The Order of the Elements 01 - Breaking Point (25 page)

Dorian nodded. The light was starting to fade in the garden. “I wish there was another way this could have been done, a way that didn’t cause you pain.”

“Will I see them again, my parents?”

His eyes were troubled. “I don’t know.”

Another tear spilled over. She might never see them again. She knew he didn’t say it to hurt her. He was just being honest; she couldn’t ask for more than that. It would hurt worse if he got her hopes up now only for her to be disappointed later. He lifted his arm up again to brush the tear away but hesitated. He was very uncertain about something. Finally, he made a decision and leaned forward and pulled Phoebe into his chest. She broke down. Her parents, her friends, school, her constantly flaring anger, everything that was happening outside the safe place, her frustration—all of it rose to the surface as she cried. She didn’t know how long they sat there. She didn’t care, because for the first time in days she was feeling her own emotions. She couldn’t do it before, it had been too painful, but Dorian had known, and he had helped.

He didn’t say anything; he didn’t scoff at her for being a crybaby. He didn’t make any noise at all. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. He didn’t even move other than to rub comforting circles on her back. Finally, her tears slowed and then stopped. With one last composing sigh, she pulled herself away from his embrace and dried her cheeks with her sleeve. The front of his shirt was wet, but it dried quickly, compliments of his Wind power.

“Are you okay?” he asked, watching her like he knew she was far from okay.

“Better,” Phoebe replied. She really was. Sometimes, just crying things out was therapeutic, especially when there was nothing else that could be done.

“Whenever you need to talk, or if you need anything else…” He struggled for a minute, trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to say. “I’m here for you.”

She didn’t mind that. Not at all. She could have sat there with him forever, not that she would tell him that. “Thanks,” she replied.

He lightly wiped a stray tear away as she straightened out her hair. “I have to get you to Cassius now, if you’re up to it.” His voice was soft, soothing.

She nodded. “Yes.”

He nodded before helping her to her feet and leading her by the hand to Cassius’s office. He squeezed her hand reassuringly before taking up his post beside the window, and she stepped inside the door. The office was the same as the last time she had been there, except this time Cassius sat behind his desk instead of upon the cushioned dais. Phoebe wasn’t sure if she should apologize or if she should wait for him to speak. Fortunately, Cassius looked up at her and spoke first.

“There is no need for apologies. You have reacted in a perfectly acceptable way, and being that you are a Truth Seeker and a Master, I am blessed it wasn’t worse.”

“Blessed?” Phoebe was confused.

“Well, for instance, you could have struck me with a bolt of lightning, which although may have been appropriate, would not have been advisable under current conditions.” Cassius leaned back in his chair as he surveyed her.

“Oh, right. Um, sir, if I may ask one question before we begin…”

Cassius was quiet for a moment before answering her. “You may, but only one. Our time is limited, and you have much to learn.”

“Yes, sir. Ethan and I were wondering if our fathers are indeed brothers.”

“They are.”

“So that means Ethan and I are cousins?”

Cassius was quiet again for a moment, “You two are related, yes. I believe you had different names in the Realm of Non-Magic, but here you are known as Ethan and Phoebe Halloway.”

Phoebe felt relieved. It was no more than she expected, but nice to know for sure. “Thank you.” Halloway, not such a bad last name, but it would take some getting used to, another adjustment.

Cassius nodded and then motioned for her to sit down upon the dais in the middle of the room. She took a seat among the many pillows. Cassius got up and began to walk toward her as he tugged at his long hair thoughtfully.

“For our first lessons, you will find it easiest to use your talent when you are calm and relaxed.”

“Will you teach me how to control it better? It does drive me mad a lot of the time,” she said, thinking of Kali.

“I can imagine,” he replied, now circling around the dais. “As you become better at using your talent, you will also become better at controlling it. Now, I want you to close your eyes and clear your mind. I must warn you, though, until you are used to using it, this is going to severely drain your energy.”

Phoebe nodded and did as she was told. It couldn’t be any worse than combat training. She felt a mix of emotions flowing through her, none strong enough to single out, but it seemed as if every emotion possible was present. She shoved all of the emotions out. It was very difficult, and it took a while, but she finally managed it. It was nice to feel only her own feelings. From far away, she heard a voice.

“Now, I want you to reach out with your mind to mine.”

Phoebe searched the walls of her mind, looking for a pathway that would lead to Cassius’s mind. She found it and continued down it toward her destination. It was an odd sensation, almost as if she was watching herself run down a hallway toward a door at the end. Opening the door, a voice sounded as clearly as if Cassius had been speaking right beside her ear.

Food, go figure. What else do men think about? Phoebe laughed to herself.

“You had roast beef for dinner,” she said, and her voice sounded far away, as if her mouth and her mind were parts of two separate beings. She retreated back into her own mind to find it peaceful and quiet.

“Very good. Now I want you to go to Dorian’s mind—he is outside the door—and tell me what he’s thinking. Don’t worry; he knows that you will be going into his mind.”

She once again searched her own mind for a way out. When she found it, she hurried through a long tunnel. She felt herself pass through the physical barriers of the room and into Dorian’s mind. She could feel her cheeks flush, even though her mind was far from her body at the moment. Dorian was thinking about her crying from a little while ago. He was in pain because she was in pain. Surely Cassius didn’t need to know that, so she edited.

“He’s watching the children play outside. He seems sad.”

Phoebe left Dorian’s mind, not wanting to linger too long. She had promised him she wouldn’t read his mind if she could help it. Once again she found the way back to the peace and quiet of her own mind. She felt very weak, though, and suddenly exhausted. Cassius wasn’t kidding when he said it would drain her.

“Good. Not only did you hear his thoughts but also his emotions at the same time. Now, one more time. I want you to try to reach one of your friends in their rooms and single out just one of them.”

Phoebe’s mind slowly found its way back into the hallway. She brushed by Dorian’s mind as she headed down the hallway before realizing she didn’t know the way back to the room. She felt extremely tired, as if she had been awake for days.

“I don’t know the way to the room.”

“Your mind is not solid matter; it can move through walls and doors. As long as you focus on who you want to find, you should be able to arrive there.”

She went further down the hallway as she passed through a wall, searching out her friends. She passed through several rooms and hallways, passing by several other minds until she finally recognized her own room and her friends sitting around the fireplace. Evan was closest.

“Evan is thinking about combat training tomorrow.”

Phoebe pulled herself back and opened her eyes. She was so tired; she could barely get her eyes halfway open. Cassius peered at her through his unblinking eyes once again. His shape was fuzzy and unfocused. His expression told her, though, that he knew she was too tired to continue using her talent tonight. He handed her a cup of tea, which she took gratefully and drank slowly. The cup felt like it weighed twenty pounds.

“That was very good. You will find after a while that it won’t drain your energy quite as much, and you’ll be able to reach further for longer periods of time. Also, this talent can be particularly useful in combat,” Cassius said.

“How is that?” she asked sleepily.

“You will be able to anticipate your opponent’s next move throughout a battle, which gives you quite an advantage.”

Phoebe nodded as she drained the last of the tea from the cup. She felt dizzy. Cassius swept back over to her and took the cup, then helped her to the door. He must have been incredibly strong because her legs felt like lead, and she was sure he was doing most of the work. She probably looked like a big rag doll, unable to support any part of her body. She heard the door open.

“Dorian?” Cassius said.

Dorian rushed over. He was unfocused in Phoebe’s eyesight. That was too bad; she wanted to see his eyes swirling silver.

“What’s wrong with her? I didn’t think she would be this out of it!” Dorian said, sliding his arm around Phoebe’s waist.

“Ah, well, her talent is stronger than I thought. I may have asked her to travel too far with her mind for the first time,” Cassius said, sounding concerned and chagrined.

“I’m fine, just tired,” she murmured.

“Did she say something?” Dorian asked, and Phoebe wondered when it had gotten so dark.

“I don’t know. It didn’t sound coherent,” Cassius responded.

Phoebe didn’t know what they were talking about; she was speaking just fine.

“Should I take her to the infirmary?” Dorian was very worried now.

“I think she’ll be all right. She just needs some rest. I think she might be sleeping already; her eyes are closed.”

That’s why it’s so dark, Phoebe thought.

“I would feel better if someone was watching her,” Dorian told Cassius.

“Dorian, I think she will—”

“Cassius, I am not taking chances. You know how I feel about that.” Dorian’s voice was hard again; Phoebe didn’t like that.

Cassius sighed. “Then watch over her if you must, but the witches have enough to do right now with Sebastian.”

“Thank you.” Dorian was relieved.

“Send a gnome to let her friends know she’s all right. They will worry about her.” Cassius conceded defeat and closed his office door.

Phoebe felt strangely disoriented. How was she walking when she was lying down? She squinted open her eyes and looked up at Dorian.
How strange.
Then she felt an arm across her back and another under her knees. He was carrying her.

“I can walk.” Her words had come out slurred.

He looked down. “No you can’t.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I must be heavy.”

He laughed. “No heavier than a feather.”

“You’re being a little neurotic.”

“I’m allowed. Now rest.”

She laid her head against his chest. His breathing was slow and even; he didn’t seem to be exerting any effort. She closed her eyes again. “Where are we going?”

“Where I can watch you to make sure you didn’t overdo it back there.”

“Okay.”

“How do you feel? Lightheaded? Sick? Tired?”

“Just tired.”

“Are you sure that’s all?”

“Dorian.”

“Phoebe.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re fine when I say you are.”

“Being ridiculous.” She was too tired to argue any more.

The steady pace of his walking and heartbeat were putting her to sleep. She wasn’t sure how much later it was when she felt him laying her down. It was soft and warm there, so she didn’t object. It smelled distinctly familiar yet not at the same time. She buried her head into the smell. A pillow. Phoebe felt his arm leave her back, and she reached out for it, panicked by his sudden absence. She searched the air until a cool hand connected with hers, and she relaxed. He was still here. She heard him talking to someone, and then she fell asleep.

The next thing Phoebe knew the sun was in her eyes, blinding her. She tried lifting her hand to block the rays before realizing something was pinning it to the bed. That something moved. As Dorian shifted, her arm broke free of his side.

“How do you feel?” Dorian began looking her over the second she woke up.

“I’m fine. What are you doing here? Or what am I doing here?” This was most certainly not her room.

There was a rather large bed, a small fireplace with a few chairs, and two doors, one to a washroom and one to the hallway.

“I brought you here so I could watch you. I was going to sit over there, but you objected whenever I tried to move away, so I stayed here.”

“I objected?”

“Vehemently.” He sounded amused.

Phoebe’s cheeks flushed. She didn’t even want to know what she had said. “Oh, sorry.”

Slowly she remembered why he had needed to watch her in the first place. She had barely been conscious after her lesson with Cassius. That lesson had been more draining than a week of combat training.

“I didn’t mind. Are you feeling better though? Do you think you need more sleep?”

“I don’t really feel that tired. What time is it?”

“Eight. Training starts in an hour,” he replied.

Training, ugh.
Phoebe felt really comfortable, and going to training was not an appealing thought at the moment. She sighed. “I’m fine. I should go back to my room to get ready.”

“I had your things brought up.”

“Oh.”

There was a bowl of glume on the table by the fireplace and a set of clothes sitting beside it. Dorian got up and brought the bowl over to her as she sat up. Then he settled back down on the bed as Phoebe ate. He watched her closely, obviously watching for some sign that she needed more rest. She actually felt better rested today than she had any morning since she woke up in her bed back home almost a week ago.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “You should have just ignored me last night if you didn’t want to be there.” She still wasn’t sure if he really was okay with her
vehemently
refusing to let him leave her side, and felt embarrassed about it, even though she didn’t remember it.

“Nothing to apologize for. I was only worried about you.”