I nodded, my eyes tearing up a little as I looked at the young elf. He must have been about my age, and he was far too young to die. Adara came over and nuzzled my ear to comfort me as I sat and watched over Roan.
“He will be okay.” Adara spoke softly in my mind, but I felt like she was just telling me what I wanted to hear.
“We should set up camp for the night,” Dash said when we’d been sitting with Roan for over an hour and there was still no change in his condition. He didn’t seem to be getting worse, but he didn’t seem to be getting better either. He was breathing steadily, so at least he seemed stable.
I went to get up, but Dash rested a hand on my shoulder, stopping me. “You keep an eye on Roan,” he said. “I’ll get a fire started.”
I nodded, relief washing through me. I didn’t want to leave Roan’s side. Not until I knew he was going to recover.
Dash was silent as he went about creating a fire and setting out the sleeping gear we’d used the previous night. I was glad we’d decided to bring it with us on our mounts rather than rely on magic to summon it. I was exhausted after all the power I’d used earlier and wasn’t sure if I would be able to summon anything again for a while.
By the time evening started to descend, I was beginning to lose all hope that Roan would recover. He’d been lying completely still for hours, and I couldn’t tell if his breaths were coming in slower or faster. I listened to them intently, like they held the key to knowing if he would survive.
As I looked at him, a low moan escaped his lips, and I scrambled to get closer. His forehead crinkled slightly as I leaned over him.
“Roan?” I said. “Roan, can you hear me?”
“There’s no need to scream,” he muttered weakly.
I let out a laugh before looking over my shoulder to Dash. “Dash, he’s woken up!”
Dash grinned in response and rushed over to me. He grabbed me around the stomach and lifted me up in a hug. “You did it!” he said, holding me close.
He smelled so good despite the mud that still caked his clothes, and I smiled into his chest as he hugged me. I was at a loss for words, and a sense of happiness and relief was rushing through my veins. I had somehow managed to cure Roan. I still didn’t know how I had managed to summon something I didn’t know existed, but the most important thing was that Roan was awake.
As I pulled back from Dash’s hug, I could see pride radiating in his eyes. “We both did it,” I corrected him. He had been the one to figure out how to give Roan the antidote.
Roan coughed and blinked his eyes open, looking up at us. “Can you two please get a room, I’m trying to rest here.”
I laughed and went to kneel at his side again. “How do you feel?” His skin was still pale, and the festering wound on his neck was still oozing puss, but there was a spark in his eye, and I hoped that meant he would be okay.
“Like crap,” Roan replied with a small shake of his head. “But I’ll take crap any day after that. I should be dead.”
“You’re not though,” I replied.
“No,” Roan agreed, and the thought seemed to confuse him more than anything. “What happened?” he slowly asked.
“Clio summoned the antidote to the grýla poison.”
“Ah.” Roan glanced at me. His eyes were still filled with concern, and I wasn’t sure what to make of his reaction. “Well, I guess that will do it.”
I smiled down at him, still so relieved he was awake. “You probably need to rest some more,” I said. “So, try to get some sleep.”
Roan nodded and stifled a yawn. “I might just do that.”
“And Roan’s not the only one who needs rest,” Dash said. “I think you need some of that yourself.”
I started shaking my head. “Now that we know Roan is okay, we should press on to try and find the chest. We’re in the ruins, so the palace can’t be far.”
Dash crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he replied. “It’s dark and you look exhausted. You expended far too much magic earlier and I doubt you’d make it beyond the firelight without collapsing. You need to rest.”
Dash’s eyes were serious, and I got the feeling he didn’t want to be argued with. It was difficult to give in when I was hit with a new sense of urgency to find the chest. We were so close to it now, and I didn’t want to wait until morning.
I pushed to my feet once more, but the moment I did, I began to wonder if Dash was right. I’d never felt quite this drained after a summoning before. I staggered forward as a bout of exhaustion hit me, and it took all my energy to try to stand tall. Every muscle was aching, and even the subtle movement of standing made me feel like I was about to faint.
“Fine, you win,” I grumbled, letting out a sigh. “But we leave at first light.”
“We leave at first light,” Dash agreed.
Chapter Sixteen
I woke in the middle of the night as a cold breeze rushed over my skin. I slowly blinked my eyes open and pulled my sleeping bag up higher to keep myself warm. The firelight had dimmed since I’d fallen asleep, and a light fog drifted around the outskirts of our camp. I couldn’t see any stars in the sky, and I wished that I could catch a glimpse of them, but the clouds overhead were too thick.
I closed my eyes once more, but the soft sound of hushed voices wafted over to me. Cracking my eyes open once more, I realized that Dash’s sleeping bag was empty. I looked around until I saw him sitting by the fireplace next to Roan who was propped up in his sleeping bag by the heat. I was surprised to see them both awake after everything we had been through during the day. Roan had barely been lucid when we’d been talking earlier, and I would have thought he’d be in a deep sleep as he recovered. I considered yelling at the two boys and telling them to get to bed, but then I heard what they were saying.
“How well do you know Clio?” Roan asked. I frowned at the question, wondering what he was getting at. He and Dash must have thought I was still asleep, and I shut my eyes again as I listened in.
“Well enough that I trust her completely.”
“I didn’t ask if you trusted her,” Roan said. “I asked how well you know her.”
There was something about the way he said it that made me nervous. He sounded cautious and was speaking slowly, as though he was concerned about where the conversation was going. I’d helped to save his life today, and I couldn’t understand why he would be suspicious of me. What had I done to make him so wary? My heart started beating quickly as I waited for Dash’s reply.
“I only met Clio a few weeks ago, but I know her well enough.”
“Well, if you know her so well, you must know what type of magical being she is then.”
“She’s a claus.”
I peeked with one eye, curiosity and concern getting the better of me, and caught sight of Roan shaking his head. “I don’t think she is.”
I swallowed and tried to stop my heart from exploding out of my chest. What was Roan talking about? I was a claus, and there was no doubt about it.
“She is,” Dash insisted. “I’ve seen her summon objects plenty of times, and you’ve seen her do it yourself. Her magic smells just like every other claus I’ve ever met. What else could she be?”
“I don’t know.” Roan was still shaking his head. “But I should be dead right now, Dash. There is no cure for the poison in the grýla darts. It’s a death sentence.”
Dash’s expression turned hard. “Clearly, you’re wrong. She managed to summon the cure.”
“I’m not wrong,” Roan replied. “I’m just telling you what I know. And what I know is that there’s more to Clio than she’s telling either of us. What she did today is not something an ordinary claus could do. All these plants she made grow out of the earth? I can tell you right now they weren’t summoned. They’re actually alive with roots buried in the ground. Claus magic couldn’t do that. She’s something else, Dash.”
Dash fell silent, and I desperately wondered what he was thinking. Did he
believe what Roan was saying?
“I think it’s been a long day and we’re both tired,” Dash finally said. “We should try to get some sleep.”
The two of them fell silent, and Dash stood, moving over to the empty sleeping bag that was laid out near mine. I immediately closed my eyes and tried to calm my breathing. My body was trembling after what Roan had said though, and I couldn’t stop wondering if Dash believed him. But what was more troubling: should I believe what Roan had said?
Something about summoning the antidote had felt different, and as much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn’t. The antidote had felt like it had been summoned from deep within me rather than pulled from somewhere else. It almost felt like something I’d shaped myself, but that was impossible. There weren’t any Christmas beings that I knew of with that kind of power.
There weren’t any Christmas beings that could use magic throughout the entire year either, so I already knew there was something different about me. I’d always thought that I was just a powerful claus, but I wondered if there was perhaps some truth in what Roan had said.
Was I a claus, or was I something else entirely? I wasn’t so sure anymore.
There was a tense silence in our camp when we got up in the morning, and I couldn’t help but notice the way the two boys watched me. Neither of them said anything about the suspicions Roan had voiced during the night, but I knew they were both thinking about them. Roan’s eyes were filled with distrust whenever he looked my way, and Dash was also acting strangely around me. He seemed troubled, and several times he went to speak to me, only to shake his head and walk away.
“How are you feeling this morning?” I asked Roan. He had yet to rise from his sleeping bag, and his face was still a deathly shade of white. “Are you well enough to ride?”
Roan nodded though he didn’t meet my gaze. He started to try to push himself up off the ground, but his body was too weak, and he sank back into his sleeping bag.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to continue to the palace ruins,” he admitted with a sigh.
Dash walked over, having caught the last of our conversation. He folded his arms over his chest as he looked down at Roan. “How much further until we reach the palace?”
“It’s not far,” Roan replied. “You should be able to reach it within a couple of hours. I’ll wait here for your return. Hopefully, I will be well enough by then to guide you back.”
“Will you be okay here by yourself?” I asked.
“I’m not alone.” Roan’s response was short, and I was both surprised and hurt by the fact he still refused to look at me.
“He’ll have his mari lwyd,” Dash added softly.
“Right,” I murmured. I continued to frown down at Roan, hating that he was being so distant with me. Up until we’d been attacked by the grýla, we’d been getting along okay, but now I felt like I was looking at a complete stranger. After everything we’d been through together the last couple of days, it hurt that he couldn’t look me in the eyes. Especially when, only yesterday, I’d helped save his life.
“Come on,” Dash said. “We’d better get moving.”
I nodded and followed him over to where Adara and Dash’s mari lwyd were waiting for us. Adara nuzzled my neck as I approached, and I took in a deep breath, taking comfort in the contact.
“Do not be sad, young one,” Adara said. “Your creation saved the elf. There is no sadness in that.”
I frowned at her use of the term creation. That is exactly what summoning the antidote had felt like to me: something I had created from within myself, rather than pulled from somewhere else. But, despite what I felt, I knew that couldn’t be right. Maybe Adara was just picking up on that feeling in my thoughts, or perhaps that was just how she viewed summoning magic.
“What do you mean, creation?” I asked her.
“There was no cure for the poison, and now there is,” Adara replied.
The directness of her response threw me, and I couldn’t help but feel that she was mistaken—there must have been a cure, and she just didn’t know about it.
I glanced back at the patch of beautiful flowers and grass I’d summoned when trying to heal Roan, and my sense of confusion only grew. They were vibrant and alive and a breath of fresh air in these dark and scary lands. They shouldn’t have been able to thrive in such a place, and yet they were growing and flourishing because of me—because I had wanted to heal Roan.
My gaze darted in his direction. He was lying in his sleeping bag, his mari lwyd resting nearby. I didn’t like leaving him behind, but we didn’t have the luxury of time and couldn’t afford to wait until he was better before we continued onto the palace. A part of me wanted to stay and question him about what I’d overheard in the night.
I let out a sigh as I mounted Adara, and we set off, leaving Roan and my flowers behind. I didn’t look back as we rode off because, despite the way Roan was treating me, I still felt bad about leaving him alone when he still seemed so weak.
There were only a few crumbling walls where we’d made camp last night. The fog had been too thick to see far beyond them at the time. But the mist wasn’t nearly so dense this morning, and as it drifted and swirled around the ruins ahead, I could see old relics of buildings stretched out before us. They seemed to become more concentrated in the distance, which was where Roan had said the remains of the palace lay.
“Don’t take it personally,” Dash said, riding up beside me.
“Take what personally?” I asked, still focusing on the way ahead.
“The way Roan is acting with you this morning,” Dash continued. “He seems really rattled that you managed to cure him.”
“You’d think he’d be grateful.”
“Oh, I’m sure he is,” Dash said. “I just don’t think he can believe he’s alive. He’s convinced there is no cure for that poison, so he can’t believe you were able to summon it.”
“Clearly, there was a cure,” I replied. But even as I said it, the words felt wrong in my mouth. I couldn’t seem to dismiss the feeling that they weren’t quite true. “Dash, what if Roan is right?” I blurted out. “What if I’m not a claus?”
Dash’s eyes darted to meet mine, and I could see so many unspoken questions lingering within his gaze. He wasn’t the only one with questions, and I was growing tired of trying to bear the burden of my concerns on my own. The truth was, what I had done yesterday scared me just as much as it seemed to scare Roan.
“You heard us last night,” Dash eventually replied.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I did.” I chewed on my lower lip as I considered the conversation. Roan’s accusations worried me and made me reconsider everything I thought I knew about myself. But the way Dash had defended me made me feel like perhaps I didn’t have to worry alone. “You said you trusted me.”
Dash’s cheeks warmed slightly as he returned my stare. “Of course, I do.”
My stomach dipped at how easily he admitted it. Trusting others had always felt like such an impossible thing for me to do. For years, I’d been told never to tell the truth about myself to anyone and that no other magical beings could be trusted. But I was beginning to feel like perhaps Dash was different.
“You know I told Roan he was wrong.”
“But that’s the thing,” I replied. “I’m beginning to worry that perhaps he was right.” My voice had turned quiet, and I had so many different emotions rushing through me. The strong sense of secrecy I’d always maintained felt at war with the desperate need to confide in someone.
“Dash, I’m not like most clauses,” I eventually said, my desire to tell the truth finally overcoming me.
The frown on Dash’s forehead grew more pronounced. “I know that,” he replied. “You’ve already told me you’re powerful. I’ve seen it for myself. Perhaps that’s all it was yesterday.”
I shook my head though. “No. I’m not just talking about being powerful,” I said. “Dash, I have my powers all year round. They never weaken. They’re always the
re.” I swallowed as I looked at him, but Dash’s face had gone blank, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
“You have your powers out of season?” he said after a long pause. He sounded uncertain, like he didn’t believe what he had heard.
“Yes,” I said. “I always thought it was just because I was stronger than other clauses, but what I did yesterday has me questioning that. What if I’m not a claus at all, just like Roan said?”
Dash brought his mount in close to me and took a hold of my hand. “It doesn’t matter what you are but who you are,” he said. I looked up into his eyes and found him staring into mine deeply. “You are kind and caring and have risked yourself on more than one occasion for everyone around you. Once we’ve found the chest and got you free from your favor, we’ll figure out the rest together. Okay?”
My heart swelled, and I nodded. “Okay.” I felt like I’d been alone ever since my mom died, and I didn’t think Dash realized how much it meant to hear his words of support. I wasn’t alone in this, and the knowledge that he accepted me no matter what I was made me feel strong enough to face the truth—whatever that might be.
“So, you don’t hate me for keeping this secret?”
“Clio, I couldn’t hate you even if you grew a second head and sprouted horns,” Dash replied with a smile.
I laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The terrain around us changed as we rode, and as we emerged from another thick pocket of mist, I could see that we were now riding down a narrow, paved street. Decayed relics of buildings lined the route on either side of us, and up ahead I could see a large and deteriorated wall beginning to appear through the fog.
“I think we must be getting close to the palace ruins,” Dash said. I thought the same, but that wasn’t the only thing I sensed up ahead.
“Do you smell that?” I asked Dash.
He frowned and nodded as he looked toward the wall. The air was saturated with a rich and spicy aroma, kind of like brandy on a cold Christmas night. It was a magical scent I’d never come across before, and I could feel the edges of a strong power drifting in the air around me. It crackled against my skin, and the hairs on my arms stood on end as we drew closer.
Christmas Chaos (Christmas Magic Book 2) Page 17