Page 74 of A Tale of Ice and Ash
Chapter Twelve:
Shadows in the Night
The screaming dissipated as if claimed by some kind of fog. Light clouded over. Everything was hazy and dark. Some sensation remained; a burning, a frantic pulling at her clothes, a pain in her jaw.
Then nothingness.
Slowly, the face of a ghost emerged in the gloom.
Papa.
He was hand in hand with a woman, a woman whose face she had never seen animated. She smiled at her now, sadly and without reproach.
Mother.
They moved back into mist. Eirwen reached out a hand to follow them, but went nowhere. It was not time. Not now.
A voice was calling, frantic and desperate and crawling with pain.
“Eirwen!Eirwen!Is she all right? Where is she? Let me see her–”
Cole.
She wanted to call out, but her voice was hoarse.I’m here, I’m here, don’t worry–
A pressure reached her, a warmth, a pull tethering her, pinning her down.
Then blackness once more.
∞∞∞
Eirwen woke up under a canvas ceiling, her head splitting, her throat raw, like it had been punched from the inside. It was still night, but a torch burned in the corner, illuminating a tall, slumped form dozing on a seat.
“Cole?” she rasped.
He jolted back to consciousness, blinking rapidly. “Hey. You’re up. How are you feeling?”
“What are you doing here?”
“I heard my mother was planning something, and came to try and stop it. I was too late, I’m afraid, but luckily Oakley saved you with this weird stone?”
“A bezoar. Can cure most poisons, if you’re human. I found one Under the Mountain years ago. They’re worth a small fortune but Onyx said we should keep it just in case… anything like this happened, apparently.”
“Onyx is quite knowledgeable.”
“Well, he’s very old. I might be as smart as him if I live that long.”
Her fingers shivered against the sheets.If I live that long.If it wasn’t for Oakley’s quick-thinking and Onyx’s forward-thinking, she would not be here right now.
Cole took her hand. “I’m not going to let her hurt you.”
“What if you don’t have a choice?”
Cole looked down. “I don’t think I want to go back there,” he said. “I think I’d prefer she knew where my loyalties really lay. I hate having to smile and lie to her, and see her face when… but I suppose I’m useful to you there, right?”
Eirwen stilled. “If… if you really don’t want to–”
He shook his head. “I think I have to. I think I stand a better chance of being able to protect you that way. I’ll just have to pay more attention in future.”
