Page 22 of Within the Flames
"Welcome, Daughter of Water," a voice said, different from the one before, but just as sexless. "We have been waiting for you."
Macey was tempted to respond with a sarcastic 'it didn't seem that way', but she kept her mouth shut.
"I'm here for your help," she said instead, repeating her request.
"Yes, we know him, the Son of Fire," the voice said. "He is suffering a great deal."
Her heart threatened to break apart yet again. "Can you help him?"
"We could."
She waited for an explanation, but none came. "Yes? Could you? Please?"
"We don't just help anyone." The voice sighed, as if that was supposed to be obvious. "You will have to prove that he is worthy."
"Wait, thatheis worthy? How am I supposed to do that?"
"Tell us about him."
Macey thought for a moment. "Well, he's a wraith, he wields fire magic, he's one of the Seven Wardens, he's-"
"No," the voice interrupted her, a chiding tone vibrating in it. "Tell us about him, about how you see him. We don't need to know about his life. We want to know about his soul."
"Oh," Macey muttered, trying to rearrange her thoughts. If only her hands weren't hurting so much. The pain was making concentrating rather hard.
"He's kind, he's strong, he's generous. He likes to help others. He's got a great sense of humour. I love it when he laughs, he gets little dimples on his cheeks..."
She let her voice trail off, certain that this was not what the lampads wanted to hear.
"Continue."
The command surprised her. Apparently she was going in the right direction.
"He likes to tickle me," she admitted, a little embarrassed. "And sometimes, when we're alone, he tells me secrets. I think he does it more for himself than for me. You know, he wants to get things off his chest so they don't hurt him anymore. He's lived for a long time, but he's refusing to tell me his exact age. A lot of things have happened during his lifetime, and sometimes he gets sad, even though I don't know why. He gets that look in his eyes..."
She stopped, anger suddenly bubbling up in her. "Is that enough now? Have I told you enough about him? I don't know if it's your place to know all this. It should be him telling you things like that, not me."
"You're loyal," the voice observed. "Do you love him?"
Macey didn't have to think about that. "Yes, I do."
"Would you die for him?"
The impassioned voice made it hard for Macey to get a feel for it. Was this a threat? Did this mean she'd have to die to save Flint?
"I probably would, yes," she said, "but other people are relying on me, on all of us. We're the Wardens, we need to fix the world. We can't just give up, we need to keep on fighting."
"Probably isn't good enough," the voice said with a tone of disappointment. "You need to be sure."
"I am sure!" Macey shouted, scared they might not take her seriously. "I love him! What else do you want? I would die for him, I want him to live, I never want to lose him, and I want him to have his magic back. Is that so hard to understand?"
"It isn't, child." The voice was suddenly soothing and gentle, as if someone else was speaking with the same voice. Maybe it was several people talking to her, even though it sounded like it was all the same. "We see that you want to help him."
"Then can you help me make him better?" Macey asked, desperation flooding her heart. "Because if you can't, then I'd rather return and be by his side."
"There is a way we can help," the voice said slowly. "It's not without sacrifice though."
"I'll give whatever you need," Macey replied without hesitation. "Just tell me what I need to do."
