aris tolerated touching her skin if she emanated that much heat? But if it had hurt the Moranaian, he showed no sign of it as he sat between Kezari and Vek.

  “My report won’t take long,” Fen hastened to say as the dragon’s golden eyes pinned him. If he had more time, he would tell his uncle off for putting him between a dragon and her objective. “And it actually concerns Aris. I think.”

  Dria and Vek both leaned forward at that, but the elf in question only raised a brow. “Has your poison returned? I sense no sign of it.”

  Fen flushed at the reminder of their first meeting. So to speak. He’d been unconscious from Kien’s energy poisoning at the time, at least until Aris had healed him. “Mine hasn’t. But we went to check on a fae woman showing signs of illness. We thought it was that secondary sickness that happened after you cured me of the first one. It wasn’t.”

  Dria’s eyes narrowed. “Maddy scanned the woman?”

  “Yes,” Fen answered. “She said that it wasn’t a disease, not like the one she and I both had. This was more like the dart of poisoned energy that Kien shoved in my heart.”

  Silence fell after that statement, heavy with implications.

  “Shrapnel,” Vek said flatly.

  Aris and Kezari exchanged glances. “I do not know this word,” the dragon said.

  “It’s like…” Fen frowned, trying to figure out how to explain it to people who didn’t know about human bombs. “If you threw a fireball laced with metal fragments at someone. The fragments would fly free, doing more damage to the target and anything nearby. That’s shrapnel.”

  “Ah, I see,” Aris said. “You believe that the poisoned magic that Kien thrust into the wall holding back Earth’s energy and into you might have had fragments attached that then hit others.”

  Fen crossed his ankles. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “It is most the most logical explanation.” Frowning, Vek shook his head. “Though I admit I could be wrong. If I am, though, then how did a stranger get infected? Are you certain it is the same? Maddy could have been mistaken.”

  “You’d have to ask her that,” Fen said.

  Vek pursed his lips. “I could check with my magi—”

  His uncle’s mouth snapped shut, a hint of red working its way up his neck and into his cheeks. Vek glanced toward Aris for only a second, but it was enough for realization to hit. Aris had given his uncle blood—and Vek gained abilities from those whose blood he’d consumed. Oh, damn. Vek had some use of life magic, a rare talent that could be abused in horrible ways. The other elf wouldn’t be happy to know that the ability had been shared, no matter how accidentally.

  Aris’s eyes narrowed on Vek, and the barest pulse of the elf’s magic flowed around them. Unfortunately for Vek, the other man was no fool. “You did not bear life magic during our earlier encounter,” Aris said smoothly, his words loaded with both threat and question.

  Even so, Fen didn’t expect Vek to answer. His uncle wasn’t exactly a wimp, and he tended to hold his secrets close. He must have thought up some kind of bluff before this on the likely chance he’d see Aris again. After all, Vek lived in the outpost with Dria now that they’d mated, and Moranaians traveled through here constantly. He’d surely planned for this.

  “I gained some of your abilities through your blood,” Vek said.

  A simple statement, simply delivered.

  A bomb with its own kind of shrapnel.

  “Miaran dae fe onai,” Aris cursed, shooting to his feet. Iron in the heart—a mild insult if you weren’t fae. “I saved you from death, and that is how you repay me? You took far more than I offered.”

  Fen stared at him in confusion. The other elf had gone pale, and a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. He looked like he was either going to pass out or incinerate Vek with his eyes. Hell, both outcomes weren’t out of the question.

  As Aris swayed on his feet, Kezari wrapped her fingers around his wrist. “Calm, skizik.”

  Vek lifted his hands, palms outward. “It wasn’t intentional. In fact, I can’t control it. This happens any time I take blood. And if you recall, I was unconscious when your blood was offered. I would have refused if given the chance.”

  Some of the panic left Aris’s face, but he was still unnaturally pale even as he nodded. “That is true. I am uncertain, then, if I did you a favor or a disservice. I would not take away another person’s choice.”

  “Well, it w
as preferable to death,” Vek said dryly.

  “Said by a man who has never had to decide between the two.” Aris averted his gaze. “I’ve been held captive before. Let’s just say that death isn’t always the least favorable option.”

  The dragon half-growled. “You’re not—”

  “No, Kezari,” Aris interrupted, resuming his seat. “I don’t feel that way now, and I would rather not dwell on it. But as the blood elf has shown good faith in admitting what happened, so I thought I should explain my reaction.” He turned back to Vek. “I assume you have a reason for sharing the truth?”

  Fen glanced between them, only partially understanding the situation. Was Aris saying he’d been tortured? You took far more than I offered. Ah, hell. That sounded like more than the type of torment Kien had inflicted on his victims. Something far more intimate than the slice of a blade or a heated brand. But not all curiosity needed to be appeased.

  “I will lose the talent over time unless I draw from you or another with your talent again, and I didn’t gain all of the abilities of a life mage. But I received enough that I could use training,” Vek said. “There are a few things I haven’t worked out.”

  Aris’s fingers tightened on the chair’s armrests. “I imagine so. Perhaps we should go over them while your nephew rests. Then Kezari and I can go somewhere quiet and scan for her dragon kin.”

  Kezari folded her arms across her chest. “Fine. I suppose I can wait.”

  “I’ll scout out a good spot, Kezari,” Dria said. She winked at Fen and then waved toward the door. “Fen. You heard Aris. Go sleep. We all need to be clear-headed.”

  Fen didn’t have to be told twice. After a quick goodbye, he rushed out of the room and straight into the chamber next door. It was just as he’d left it, complete with rumpled covers. No housekeepers here, not even for a so-called Felshreh prince. Best he could tell, being royalty was a pain in the ass.

  And his mother expected him to be the king of the Unseelie someday. Hah.

  Shoving that thought aside, Fen kicked off his shoes and pulled back the covers. No sign of any cave inhabitants in the blankets, but he wasn’t going to take chances. He ran a quick refreshing spell through the linens and mattress, studiously ignoring the dust and anything else that slid onto the floor. With another burst of power, he opened a hole in the rock, directed the dirt inside, and sealed the mess into the stone.

  As he settled beneath the newly cleaned covers and pulled his phone from his pocket to set it on the side table, the device chimed. A text from Anna: Got called into work. Could you pick me up around 3?

  Fen frowned at the screen. He didn’t exactly mind, but it was an unusual request from her. Besides, it was nearly eleven, and he might have to go with Vek to test Sparrow for the poison after his lesson with Aris. Could he get there in time?

  I don’t mind, Fen typed. But I might be later than 3. I have to go out with Vek. Text me around that time?

  Her answer came quickly. I can do that. I just…don’t trust myself by the river. Accountability helps.

  That didn’t sound good. You’ll be okay?

  Fen bit his lip as he waited for the three dots to resolve into a message.

  Of course. Don’t worry. I’ll text near 3.

  Despite her reply, he didn’t exactly feel better. If she was that worried about being near the water, then he would sure as hell be there to pick her up from work, even if he had to leave Vek alone with Sparrow. Fen wasn’t a healer or a life mage, anyway. His presence would be fairly useless.

  But he wouldn’t be useless to Anna.

  Chapter 11

  Even in the dimming light, the view was phenomenal. Maddy could make out the outline of the valley at the edge of the ridge where they walked, the trees thin enough here to reveal the twilight sky. Lights twinkled below, presumably from houses. But she couldn’t bring herself to ask how many elves lived there. They could have a massive, hidden city for all she knew.

  Elves, elves everywhere.

  Maddy snorted at her rambling thoughts. She was walking among strange trees on an entirely different world full of people she knew little about, but she couldn’t fully enjoy it, no matter how much she tried. The closer she got to her meeting with the healer, the more her dread took over.

  Steps slowing, Cora cast her a questioning look. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m nervous, I guess.” Maddy sighed. “To be honest, the healer intimidates me.”

  “He’s nicer than people think. But don’t tell him I said that.”

  Maddy laughed at her friend’s wry tone. “Why not, if he’s friendly?”

  Cora grinned. “Because he gives me a potion that helps with morning sickness.”

  At the reminder, Maddy studied her friend’s waist, but the dress she wore didn’t reveal if she had a bump. “Are you okay?” Maddy asked, stopping on the path. “I mean, not just you and the baby. Is Ralan treating you well? Are you happy?”

  “I am,” Cora said, no hint of doubt in her tone. “And he is. I have no regrets about the way things turned out, except having to leave the shop. Not because I was attached, but… Well, I feel like I dumped the responsibility on you and Jase.”

  Maddy’s forehead furrowed. “What? We wanted to buy The Magic Touch.”

  “Did you, really? Or did you think you had to?”

  An unexpected question, but one that Maddy had no trouble answering. “I wanted to. I’ve always loved the place, and I was hoping I’d be able to buy it when your lack of aging got too obvious for you to stay. I thought it would be a few years longer, but the rush didn’t bother me.”

  Cora sagged with relief. “Good. You think Jase feels the same?”

  “I believe he does, though I guess you’d have to ask him to be sure.” Maddy shrugged. “If he changes his mind, I’ll buy out his portion, too. Maybe Anna and Fen would want to help out. Well, okay, not Anna. She hates retail.”

  As they began walking once more, Cora studied her. “So you’re going to go there?”

  Maddy didn’t pretend not to understand. “We’ve agreed to give the relationship a try to see if it could work. I’m still a little uncertain, but it feels right.”

  “Just say the word if I need to singe Fen’s ass. I’ve never been as sure of him as you are.”

  Maddy chuckled at her friend’s vow, but her laughter faded as the trail opened up into a clearing. In the center, a round tower rose, lights gleaming from the windows. If any structure deserved to be called a healer’s tower, it was this place. Peace emanated from the stone, drifting around the clearing like a gentle breeze. But there was no sign of the healer or anyone else at the door. Maybe he was still inside with his patient.

  Cora paused again, a look of concentration briefly crossing her face. “He’s around back. Come on, and I’ll introduce you.”

  Maddy sighed with envy at her friend’s ability to scan the area so easily, but she followed her across the clearing without commenting on it. Many fae were able to shield, use telepathy, and analyze their environment for certain energy signatures, but Maddy wasn’t particularly great at any of those talents. She could uphold shielding, like the kind that Cora had cast around the shop, and even build her own with limited success, but she had little practice with the other two. Then again, being afraid your magic might kill someone tended to make a person hesitant to try new things.

  They rounded the tower, and both women slowed at the sight of Lial, crouching near the base with a bowl in his hand. A mage light hovered overhead, and its glow cast streaks of blue across his auburn hair, tied at the nape, and his brownish cloak. With an annoyed glance, he held up a hand until they stopped.

  What was he doing?

  Maddy exchanged a confused look with Cora, but they stood silently in the chilly air as the healer stared at a shadowed spot at the base of the tower. Maddy pulled the cloak Cora had loaned her more tightly around her chest for warmth, but she didn’t speak. Maybe Lial wasn’t cranky or cruel—maybe the guy was crazy. Why else
would he be staring at a damned wall in the cold twilight?

  Then a soft mewling sound caught her attention. Almost kitten-like, but deeper and more resonant. Maddy peered at the shadowed area with more interest and was rewarded with the sight of a small, fur-covered head peeking out. The adult version followed as the animal’s mother crept part of the way out of her hiding space, and Maddy caught her breath. It was almost a cat, but the animal’s head was a little more dog-like, though with a smaller mouth. Taller, more rounded ears extended upward, and the long tail that whipped out from the darkness had a rounded tip that began to glow as it curled over the bowl in Lial’s hands.

  Well, that was different.

  Slowly, the healer lowered the dish to the ground. Another baby stepped out to stand on the mother’s other side, and the little ones held out their tails in a similar manner. But the lights on the tips flickered and pulsed until they let out soft cries of annoyance. With a soft chuff, the mother nudged them toward the bowl before bending her head to eat. After a brief hesitation, her children followed suit.

  Only after the food was gone and the animals had returned to the hole did the healer stand and face them. But he didn’t speak, only gesturing behind them until they turned and started back to the front of the tower. At the door, however, Cora didn’t bother to hold back the questions.

  “What was that, Lial? I’ve been here over a month, and I’ve never seen anything like that.”

  The healer smiled. “You wouldn’t. The camahr hibernate during the hotter months. Truth be told, many of the wilder animals stay away from our habitations, so unless you hike into the forest, you’ll not encounter them.”

  Curious, Maddy glanced around at the dim forest. Though she could hear a few bird calls and the occasional squeak or chitter, she didn’t see the animals responsible. “It’s sort of quiet for a forest, come to think of it.”