How to Catch a Fish (ManxMan)

Original Chapter Five: The Wonderful Mer Kingdom

~Chapter Five: The Wonderful Mer Kingdom~

It is hard to fall asleep when thoughts keep racing through my mind. I am not sure how long I laid in the cold bed, restlessly rolling about while trying to shut down my brain. My mind did not seem fond of the idea, though, as I ended up staring at the walls and ceiling for what felt like hours. It could have been, too, since there are no clocks in the room. They must have used the same architect that built the witches' prison.

By the time I finally exhaust all the worst case scenarios and how to deal with them, my brain is tired, but my body remains awake. While in the prison, I had finally adjusted to feeling pleasantly warm all the time, so all the defences I built up over time have worn away. And I am too concerned about what might happen if I light a fire with my magic to warm up. If I lose control for even a second, I might destroy the entire room. There is a reason fire demons do not live past forty.

The Fae's curse does not affect our magic, only our bodies. However, when we use magic, the cold temporarily fades because that is one of the two terms of the eternal cold. The moment we stop using magic, the cold returns. Over time, it starts to eat away at our sanity. Some demons don't even make it a year after developing their magic before losing control. For the safety of others, we are put down like rabid dogs at the first sign of mental instability.

After seeing what a crazed fire demon is willing to do to feel warm, I can hardly blame them for being so quick to take us down. They have found ways to keep us sane for longer periods of time by giving us mentors to help us adjust. It is because of Sidr that I am still here, twelve years after developing my magic. He is also the reason I strive to live. It is for this reason that I refuse to start a fire until I am of a sound mental state, even if it means suffering from what feels like an internal blizzard.

Sadly, my determination does not keep the shaking at bay, which is why I end up in one of the far corners of the room, wrapped up in all the blankets. The bed was too open and seemed to be stealing any heat my body produced. I stripped the bed of its many layers and made a cocoon in the corner. While it did not do much, I no longer felt like my body's warmth is being sapped away.

If I felt capable of moving more than a few feet at a time, I would have made my escape to check on Heather. But since I still do not know where I am or where she is, I will just have to wait. Though, I might try to get 'topside' just to be under the hot sun again.

It feels like an eternity before the door opens again with the audible click of a disengaging lock. There is a long moment of silence following the sound when Nero steps in, but does not immediately see me on the bed. After he seems to pull himself from the initial shock, he walks over to the bathroom. When Nero returns, I know the moment he spots me because he almost drops the steaming bowl in his hand.

"What's wrong?" He demands, closing the distance between us until he is once again crouching in front of me. Though there is very little emotion on his face, the corners of his eyes are pinched in concern and his mouth is set in a small frown.

If I didn't know better, I'd think he cared.

"Nothing," I force out, but the chattering of my teeth kind of gives it away. It takes Nero only a couple of seconds to realize that it is not just my jaw, but my entire body, that is shaking. He sets the bowl of what looks like soup onto the floor beside me and pulls at the blankets until they are open enough for him to slip into the cocoon with me.

It is all I can do to keep myself from leaning into his much warmer body when he settles in. The shivering gets worse before it slowly starts to subside. In another time and another place, I would likely kill him for being so close, but what he is doing is actually helping and I feel more appreciative than angry.