Burning Embers (book 3)

Chapter 14

Andreas slowed his pace as he realized Lana's speed lessening. A flicker of concern passed over him and it wouldn't let go. He had noticed her getting considerably weaker over the last week, especially after large explosions of emotion. What was going on with his little witch, and how could he help her? These thoughts continued to swirl in his head as they continued walking.

Lana's eyes drifted over to him every now and then, and the color only served to worry him further. Her lustrous brown eyes were dulled by a light blue sheen that had been shining since they arrived in the Gynaen woods. Her breath was starting to catch and she did a good job of trying to hide it. If he hadn't been so attuned to her, he wouldn't have realized it.

They had fallen considerably behind the others. Andreas was suddenly struck by the familiarity of the situation. He was transported back to the first few days he had known Lana, how he was leading her through the woods similar to the ones they now found themselves in. Again, she needed someone to lean on, as little as she was willing to admit it this time. There was a quiet strength in her. A strength Andreas admired and probably didn't tell her about enough. She was so determined to prove herself, and Andreas realized it was largely his fault.

Her footing wavered and Andreas quickly reached out to keep her from falling. Her now greyish brown eyes stared at him both warily and defiantly. She didn't want him to have been the one to steady her.

"Lana, are you okay?" Andreas asked, his voice dropping to a near whisper so that their companions could hear him.

She tried to yank herself free from his grip, but her knees gave out. Her eyes began to glow brighter. Andreas caught her, his arms circling her waist and drawing her nearer to him. Again, he was struck by the familiarity of the situation, but willed the thoughts from his mind so he would be able to focus.

"Little witch, I need you to be honest with me, regardless of whatever consequences you may think there will be. What is wrong?"

She stared at him, seemingly arguing with herself whether or not she wanted to tell him what was going on with her. But she remained quiet, and after a while Andreas decided not to wait further for a reply. His grip on her tightened and he started supporting her weight as he moved to catch up, just slightly, with the others. She still didn't speak, but her eyes continued to glow a steady blue.

When Mallory and Raphael's backs came into view, Andreas slowed their pace again. "Lana, please, tell me what is going on with you. I'm concerned."

"You don't get to be concerned."

Andreas took a deep breath to remain calm. "A matter of opinion."

"This has to stop, Andreas. You either want to be with me, want to care about me, and be concerned about me, or you don't. I'm done accepting the grey area. I want and need more than that."

The color of her eyes started to shift away from brown completely. Andreas stopped, ignoring everything and everyone except Lana. His Lana. He cupped her cheeks and stared at her with bewilderment and concern. Her eyes soon mimicked the same expression. "Andreas, you are scaring me... what's going on?"

"Your eyes are blue, little which. There was only a slight sheen to them before, but they are completely blue now. Are you ready to tell me what's going on?"

Fear seemed to engulf her, overwhelming her further. "No, no, no..." she mumbled to herself. Andreas tried to calm her, but it wasn't working. Her eyes grew an even brighter blue.

And then she fainted.

***

Every word and breath that was exchanged in his room, Kalen could hear and feel. But he could not register their meanings. Pain. Pain was all his life was now. Unbearable, searing pain that seeped from the gaping wound on his chest and spread to the very tips of his arteries in an agonizing throb. Throb. Throb. He had no relief. Trapped in a constant state of not exactly sleeping, but not exactly being awake either.

There were brief moments of bliss, very brief and very far between. His body sometimes decided it had had enough and he would sink into a deep sleep that offered him bliss, if only for a few minutes. But then he would awaken again, stuck in the purgatory of pain with no escape.

The feeling of a cold, wet cloth on his forehead suddenly demanded all his attention. The frigid wetness provided a temporary nirvana to the pain in that area. He focused on that reprieve with all his might. Then a sweet voice started singing to him, the sound sending waves of calm throughout him. Her voice was like heaven, allowing his mind to ease. If only he knew who it belonged to. He'd have to thank her if he ever got out of this hell.

His body started to relax and his mind became blank. He felt himself slipping, the pain becoming more and more of a distant memory. Slipping, slipping, slipping.

There was no pain anymore and he felt more aware than he had in days. It must have been days, or weeks... he couldn't keep track of the time. Slowly the world around him swam into focus and he recognized it instantly. He was in the ballroom. The ballroom he had first met Lana in. His eyes found her almost instantly where she laid in a heap on the floor. He ran to her, gathering her in his arms.

"Lana, Lana!" he said, trying to shake her into awareness. It couldn't be possible for someone to be unconscious inside a dream world, could it? She had to have been the one to bring them here. Then how was this possible.

She didn't move. He couldn't even tell whether or not she was breathing.

But just as Kalen was about to start panicking, she startled into an upright position. She looked at him with eyes as blue as sapphires. "Kalen?" she asked in a small voice.

"Lana, what's going on?"

She shook her head, fear in every fiber of her being. "I don't know."