Abyss

by Bethany Adams

  As her insides settled, Selia lowered her hands into the cool stream and gathered a small pool into her palms. She took a drink to rinse out her mouth before splashing the rest across her face. Then she leaned against the basin as her legs shook beneath her. Gods above. Why hadn’t anyone warned her that Tynan would be treating Aris in the training tower? She was responsible for upholding the shields there and could have reinforced them. The current protections would never hold against such an onslaught.

  A hand settled between her shoulder blades. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Meli asked.

  “No, thank you. That was…” Selia swallowed against another wave of bile. “I need to get to the training room.”

  Arlyn’s voice came from somewhere behind her. “Please don’t tell me there’s another intruder.”

  “There isn’t.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Selia straightened. “Aris was being healed, and I inadvertently intruded. He probably won’t want me there. But I have to help.”

  “Go on,” Arlyn said. “I have a feeling you won’t be in the mood for lunch, anyway. My father can share his plans later.”

  Selia gave a grateful nod and hurried to gather her cloak along with a pouch of empty energy crystals. The twisting hallways seemed eternal, but she finally burst out the back door and rushed down the garden path. Overhead, the snap of wings sounded, and Selia glanced through the few remaining leaves to see the dragon circling overhead. Did the workroom block Aris’s distress from Kezari? Selia would have expected her to be with him.

  Some of the birds began to shriek warning cries, and the branches swayed as others launched themselves into the sky. Aris’s power hadn’t technically escaped containment, but his connection with life was strong. Soon, the people preparing the gardens for the coming festival would be overcome with the same fear and pain swamping the birds.

  “Is the dragon causing this tumult?” a male cried, dropping his side of the table he carried to stare up at the canopy. “The birds are not usually this restless.”

  His partner bit her lip. “Maybe we should go in. The table can wait.”

  Selia paused long enough to offer reassurance. Mass panic would help no one. “It isn’t the dragon. Please, continue your tasks. I’ll take care of the source of discord.”

  She didn’t stay long enough to see if they believed her, but she did send a quick warning to Lyr about the current crisis.

  When Selia reached the tower, she braced herself and sent her senses delicately toward the shields. Prepared this time, she let her magic settle in just enough to integrate without engaging Aris’s power. Now she needed to bolster her own defenses. Layer by layer, she built the counter shield around herself until the bubble shimmered around her form.

  Only then did she dare open the door.

  Tynan’s gaze snapped to her, panic filling his expression as she closed the door behind her. She waved toward Aris where he lay convulsing on the ground. “Don’t stop. I need to channel this power or the shields will shatter. I wish you’d warned me.”

  “This is not safe to be around,” he said, his own shield glowing like water glinting in the sun.

  Her trained eye caught a hint of weakness in his defenses. “You’ll be the first to find that out if you don’t hush and get to work. I am a mage and teacher. You do your job, and I’ll do mine.”

  Without another word, Tynan nodded, his eyes closing as he returned to the maelstrom of Aris’s mind. Selia tried not to look at her husband’s thrashing form. When he screamed, his leg jerking violently, she averted her gaze and settled just out of reach. Then she grabbed her pouch of crystals and emptied them into her lap.

  She gripped the first in her palm and opened herself slowly to his magic as it swirled through the room. She did her best to blunt the memories, but the occasional image slipped through as she channeled the raw life energy into herself. Only instinct born of training let her push those aside to be examined later. Converting another’s power to one’s own use generally took more effort than it was worth—unless the other person was like Aris. They’d done this very thing before when she had a lot of work to do, but he’d been in control then. This…this was like trying to pull a waterfall into a tea cup.

  Well, she’d just have to go one scoop at a time. If she failed, his magic would escape containment and upset everything living within a half-day’s radius of the tower.

  Endless moments passed as Selia funneled the energy whirling around them, purified and converted it, and transferred it to a waiting crystal until it hummed with fullness. The warm stone nearly slid out of her sweaty palms before she set it aside and gathered another. Then another. Even as a headache built at the base of her skull, she continued.

  Suddenly, it was over.

  Aris’s magic stuttered, then flickered out. She peered at him as she converted the remnants of power, and her heart twisted at the sight of him huddled on his side like a child. His shoulders heaved as he wept silently, his knees curled up close to his body. The mind-healer better have been successful after making Aris relive that nightmare. She lowered her forehead to her own knees as shadows of his memories paraded through her mind. How was her husband even close to sane?

  “Thank you, Selia,” Tynan said, his voice rough as though he’d been the one screaming.

  She pinned him with her gaze as anger flooded her. “Did you have to do everything at once?”

  The priest rubbed both hands across his face. “Not by preference. I was told the situation is urgent, and this particular method only works when all of the memories are confronted at the same time.”

  “You should have warned me.” Selia scooted until she sat at Aris’s back, but she didn’t try to touch him. “Even if he told you not to. You should know better than to work on someone like him without a mage’s aid.”

  Tynan’s jaw firmed. “I was also told that this room was well-protected.”

  “For most things.” She glared at him. “Are you a novice to act so rashly? I cannot believe Lial would request your presence. And speaking of Lial, I’m surprised he hasn’t rushed in himself. He keeps a connection with those under his care, you know.”

  “Iron blast it,” Tynan muttered. “I should have thought… It’s that dragon. I wanted to complete the healing before she returned.”

  Selia lifted a brow. “You muddled this because of Kezari? Do dragons frighten you that much?”

  The priest’s cheeks reddened. “Fright has not been my experience with her. But she wouldn’t…” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Forget it. I will endeavor to keep my thoughts in order in the future.”

  Before she formulated a reply, Aris groaned and rolled onto his back. His eyes crept open, and his empty gaze scanned the room. Then he blinked a few times before focusing on her. “Selia?”

  “Forgive my intrusion,” she whispered. “There was too much power for the shields to contain.”

  A slight smile crossed his lips. “You are never an intrusion.”

  “How do you feel?” she asked.

  “Raw,” he answered honestly. “But…different.”

  Tynan leaned forward to catch his attention. “I repaired what I could, but you’ll have to build positive experiences on your own. The mind is complex and ever changing.”

  Aris nodded, though his attention seemed focused on her rather than the priest. “Selia, I want…” His voice trailed off, uncertainty entering his gaze. “I’d like to hold you. I can think of nothing more positive than that.”

  She sucked in a breath. “You’re sure? Before…”

  “I need to try,” he said softly. “I need you.”

  Though she trembled, Selia stretched out beside him and let him gather her close. Shudders still rippled through his muscles as she rested her cheek against his chest, but he didn’t go tense and his breathing remained even. Slowly, she wrapped her arm around his waist and tucked her body nearer. His heartbeat sped up beneath her ear, but it settled back to a steady pace after on
ly a moment.

  She barely noticed when the healer stood and let himself quietly out.

  “You gave me more strength than you know,” Aris whispered.

  Selia stiffened. “Me?”

  “You gave me a reason to keep going, even when I didn’t realize it. It didn’t matter that I wouldn’t see you again. Knowing you existed in the world was enough.” His lips brushed her hair. “You will always be my heart.”

  A lump formed in her throat. “You should’ve hated me.”

  “What?” he asked, his arm tightening around her back.

  Now might not be the best time, but it felt right. Selia’s hand gripped the fabric of his tunic as her greatest regret poured free. “If not for me, you wouldn’t have been on that ship in the first place. It’s all my fault.”

  Her whispered words dug into his heart, turning it over. Aris caressed her soft cheek with shaky fingers. “No, love. No.”

  “You were going to stay, but I convinced you it would be fine.”

  He cursed the weakness that kept him from sitting up and lifting her into his arms where he could look into her eyes. But his nerves groaned with the echoes of pain, and his muscles refused to do more than shift her a little closer. “You knew my heart’s dream and encouraged me to seek it. I’ve always wanted to be among the first to successfully sail the seas. Do you know how much your support means to me?”

  Her head moved against his chest. “You wouldn’t have landed in such torment if—”

  Aris placed his finger against her lips. “Stop. You aren’t a seer. I hope you haven’t carried this for seven years.”

  “Of course I have.” Selia snorted softly. “How could I not?”

  He smiled at that. Yes, she would have. Selia had always taken responsibility for more than she ought. “Well, drop that burden. It isn’t yours.”

  She fell silent, but he didn’t mistake that for agreement. He wouldn’t argue the point, not now. Not when he could savor the feel of her against him for the first time in years. Although spasms still shot through his muscles and his body felt as heavy as a mountain, the priest’s work held.

  Mostly.

  As Tynan had said, the healing wasn’t perfect. A thread of unease wound through him as Selia shifted higher, closer to being on top of him than beside. He knew by the tension winding into his shoulders that he might never be able to bear her completely above him, but having her this close so soon after reliving his past was enough of a miracle.

  If he’d learned anything, it was that miracles should be cherished.

  “How did you end up in here?” he asked.

  “I prepared the bulk of the shields on this room, and after I caught Iren experimenting with lightning one day, I set it to alert me to excessive power,” Selia said, her tone dry. “The whole thing would’ve shattered if I hadn’t brought crystals to fill.”

  Aris trailed his fingers through her hair and smiled again to remember the times they’d worked together in the past, loading energy crystals so she’d have extra power when she needed it. “At least my suffering will serve some good.”

  She gasped. “I wasn’t thinking of it that way. You may have the crystals if you like.”

  “No,” he said quickly. “No, they are yours. We would have had to fill them anyway in case we need them on Earth. I imagine this was faster.”

  “I would not have them in exchange for your pain,” she whispered.

  “My pain was inevitable.” He kissed the top of her head even as he gave her hair a slight tug. “Anyway, I like the thought of creating something out of this. Stop overthinking it.”

  Her sigh caressed his neck. “Fine.”

  There was so much they needed to discuss, so much still between them, but for the moment, he didn’t care. He wanted to ignore the last seven years and just be. Tomorrow, he could begin to tell her bits of his torment—and that Perim had been his soulbonded. But not now. One day’s torture was enough.

  Chapter 16

  Selia breathed in Aris’s wild, woodsy scent as she twisted a lock of his brown-and-green hair around her finger. There was a tension to his muscles despite the peace of the moment that told her there were things unsaid—things beyond the terrible images she’d already seen. She wouldn’t ask now, though. He’d gone through more than anyone should suffer in this day alone.

  The door clicked open, and Lial’s and Tynan’s energies flowed in before their footsteps sounded on the stone. Selia nuzzled into Aris for another moment before she reluctantly pushed herself up with one arm. She glanced up, hiding her surprise at Lial’s red-rimmed, solemn eyes. Oh, yes, he’d been linked. She’d never seen such a haunted look on the cranky but self-assured healer’s face.

  “How is he?” Lial asked.

  “I’m alive,” Aris murmured. Selia blinked at the hint of humor in her husband’s voice. His lips curved up as he stared at her for a moment. Then he winked. “Can’t complain about being able to hold my wife without going insane.”

  Lial’s expression barely lightened as he crouched on Aris’s other side. “For so much trauma, you deserved a complete healing. I am sorry you had to suffer.”

  Aris sighed. “You’d have to wipe my mind for a complete healing. I have a feeling you know that well enough now.”

  “Unfortunately,” Lial said, flinching before he could smooth out the reaction. “Tynan’s haste prevented me from severing our link as quickly as privacy would demand.”

  Tynan huffed. “I feared the dragon would try to—”

  “So you said.” Lial’s voice could have frozen the sweltering plains in the height of summer. “I was assured of your skill despite your being out of your apprenticeship for such a short time. You may have treated many in those seven years, but you were obviously not ready for a task of this magnitude. Were any others available, I would call on them before attempting to fix Aris’s poorly healed bones.”

  Selia lifted her brows at that. Training and apprenticeship for a healer lasted hundreds of years, but even after that, they often worked alongside someone with more experience for the first quarter century. She peered at Tynan’s ashen face as he stood a few paces away, his eyes averted. He should have known better, but he was young. Despite his lapse, she found herself hoping Lial didn’t go too hard on him.

  “Torture isn’t something our people often see,” Aris said suddenly, his soft voice carrying across the silence. “Those inclined to that kind of cruelty are brought to justice before they reach that level of depravity. The shock of my trauma couldn’t have helped.”

  His first assertion was certainly true—or at least she’d always believed so. But the whispers she’d heard of Kien’s depravity trickled through her mind. He’d tortured Ralan’s beloved for weeks before being discovered, and he had been a prince committing his foul acts near the palace at the very heart of their kingdom. Then there had been Allafon, a lord under Lyr’s command. He’d hidden a great deal of damage before he’d been caught.

  Perhaps there was more darkness in their society than any of them wanted to believe.

  “One might think so,” Tynan said softly, reinforcing Selia’s own thoughts. “But I have seen my share of terrible things. Lial is correct to berate me.”

  “It remains to be seen if I will report this matter to your superior,” Lial said. “I am strongly considering it.”

  The door opened again, and Kezari in her elven form slipped through. She glared at Lial as she strode toward Aris. “Do not threaten Tynan.”

  Selia’s mouth dropped open at the dragon’s angry demeanor. Kezari wasn’t breathing fire, at least, but it might not be far off based on her expression. Aris groaned and shifted, and when Selia glanced at him, worry lined his forehead. He shoved his hand against the floor, trying to push himself up, but he dropped back down without making much progress.

  Lial cursed. “Don’t move. Your body is weak, and it would be best to let me heal the strain to your muscles before you hurt yourself worse.”

  “Kezari…
” Aris began.

  “Will certainly know what her skizik needs,” Lial finished, his eyes narrowing as the dragon halted.

  “Do not berate Tynan,” Kezari said.

  “I can’t…” The priest shook his head. “I shouldn’t have…”

  Kezari thrust her shoulders back and glared at Tynan, too. “Your actions were necessary. Elves waste too much time, and a quick, hot flame cauterizes best. You were correct.”

  Lial’s lips pinched. “There is more to consider than his methods.”

  Aris lifted a hand and then let it drop heavily on his chest. “I would appreciate it if you’d heal me enough so I can get up instead of arguing? Please?”

  “Yes, heal him,” Kezari said. As she sank to her knees behind Aris’s head, her thin dress bunched around her legs, and she almost toppled before she caught herself. “His body must be in good health for our mission.”

  After a few muttered expletives, Lial got to work, and Selia glanced away from the bright blue light surrounding Aris. Her gaze landed on Tynan, who stared at Kezari’s back with unmasked longing—until he noticed Selia’s regard. Then he spun away to pace a circle around the room.

  Was there something between the two? Selia tried to remember if dragons and elves could bond, but she didn’t think any of the histories she’d read had mentioned it. She’d heard a ballad about such a pairing once, but then, she’d also listened to a song extolling the virtues of running naked outside in the season of ice. One never knew what the omree would put into verse.

  As soon as the healer finished, Aris shoved himself up to a sitting position, drawing Selia’s attention. His long hair shifted around him, more than a little tangled. He braided it as best he could in a few quick motions and let his hands drop into his lap as he studied her. His gaze trailed down her body before returning to her face.