Air {Elements of Power 3}

Chapter 30: Jasmine

I barely slept that night. By morning I was a wreck, alternating between the image of Emmanuel's body, dead and broken on the floor, and thoughts of kissing Tristan.

He had said that he would take care of "the break in." I shuddered just thinking about it. As much as I didn't like the idea that Emmanuel had died because of me, I was equally terrified by the realisation that, if Tristan hadn't been there, it could have been my body lying, lifeless, on the floor.

I sat up in bed and pulled the covers round me more tightly. Arcan covers were pitifully thin, so Brae had sent three of them over to my room when I had moved in. It was slightly less comfortable, but at least I was warm. I wondered if he had done the same for Roxy; I hadn't taken notice when I was last in her room.

Despite how long I had stayed in the castle for now, the room still felt alien. It was light, airy and very Arcan, with white walls, white voile in the window, and polished wooden floors. Brae had had most of my clothes sent over and I still had all of the things I had brought back from the Brizan Realm with me. But all of my personal things had been left in my old room. I hadn't thought to grab any of it when I went there last with Brae and I was regretting that now. Everything felt so strange. I could have really done with something familiar to comfort me.

I decided that it might be a good day to go and visit Caleb and Noni; I needed the comfort of home. I could spend a couple of hours there and visit Devon on the way back. She had remained unconscious since the attack; the doctors said that she was still 'at risk'. She had sustained horrific burns. They weren't... They weren't entirely hopeful.

I threw my covers off and forced myself to get out of bed. If I wanted to go, I should leave now, before too many people woke up and learnt about Emmanuel. I would never find time to leave once the questions started.

I got showered and dressed quickly and was shoving my feet into a pair of thickly lined boots when there was a knock at the door.

"Yes? Come in," I said, while silently wishing that I had already left. I needed to get out of the castle for a day.

I was surprised when the door opened to reveal Roxy, standing awkwardly, dressed only in a cream blouse and grey trousers. She looked freezing and was eyeing my thick jumper enviously.

"Where do you get all of your warm clothes from?" she asked at once. "All I seem to have been given is stuff that's designed to cover me up for modesty, not to keep me warm! I've almost forgotten what the sun feels like."

"Arcan's don't wear thick layers-they like to feel the breeze. Noni-my housekeeper-got me most of my thicker clothing. She has a couple of friends who make clothes for a living. They used to make items especially for me." Roxy shivered in the doorway. "Here," I said, walking over to my wardrobe. "We're not too dissimilar in size, you can borrow some of my stuff." I grabbed a couple of cardigans and a jumper down from their hangers and handed them to her.

Roxy accepted them tentatively, perhaps wondering what I was going to ask from her in return.

When a beat passed and I didn't make any demands, she pulled the sequined white jumper over her blouse. "This is going to make a huge difference," she told me, sounding sincere. I supposed that was a 'thank you' by Helian standards.

"Don't worry about it; that's what sisters are for." I shrugged my shoulders.

Roxy pulled a face. "Sisters." She sounded as though she was tasting the word, to see how it felt on her lips; she didn't like it.

"Hey, I didn't ask for it any more than you did. Besides, once the attack is over we can both go our separate ways and pretend that the other one was just a bad dream."