Wings of Arian (38 page)

“But your Highness,” Aleric tried to get a word in, but Emane’s voice was growing louder.

“No, Aleric. I have had enough of my life being decided for me. ‘You are to be a prince.’ ‘You are to be the Protector.’ ‘You are not to have magic.’ Enough!” He slammed his fist on the table. His chest was heaving and he stared, fixated on the table, his jaw working. “And you may tell my father something else as well,” he said quieter. “I am entitled to make my own choices, and I will not be told who to marry.”

Aleric sucked in his breath.

Turning his head to the side Emane’s eyes narrowed, “I will care for whomever I choose, I am not a puppet!” Driving his point home, he walked past Aleric to Kiora, grabbing her face roughly he kissed her hard and fast. His eyes flashed back to Aleric in defiance. “Despite what you and my Father may think, I am capable of making decisions.” He stood tall and straight, with a look that dared any to dispute. Waiting a few seconds, he then gave a curt nod. “I have lost my appetite. I will be in my tent if you need me.” He turned on his heel, leaving with his head held high and his shirt still gripped in a tight fist.

Kiora’s body had gone rigid, her cheeks burning. She kept her eyes glued to the table to avoid meeting Aleric’s, which were currently burrowing into her.

He cleared his throat. “It appears that there is a lot I am unaware of,” he said as he moved back over to his chair, stiffly sitting down. “Eleana, were you aware of this as well?” He motioned to the red faced Kiora.

“I was.”

Kiora cleared her throat. “He was right, about the battle. We would not have made it out alive had it not been for his magic.”

“Kiora, we watched what happened,” Aleric said exasperated, dropping his head into his hands. “We know it was you.”

Tearing her eyes from the table Kiora shook her head emphatically, “No. Vitraya cut my arm, I was bleeding badly. I had already lost a lot of blood and then Emane broke his arm. Had he not healed us, I would have been too weak to do anything.”

Aleric’s head rose slowly. “He heals?”

“Yes.”

“I would not have expected that,” he mumbled, looking into his plate.

“Neither would I,” Eleana said. “It was a pleasant surprise, and something that we desperately need. As far as his father is concerned, you may tell him that it is not permanent. When the war is over I will be able to remove it. If that is what Emane wishes, of course.”

With nothing more to say, they began eating in tension-rich silence. As Kiora nibbled at a pastry an unfamiliar current thrummed through her. It felt like her magic, only in short intense bursts, rolling through skin and bone. She paused before taking another bite. Another came, and then another, pulsing in a new and unpleasant way. With a scowl she slowly placed the pastry back on her plate. Each second, the current increased in size and intensity, each one more unpleasant than the last. They stretched and pulled at her as if whatever channels they were traveling in were too small and they ached to burst their bonds. Her head begin to spin and she squeezed her eyes shut, breathing deeply through her nose. It did no good. She was swimming in unfamiliar territory, her body and her mind rebelling under the current that was pulling at her.

Kiora stood abruptly, nearly knocking her plate off the table in the process. Desperate for balance she grasped at the edges of the tabletop, “I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I am not feeling very well.”

“Are you alright Kiora?” Eleana asked.

Kiora gripped her head, Eleana sounded as if she were underwater. “I think so. I think I just need to lay down.” She stumbled out of the tent, her hands reaching out, still searching for balance.

As the flaps on the tent closed behind her Eleana sighed, “It has begun.”

Kiora stumbled back to her tent in a fog. Her ears were roaring like the sea, her vision fuzzy and her thoughts disjointed. She drug her feet through the dirt to keep herself upright, but instead tripped on a rock. She could almost hear herself groan through the roar in her ears as the impact jolted her already pounding head. Pushing herself up on wobbly arms she peered around, the Hollow was spinning like a kaleidoscope, the homes of the guardians throwing in reds, blues, and greens. Moving forward she headed towards what she thought was her tent. Stumbling through the flaps she collapsed onto her bed. Shortly after, a heat begun spreading throughout her body. A heat that was far too warm to be comfortable.

Chapter Twenty-two

CHANGING

KIORA’S SCREAM PIERCED THE Hollow sending Emane bolting to his feet. Another scream came following on the heels of the first. So raw and pain filled, he knew that something was terribly and dreadfully wrong. Sprinting out of the tent, he cursed the fact that he could not follow threads like the others. Turning towards Kiora’s tent, he took off at a dead run across the Hollow, hoping he was going in the right direction.

“Kiora!” he shouted. “Kiora where are you?!” Nearing her tent he could see Aleric and Drustan standing calmly outside. “Where is she?” he yelled.

Her scream came again followed by gasping and crying. Emane ran at them trying to shove them out of the way, but Drustan grabbed onto his arm with a vice like grip.

Emane flinched underneath the tightness of Drustan’s grasp. “What are you doing to her?” Emane yelled.

Drustan was infuriatingly placid. “Emane, calm down, we are not hurting her.”

“Not hurting her! Listen to her.” He jerked and struggled to free himself.

“Emane, stop!” Aleric demanded.

“I have to help her, let me see her.” He jerked again but it was no use.

“Emane, there is nothing you can do,” Drustan said gently.

“Please, let me see her. I have to see her.”

Drustan looked to Aleric, who gave a nod of permission. Emane stopped struggling, looking expectantly at the fingers curled around his arm.

Drustan released him. “Stay calm Prince, your yelling will not help her.”

Emane gave Drustan an indignant glare before pulling back the flap of the tent. Kiora was lying on the bed, her skin faded to a dull ashen grey and glistening with sweat. Her clothes were drenched, as were the bed sheets. She moaned again grabbing her head and pulling herself into a ball. Eleana sat calmly by her bedside holding her hand and muttering something under her breath.

“What is wrong with her?” Emane demanded.

With a jerk Kiora uncurled from her ball, arching her back violently with a scream that turned Emane’s blood to ice.

Emane’s face went pale, the tent flap fluttered from his limp hand hiding Kiora from view again. “What is wrong with her?” his voice shook.

Drustan explained, “Kiora is different than most magical humans. She has abilities that are far beyond her physical capacity.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Her abilities have just started to grow and already her body has reached its limit. The water at the lake yesterday put her over the edge.”

“You still have not explained why she is in so much pain. She was already magical!” he argued. “She shouldn’t hurt, not like me,” he motioned to the armband that almost killed him. Kiora’s moans were knotting up his insides. He looked back to the tent in frustration. “What is hurting her and why are you not helping her?”

“It is not exactly the same. Your body had to adjust to the magic. With her, the magic is purifying her body. It is also literally forcing itself through every cell, causing her body to mold around the magic. This has to happen to allow the magic to flow freely.”

He shook his head. “That is what is hurting her so bad, the magic is forcing itself through her?”

“Yes,” Drustan said. “It is very painful and once the process has started there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. The magic that is pulsing through her veins right now is more than was ever meant to be.”

“How long will it take?”

Kiora screamed again and Emane could feel the blood drain from his face and pool somewhere in his stomach.

“It depends on the person.”

“Is there nothing we can do?” Emane asked, looking between Aleric and Drustan.

They both shook their heads.

Emane stared, his fists clenching at his side. There had to something. “Please, let me stay with her.”

Aleric withered at the request, “Emane, I don’t think...”

“I can’t let her go through this alone,” he interrupted. “She didn’t leave me and you can’t tell me that it was easy for her,” he yelled. “I have seen how she reacts to others pains! This cannot possibly be worse for me than it was for her.”

Eleana conceded the fact, opening the tent flap. “Come Emane, if you are willing.” Without hesitation Emane entered the tent, his heart breaking at the girl that lay before him. He ached to take her pain away.

“There is little you can do for her,” Eleana said gently, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure you wish to stay here?”

Emane nodded numbly.

“Very well, I will check on you throughout the night.”

Emane didn’t bother to watch her go, he was fixated on Kiora. Kneeling down in front of her bed he took a hold of her hand. Every muscle in her body was tense with the pain, her face twisted into a mask of agony that had swept her consciousness far away from him. She wrenched her body upward with a scream that pulled tears immediately to his eyes and sent them pouring down his cheeks. Then, without warning or explanation he felt magic jolting through him from Kiora’s hand. It was wickedly strong and he tore away from her with a gasp, his heart pounding at the current of magic that had just passed through him. He looked down at his hand and then back to Kiora, who had crumbled like a discarded rag doll. She tossed her head with a painful moan. He frowned, leaning closer. A section of hair as wide as his little finger was turning from dark brown to stark white. He watched in confusion, still rubbing his sore hand as it traveled down the length of her hair turning it white from end to tip.

***

Outside the tent the sun started to poke its way over the horizon.

“The poor boy has been in there all night,” Aleric whispered to Eleana.

“It is what he desires, Aleric. We cannot take that away from him.”

He sighed. “Do you know how long this will last? We are running out of time.”

“I don’t. I have never witnessed a change; days perhaps.”

“We don’t have days. Dralazar is running freely amongst the villagers with no opposition.”

Eleana nodded gravely. “I know. We need to get her to the castle.” She glanced toward the tent as another shriek was followed by Emane’s mumbling. “Emane will not be happy, transporting her like this.” Eleana looked up at the sky that was turning a purplish color above Kiora’s tent. “Can you feel the magic, Aleric? It is flowing, centering on her. If Dralazar is anywhere in the area he will know where she is, no matter how much protection we put around her. She is pulling magic from every direction.”

“What other path can we take?”

Eleana gave one abrupt nod of acknowledgement. “I will speak to Emane. I need you to have Drustan collect some of his people— we will need an escort.”

***

“Are you crazy!” Emane shouted at Eleana. Kiora jumped in response. He lowered his voice. “Look at her! She is unconscious and burning up. Not to mention screaming in pain. We are
not
moving her.”

“Emane, this is not ideal. But there is not time. Dralazar is already recruiting within the village. He is claiming himself to be the Solus. Having no other force to align themselves with, people are siding with him.”

“How is she going to help like this!?”

“We need her at the castle so that you, your father, and I can discuss battle plans. This is a war, Emane. Sacrifices need to be made. If we wait until this process is finished we could be days behind, and who knows how many souls will be lost to Dralazar.”

“Why can’t we bring my father here?” he demanded. “We can make all the plans here while we wait for this to end.”

“No, Emane, I am sorry. The Hollow is fiercely protected from all outsiders.”

“You let me in.”

“I knew who you were before you did, Emane. You belonged here, your father does not.” She said briskly. “I have called for Arturo. He will fly you both to the castle. Drustan and his top men will fly with you. Aleric and I will travel by foot watching for signs of trouble and we will meet you there. It is the only way Emane.”

Emane emerged from the tent carrying Kiora. Her face was drawn and pale, her hair and clothes wet with sweat and with each step that Emane took she tossed and moaned in pain.

Emane glared, holding Kiora as if she needed protecting from all of the others. “If this goes badly, I will never forgive any of you,” he said, catching the eyes of each member of the group.

Arturo walked forward, the Shifters moving to the side to allow him through. Emane placed Kiora on Arturo’s back, leaning her forward against his neck as Eleana whispered a few words. Glimmering ropes snaked themselves around Kiora, securing her to Arturo.

“This will help hold her until you arrive at the castle,” Eleana explained. Emane climbed on behind Kiora and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Once you get to the castle, you need to speak with your father, immediately. He must be made aware of the situation. Arturo, fly as quickly as you can,” Eleana instructed him, “she is pulling magic quickly. Dralazar will be able to feel her for miles.”

“You failed to mention that to me,” Emane said, his eyes blazing.

Eleana ignored him and turned to Drustan. “If Dralazar comes, he will either come with Fallen Ones, or dragons. I would guess the dragons.”

Drustan looked around at the trees that were tightly packed. “We will have to change in the air, no room here for all of us. Arturo, we will head up to change, follow us when you see it is finished.”

The Shapeshifters turned into hawks and soared to the sky. In unison the birds suddenly stopped flying and started to fall back to earth. Each plummeting mass of feathers began growing and changing in the air. Emane’s heart began to pound, they were getting closer, falling faster and growing infinitely larger. They were going to be crushed.