“Gave everyone a fright, but I maintain that it was not my fault,” Sevana responded, not at all bothered by the scolding tone. She sat cross-legged in the chair at a very careful angle to keep her aching body from clamoring. Sevana could tell the blood treatment was working, as she felt little aftershocks rock through her nervous system at random. It made for uncomfortable times. Aran was in the next bedroom, trying on clothes to see what Khan had bought him that would fit. He was a smidge taller than most of the Unda, so that made it interesting. “They got the drop on me. And I was under a sedative spell when the Unda snatched me back.”
Shaking her head, the matron gave her a sympathetic look. “You have had a whirlwind month, haven’t you? So where are you now?”
Sevana filled her in, giving her the broad picture of where she was and what they were planning to do next. “I’ve got letters heading to Master and Kip, but do me a favor and drop in to both of them, spread the word, then drop in and tell Bel the same. I don’t want him sending for me only to get a nasty surprise. He’s a little too quick to race off to the rescue sometimes.”
“I’ll do so,” Milly promised faithfully. “But what about you? How are you taking this?”
That was indeed the question. “I’m…alright with it. Well, really, I don’t see any other way of living life without being constantly hobbled by my own magic. And I can’t live like that.”
Milly nodded, but she had her bottom lip clutched between her teeth, expression doubtful. “Will it really be better?”
“My alternative is a short life span with semi-volatile magic. What do you think?”
“Well, I agree it doesn’t sound good, but…” her voice dropped to a more confidential whisper. “I know Tashjian worries about you becoming fully Fae.”
“Yes, well, so do I. But the only thing that really worries me about it is staying permanently in South Woods. You know I’d go crazy if I tried to keep myself locked into one location. If I just knew that I could work as an Artifactor even with Fae magic…” Sevana trailed off, thinking hard. It sounded incredulous on the surface, being both at once, but really, she couldn’t think of a reason why she couldn’t. Except that no one had done it before. And when had that ever stopped her?
Milly must have been thinking along the same lines, as her expression echoed Sevana’s own thoughts. “Is there something to stop you from doing the same work?”
“I don’t know,” Sevana admitted sourly. She really hated those words. “I think it’ll take some thought and a little research on my part to figure it out. But right now, I still see it is a possibility. I’m just not sure how viable it is.”
“I trust you to figure it out.” Milly gave a glance over her shoulder. “I think someone’s trying to call me. Likely wondering if I’ve heard from you.”
“Go see who it is,” Sevana encouraged, “but before you go, one more favor. Ask Master if he can figure out how to tie this mirror in with a few others. I need to hold a conference of sorts with Aranhil and the Sa Kao king. My Fae family destroyed the Cope Research Institute—”
Milly muttered something that sounded like ‘don’t blame them.’
“—and if that isn’t smoothed over then it’s going to put bad blood in the water. I’d rather not come home to high tensions, thank you very much.” She winced, not only at the mental image her words conjured, but at another spike of pressure rocking through her system. Hissing a soft breath between clenched teeth, she waited for the sensation to fade.
The cant of her head and purse of her lips said Milly understood her stance, but Sevana sensed that her friend still sided with the Fae on this one. “I’ll pass it along. Anything else?”
“No, not right now. I’m sure Master will have a shopping list for me, since I’m down here anyway. I’ll fetch things for him and Sarsen, in return for their help at Big. But tell them not to be too outlandish; I’ll likely be on my sickbed for most of this.” As if reminded, her magical core gave a painful twinge. Sevana put a hand over the area, rubbing a soothing circle.
Catching the gesture, Milly asked softly, “Does it hurt?”
“It’s not pleasant.” Sighing, she shook her head. “It’s fine, I’ll survive. Off with you. Let me know what’s happening back home.”
“Be safe,” Milly instructed, nearly scolded, then she disappeared again, leaving the mirror as a blank surface once more.
Sevana stared at her own reflection for a moment and finally understood why everyone kept asking if she were alright. She really didn’t look it. Her skin was too tight over her bones, bruises under her eyes, and even to her, her magic looked sick. Like she had leprosy in her magical core. It was a wonder they hadn’t insisted on putting her in some sort of hospital, really.
The next six weeks would be tedious, painful, and exhausting. She did not at all look forward to it, but hopefully the end result would be worth it.
Arandur spent the rest of the night sitting next to Sevana’s bed. She’d not had an easy day of it, her side effects progressively getting worse, and while she’d been vocal enough about her discomfort, she hadn’t actually complained much. He could see intimately well just what her body was going through, the torques against her magical core, and knew it couldn’t be painless. She hissed in a painful breath now and again, turning and trying different positions for a more comfortable posture, but to no avail. He soothed her as he could, bringing in wet clothes and cold stones to help mitigate her fevers that came and went. Every effort felt borderline useless, but she didn’t seem to think so. Every time the pain became too intense for her to manage, she reached out for him, latching onto his hands or arms in a vice that left bruises.
The worst of it, thankfully, seemed to have passed. Arandur knew it to be sometime early in the morning, perhaps a few hours from sunrise, and Sevana had finally found some respite. She lay on her side in the bed, a thin blanket draped over her, the lights dim to encourage sleep. Even in this cold sea, she still felt hot to the touch, and though they had a heavier comforter at hand, Arandur left it folded at the foot of the bed. Sweat beaded along her forehead already; she didn’t need another covering.
He sat on the floor, his arms folded and resting on the mattress, keeping watch over her. Arandur knew he should rest but could not make himself actually get to his feet and find his own bed. He’d been through too many scares where Sevana was concerned in the past month and right now, seeing her, knowing that he could reach past the six inches that separated them and touch her, did his heart the most good.
Of course, if she woke up at this moment, she’d tartly inform him that spying upon sleeping women was creepy and to quit it. The thought made him smile, briefly. He’d take the teasing right now over this pain-racked woman who could barely string a full sentence together. Rain and stars, he couldn’t wait for this transformation to be over.
To this day, he felt conflicted about what he’d done. Putting his blood in her had been the only way to save Sevana’s life. Even now, months later, Arandur couldn’t think of another method that would have worked. As much trouble as it had caused—and stars knew it’d caused quite a bit—Sevana had never once told him that he’d made a mistake. She appreciated being alive, even though her body and magic gave her so much trouble. Arandur was glad for that, because even if she’d grown vexed with him for his choice, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
Still, he wasn’t blind to her struggles, either. The magic was one thing, but Sevana worried how becoming Fae in the future would impact her life. Part of the reason why they always took a human child to change was because it made the transition easier. The child didn’t have to worry about careers, households, adult obligations to fulfill. Children were still growing and finding their place in the world anyway, so of course the progression was natural. Sevana would now have to make all those decisions and find a way to compromise between her human self and her new status as Fae.
Aranhil likely would not make it easy on her, either. He was quite delighted to f
inally have her fully within his realm. Arandur and the Mothers had cautioned their king several times to take it easy, to draw Sellion gradually into her rightful place of South Woods, but Aranhil was so enthusiastic about it that he likely wouldn’t have much patience.
Considering Sevana’s own level of patience, it was just a matter of time before they butted heads. Arandur’s money was not on his king.
“You need to sleep.”
Arandur’s eyes snapped up, vaguely surprised to see Sevana looking back at him. Her eyes were mere slits, voice a husky shell compared to its normal timbre, but her attention was sharp and focused compared to what it had been. “Did I wake you?”
She gave the most minute shake of the head. “Thirsty.”
“Hold on.” He rolled up to his knees, feeling his joints creak a little at the sudden movement after hours of holding the same position. The carafe and glasses sitting nearby were not ice cold, but the warm temperature of the water would actually feel better to her overheated system right now anyway. He poured a full glass before coming back to her, slipping an arm under her torso to lift her half-up, making it easier to drink.
Sevana had one hand over his on the glass to help anchor herself and she gulped the water down noisily. With a sigh, she pushed it back when most of it was gone and leaned her head against his shoulder, letting him support most of her weight. “Sarsen poisoned me with a bad batch of mushroom soup once.”
Amused, he tilted his head so that he could see her expression. “Is that comparable to now?”
“No, but I’ll tell him it was.”
Snorting, he set the glass aside. “You must be feeling better if you’re already planning on how to torment someone. You still feel hot to me.”
“Starting to feel cold,” she admitted, snuggling further into him. “You’re warm.”
Arandur did not mind having a lapful of Sevana, and he adjusted her so they were both comfortable, then snagged her blanket to drape over her. A hand against her forehead still felt damp with sweat, but cooler than it had been an hour ago, suggesting the fever was breaking. A good sign. However, Sevana was not a snuggler, and if she were actively seeking him out, it suggested that she was feeling worse than she’d let on. Arandur gladly gave her the tactile comfort of touch, soothing her as he could, but this out-of-character behavior worried him.
“Why did Ursilla react like that this morning?” Sevana’s voice lilted up in curiosity, her words brushing like warm air against his throat. “She kept staring, after you sat down near my feet.”
It took him a moment to realize what she referred to. “Ah, that? The Fae show dominance or position by height.” Arandur shrugged, as if this wasn’t anything earth-shattering or momentous. “By sitting as I did, I showed that you are higher in status than I am.”
Sevana pulled back to stare at him in growing perplexity. “Since when do I have a higher status than you? I’m half-Fae, an adopted member; how could I possibly be higher than you?”
For some reason this question amused him, and his eyebrows arched up as he answered, half-teasing. “You’re a magical expert, not to mention the person who has brought us multiple children. I’m just a tracker.”
“Arandur.” Sevana’s tone was firm, brooking no disagreement. “You are not just anything.”
A feeling of heat rose and turned his face hot. Trying to subdue the blush, he teased back, “I’m glad you think so.”
“Fine, don’t believe me,” she grumbled, snuggling back in. “Although I have to tell you, if anyone else tried to hover and be cuddly with me, I would have handed them their own head by now. You’re at least sympathetic without being clingy.”
“High praise,” he allowed softly, filled to bursting with the need to turn his head just so and kiss her forehead. It was hard, but he checked himself. He didn’t have the right to those liberties yet. He may not ever earn it. But that was a problem for a different day. Today, Sevana took priority.
She fell asleep again, breath soft and steady, body entirely lax in his arms. Loathe to move and risk waking her, Arandur instead stayed as he was, relaxing against the bed frame and waiting for the rest of the world to wake up. No doubt his hosts would have some choice words to say about him overstepping his bounds and being so familiar with his superior, but Sevana had already made her wishes clear, and Arandur had no intention of listening to anyone else but her.
Ursilla came to check on Sevana just before breakfast. The tight expression on her face voiced her displeasure at finding Sevana half-curled into Aran’s lap, but she didn’t say anything. Or, more accurately, she chose to wait until Sevana was in the bathing room washing off the sweat and changing into fresh clothes before voicing her opinion. Sevana could clearly hear her voice through the closed door.
“Arandur of South Woods. Your behavior is not appropriate.”
“My behavior is whatever it needs to be in order to safeguard Sevana and ease her through this transition,” he retorted heatedly, although he kept his voice down to avoid anyone else overhearing this argument.
Sevana snorted to herself. Yes, that was exactly how she expected Aran to respond to that. He had no patience with society’s formalities. She didn’t either. That’s why they got along so well. It took no effort for her to listen even as she splashed water on her face, so she unabashedly eavesdropped. Although oww, leaning at this angle over the bowl was tugging painfully on her lower back.
Not happy with his response, the elder Unda responded in a growl, like a leviathan upon waking crankily from a bad nap. “You would be wise to remember your place.”
“My place is wherever she is,” he riposted sharply. “Do not mistake your position in this, Unda. I am her companion, one tasked with the duty to safeguard her until she is whole again, and I will do whatever it is she asks of me. If Sevana finds my behavior inappropriate, she will tell me so. She’s not shy about that sort of thing.”
Really, what was Ursilla’s problem? Offering comfort to a friend in the dead of night was still comfort, no matter the mixed genders. Fed up with this scolding, Sevana yanked her shirt on—which oww, she shouldn’t have done that, either—before she grabbed the door and pulled it sharply open, revealing her damp and scowling self framed in the doorway. “No, I am not. Ursilla, I’m aware that technically I outrank him, and there’s some hierarchy that says he’s not on the same level I’m on. It’s stupid, all of it. I wouldn’t be alive without Aran. He’s saved me more times than I can count. You’re not going to get on your high horse and tell him that giving me the comfort and help I asked for last night was ‘inappropriate.’”
Ursilla’s thin brows arched, not in surprise, but in challenge. “You are young. You do not understand our ways yet.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Sevana glared back at her. “I’ve argued with kings, lady. They didn’t win. You don’t stand much of a better chance than they did. You don’t get to tell my friend what he can and cannot do around me.”
A battle of wills commenced, both women locking glares, neither willing to back down. The air practically crackled with energy and Aran looked ready to listen to his survival instincts and make a run for it. Sevana didn’t have control of her magic right now, but he wouldn’t put it past her to toss around explosive spells if a fight got thrown her direction. She knew exactly what he was thinking.
The tension built to nearly lethal levels. Aran started looking for the best path to the door. Then, strangely, Ursilla smiled, the expression shark-like in her pale skin. “Stars, but you have guts, child. I now understand why Nia Reign likes you and trusted you as her Voice. You are fully as blood-thirsty as she is.”
“Darn straight I am,” Sevana muttered, mostly to herself. Chin lifted, she faced Ursilla down. “My Aran. Don’t fuss on him.”
Aran beamed at her in pure delight. Which did funny things to Sevana’s heart strings. For some reason, seeing that expression on his face, Sevana wanted to do something else to make him smile. Why was that?
L
ifting her hands in surrender, Ursilla promised, “I will not interfere again. Are you ready for the next step?”
Sighing gustily, Sevana put the strange thought aside and focused on Ursilla again. While she felt like something Baby dragged in, she was improved over last night, and delaying things wouldn’t help at this stage just because she felt like death warmed over. “Might as well. Another against my magical core?”
“I do believe another is necessary, but not today. I fear overloading your body will only put you into shock. Let us avoid heart failure,” Ursilla responded in a casual tone that did not match the terrifying words she uttered.
Sevana felt terrified at the picture she painted. Could they really have overloaded her heart by just charging blindly ahead? Wait, did the Fae in the room understand that the human body was frailer than that of the Fae’s? Hopefully they did. Sevana would be in a world of trouble otherwise.
Trying not to let on how unnerved she was by that casual statement, she inquired, “So what next, then?”
“I think your senses,” Ursilla suggested, tapping a thoughtful finger to her chin. “They take the longest to adjust, and having them properly aligned will help you recover your magical control later. Arandur, we need to place that same symbol against her forehead.”
That sounded infinitely better to her, far less risky. Not to mention probably more comfortable. Her magical core still felt like someone had stabbed a knitting needle into it. Giving that a few days to settle while working on the rest of her body seemed a sound plan.
Aran apparently agreed, as he slipped his dagger free from his waist sheath and once again pricked his index finger before carefully applying the blood to Sevana’s forehead. The skin was slightly moist from her washing, making the blood smear on easier. Perhaps they should dampen her skin from now on before drawing upon it.
Sevana barely blinked as he drew, then stood waiting patiently as the blood seeped into her skin and started its changes. They all waited for the extreme reaction that she’d experienced the day before.
The Fae Artifactor Page 6
