The Iron Butterfly

by Chanda Hahn

  Crawling into my large bed I collapsed into my pillows and felt Joss pull a blanket over me, stopping mid motion to pull a flyaway piece of straw from my hair. He reached for my injured arm and I started to jerk it away when he caught it and pulled it into his lap. I watched him close his eyes in concentration. Warmth spread through my arm as the cut slowly healed and turned a faint pink. Rejuvenating energy flowed into me followed by a calm and content feeling. My eyes started to droop.

  “Thank you, Joss,” I mumbled sleepily.

  “I wish I could do more,” he grumbled. Going over to the couch he stretched his large frame out upon it, trying to get comfortable.

  Sitting up in alarm, I cried out, “What do you think you are doing?”

  “Taking a nap. What does it look like?” he retorted.

  “You can’t stay here! It’s not proper.”

  Joss just gave me a stubborn look. “I really don’t care about what’s proper or not. You have been attacked twice in the last two weeks. For goodness sakes, this is Citadel! It’s supposed to be the safest place in the city.”

  “Obviously not.”

  “I don’t care how many rules it breaks, or how many guards you get, or even if I get expelled. I’m not letting you out of my sight. So get some sleep, I’m not going anywhere.”

  Giving him an icy stare wasn’t making him change his mind, he just walked over to my sparse bookshelf, picked up a book and went back to the couch and began to read it; completely ignoring me.

  I made a noise and gave in, plopping down on my pillows. I made a childish show of trying to get comfortable again, punching my pillows to show my displeasure at him staying. Finally, sleep took over and I dreamed.

  This time I dreamed I was back in the prison and it was burning. Fire surrounded me, the beams in the ceiling were burning and behind me the tunnel came crashing down. Flames licked at my feet and I could smell burning flesh. The smell made me gag. The smoke made it difficult to see and breathe. I tried to move down the hallway but a ring of fire was in front and behind me.

  Through the flames and smoke I could see Kael standing there watching me. I started to reach out to him for help, when I remembered what he had said earlier about wishing he had let me die. I dropped my hands limply to my side, my eyes burning with tears, refusing to ask for help. The flames burned brighter and the smoke made it impossible to breathe.

  Choking on the smoke I fell to my knees, my fingers digging in the dirt as I tried to breathe in the fresh air that was lower to the ground. But every breath burned fire down my lungs, as I felt myself suffocating from smoke inhalation. The flames licked at my skin, making it burn and pucker.

  I could see Kael, angry, standing over my prone form, his mouth forming words I couldn’t hear. Kneeling down, he yelled out again but I was deaf to them. Refusing help I closed my mind from him. He wanted to let me die, so I was giving him his wish, I would let myself die in this dream world.

  Feeling my world fade away, I felt him grab my shoulders hard and force me to look into his eyes. Barely being able to stay conscious I made eye contact with his angry eyes and I heard him clear as day, shout into my mind. “WAKE UP!”

  I awoke gasping for breath, coughing. I felt a hand pound my back and speak my name.

  “Thalia, it’s okay, you’re alright. Just breathe.” Joss’ words calmed me.

  Looking around my room in confusion, I started to cough and spit up black stuff into a handkerchief. Pushing him away I tried to stumble over to the window as if the room was still filled with smoke.

  Throwing open the windows, I leaned out coughing and let in the fresh air. It was now midmorning and the sun was shining. Joss brought me over a glass of water, I drank all of it. After I had settled down, I collapsed on the couch and asked him. “What happened?”

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Joss explained. “I was asleep, when a loud sound woke me up. I went to check on you and you had stopped breathing. I could feel power in the room and I couldn’t get you to wake up. I tried to look into your mind but it was blocked.”

  I told Joss about my dream, not feeling comfortable in revealing that I was dreaming about Kael, I left him conveniently out again. I was doing that a lot lately. Joss looked worried, as I described the burning cell and how I felt I was dying of asphyxiation when I suddenly awoke.

  “Thalia, you were attacked by a Denai in your sleep,” he said.

  “How can you know for sure?” I asked.

  “Because … Thalia, look at your wrists.”

  Sure enough, small burn marks appeared along my wrists and arms.

  “And,” he paused. “I can still smell smoke.”

  Chapter 24

  “That’s it! I’m outta here.”

  I scrambled from off the couch, ran to my armoire and started throwing clothes into a bag. Joss came over and tried taking the items of clothes out my bag and putting them back into the closet.

  “Thalia, what are you doing? You can’t leave.”

  Joss tried to grab a shirt out of my hands. We both tugged on it until I surrendered it to him with a glare.

  “Oh, yeah? Watch me.”

  I grabbed a pair of socks and threw them in my bag. He reached in my bag to pull out more clothes and pulled out one of my undergarments. Face turning beet red, he sputtered and dropped the garment on the floor as if it bit him. Giving up on the unpacking approach, he instead tried to reason with me.

  “Thalia, you’ll be even more unprotected in the city than in the Citadel.”

  “Hasn’t worked so far,” I argued. “You were even in the same room with me and I was still attacked. He’s here, Joss. The Raven is close, he could even be in the city right now and he could still reach into my mind.”

  “That’s because you haven’t been fully trained. If you stayed and learned how to use your powers, you could shield from these attacks better.”

  “While I’m sleeping?” Somehow that didn’t seem possible.

  “Once you’re trained, using your power can become as natural as breathing. But if you leave now, you leave yourself open to more attacks.”

  “I can’t fight the same way you can! I can’t do anything the same way you can.” My voice raised in pitch despairingly.

  “Truthfully, Thalia, I’m at a loss when it comes to what you are capable of. I know what my limits are. But you are different, the rules are different.”

  Turning from him, I let out a sigh, and threw my whole bag back into the closet, shutting it with a slam.

  “Joss, I have no idea what I’m capable of either. The only thing I’ve been able to do was subconsciously, when I pulled you into my memories, and being able to speak with Faraway.”

  “Who?” Joss raised one eyebrow at me and folded his arms across his chest while leaning against the armoire. The pose showed off his muscles and his tall stature. My eyes went wide and I lost my train of thought for a second until I felt a faint familiar brushing of my mind.

  Stop staring and continue with what you were going to say.

  “I...I...What?”

  You were about to tell him how you are bonded with a very intelligent horse, who is charming, quick witted, handsome, can run like the wind…and…

  “Who’s as vain as a prince?” I interrupted his thoughts. “Now leave me alone, before he thinks I’m completely nuts.”

  Don’t worry, he doesn’t think you’re nuts…He knows it. Faraway left my mind with a hint of laughter, or the snorting sound that would pass for a horse’s laughter.

  Joss stood up, staring at me in confusion. I was focused at a far spot in the wall the whole while I was having a silent conversation with my horse. When I was finished, I looked back to him.

  Biting my lip, I explained, “Faraway, my horse. I have a connection with him and we can speak to each other.” Now that the cat was out of the bag, I waited in trepidation for Joss to make fun of me.

  “Well, that’s great!” He clapped his hands together excitedly, moving to the middle
of my room. “That just proves that you have great potential and you still have a lot to learn.”

  Spinning around to look at me again, he placed his hands on his hips. “Not everyone can speak with animals, and usually only those that make it to the Journeyman or Adept levels can.” He started pacing the room. “So you see, you have to stay and finish training. If you can make it to Adept, you would be strong enough to fight off anyone who comes after you.”

  “Joss, I highly doubt that. I’m not Denai, and I’m beginning to wonder if I can call myself human anymore.” Walking over to the couch, I plopped down on it and rested my arm and chin across the back. It was calming to watch Joss move around the room. “For instance, it’s been proven by Adept Cirrus’ Mercury ball, er, stone thing or whatever. And so far all I’ve been able to do is suck, literally. As in suck your power or energy from you and use it against you; which also could explain why I don’t have much control over my ability. I don’t actually have any Denai blood in my veins. Admit it, what I did isn’t normal. I’m a freak.”

  His stopped pacing mid stride and froze at my words. Placing my hands over my mouth, I wanted to kick myself for bringing up my lack of Denai blood and how I got my powers. Remembering back to how he acted when we first found out I had powers. He was fine with me being a normal human being, and he would have been fine with me being a Denai. I could see then that something about it bothered him; put him on edge. I think it was the unknown and changed bloodlines that bothered him the most. Not that I had access to powers, but what was done to me to give me those powers is what really bothered his code of ethics.

  I decided the best course of action was to change the subject. “All right, Joss, we have an assembly and I really need to get a bath and dressed, so you need to make yourself scarce.”

  I stood up, grabbed his arm and physically started pushing him toward my door. “By the way, what was it that woke you up a few minutes ago?” I asked, my curiosity finally getting the better of me.

  Joss put his hands up and grabbed the doorframe, stopping my forward momentum. Dipping his head low, he actually started to look a little red in the face. “Well now that you mention it. It was a knock on the door, and since I didn’t want to open it and get caught in your room, I went to wake you instead.”

  Feeling the blood rush from my face, I motioned for Joss to get behind the door as I placed my hand on the doorknob and prayed that whoever had knocked on my door earlier had given up and left.

  Opening the door slowly and peeking outside, I saw that I had no such luck. For who should be waiting outside my door leaning against the far wall, looking furious, was Kael. Meeting his cold eyes, I jumped back into my room with a small squeak and slammed the door. Of all the people who had could come to my door, it had to be Kael. I let out a furious scream between clenched teeth, trying to stifle my anger.

  “Who is it?” Joss whispered. I looked at his anxious expression and almost laughed.

  “It’s the SwordBrother.” At the mention of Kael, his face became hard. Grabbing my towels and soap, I steeled myself to face him again. Opening my door, I ignored Kael altogether and walked toward the baths, hoping he wouldn’t follow me. Leaving Joss inside my rooms to wait it out until the coast was clear.

  Kael moved away from the wall and tailed me all the way to the baths, his footsteps silent as the night. Only his shadow on the wall revealed his presence behind me. Quickening my pace, I reached for the handle of the door to the women’s bath and turned, giving him a pointed, challenging look.

  I shot him a smug glance and proceeded to close the door in his face. His hand shot out and kept the door from closing, and with a slight shove he pushed around it and stepped into the women’s bathing rooms. Glancing around the interior sitting room, he went and picked out a vacant private suite. He checked behind every column and curtain before allowing me to enter.

  The baths were one of my favorite luxuries since becoming a student. The servant’s bathing chambers had soaking tubs. The student baths were much more luxurious, with different levels of comfort and bathing suites. Some suites were closed off and completely private. A sign on the door marked if it was occupied. The larger suites consisted of beautiful benches, columns, and a marble soaking tub that was heated.

  I generally preferred these smaller private rooms and would often fall asleep in them, but today out of spite, I walked past him and entered the adjoined co-ed bathing pools instead.

  The bathing pools were in an open solarium with frosted glass. Large exotic plants and trees separated each of the pools to give privacy. The pools were all connected so the water ran from one to the other and felt very much like a flowing river. You could actually swim from one smaller pool to the next one around a curve.

  I chose to walk the length of the solarium and picked out my favorite pool. It tended to be the most secluded and least used. Splashing in the next pool over told me that there were others using the bathing pools.

  The only reason I enjoyed coming here was because it was big enough to swim in and I found out that I loved swimming. Today I chose it because it would make Kael uncomfortable in trying to secure something with so much foliage and bends and twists and turns, and there was also a back exit.

  So far I hadn’t spoken a word to him, but I knew without even asking that the Adepts must have assigned him as my bodyguard. That rankled, because right now, I couldn’t even stand to be near him.

  Making sure he was busy on the other side of the pools, I quickly bathed, changed as fast as I could, and slipped out the back door. Walking on tiptoe I rounded the corner and walked right into Kael’s broad chest. I jumped in surprise.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded, while trying to regain my composure. Kael looked at me in surprise and raised an eyebrow at me.

  “Well, I would think that was obvious?” he scowled. “I’m keeping you safe. I’ve been given an assignment. I’m your new guard.”

  “Thanks, but NO! You can tell the Adept Council that I politely declined your services.” I moved down the hall with no particular destination in mind, as long as it was far away from him as possible.

  “So you think of sneaking out the back door of the baths as your way of politely declining? If that’s the case, than I think that your manners could use some improving.”

  “Maybe it’s what you deserve?”

  “Or maybe it’s that you would prefer someone else as your bodyguard altogether; someone like Joss? Who is probably still hiding in your room, by the way.”

  The inflection he put behind his words hinted at some other meaning and froze me in my tracks.

  Turning on him in a blaze of fury, I struck out my hand toward his cheek in anger and he deftly caught it midair. Pulling on my captured wrist I spat out the words, “It is none of your business who I invite in my rooms. And yes, anyone would be preferable to you.”

  “Too bad, you’ve got me.”

  “Then I will speak with the Adept Council myself.”

  Kael had still not let go of my wrist and it was starting to hurt. I could see his jaw set in anger and I was feeling a faint pounding in my head, which started to happen whenever he was near me. Looking at his hand, I saw that he kept a short leather bracer on his right arm and not the left. He caught me staring at it and he dropped my hand suddenly.

  Trying to rub the feeling back into my wrist, I noticed that I would have some bruising. When Kael noticed what he had done to my arm, his blue eyes turned down in shame.

  “You’re right, you need to find someone else, anyone else, and fast.”

  Walking away from me, he stopped and waited for me to follow. “It’s time for the assembly, we need to get going.”

  Knowing that he was right and we would both be heading in the same direction anyway, I followed. I was trying to make my hair decent by running my fingers through it and pulling out the knots. I left in such a hurry from the baths I spared no time for my hair. Quickly I twirled it into a bun and was trying to get it to stay with
out any pins, when Kael knelt, and pulled out of his boot a very slender silver knife that was in a sheath. Spinning me around, he grabbed my hair. I was scared that he had gone crazy and was going to cut it all off in punishment.

  Instead, he deftly inserted it into the bun in one smooth motion. Giving my head a test shake, it held tight. Looking at him puzzled, he said, “The women in my clan often wear weapons in their hair for protection. It isn’t the right size for you, but it will do until we find you something else.”

  I was left speechless and confused.

  The main hall was packed for the Assembly. Spotting Avina and Berry, I waved and tried to make my way through the tables to where they sat. I was unprepared when a foot shot out and tripped me. Feeling myself fall forward, I felt a jerk as a hand steadied me. Turning toward my antagonist, I wasn’t surprised at all to see Syrani.

  “There is no way that you could have won last night without cheating. And I’m going to prove it. I was one of the last students to be hit, and I’m going to appeal the contest results.” She smiled smugly.

  Kael released my arm and turned toward Syrani. She smiled in delight when she saw how handsome Kael was. She brightened as he leaned in and whispered in her ear. Her smile quickly disappeared and her face turned white when Kael moved away, looking every inch the deadly SwordBrother.

  Feeling a moment of smugness, I hurried over and sat on the bench by Berry and Avina, greeting both of them with kisses and hugs, reassuring them both that I was fine.

  “Oh, Thalia, I did what you asked and unlocked the wood chute door. But when I came in this morning I noticed that someone had put a mop and bucket there. Please tell me that wasn’t there earlier?”

  “Everything’s fine, Avina. You did great!”

  Sitting back, I held each of their hands in mine and for once in my life felt happy and content, which is odd considering how I was almost murdered last night.