Awoken (Ilea, Book I) (COMPLETED)

Chapter 45

I looked at Beau, wrapped my arms round his neck and kissed him passionately. The idea of him being torn away from me was too painful to comprehend, I felt my sick in my stomach at the idea of it; I needed his arms around me, holding me tightly. He seemed to respond to my very thoughts and his arms enveloped me strongly and held me to his side like vices as we kissed. It was only when Beau stopped kissing me and lifted his finger to my face that I realised there were soft, silver tears sliding down my cheek.

“Ilea, what happened?”

“I saw them.”

“Who?”

“Orion and the army from Elmira; they’re coming to get me.”

“Now?”

“I do not know. I do not know if they are just planning it in Elmira or whether they have already left. There were parts that could already have transpired and other parts that have not yet, and if I can help it, will never happen.” I felt the warmth leave my body as I looked into his eyes again; he cannot die, was the only thought running through my head.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my head into his shoulder. His skin felt like fire against my arms but after a few moments I realised that it was not his skin that was fire, but my own that was ice. I was trying to sort the thoughts streaming through my head when Beau asked the all-important question. “What do we do?” My initial reply sparked an idea through my mind but I kept it to myself, knowing that if he knew, I would never be able to complete it. I thought again carefully.

“We need to speak to someone wiser. We need to go and see your grandmother.” I said, trying to buy time to fine tune the plan that had already started to form in my mind.

He nodded, and softly pulled me onto my feet. I could not believe how weak I felt, it was like I had used up all of my strength, with a slow realisation I realised that was exactly what had happened; the vision must have been a subconscious use of magic and by the feel of things it had used a huge amount. I had never felt this tired after magic before, even after my explosion in the forest when I had left Elmira; the largest release of magic I had ever used, was nothing compared to this.

My mind wandered as we walked down the path through the trees; I was trying to think as fast as I could about what I should do, but my brain felt fuzzy and the thoughts I wanted to have seemed to stay just beyond the edge of my understanding and refused to come any closer. It was extremely frustrating, and I felt myself getting angry. Beau looked back at me with a worried expression on his face and I realised I needed to calm down; getting angry would not solve any problems, it could only create more.

Eventually we walked out into the small village. Everything seemed more valuable; the people walking through the passageways between houses seemed to smile more brightly, the birds in the trees seemed to be singing happier songs and the man whose hand I was holding seemed like my very own diamond in the roughage around me.

We made our way to his grandmother and, as per usual, she was sitting in her chair outside her small house, she took one look at our worried faces and then beckoned us to follow her inside. “What has happened?”

Beau let go of my hand and took hers, “There is a lot you have only guessed, but do not know about Ilea.” She looked at me and nodded, and then her eyes flicked back to Beau’s. “We need your advice grandmother, we don’t know enough to work out the solution on our own,” her eyes flicked to my eyes again, but she didn’t say a word, “Ilea is in danger, there are people coming to get her, and we do not know what they will do to her. However, if she runs we don’t know if they will give up.”

She nodded and then walked to me and took both of my hands, staring deeply into my eyes. Suddenly a mind connected with my own. ‘I know you Ilea, better than you realise.’