20 Chapter 19: Recovery

I managed to sit him up against the trunk of a tree. I examined the gaping wound in his shoulder. Quickly I placed my hand over the wound and tried to find that flicker of spirit inside of me. I was exhausted, I had to strain to find the dredges of my power. I pulled at the flame and pressed my energy into Kellen's wound. I filtered through him, driving out any toxins and dredges of infection. Slowly I concentrated on muscle and tissue, knitting flesh back together. It would take him time to fully heal his arm, but he would live.

I brushed his hair out of his face and checked the temperature of his skin. He was cold, his skin was pale from blood loss. But now that the wound was sealed, I could slowly see colour creeping back into his skin. His breath came in smoother puffs rather than ragged gasps. I collapsed down on the ground next to him, breathing heavily. The trees large branches shielded us from most of the rainfall. I rested against the tree trunk next to him, and laid my head on his shoulder, my eyes fluttered shut in exhaustion. My limbs felt heavy, movement seemed like too much effort. I heard noises around me.

"Alan! Over here!" I screech cried. I figure kneeled in front of me, hands were jostling me on my shoulders. I made out sapphire blue eyes, and dark tendrils of hair. My eyes fluttered shut again, and the jostling put me to sleep like waves on the ocean.

"Fucking hell, what happened here?" I heard a male voice shout. And then I was out.

I woke up in my bedroom, buried deep in a mountain of down blankets. I looked down to see a clean white bandage wrapped around the burn on my arm. My hair splayed out around me in a halo of ruby curls. My muscles ached as I rose to a sitting position. I swung my legs over the bed, so they were dangling off of the edge. I wiggled my toes. The last thing I remembered, fire... and Kellen. Someone (probably mother) had changed me into a pair of sleeping shorts and a tank top. I noticed faint bruises marred my white skin on my arms. I stretched my legs out before me and noticed the vines that had extended down my legs to twist around my ankles in a swirling design remained. I noticed the swirling patterns looked similar to flames. Earth and flame woven together.

Staring out the window, the sun was setting on the horizon, and the sky was illuminated a brilliant orange of sunset. The clouds were parting, the earlier storm dissipated. I rose to my feet slowly, and padded my way to the bedroom door, I opened the door and stepped out into the living room. Three sets of eyes flew to me. My mother was sitting on the armchair, sipping on a cup of tea, Alan was in the kitchen, putting together what looked like soup, and Kellen was seated on my couch, his torso wrapped in a thick bandage. He was otherwise shirtless, the muscles in his chest and biceps flexed as he moved to look at me. His markings reflecting lightning bolts made an intricate pattern on his chest. His eyes trailed down my scantily clad body, widened at the markings that had extended down my legs.

Kellen jumped up and flinched as he'd moved too quickly for his injury. He dropped to a knee before me, grunting softly. He bowed his head. I blushed and panicked, waving my hands in the air.

"There's no need for that!" I exclaimed, urging him to rise. He lifted his gaze and met my eyes.

"My Grace, Lady Argyris—" he started. I groaned and cut him off.

"I'm still the same girl you beat with a stick this morning, Kellen." I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"My birth status doesn't give me any special privileges in my mind. I need to earn them." I implored him, looking into his eyes. If there was one person, I needed to treat me normally, it was Kellen. The look of deference in his eyes seemed so uncharacteristic, but it was a result of generations of conditioning. His eyes narrowed and he nodded. A smile playing at his lips.

"Well, this explains what the hell you were doing in the woods last time." He chuckled. I smiled and ran my fingers through my tangled bird's nest of hair.

"Something is poisoning the land; I'm trying to heal it and hold the barriers in place until we can find out what exactly is poisoning it." I tread carefully, I didn't want to mention our theories about the king, in case his loyalty was divided. He's served King Deimos faithfully for years. Kellen scrunched his face and looked to my mother and Alan.

"Your mother and I have been chatting for a bit about what happened during the coup. At the time, I was a lieutenant, a few years out of my sorting. We noticed a few of the soldiers go missing during the action, but when Jameson returned, we assumed you had left for other reasons, or defected out of loyalty to the crown. For a while we even speculated Helen had perished in the fires." I wasn't surprised to hear Kellen's age, I knew he was a battle-hardened soldier, and had risen through the ranks. Due to Fae immortality and aging, he still appeared as if he was thirty.

"Do you have to report me?" I asked the question that was the elephant in the room. Kellen looked down at his hands and fidgeted. His shoulders tensed. Finally, he looked up at my eyes.

"I have to. But I won't." He said softly. He reached over and took my hand, leading me to sit down on the couch near him. "You saved my life tonight, Wren. I owe you a life debt." He gazed at me warmly. I frowned and pulled my hand away from his.

"I don't want someone indebted to me. I want someone I can trust." I whispered. I wanted warmth, loyalty, affection. I wanted the lightning in his eyes and the fire of his tongue. He nodded and reached up to run his fingers through my hair, I saw my mom look away awkwardly.

"You can trust me. There is a faction of soldiers who are growing weary with the king." He said in a low voice. My pointed ears perked up, I stared at him. This was the information I had been training with the soldiers waiting for.

"What is going on with his interrogations?" I asked. My voice weary. I can imagine the poor souls being tortured for information they do not have. My heart clenched. Kellen shook his head and his mouth was set in a grim line.

"He keeps them in the crypts – the dungeons. They are being starved, beaten, tortured. All of them claim to have no idea who is behind the murders." He clenched his fists.

"What is he using as an excuse to detain them?" I asked. Kellen snorted.

"He'd made up some bullshit suspicious behavior, but really they're all just people who have politically opposed him." I rubbed my temples, closing my eyes. Those poor people. For someone who supposedly has so much power, I feel so useless. What could I do? I barely had any control over the power I did have. Can one girl take down a kingdom?

I felt Kellen place his hand on my knee. His warmth radiating into me. I lifted my gaze to see him smiling reassuringly.

"We're doing everything we can." He said. I nodded. A knock sounded at the apartment door, I looked up and raised my brow, not expecting anyone. My mother got up and went to open the door. Standing there in the doorway were familiar icy blue eyes and auburn locks. His eyes travelled the room and took in both my state of dress and Kellen's shirtless state. His eyes flicked to Kellen's hand resting on my knee. His shoulders tensed. His jaw ticked.

"General Kalos." Rayne nodded to Kellen. Kellen gave a bow of his upper body from his position on the couch.

"Your highness." Kellen formally addressed him. Rayne strode into the room and nodded to my mother and Alan. Then he focused on me.

"Wren, when you didn't show up last night, I worried, but I see you were otherwise engaged."