Wings of Arian (27 page)

Kiora moaned as she put her head onto his shoulder and tried not to listen to the bridge groaning at every step. “A magical place,” she complained. “They enchant the waterfall so that it isn’t too loud, and they still have this death trap of a bridge.”

Emane just laughed at her. “Alright, we’re across.” He set Kiora down and walked ahead of her still chuckling.

“It’s not funny,” she hissed at his back, her hands still shaking.

The passage narrowed again as they continued further into the earth. Torches burned, lighting circles, but left slivers eerily draped in shadow. They entered a room that was oddly ceremonial looking. It was perfectly round with torches surrounding the room in even intervals. There were ornate stone inlays under their feet. Red, green and blue gems glittered and shone in the floor creating intricate geometric patterns. In the center was a circle of red gems, and within that circle stood a large stone kettle on four squatty legs. The handle was made of iron and twisted and turned in a vine-like pattern. The room was bare except for the four high back chairs seated in a circle around the cauldron. Glittering as much as the floor, Eleana already sat in one chair, waiting for them.

Eleana stood, “Please,” she motioned with her hand, “have a seat.”

They all took their seats in hushed silence as Eleana began to speak, “We are here today to perform an ancient ceremony. The granting of magic to a non-magical person is a great honor and a very serious responsibility. It is only bestowed in the direst of circumstances and only to persons of the highest moral character. Prince Emane has proven that he is willing to give his life to the cause and is therefore worthy of this honor. Emane, before we proceed I need to make sure that this is what you want.”

He held tightly to the arms of his chair. “I want to save my kingdom, I want to protect Kiora, and I want to rid the land of the evil that threatens it. If the only way for me to accomplish these things is to do this, then I am sure.”

“Very well. The concerns that Drustan expressed earlier are very valid ones. There will be those who will wish to take this magic from you by any means necessary. There may be some that wish to betray you because of it. You will need to always be aware of those around you. You will need to rely on Kiora’s senses and instincts to keep you both out of harm’s way.”

“Will I be able to feel things, as she does?’ Emane asked.

Eleana’s eyes softened. “I am uncertain of what you will and will not be able to do. It will certainly amplify some of your natural abilities. Beyond that, it affects every person differently. Before you do this, you need to understand that you will be nothing like Kiora. I have told you numerous times that she is exceptional. In all of my years I have never seen anything or one like her. Not in all the wars.”

“Never?” Kiora’s eyes widened.

“Never. Arian was amazing but it took him years to master what you master in days.” Eleana turned her attention back to Emane, “It would be better if you had no expectations of what you will and will not be able to do.”

“I understand.”

“If you are ready, we will begin.” Eleana put her hand out and fire ignited underneath the kettle. The flames burned hot and high, licking the bottom. Eleana moved around the pot whispering words Kiora did not understand, incantations she had never heard. The fire responded turning from orange, to red and then nearly white, heat poured from it in waves. Kiora and Emane flattened themselves against the chair backs, as their skin grew blisteringly uncomfortable under the assault of magical flame. Kiora could not see the inside of the kettle, nor did she dare lean closer to look, but whatever was happening within was casting a green glow upwards, lighting the ceiling. Eleana’s whisperings ceased for only a second before she stretched her hand over the cauldron. Kiora could not understand how it was that Eleana could withstand the heat. More incantations followed as the green grew brighter, until with one final word it exploded outwards in a flash of light that engulfed Eleana entirely before pulling back into the kettle. The flames flickered up the sides, and then calmed themselves, returning to red, the heat also pulling itself back.

Eleana turned to Emane, handing him a very long handled stirring paddle.

“You must stir it Emane, this is the last step before I can extract it.”

***

Emane cautiously stood. He was sweating and he wasn’t sure if was from the heat alone, or his nerves. He swallowed hard before reaching for the paddle. Grasping it, he took it from Eleana. She nodded towards the kettle, urging him forward. Stepping up he looked in.

Within, molten rock now spun. The rock he had mined had been a dark grey. It was now transformed into a bright swirling mass of silver with waves of hypnotic green which undulated, looking nearly alive. The molten rock felt alive as well, pulling at him with a strange draw he had never felt before. He wondered momentarily if this was what magic felt like. Lifting the paddle, he looked back to Eleana, unsure of what she wanted him to do. She held out her hand, indicating that he should place the paddle inside. Slowly he lowered it down and began to stir. The melted magic responded, pulling together and creating one thick wave of green that swirled from the outermost edge into the center. It was a brilliant color, brighter than the clearest emerald. Embedded within were flecks that sparkled and shone like diamond dust. He was mesmerized, connected to it. Everything around him ceased to exist and it was just him and the draw of the magic. He didn’t realize he was walking closer to the flames until Eleana put her hand on his shoulder.

“That’s enough Emane, the connection has been made,” she said, gently pulling him away from the kettle. “Please remove your shirt.”

He stepped reluctantly backwards, looking longingly after what he knew was his, what he felt
needed
to be his. His fingers moved to unbutton his shirt, but he could not tear his eyes away from the contents of the kettle.

Turning her attention back to the task at hand, Eleana said, “This magic can only be separated from its encasement by old magic. A smile ghosted across Drustan’s lips at the mention of old magic, but was gone before it was noticed. “No amount of heat will remove it from its rock pairing. The next incantation is tricky, and important that it be said properly, please, I need all of you to stay very still, and very quiet.”

Eleana put both her hands over the rim and once again began speaking strange incantations under her breath that rose and fell in eerie rhythms. She was tense with concentration, her hand moving slowly back and forth over the kettle. There was a thick sucking sound, like a boot jerking free from heavy mud, and the sparkling green material, now free from the rock began to rise.

Emane’s heart was pounding wildly in his chest as the material slowly rose in a thick green ribbon, twisting and turning through the air. The top formed into the head of a snake, its mouth opened and stretched. It slithered through the air moving its way over to Emane. Emane knew in his head he should be nervous at the sight of this green snake moving towards him, but he wasn’t. The connection was too strong, he needed it. Reaching out to it, the snake paused at his fingers, its snout almost touching him. He ached for it. Sticking out its tongue it started slithering up his hand, its body still warm from the process. As is slid across his arm it sent tingling shivers through his spine that were so sharp they bordered on painful. Emane looked down fascinated, watching. The snake moved up his bicep, and then came up and around his shoulder and collarbone, and back down his arm. Moving over and under itself, knotting and twisting back again it created a tightly woven pattern on his upper arm and shoulder. Then the snake stopped moving, poised to swallow its tail.

“I need you to move your arm, Emane, it needs to be comfortable before I seal it,” Eleana said.

Emane lifted up his arm and rotated it in all directions, trying to look past the strange sensation and focus on the practicality of what he would be required to do while wearing it. “It’s preventing me from fully rotating my shoulder. That won’t work in a sword fight.”

Eleana moved over to Emane. Touching the snake in several places she whispered to it. In response the snake began jointing itself, creating flexible areas within its body.

“Try again.”

Emane raised his arm again and tested the rotation. It was comfortable. He could barely tell it was there at all. “It’s good.”

“Is it too tight, can you feel your fingers?” Eleana pressed.

He wiggled his fingers back and forth and flexed his biceps. “No, it’s good.”

Eleana nodded and whispered the final enchantment. The snake opened its mouth, reached for its tail and bit down. The instant the two ends connected and the magic sealed itself, a force roared through Emane’s body the likes of which he had never felt. It was that of fire and a million needle pricks. He rocked back on his heels with a gasp as the room began lazily swimming around him. He heard his name off in the distance, recognized it vaguely as Kiora’s before he crumpled to the ground. Blinking, he looked around. The room was still rotating, and his body was on fire. There were hands grabbing his head, pulling it up and Kiora’s face came into view.

“Are you ok?” she asked.

He frowned, it sounded like she was miles away. “I don’t know,” he mumbled, forcing his mouth to cooperate. “I feel strange.” His body was screaming, fighting with the magic, rejecting it. He could feel it inside, the magic roared forward, forcing itself through him, his body resisting. More than anything it felt wrong, like it didn’t belong. That feeling of ownership, of needing it was gone. He tried to hold on to the room, to Kiora’s face, but he couldn’t. Surrendering to the magic, he closed his eyes.

***

Kiora looked up at Eleana as Emane went limp. “What’s wrong with him!?” she yelled.

“I don’t know Kiora,” Eleana knelt down next to her touching Emane’s face. “This hasn’t been done enough times to know.” The band on his arm had hardened and grown cold. “Drustan, how quickly can you get him back to his bed?”

“I will get him there as fast as I can.” He morphed into a creature Kiora had never seen before. It looked like a cross between a human and a wolf. He scooped up Emane and sprinted out of the cave on two legs.

“Eleana, I don’t understand. What is going on?” Kiora was panicking

“Come. We will talk as we go.” Kiora had to practically run to keep up with Eleana. “Emane’s body is rejecting the magic. You have to understand, each person is so different, the magic reacts differently in each situation, and something like what I just did, has never been done before.”

“What do you mean?” Kiora’s voice rose.

“As we mentioned, the other items that were made they were all removable. Emane’s band is sealed on him, it is logical that it would make a more powerful connection with him.”

“Will he be ok?”

“I hope so.”

Kiora wanted to scream at Eleana that her ‘hoping so’ wasn’t good enough. But the bridge looming in the darkness froze the words in her throat. Cold hard fear grabbed at her heart. Looking forward, Eleana was already crossing. Emane needed her, she couldn’t just stand here. Gripping the sides of the rope bridge she tried to breath. Closing her eyes she forced her feet forward.

“Don’t look down, don’t look down don’t look down,” she whispered through clenched teeth.

Not soon enough she felt her feet hit flat ground again. Gasping in relief she hurried onward, Eleana’s copper hair had already disappeared in front of her. She ran past the still burning torches and past the waterfall. By the time she reached Emane’s room he had deteriorated even further. He lay on a large four-poster bed, much like hers. Eleana and Drustan stood to the side. Rushing to Emane, she grabbed his hand, he was deathly pale and sweating profusely.

“What do we do?” She looked desperately to Drustan and Eleana.

“There is nothing else we can do. We must wait for his body to accept the magic,” Eleana answered.

“What if it doesn’t?”

“It will,” Drustan said with a forced confidence, his eyes looking anywhere except at Emane.

“How do you know!?” Kiora snapped, glaring at him across the bed. “You are the one that wanted to put it inside him!”

“Kiora!” Eleana reprimanded her.

Kiora’s anger snapped back in on her, understanding the logic of Eleana’s reprimand. These were their allies she couldn’t alienate them now. She gritted her teeth. “I’m sorry, Drustan.” Dropping her head she pressed her forehead against the back of Emane’s hand. “I’m worried about him.” Looking over to the offending piece she ran her fingers over the foreign magic twisting around Emane’s arm. Scowling at it she asked, “Can we take it off?”

“No, we can’t. If we were to remove the magic while his body is trying to adjust, it could kill him.” Eleana moved around the bed placing her hand gently on Kiora’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Kiora, I don’t have any other answers for you.”

Drustan’s shoulders sagged slightly, his worry showing in his eyes as he turned to follow Eleana out of the room.

Kiora got little sleep. Emane tossed and turned, moaning most of the night. She summoned some water and a washrag, trying to keep him cool, but his temperature kept rising. Even sitting next to him, Kiora could feel the heat radiating off his skin in waves. She wanted to lie next to him, to hold him. But she was worried that her own body heat would make it worse. So she sat by the bed instead, holding Emane’s hand, putting cool rags on his forehead and pleading with him to wake up.

The next morning a girl with fuchsia hair and large pointed ears brought her in some breakfast.

“We assumed you would prefer to eat in here today,” she said, dipping her head with respect.

“Thank you.” Kiora looked at the food but couldn’t find her appetite.

The same girl brought in the lunch and dinner tray but Kiora could not find it within herself to leave Emane’s side. His skin was ashen, his lips dry and cracked. Dipping a clean rag in a bowl of water, she wrung it out over his lips, the liquid dripping into his mouth. Thankfully she saw him swallow before tossing his head to the side. She ran her finger gently over his face, tracing his cheekbones that now stood prominently above his sunken cheeks. Dark circles sat under his eyes like bruises.