Page 136 of Thorns & Fire
And then he shuddered inside her.
The carnal noise that ripped from his throat made Wren’s thighs tighten around him as she felt him pulse, felt him spill his own release.They were both panting, both damp with sweat.
And that thread of gold danced around them.
Wren wanted to say something, something that captured the momentous thing between them, the life-altering bond that she felt deep in her bones.She searched for the right words, the words to do justice to the man before her and the thing they shared.Torj rested his brow against hers and beat her to it.Fuck, I love you.
CHAPTER 56
Wren
‘History bears witness to the undeniable power of prophecy across the midrealms...’
– The Midrealms Chronicles
FUCK,ILOVEyou.Torj had spoken into her mind.His rich, husky tone had skittered along her bones, as real as if he’d spoken the words into the shell of her ear.
Wren clung to those words the next day as she gathered her things in her room.Her hands moved through the familiar motions of packing, but her mind raced with all the ways her presentation could go wrong.One miscalculation, one trembling hand during the demonstration, and she could lose everything she’d worked for.
Dusk was upon her all too soon, and she was meticulous as she prepared the vials of counter-alchemy and shuffled her notes together.She was as prepared as she’d ever be, and Torj grounded her like no one else.So she shouldered her satchel and held her head high.
The Bear Slayer was waiting outside her room.‘You’re ready,’ he said.It wasn’t a question.It was a statement, and there was no quaver in his voice, no room for doubt.
‘Yes.’
They didn’t speak as they made their way to the lecture hall.It was as though Torj could sense that she needed to centre herself, to find the calm within.They crossed the foyer, beneath the great tree that reached up through the levels, and when they arrived at the door to the hall, Torj stopped.
Wren’s breath caught as his lips brushed over hers.It was a whisper of a kiss, but she felt his love for her as though he’d poured it directly into her veins.
‘You can do this,’ he told her, and opened the door.
Wren entered alone, as she’d been instructed, and the vast lecture hall swallowed her footsteps.Torches cast pools of amber light down the tiered rows of empty seats – hundreds of them, all facing the demonstration space like a silent audience.The air held the sharp tang of cleaning solution beneath more subtle notes of aged wood and chalk dust.The auditorium was empty but for the five seats occupied at the front.There sat Master Crawford, Master Norlander, Master Mercer, Farissa and the High Chancellor.
Taking a steadying breath, Wren approached and stood before them.The polished wooden floor gleamed beneath her feet, worn smooth by countless students who had stood in the very same spot.From somewhere high in the rafters came the soft flutter of wings – several sparrows had found their way inside.The sound made the space feel even larger, even more hollow.
‘What is the opus you present to us today, Elwren?’Master Norlander asked, clasping his hands in front of him.
Her palms grew damp, and she resisted the urge to wipe them on her apron as she noted the familiar faces now sharp with scrutiny.
‘I chose to create a counter-alchemy to that which has been used by the enemies of the midrealms to mute and eradicate royal magic.’Wren placed her satchel on the table that had been set up for her and unpacked the things she needed.‘If you’d like to come forward to view my demonstration?’
Her fingers trembled slightly as she laid out the shallow dishes,each clearly labelled with whose blood it contained.The glass clinked softly against the wooden table, its surface etched with tiny marks and stains from past experiments.Wren distantly wondered how many had succeeded and how many had failed.But the familiar scent of her alchemy equipment – clean glass, cork stoppers and the metallic tang of blood – helped steady her nerves.This was her domain.
When the masters and High Chancellor stood before her table, peering down at her alchemy equipment, Wren started to speak.
‘In these dishes are samples of the blood of magic wielders.’She pointed.‘This is mine.This is Althea Embervale’s.And this is Zavier Terling’s.Three samples of different royal blood.’
‘Would you not argue that you only have two samples?’Master Norlander asked.‘Given that you and your sister share the same blood?’
‘I have reason to suspect they are different in nature,’ Wren said.‘But for now, the blood is untainted, taken straight from the vein.’She uncorked another vial.‘This is the substance the enemy has been using on their weapons.It is also the alchemy they forced Queen Reyna to drink, subduing much of her power.’
Wren poured the enemy’s concoction into each sample.The reaction was immediate and violent – the blood didn’t just shrink away; it writhed like a living thing.Where the two substances met, tiny sparks of magic crackled and died, leaving behind a residue that looked like tarnished silver.
‘See how the blood shrinks away?’She pointed to where the blood was moving in the dishes, as though trying to escape the alchemy.‘I know from personal experience with this creation that the magic of the wielder retreats from this alchemy’s touch, that it burrows deep inside the host to escape it.’
‘Very well, Elwren,’ Master Mercer said.‘And your counter-alchemy?’
Wren uncorked another vial.The cork came free with a soft hiss, releasing a scent like burnt metal and oranges.The liquidinside seemed to bend the light around it unnaturally.‘I broke the dark alchemy down into its numerous elements.’She gestured to her notes, where complex diagrams showed the various structures she’d discovered through countless hours of observation.Each component had been carefully isolated and tested; the results meticulously documented, and so she forged on.‘One part of lifelore that has always fascinated me is that the antidote to a poison often contains traces of the poison itself.I applied this logic to my methods here.I arrived at the perfect balance to disengage the active ingredients within the dark alchemy.See for yourself...’
