The Crystal Mines

40 Nik

I couldn't sleep. I tried. I really did. I had done everything I could think of to pass the time. Trife had come and now slept in the bed, my body had refused. While he slept, I paced the room. Rummaged through the exquisite clothes. Wrote and rewrote letters to my mother, brother, and Ahren. Tossed each of them in crumbled balls on the floor. I watched the city from the balcony, bored and antsy after only a few moments. Without having to fight non-stop. I wasn't sure what to do with myself. The life of luxury around me, only made me want to vomit. It wasn't something I was used to, and I didn't think it was something I was ready to be used to just yet.

I grabbed a pillow and pulled the case off before draping it on Trife. The poor thing was wiped out. Something so small had come to our rescue and he deserved a whole platter of food. When I swung the door open to the hallway, there was a member of the guard standing there. Why would I have a guard? I was just, well, me. I eyed him and he smiled back kindly. I asked that a full platter of fruits and meats be brought to me room. Trife would need to eat after he woke up. I may take a bite later, but for right now, the idea of real food turned my stomach. Then, I waved awkwardly and went in search of Faolan.

I remembered him being placed in a room near the stairs leading to the rooftop courtyard. I ran. Needing my best friend like a body needs breath. I stopped at the end of the hall, seeing four armed guards posted at the first door. Mohan. I swallowed back guilt. The guilt was not warranted, I knew that, but I couldn't help it all the same. He was a Sibling and couldn't be trusted, regardless of the innocence I felt from inside him. I knocked on Faolan's door and it swung open as if he had been standing there already. We flung ourselves at each other, collapsing to the floor. Mohan's guards watched, curiously, at our two bodies shaking in sobs half in the hallway.

Taury and Garren came down the hall, carrying a plate of food. Upon seeing us dramatically crying, Taury placed the tray right in the middle of the floor and ran to us joining in the hug, her beautiful gown crinkling on the floor. Garren picked up the discarded tray and squeezed past us to Faolan's room to place it on a table inside. With their help, we finally made our way inside, our faces red with emotion.

Garren wiped his eyes, not even bothering to hide the effects of the tense moment. He tenderly wiped Taury's cheeks and kissed her on the forehead, before pouring us all a drink of some kind.

"Drink," he ordered while taking a seat at the small round table.

I sniffed the contents and swallowed back the warm alcohol. Glad for its burn, mirroring what I felt inside. Faolan followed suit and threw the liquid back, closing his eyes in pleasure. The four of us sat there like that in the comfortable quiet for a while. I sipped on ice water, stirring the liquid magically, playing with the return of my magic.

The wounds on my wrists had already begun healing, but they were still very painful. The King's healers had removed the dragon bone manacles from Callion and I just after we had exited the portal. The memory of the last few hours had blended together so tightly that I had forgotten it had even happened. The healers kept the vile things, wanting to study the properties of the bone. I didn't mention anything about what I could shift into yet. Neither did Callion.

Faolan grasped my knee below the table, squeezing meaningfully. Taury watched us, sorrow on her face. I knew what she saw. The weight loss, the scars, the strain on our skin, pale from iron taping our strength. But I didn't care about any of that. The real pain was internal and couldn't be explained or seen.

"Are you ok?" Taury asked lamely.

I took a sip of water. "No," I bit out in anger. "But I will be."

Faolan next to me nodded and asked, "How is Sorin?"