Page 3 of Winter Queen
There’s a rumbling far away, then footsteps, fast and getting closer.
“What happened?”
“Let me through!”
“I’m going to kill that unicorn.”
Someone kneels by my side, but I whimper when they touch my side.
“It’s okay, it’s me, Crispin.” His voice is soothing, gentle, and I want to sink into it, drifting away. But the pain isn’t letting me.
“Those burns are bad. I’ll make you fall asleep so I can work on them, is that okay?”
I shake my head and groan at the pain of it. “No. No sleep.”
Sleep brings nightmares. Memories. Feelings.
I hate sleeping.
“Arc, come here! Can you put her into one of your trances? Healing her will hurt, I don’t want her to be awake for that.”
A hand lowers onto my forehead, cool and warm at the same time. “Of course. Wyn, relax. It’ll all be over soon. Let me in, lower your barriers. There won’t be any dreams, I promise. No nightmares. Just rest.”
With all the sparklies in my blood, my barriers are already down, but before I can tell him, I slip away, out of my body, into something peaceful.
No more pain.
Chapter Two
Adouble rainbow is beckoning on the horizon. Two perfect arcs, parallel to each other, touching the earth on both ends.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I turn around and face Arc. He’s smiling widely as he turns his gaze away from the rainbow and looks straight at me.
“Welcome ta my safe place.”
“Where are we?” I ask, looking down at ourselves. Arc is wearing a grey kilt and a white shirt, but besides that, he’s barefoot. We’re standing on bright green grass, far too colourful to be real. It’s soft under my naked feet and I curl my toes into the warm earth. I’m wearing a simple blue dress, one I’ve never seen before. Even though I don’t usually like dresses, this one is surprisingly comfortable.
“In my mind. This is where I come when I need some peace and quiet.”
“You let me into your mind?”
He shrugs. “Ye already have my heart, why not my mind? Ye needed a place ta recover, ta escape while Crispin does his healing. This seemed as good a space as any.”
I remember now. The pain, the fire, the sparklies.
“What happened exactly?”
He grimaces. “I’m not quite sure, but it looked like ye set yerself on fire. Yer shirt caught fire as well, and yer hair… I’m sorry.”
“What about my hair?”
He looks uncomfortable. “Ehm, there wasn’t much left on one side.”
I gingerly touch my head, but my hair feels as it always does, falling just below my shoulders on both sides.
"This isn't real," Arc explains. "Ye're seeing yerself like ye want to, not like ye look right now in reality."
