Wings of Arian (28 page)

Sometime after dinner, Eleana came into the room. Standing in the doorway she asked, “How is he?”

“Not good.” Kiora swiped away a tear. “He just lays there and moans, and I can’t bring his temperature down.” She laid her head on the bed and sobbed, “I don’t know what to do to help him.”

Eleana made her way to the bed, looking down on Emane. “It’s almost over, Kiora.”

Sitting up, Kiora wiped her eyes, hope catching in her throat. “How do you know that?!”

“Calm down and feel his thread.”

Sniffing, she frowned, “His thread? I don’t understand.”

“Feel it, and you will.”

Kiora closed her eyes and tried to shove away all of the worry and the fear, allowing herself to feel the thread. It felt like Emane, but the outside was different, the outside was magic. She rolled the thread over in her mind, it was almost completely surrounded with the exception of a thin line. Her eyes flickered open looking for an explanation.

“As soon as his thread is completely encased by the magic this will be over.” Relief was evident in her eyes. “He will be alright, Kiora.”

Kiora nearly collapsed onto the bed with relief. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Looking at the trays around the room she said, “They told me you have not eaten all day.”

Running her fingers back over Emane’s forehead, Kiora nudged back a piece of blond hair that had fallen forward. “I haven’t had an appetite.”

“The colony is worried about you as well, Kiora. Please, sit with me and eat.” Kiora’s eyes still lingered on Emane. “Emane will be fine shortly. Eat.”

Kiora reluctantly released his hand moving over to Eleana. Dropping herself into a chair she picked up a roll and began to tentatively pick tiny pieces off. “It would have killed him, if they would have inserted it, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes,” Eleana said sitting across from her. “His body would have gone into shock immediately, I think. It wouldn’t have taken long for his heart to give out.”

The food felt like sand in her mouth and she forced herself to swallow. “Did you know that the whole time?” she asked glancing back at Emane, checking to make sure his chest was still rising and falling for the thousandth time.

“No, I knew it was possible,” she said, her gaze following Kiora’s over to Emane. “But until I saw his reaction to the magic I had no idea how serious it would have been.”

Kiora watched Eleana evaluating Emane, noticing again how young she looked. She knew Eleana fought in the last war, which would make her at least a thousand years old. “Eleana, how old are you?” she asked abruptly.

“Surely you know not to ask a lady her age,” Eleana said, amused.

“Sometimes you talk as if you have been alive forever.” She shrugged, tearing off another small piece of bread.

“I’m not that old. But it has been a very long time. Thousands of years.” Her eyes looked distant. “Thousands of years watching the same cycle happen over and over again.”

“How old is Dralazar?”

“Almost the same age as me.”

“You two have fought against each other for thousands of years?”

“It wasn’t always that way.” She sighed and Kiora finally saw the tiredness in her eyes. “I suppose it is time that you know. This is something that I would appreciate it if we keep between us for the time being.”

“Of course.”

“Dralazar is,” Eleana inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly before fixing her eyes determinedly upon Kiora “my brother.”

Kiora’s roll hit the ground. Embarrassed she nearly dove off the chair to pick it back up. “Your brother?” she said, falling back into her seat. “I don’t understand. You are so much more powerful than he is. And he… how could you possibly be related?”

“He took one path and I took another.”

Eleana looked away and Kiora questioned if there was something else that she was not telling her.

“He wanted glory and honor and all the things that I did not. His choices took away what he could have been.” Eleana leaned in, “Do not underestimate him, he is brilliant at what at he does. The way that he manipulates people to get what he wants is flawless. His magic is strong, but the darkness he chose squandered what could have been.”

“How can you bear to fight against him?”
He is you brother
, she thought.

“Because he is wrong. He wished to subject everyone and everything to his rule. He has chosen to go against everything that we were supposed to stand for and protect. And he will do
anything
to get what he wants.” Eleana’s voice hitched in a most uncharacteristic way. “I cannot allow that, even if he is my own brother. Being powerful does not give you the right to force your opinions on weaker species.”

Still reeling from the revelation another thought poked at her. “How will I be strong enough to fight someone that has been alive for thousands of years?” she said more to herself than to Eleana.

Eleana stood to leave. “I have told you that you are the most gifted one I have ever seen, you have unlimited potential. It is our character that helps us access our abilities, my brother has none. Because of that, Dralazar will never reach what he could be. Now, if you would excuse me.” She walked to the door, but paused, “Kiora, this conversation was meant for you and me alone.” Eleana reminded her before shutting the door behind her.

“I understand.” Kiora leaned back in her chair, her head spinning. She could not imagine Eleana’s heartbreak, having to fight her own brother. She also wondered why Eleana had chosen to tell her at all.

Putting the barely touched roll down, she moved back to Emane until his fever broke. She didn’t know what time it was, only that it was late. With Emane sleeping peacefully, she finally felt comfortable enough to lay her head on the bed and rest.

She woke the next morning to find the bed empty.

“Emane!” She sat straight up, looking frantically around the room. She saw him sitting in a chair eating breakfast and watching her.

“It’s ok, I’m right here.” He turned his head to the side. “How are you feeling?”

Trying to shake the sleep from her mind she said, “How am I feeling? What kind of question is that? How are you feeling?”

He looked better than yesterday, but his hair was plastered to his forehead and his skin still had a grayish hue to it.

“Very strange– and hungry,” he said picking up an apple, “I have been trying to save you some breakfast but it’s not working.”

“Please, eat. I’m fine.”

“It looks to me like you haven’t eaten in some time either.” He motioned to the trays filled with old food from yesterday.

“I wasn’t hungry.” She padded over to the chair across from him. Leaning forward she evaluated him. “Do you remember what happened?”

He shook his head, “Not really. I remember getting this,” he motioned to his shoulder, “then things started to spin and it went dark. After that it’s all a blur. I remember hearing your voice a few times, but I can’t remember what you said. What happened?” He took a bite of his apple.

“Eleana said your body was rejecting the magic. You were running a fever and were incoherent.” Kiora’s eyes shone with tears she was desperately trying to hold back. “I was worried I...” she swallowed looking down at her feet. “I was worried we were going to lose you.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Two nights, one day.”

“Wow,” Emane said, his mouth full of apple. “Did you stay here the entire time?”

“Of course, I had to make sure you were ok. You were in so much pain.”

“I feel like I have been through a war,” he moaned. “Every muscle in my body is aching.”

A knock at the door interrupted them. It was Eleana and Drustan.

Eleana walked in, but Drustan stood tentatively in the doorway. “I am most relieved to find you out of bed, your Highness,” he said.

“How are you feeling?” Eleana added.

“Tired, sore and starving.”

“We will have some more food sent up for the two of you. It looks as if you will need more.” Drustan eyed the meager remains on the breakfast platter.

“Emane, I know you have been through a lot but we do need to start using your magic as soon as possible,” Eleana said. “The longer it sits without use the less effective it will be.”

“When were you thinking?” he asked.

“After breakfast, if is agreeable?”

He nodded, “I will trust you, whatever you think is best.”

“Very well, I will show you where we are to practice after you have eaten.” She floated past Drustan giving him a meaningful glance on the way out.

Drustan remained, looking as if he had something he wanted to say but couldn’t quite find the words in which to say it.

Emane watched him for a minute before breaking the silence. “Did you need anything else, Drustan?”

“Prince...”

“Emane,” he sighed. “Please, just call me Emane.”

“That is very difficult for me,” Drustan said, still not moving from the doorway. “I would prefer your proper title. It is more respectful.”

“Alright,” Emane groaned, propping his legs up on an extra chair. “What is it that you needed?”

“I would like to offer my apologies, to both of you.” He nodded in Kiora’s direction. “I was stubborn and insistent about inserting the magic into you. I was thinking more of the war and less of you as an individual.” He raised his chin, as if it would somehow help him barrel through this. “I sometimes forget how fragile you humans are. I was wrong, and I apologize.” He bowed and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Kiora was speechless.

“I didn’t see that coming,” Emane said.

“Neither did I.”

“I do really hate being referred to as fragile,” he said still staring at the door.

Kiora laughed looking over the breakfast tray. “You really didn’t leave anything for me did you?”

“No, I’m sorry. I am not very good at saving food.” He tried to sound optimistic. “He did say they would be sending more up.”

“Does it hurt?” She motioned to his shoulder.

“No,” he said peering at it. “But it feels different than anything I have ever felt before. It’s almost like I have something alive wrapped around my arm. I can feel its energy.” He shook his head. “I can’t figure out how to describe it. Is that how your magic feels?”

Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door and the same fuchsia haired girl came in carrying four trays of food and two jugs of juice. It wouldn’t have been nearly so strange had she not grown extra arms to carry her load. The strange looking fuchsia haired girl was now the strange looking six armed fuchsia haired girl. Kiora tried not to stare. She set the trays down on the table between the chairs.

“My Lady,” she addressed Kiora, “Prince, the colony is pleased to hear that the magic has taken and is looking forward to a celebration in honor of you using the magic we have bestowed upon you.”

“Errr, um thank you.” Emane cleared his throat, dropping his feet back to the ground with a thud. “I am honored to have received it.”

The girl bowed and left the room.

Kiora snatched an apple of the tray and began to devour it. Now that she was no longer worrying about Emane, she was ravenous.

“What celebration?”

Kiora shrugged her shoulders, “No idea.”

“Interesting. Hopefully I can use the ‘magic they bestowed upon me.’ It would be a little embarrassing if they had to cancel the celebration.”

“You’ll be fine, I will help you.”

After breakfast Kiora was so full she didn’t want to move. “I don’t think I ever eaten so much at one time,” she groaned.

“You did eat a lot!”

“No more than you,” she objected, before pointing out that he had eaten an entire tray of food before she was even awake.

“True, but I am twice the size of you.” He was trying to pull his jacket on over his button down shirt but couldn’t get his newly banded arm reached far enough behind him to get his arm into the hole. “This is ridiculous,” he fumed.

“You told Eleana that it wasn’t too tight.”

“It’s not. I told you every muscle in my body is killing me!” he groaned, trying again.

Kiora jumped up to help. She took his jacket and pulled it tighter around so that he could get his arms in it.

“There, you big baby,” she laughed smoothing down the front of his jacket.

“This morning you were worried that I wasn’t going to make it, and now I am a big baby?”

She shrugged again, ‘I only speak the truth.”

He leaned in and kissed her. “I don’t believe you.”

“That’s too bad because…”

He kissed her again.

“Because if you don’t believe me...”

He grabbed her shoulders and kissed her again.

“Are you... trying.... to get me to shut up?” she asked between kisses.

“Yes!” he exclaimed holding her at arm’s length grinning. “Why isn’t it working?”

Smiling, she leaned into him, kissing him back. It was slow and sweet and exactly what she needed after the last two nights.

He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For staying with me.”

She didn’t say anything, she didn’t need to. They both knew she would do it again.

“We had better get going,” Emane said, kissing her one more time. “I have a feeling this is going to be a long day.”

Chapter Sixteen

THE ELEMENTS

THERE WAS A LONG table in the center of the practice room covered in an array of objects and a few chairs placed around in no particular order.

“What is all this stuff?” Emane asked, walking along the table. There were small stones, a glass full of water, a dagger, a container of sand, a stack of paper, and a bug in a jar.

“I will explain, but first I need Kiora to summon the Book of Arian as well as Emane’s weapons.” It wasn’t but a few seconds before she held the book in her hand with the chest of weapons sitting at her feet. Smiling at Kiora Eleana remarked, “You’re getting faster.”

Emane stood examining the bug in a jar. It was possibly the largest insect he had ever seen, black and red and none to friendly looking. As if in response to his thoughts, the thing hissed at him. Emane jumped back.

“Kiora and Emane, please have a seat.” Eleana said. “There is much about magic that neither of you understand. Before I try to teach you how to use it I need you to understand it.” She waited for the two to find their seats before continuing. “Magic affects each person differently. Outside magic, such as what you are wearing, Emane, acts differently than internal magic, such as Kiora’s. All magic is completely unpredictable in how it will present itself. The best example I can think of to help you understand this is human talents.”