Reyr the Gold (Dragonwall Series # 2)

Chapter 33 - The King's Arrival

When she was done, she took another opportunity to study her skin. Her lips pulled into a frown. What she saw should have been impossible. The first time she had seen it, she had freaked out. Even now, she felt a degree of panic rising in her chest. On the skin over her ribcage, just beneath her left breast, was a mark. It was a tattoo of sorts. Moreover, it was unmistakable in nature. She might have been more astonished had she not done Sprite magic, but she had. She had created green fire, which just so happened to be powerful enough to vanquish the Vodar.

For the umpteenth time, she studied this mysterious mark in her reflection. Without thinking, her fingertips traced the lines. They were bluish-green and glowed with luminescence.

The luminescence wasn't nearly as bright as the first night. It had faded some, but that did not surprise her. Snippets of what she had learned in high school chemistry came back. Luminescence was similar to fluorescence and phosphorescence in that it created a glow of light. It was a spontaneous emission created by cold-body radiation. That meant the glow of her tattoo was probably created by electrical energy. In performing Sprite magic, she had somehow tapped into a reservoir of magical energy. She had felt it in the castle before too. Maybe that magical energy wasn't so different from electrical energy, and in performing it, she had forced the mark to appear. But how did the electrical energy of the world translate into the skin of her body? It all seemed absurd, and the more she thought about it, the more confusing it became. Chemistry was never her strong suit. At last, she shrugged and gave up, returning her attention to the shape of the mark.

There were two spirals that connected at their ends. One spiral went counterclockwise, growing larger until it straightened out. It led to the other spiral, which was clockwise. The two spirals evenly balanced each other—whatever that meant symbolically was beyond her. Scattered around the mark like paint splatters were tiny glowing dots of the same color.

Desaree had seen the mark too; fortunately, she had the good sense not to mention it again. Claire was grateful for that. It was going to take time for her to accept what was happening. Regardless, they both knew what it meant.

Claire's first instinct had been to go to Saffra. That seemed the most prudent thing to do before jumping to conclusions...The problem was, Dax had not yet woken up, and Saffra, in her grief, requested to be alone. Only Jocelyn was permitted to wait upon her, forcing Claire to remain patient for answers.

Daxton's circumstances were heartbreaking. Every time Claire thought about Saffra and what she was going through, she couldn't help tearing up. She wanted Dax to get well, but most of all, she wanted her friend back. Saffra was one of the only people she trusted here. If she could have helped, she would have, but Daxton's recovery was out of her hands. In the meantime, she couldn't bear to pull Saffra away. Sure, she needed Saffra now more than ever, but so did the commander.

Desaree came up behind Claire, distracting her from her thoughts. Together, they went through the rigmarole of dressing. After getting into her chemise and gown, Desaree helped her with the ties. The gown was pulled so tight that she could hardly breathe.

"How do the ladies stand it?" Claire gasped, her hand over her stomach as she tried to catch her breath. "Does it really need to be this tight? I never wear them this tight."

"Before I came along, you incorrectly wore every corset you owned. Do not think I missed that whenever I saw you, loose ties and all. This one is tight because that is how it is meant to be worn."

"Well, make it looser! I don't care." Claire tried to take several deep breaths. "It's ridiculous. I can hardly breathe. Not to mention uncomfortable, restrictive, heavy..." Just to prove her point, Claire tried to move and nearly tripped. "They are probably unhealthy too, if memory serves me correctly."