Page 117 of The Silent Mountain
“Do you think we are still in danger?” I want to know.
“No, whatever it was that attacked us isn’t here anymore. But we never know if they won’t return.”
“You are right, it’s better to be prepared,” I say. “But for today, I want us to return and get some well-deserved rest.”
It takes a while for Stefan to organize everything and make sure our warriors, who will stay on the island, are settled. Now that the looming threat is gone, the atmosphere is so much lighter. It’s almost like the sense of doom was wiped away too.
We make sure that Elio and Cassie are taken home safely by Theodor and another warrior, while Stefan carries me and Alana. I don’t have it in me to shift and let go of her. The ocean below us is so much calmer. I don’t know what kind of person plotted all of this, or where they went to, but it seems their influence even reached the ocean and the creatures living in it.
Feeling the cold wind on my face, I hug Alana tighter. “We are almost home,” I whisper into her hair. “We are almost home.”
Alana’s injury had been attended to much better than Erin and I had anticipated. “It could have only been Elio’s work,” Erin says. “To think he cleaned the wound and managed to do first aid so well in the first place is quite impressive.”
“It looks like he has some talent for it,” I agree. “I wasn’t aware.”
“He is very interested in this kind of thing,” she explains to me. “Sometimes when he visits Cassie, he just sits with her and listens to my lessons.”
“I will keep that in mind,” I say.
“When is Stefan returning?” she asks.
“He should be back any minute.” Once we returned, I immediately had Stefan send one of his birds to the werewolf kingdom. They have much more experience in treating injuries. We didn’t need to wait long for an answer, and Stefan immediately took off in his dragon form to pick up their healer.
I wasn’t prepared for the person who came, mind you. I expected the witch, but instead it’s a woman I know all too well. She is of middle age with wild red hair, almost like Alana’s. “Favian!” she calls out, hurries to me and hugs me.
“Sine, I… I am so sorry,” I plead, not sure how to react to her and ask for her forgiveness. “I should have protected your daughter, but didn’t.”
“Your advisor filled us in on what happened,” she tells me while we hurry to Alana’s and my chambers, where she is currently resting. She hasn’t woken up yet, much to my worry. “We know it’s not your fault, as much as you want to tell yourself it is.”
I sigh. “Still-“
“Alana is a warrior,” she emphasizes. “My daughter is strong, probably stronger than any of my other children, and they all are in their own way. But her mental strength cannot be equaled easily. She made a decision to save her own life, and I think we should be proud of her, instead of beating ourselves up over it, don’t you think?”
“I haven’t thought about it that way,” I admit. She is right. If Alana wakes up and sees how I am beating myself up with guilt, she will be sad, and probably feel like she chose wrong. “She chose to return to me,” I say quietly.
“That’s the spirit,” Sine says. “I will check on Alana, while you go and take a break. You look like you need it.”
“But-“
“It wasn’t a suggestion,” she says. She is smiling, but there is a hint of threat in it. I am not scared easily, but something tells me I shouldn’t cross her. “You need a break!”
“Well then,” I say. “I will leave Alana in your capable hands and check on my brother, meanwhile.”
“I am not sure if that’s what I had in mind when I asked you to rest, but it’s better than nothing,” she quips.
I decide not to argue with her anymore, and leave her alone with my mate, to check on Elio. Elio has recovered incredibly fast. The moment we returned, Erin could treat him properly, and his dragon could rest, his injuries healed. He is awake now, happily chatting with Theodor. “Favian!” he blurts out when he sees me.
“I see you are as lively as ever,” I chuckle.
“What about Alana?”
“She is still sleeping, but her mother just arrived. Sine is a formidable healer, I am sure she will make sure that Alana is back with us soon.”
“Maybe she can teach me a bit about healing,” Elio says, before clasping his mouth as if he said too much.
I decide to pretend I didn’t notice his reaction and instead just answer: “Yes, maybe that would be a good idea.”
“What?” Elio exclaims. “Do you mean it?”
