Wings of Arian (26 page)

“What if the object could not be removed from my person?”

“How would we do that,” Drustan objected, “without putting it inside as we suggested in the first place?”

“My body is not a carrying case,” Emane snapped. “What I meant is, what if it was on the outside of my body but could not be removed?”

“How do you suggest that be accomplished?” Eleana prodded.

“I once had a bracelet,” Kiora said thoughtfully, “when I was a little girl. I loved it, but one day the clasp broke. It was so tight to my wrist that when I could not unlock the clasp I couldn’t get it off.”

Eleana stood, “That is brilliant Kiora.”

“He can’t wear a bracelet,” Dustan objected. “Dralazar will know immediately what it is.”

“True, Emane please take your shirt off.”

Emane went to question why, thought better of it and began to unbutton his shirt. He took it off, laying it down on his chair.

“We need it to be concealed and yet irremovable,” Eleana explained to the table. “This is what I have in mind.” Her hands moved slowly in front of her. A green mist began whispering its way across the table towards Emane. It glittered and shone just like the metal he had been mining. Under Eleana’s direction it began weaving itself over and around his bicep and up to his shoulder. It went under his arm and around the edge of his collarbone, leaving room for his shoulder to move and rotate normally. The green smoke developed a head and a tail. It was a glittering beautiful snake weaving and moving its way around him. The snake opened its mouth and swallowed its tail leaving an unbroken band. The group examined Eleana’s work. It was definitely not coming off.

“I would enchant it into this position, leaving only me able to break the enchantment.”

Drustan stood, walking around Emane, he examined the band suspiciously. “They will cut his arm off to get to it.”

Emane’s eyes narrowed, “Better my arm than my head.”

“He’s right Drustan,” Eleana added. “As I told you, his thread will be different. They will know something has been done. When they cannot find evidence of it on him, or with him, they will assume what you have done.”

“It is hopeless then?” Drustan demanded.

“I said nothing of hopelessness. Our job is to make sure Emane is both trained and protected so that the opportunity does not present itself.”

Emane looked around the group, “Are we in agreement?” The group all nodded in the affirmative. Most slowly, as if they had no other choice than to agree. “Great. Now, what is the next step?” he asked as the green mist faded from around his arm.

Looking very annoyed that they were going to be unable to try his little experiment, Drustan answered. “You must finish the process to remove the magic from the stone.”

“How do I do that?” Emane asked, picking his shirt back up and shrugging it over his shoulders.

“The stone must be melted down. Once it is liquefied, Eleana will separate it. Then it can be used for your intentions.”

“When do we start?”

“In the morning,” Drustan said. Giving Emane a disdainful look, he addressed the room, “This meeting is dismissed.” The Shapeshifters filed out.

As the last one left the room, Emane collapsed into a chair. He felt more lost than anything. Leaning against the chair arm he ran his fingers through his hair.

Eleana gave Kiora a soft smile. “Good night you two. I trust you can find your way back to your rooms?”

“Yes, thank you.” Kiora paused. “Eleana, why a snake?”

Eleana regarded them thoughtfully. “I thought it fitting that we fight a serpent with a serpent,” she said with a satisfied nod before gliding out of the room.

***

Leaning over to Emane, Kiora asked, “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine Kiora,” he said resting his elbow on the arm of the chair. “Just tired.”

A feeling pushed at Kiora’s heart, fear. It was cold hard fear, and it wasn’t hers. Then she felt a tinge of guilt that
was
hers. She was intruding on Emane’s feelings again and he didn’t even know she could.

“Emane, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?” Emane rubbed his forehead.

Her stomach flipped. “Today, well, the last couple of days, but especially today,” she was rambling. “I had been getting funny feelings, nagging feelings. These feelings that wouldn’t go away.” Stumbling over her words, she wrung he hands together in front of her. “I couldn’t make sense of them at first. And then I did make sense of them, but wished I hadn’t and… then I talked to Eleana and she told me I was right, which scared me because I didn’t want to be right and I am scared that it will be horrible and...”

“Kiora,” Emane interrupted, rubbing his eyes. “Are you going to, at some point, tell me what you’re talking about?”

“The feelings that I had been feeling, they are,” she gulped, “yours.”

Emane’s head rose slowly, staring blankly at her. “What?”

Tears began welling in her eyes, “I knew you’d be upset… I told Eleana…”

“Stop, Kiora. I just need to process this for a second.” Emane looked at the floor while Kiora held her breath. “What feelings did you feel?”

“That something was not right, that you were worried and concerned.”

“That’s why you came, in the mine?”

“Yes. I told Eleana that I didn’t want to feel your feelings, but I guess this is common in…” she stopped. They still had not really defined what they even were, “…in a relationship, where magic is involved.” She watched Emane’s reaction, closely looking to see if he flinched at the word relationship. He did not.

“I see.” Emane leaned back in his chair. His head tilted to the side. “I don’t understand you sometimes, Kiora. If you were so scared to tell me, why did you?”

She cleared her throat. “I thought you deserved to know.”

“Alright,” he said slowly.

“And,” unable to look at him, she fixed her attention to her lap where she had clenched her hands together to tightly her knuckles had turned white. “When you told me you were fine. I felt...” she struggled for the words, “you’re not.”

A smile twisted at the corners of Emane’s mouth. “Really, what I am I then?”

“You’re afraid,” Kiora spoke softly, looking up through her lashes.

“How many of my feelings do you know?”

“Not many. Eleana said that I would only feel the strongest and most persistent of feelings. Don’t worry though,” she said hurriedly, “I can’t read your thoughts or anything.”

Emane stood up and grabbed her hand, “Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Back to our rooms.”

Kiora planted her feet and pulled her hand out of his grasp. “That’s it?” she demanded. “I tell you that I can feel your feelings and that I know you are afraid and you are just going to pretend I didn’t say anything?”

“No,” he shook his head stifling a laugh. “Kiora,” putting his hands on his hips Emane looked upward, shaking his head. “You haven’t been around many men have you?”

“What kind of questions in that?” she demanded.

“Look Kiora, I don’t think the same as you. I would like some time to process the information on the way back to our rooms,” he motioned to the door. “And if you don’t mind, you have just accused your Protector and Prince of being afraid. If it is alright with you, I would like to further discuss this matter in private. And since we are in a ‘relationship’ as you put it. I would like to hold my lady’s hand. He caught her eye, “If that is alright?”

Kiora’s cheeks flushed crimson, “Of course.”

Walking in silence, Emane helped her into the stone box and pulled them up the back of the falls. He held her hand as they walked back to their rooms. Opening the door to Kiora’s room, he escorted her inside. Silently turning, he closed the door walking over to the sofa. Without looking at her, he patted the seat next to him.

“Will you sit by me?”

Kiora walked over and sat down, “Did I overstep my bounds, downstairs?”

Emane laughed, “Of course you did, that’s what I like about you.”

“You like me because I have terrible manners and no idea of proper court etiquette?” she moaned. “The people are going to hate me when they finally learn who I am.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. They will love you because they will be able to see who you are.” Emane reached over and grabbed her hand. “Now, tell me what you felt downstairs.”

She looked into his eyes; they didn’t look angry. She was so sure he would be angry. “Fear.”

He nodded slowly, his thumb rubbing over the back of her hand. “I am afraid.”

“Of what?”

He was silent for a long time. “Of magic.”

“Magic, or your magic?”

Emane stood up and walked across the room. Leaning against the bed post with his back to her he asked, “Are you sure you can’t read my mind?” Kiora sat patiently, waiting for him to continue, hoping that he would. “I really thought that this would be easier if I had magic. But now… I am worried that I won’t be able to control it.”

She twitched, “Like me?”

He spun around, “You control yours just fine!”

“No I don’t, remember? Not always.”

Emane huffed, “That was an accident. You didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“That is what you are talking about isn’t it, accidents?”

Frowning, Emane paced to the door, then to the bed and back again. Leaning one arm against the door, his head drooped, hair falling in his face. Kiora’s fingers itched to brush it back for him.

“I suppose I am,” he admitted. “But I might have a lot of accidents. This magic is not natural to me; I am not supposed to have it. Who knows how my body is going to react to it?”

Kiora hated trying to have a conversation like this. “Why do you always have to have your back to me when we talk?”

“Come on, Kiora,” he said dropping his arm, swinging around to face her. “I am not beating the wall with a club, I thought I was making progress!”

She grinned, “That is true.” Pushing herself up, she walked over to him. “Emane, do you think that Eleana would let this happen if it was going to be a disaster?”

“I think Eleana would let me do it if there was a good chance that it would work.”

Looking up into Emane’s eyes, Kiora’s heart stuttered strangely in her chest, not with the old nerves but with a new excitement. Reaching out without worry, she brushed her finger along his jaw. He closed his eyes under her touch leaning into her. Raising her other hand she ran it along the other side of his face, trailing her finger over his cheekbones and down to his lips. His eyes flashed open and her breath stopped in her throat at the look in his eyes. It was deep and intense and right now she just wanted to drown in it. Pushing up on her toes she kissed him.

Chapter Fifteen

EMANE’S MAGIC

THE NEXT MORNING FOUND the two of them walking towards the falls on the way to Emane’s ceremony. Although they were late, Emane did not seem in a hurry to make up the time.

“I need you to promise me something, Kiora. If I ever, EVER, let this magic start to change me you will tell Eleana immediately and ask her to take it off.”

“Of course, but I won’t need to.”

“You can’t be sure!”

“Yes I can,” she said gently touching his arm, “because if you were going to allow this magic to change you, you would never have asked me in the first place.”

“I am glad you have such faith in me,” Emane said looking sidelong at her, “but I want you to promise.”

“Alright, I promise.”

When they reached the bottom of the falls, Drustan was waiting for them. “Nice of you to show up, Prince. I was beginning to wonder if you wanted this at all.”

“Patience is a virtue, Drustan,” Emane said.

Drustan’s lips pursed, obviously not amused. Kiora on the other hand had to cover her mouth with her hand, looking behind them to keep from laughing.

“Follow me,” Drustan said before turning down a passageway they had not been in before.

The passageway was lit by flaming torches hanging on the walls of stone. Emane turned to look at one as he walked past. They were fashioned of metal with nothing flammable on them. And yet there they were, burning.

“I don’t think I will ever get used to stuff like that,” he whispered to Kiora.

They walked until the passageway opened up, leaving them standing on the edge of a very large, very deep canyon. In front of them was a bridge that stretched from one side to the other. It was very old, and fashioned of wood and rope. Thin wood slats lined the bottom, tied together with thick rope that then twisted itself around to make two sides. Kiora stopped dead in her tracks when she saw it. Drustan and Emane moved forward, grabbing the sides of rope, unaware she had stopped. The bridge creaked and popped in protest under their weight and Kiora took a step backwards. Her mouth was dry and her hands had turned to ice. She vaguely saw Emane stop and turn but all she was looking at was the rope swinging out over the deathly blackness.

“Kiora, come on!” he yelled, his voice rolling around the empty space beneath him.

She shook her head emphatically, holding her hands fisted at her side.

“Kiora, come on, we are late!”

She shook her head again, whimpering.

Making his way back across, he grabbed her hand. “Your hands are freezing!” he exclaimed. Lowering his head he tried to look in her eyes. “Kiora, what is the matter?”

“I don’t like bridges,” she whispered.

“What!”

“I don’t like bridges, especially rope bridges. They are high and scary and... and…” Tears formed in her eyes as she looked desperately back at him. “I don’t like bridges.”

“Kiora,” Emane looked to the bridge and back to her, “are you scared because it is too high?”

“Yes.” She tried to step back again but his hold on her wrist kept her in place

“You fly on Arturo all the time. That is much higher than this.”

“I trust Arturo, he wouldn’t let me fall. This, I don’t trust this.”

“Kiora, do you trust me?”

“Yes, I trust you, but–” she screamed as Emane picked her up and marched out over the bridge.

“Calm down! You said you trust me.”

“I said I trusted you!” she yelled at him. “You holding me does not make me trust this bridge!”

“Close your eyes then.”