by Lisa Daniels
Sitting up, Callie looked around her, trying to take everything in. Her stomach lurched, and she held it as her brain worked furiously to remember everything.
They were near the top of a small hill, and from where she sat, she could see a few buildings that looked much older than the village where she had grown up. They also looked a lot more durable. The voice was soft as it spoke into her mind, “It’s Enfeh.”
Callie turned to look at the woods behind them. They reached up all the way to the top of the hill. “You ran all the way here.”
“I’m afraid it won’t be far enough, but rest is going to be essential tonight. It may be the last night where you are able to sleep comfortably.”
“What? Why?” Callie felt her stomach lurch as Caden stumbled. “Oh, I am so sorry! You must be exhausted. I can walk.”
“No, it’s alright. The hill is steep, and you have no experience with how cruel gravity can be.”
“I have fallen down before.”
“Yes, and I was afraid that you had broken your neck. I prayed to the gods for days before I felt that I could resume my duties.”
“It wasn’t your fault, you know. I was the one who climbed onto the roof and tried to see the ocean.”
The tiger moved in a different way and let out a strange purring noise, and Callie instinctively knew he was laughing. Finally he responded, “It was my job to keep you safe, and I very nearly failed. After that, I stayed much closer. I was just lucky that your fathers were so good, it is almost difficult to believe you weren’t related by blood. Come on. I’ll need to shift, but I will carry you down.”
“I am sure I can handle it.”
“Just trust me.” Caden slowed down. Callie carefully slid off his back and stared down at the large town below them. She had heard of Enfeh for years. Her fathers had been there to collect supplies a year or two before they had adopted her, and they had always told her stories about it. Now she was standing there looking at it and wondering if this was how it had looked when they had visited.
She heard a voice beside her, and she turned for a second to see Caden kneeling. “Climb on. It will be easier for you to hold on and for me to keep my balance.” Callie wrapped her arms around his neck and her heart skipped. Frowning, she tried to ignore the way he moved under her and turned her attention back to the town. The way he moved as a human was very graceful, and she could feel each of his muscles moving as he began the descent.
“It’s… huge. I thought that my fathers had been exaggerating.”
“Just wait until you see the city where you will live. I would have loved to have heard your thoughts on it.”
They hadn’t gone very far before Callie understood why he had insisted on carrying her. Something in his words seemed wrong, but she couldn’t analyze it for the scene before her. It was unbelievable, but much more treacherous than she would have believed. Periodically, she was reminded that they were in a somewhat precarious position. As graceful as Caden was, he stumbled several times, and her eyes were drawn to rocks and other items rolling down the hill. It was much steeper going down than it had looked from the top.
The descent was slow, but it gave Callie time to really appreciate the size of the town and some of the buildings. None of the places at home was bigger than two stories. Some of these were over ten stories high. She could only imagine what it had taken to construct them.
When they reached the gates, he put her down. “I think it is best if you walk now. Carrying you will just attract attention.”
Callie nodded and let go of his neck.
A guard called down from the wall, “Two lovebirds, huh?”
Caden didn’t even look at her as he spoke, “Yes, and my future wife is with child. I know it is after closing, but we were slowed down by the morning ailment. Could I pay you to let us in?” Callie tried not to look shocked by anything that Caden said. Turning her eyes to the guard, she didn’t have to act as her stomach lurched again. She very nearly threw up right there at the gate.
“Open up!” the guard shouted and disappeared from view.
Less than two minutes later the door opened, and a pair of guards looked at them expectantly. Caden pulled a small purse out and handed it to one of them. Callie watched as the guards’ eyes widened and they immediately began to fight over the purse as Caden took her hand and led her through the gates.
Callie’s head seemed to be on a constant pivot, and a couple of times she spun around trying to take everything in. The whole time, Caden walked calmly by her side, gently holding her hand and making sure they didn’t get separated. They arrived at a huge building with writing across it.
“Enfeh’s Bliss?” she read the sign.
“Yes, that is the name of the inn. We won’t stick out as much here.”
“Why is that?” The building looked gaudy, and she felt a little uncomfortable.
“Because it is for the elite. They won’t say anything about their guests here, so you will be safe for a day or two. Then you will need to head on.” He pulled her through the door.
Something about what he said again struck her as odd, but Callie could not stop trying to look at everything. There were more colors in the lobby than she had ever seen in a home, and the furniture looked luxurious. Caden was speaking with someone at the front in a language she did not understand.
“Come, darling. Let us get you to bed.”
Callie was only partially aware of being directed down a hallway and up a flight of stairs. When they finally reached a door, Callie wasn’t sure what to say. Caden turned a golden-looking key in the lock and pushed the door open. He gently tugged her hand, pulling her into the room before him. Callie entered and looked around. “This is a bedroom? There is a small bath facility!”
“Yes. If you need to wash up, go ahead. I know that you will find success in your new home.”
Barely hearing what he told her, Callie stepped into the bathroom and marveled at everything. There were a couple of strange-looking handles on the basin. Turning one of them, she stepped back as water sprang from it. “Water!” She put her hand in it, and noticed red beginning to flow into the sink. Startled, she looked at her hand. It was almost covered in blood. Immediately, her mind started trying to determine where she was hurt, but a few things began to make sense as she stared in horror at the blood washing away without any injuries.
Quickly turning to leave, she knew it wasn’t hers. It was from the hand that had been holding hers since the gate.
I would have loved to have heard your thoughts on it.
… you will be safe for a day or two. Then you will need to head on.
I know that you will find success in your new home.
Caden had been saying goodbye, knowing she would understand that after he was gone. He had been so adamant about not leaving her, there was only one reason that he would have changed his mind now. Callie rushed into the bedroom in time to see Caden collapse on the floor.
Chapter 5
The Endless Night
Without stopping to think, Callie ran back to the bathroom to grab what she might need. Knowing that she would not have access to the kinds of potions and poultices that would help, she tried to think of anything that might help her. There wasn’t much in the little room, but there was a small pail in the corner. Callie picked it up and stuck it under the running water so that she could clean up whatever wound Caden had. Clearly, he had been bleeding heavily, but she had no idea why—he had commanded her to stay down, so she had seen next to nothing of their escape. With her mind trying to find all the possible scenarios, Callie knew it could have been when he burst through the door, when he had torn up the Fanatics, or even during the descent down the hill. After all, hadn’t she looked at him from the hilltop? Surely she hadn’t been so oblivious.
Pulling several towels from the shelves, she hauled everything back into the room. Callie looked over Caden, trying to figure out what had happened and how he was hurt. As she got close to examine him, she not
iced a hole in the jacket that was difficult to see because his coat was like midnight, hiding the blood and wound as if by magic. She had no doubt that some magic had ensured that look. She knew that the color and the coat’s appearance had made it so that no one would have been able to see his wound unless they looked closely at the blood trickling down his hand. Frowning, Callie also knew that the wound could not be the source of the blood that had been running down his arm; it was in the wrong place. The blood would have trickled down his back, not his arm. Worried that it might be a sign of something worse, the apothecary pulled off his coat, her hands brushing the muscles. Her cheeks flushed because there was nothing between the coat and his bare skin. It was impossible to keep her eyes from taking in his nearly perfect figure as she hurried to tend to the wound, but she managed to keep her attention focused once the coat was off. Tossing the coat to the side, she carefully moved him, and it was then that she saw that an arrow tip was lodged in his shoulder close to his neck. She was shocked for a second by the fact that he had been able to break the arrow without making a noise to let her know anything was wrong. Instinctively, she knew that it had been the arrow that had nearly missed her. Because it had missed her, though, it had struck Caden. Trying to set him down gently, she placed him carefully on his stomach. A nearly inaudible gasp escaped him, and Callie realized that he would not lay down flat. Pulling him up a little, it was only then that she noticed another broken arrow in the front of his shoulder. That was the injury that had left blood on her hand. Furious that she had not noticed either of these injuries in her awe of the town, Callie propped him up on his side with a pillow to keep his weight from pushing the arrow in the front in any further. She then worked furiously to stop the bleeding and remove the rest of the arrows. Caden had stumbled several times, but she had thought he was tired or that he was having trouble descending the hill. There had always been some explanation, and he had clearly not wanted her to know he was hurt.
Trying to dig out the arrowheads without doing further damage was difficult, and she wasn’t sure that he would be able to use his arm the same way once she was finished—she refused to even consider any other outcome. It was not the kind of wound she was accustomed to mending because bows and arrows were too expensive for anyone in the village. Even getting the tools to make them was beyond the ability of the people of her hometown. This was entirely different to any other treatment she had given, and Callie knew that the possibilities of doing serious harm was high if she did it wrong. The first arrowhead was easier to remove because it was not very deep. The second arrowhead was more difficult; not only was it in deeper, the shaft had been broken off further down so that she could not grip it. Callie had managed to stem the blood flow from both wounds, but she became increasingly concerned that she would not be able to remove the arrow in his shoulder.
As Callie struggled with the second arrowhead, Caden’s breaths seemed to be getting shallower. She closed her eyes, trying to find the connection that he had mentioned, and there it was like a golden thread between her and him. It was wavering in the space between them and she could feel pain starting to bloom in her shoulder and near the back of her neck. Opening her eyes, Callie shut off the pain, and her hands started to work faster. One of those was a potentially fatal shot, and the additional blood loss nearly ensured that there would be no way to heal Caden.
“No, no, no, Caden. I did not stop you from getting killed earlier so that you could die in Enfeh.” No matter what she did, Caden seemed to be slipping further away. After about 30 minutes, Callie had removed the second arrowhead, but she no longer needed to focus to feel his pain because it was bleeding through into her consciousness. “You knew. You knew, and yet you tried to get me here safely and set me up. Where you trying to escape out the window? Was that your plan? You should have told me in the woods, then you could have told me what to do. I have no idea how to save you without your help.” Her voice was shaking, and Callie was fighting back tears. Still, she kept talking, trying to bring him back to consciousness, to make his yellow eyes open and explain it was going to be alright. She wanted to hear him tell her everything would be alright. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t known each other very long; he had made her feel much calmer every time he had spoken to her. She didn’t know what the extent of his powers were, but he clearly knew how to help her use hers. Callie knew she needed him if she was going to succeed.
When it became clear that he wasn’t going to come back without something more powerful, Callie took a deep breath. No one needed to tell her that it would be risky to try to use magic without training and without her powers being fully developed. But it was all she could do. Clearing her mind of the pain and taking it back to when she was fearful of losing Michechel, she remembered the motions and thoughts that had kept him alive. A mild electrical pulse traveled down her arms at the thought, and she placed her hands on Caden’s body. Part of her wondered about the sensation—that definitely did not happen last time—but she tried to channel the feeling into Caden. Her hands and arms mimicked the same motions, certain that some of them were unnecessary since she didn’t need to reattach an entire appendage. Her hands each went to a wound, and she tried to pull up a mental image of what she wanted to happen. Keeping her eyes shut, Callie let her hands move over his body, trying not to let her mind interfere with the process. It was entirely counter to the way she usually worked, but Callie knew that she did not know enough to be actively engaged. She had never been one for prayer, but as she worked, Callie begged to any god who would listen to let her be successful.
To herself, Callie swore if Caden lived, she would never take him for granted again. She had only known him for a short period of time, but he had been taking care of her for most of her life. He was willing to go off and die to convince her that she needed to flee. Then, he sacrificed himself to get her away from the danger she had put them in by not making a decision sooner. He had known, and yet he had done everything he could to get her out. After all of that, he had kept his own pain from her as he led her through the town. Surely there must have been signs that he was hurting, but she didn’t pick up on any of them. Perhaps he had counted on that.
It seemed like time completely ceased to move as Callie let her body and mind weave magic that she couldn’t fathom. She could feel something happening, and the thin golden connection was growing stronger, even as her body began to feel drained. At one point she thought she felt Caden move under her hands, but Callie was too afraid to look. Whatever she had started would have to be sustained if she wanted it to work. A part of her already knew that once a mystic started something, it was dangerous to stop.
Aware that her hands had begun to move more rapidly and that her body was growing stiff from the effort, Callie shoved the discomfort out of her consciousness. Through her eyes, it looked like the light in the room was growing brighter. As curious as she was to see what was happening, Callie was afraid that it would distract her from her work.
At one point a small voice worked into her thoughts. Shocked out of her reverie, Callie opened her eyes and looked at the patient. Caden’s eyes were still closed and it appeared that the injuries had mended so that they would not need stitches, but his breathing was still too shallow. There was a strange light around Caden that should have been blinding, and she knew what had caused the bright light. Wondering if it was visible from outside the window, Callie hoped that it would not attract attention to them. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain the use of magic in a country where it was forbidden.
The voice was a little louder now that she was aware of it. “Close your eyes.”
Callie couldn’t help but talk as she closed her eyes and tried to resume what she had been doing. “Are you alright? Will you make it?”
“Move your right hand to the left and draw back.” Without any explanation, Callie’s mind started to pull away from the experience. The light dimmed and the sensation in her arms disappeared. Her hands continued to move as they
finished what they had started, but Callie suddenly realized that she was exhausted. As soon as her hands stopped moving, she tried to open her eyes. Everything looked blurry, almost like she was seeing it through a dream. Now that her body was not humming with magic, she was freezing.
Unable to fight off her fatigue, Callie allowed her eyes to close again. This time she felt herself fading into slumber. She was more aware of the feel of the warm body under her as she slumped over her patient. It was the only part of her that did not feel like she was freezing. Even though she was mortified knowing that she was now resting on top of Caden’s bare chest, Callie did not have the energy to move.
***
At one point, Callie saw a bright light. Believing it was Caden’s healing, she opened her eyes and found herself in a wood. Standing a few hundred feet from her were Caden and a woman who looked very much like her, thought Callie could not see her face. Caden held an arm out in front of the woman, clearly trying to protect her from something. Callie’s head turned to see what was happening. Sitting astride their horses were a small band of men dressed similar to the man Caden had killed back at her home.
Caden’s voice was a snarl as he spoke to the men, “You wouldn’t dare try to shoot a mystic with arrows. That would destroy everything in the area for the next 300 years. You would die, and I know how willing your kind are to sacrifice yourselves.” The sarcasm was palpable even through his threatening growl. “Turn and leave now, and I will not send someone to take care of you.”
One of the men sneered in response, “We don’t need to worry about your threats. If it is a matter of dying here and dying by the hands of our master, burning alive doesn’t seem so bad.” His words seemed to be a sign to the other men. As if acting as a single unit, the five men released their arrows.