Page 139 of The Eye of the Fifth
Struggling to force his breath back to a steady pace, Gedeon nodded.
The healer said quite blankly, ‘It is a cruel magic, and one I have not seen for quite some time. Such dark curses should never be used so sparingly.’ Her lips became a thin line. ‘Who did this to you?’
‘Why does it matter?’ Gedeon replied tightly.
‘I am merely curious,’ she said. ‘This curse acts as a clamp. It limits your capabilities by causing extreme pain when attempting to wield magic. Even Warden magic, it would seem. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing. It is not an easy thing to be rid of.’
Stabbing Sekun with his sword in the Flaming Falcon had not been vengeance enough for what his brother had done to him. Anger coursed through his veins. He demanded, ‘Can youget rid of it?’
‘Perhaps,’ the healer said quietly. ‘But I believe the question you should be asking iswillI get rid of it.’
They glared at one another.
What use would he be to Naal Westerra if he had no power? It was intheirbest interest that he be in prime condition, the healer had even said it herself-
‘Your power is mighty yet ruinous,’ she said coldly, as if she read the thoughts in his eyes. ‘I have seen firsthand what destruction those flaming hands can bring. I am not eager to see it again.’ She stood, and with a flick of magic, opened the door. Ruven and Bryran re-entered, the former’s wings flaring menacingly. ‘Your fate shall be decided soon, Gedeon, at the Four Mothers’ mercy. In the meantime, might I suggest going back to not talking? Subordination would do you well until that judgement day comes.’
As the Eternal warriors flanked him, their hands gripping the tops of his arms to carry him back to his ice cell, Gedeon hissed, ‘Wait.’
The healer looked at him, eyebrows raised.
‘The woman I came with,’ Gedeon said, throat tight. If he were to survive the ice cell again, he had to know- ‘Is she alive?’
She stared at him as though debating whether to even give him an answer. But then she gave a short, ‘Yes.’
It was all Gedeon needed.
???
Naal.
The Zarynthian sentry had not yet spoken.
A wine-coloured braid hung over her left shoulder, and though she was clad in the thick wools and furs of Phaenon’s people, her freckle peppered face had the striking fierceness of a true fireling.
Naal had been back home for less than a day. Kawai was thankfully stable and in Maida’s capable hands. Zuriel had whisked Kyra and Kano away at Naal’s request, to feed them an adequate meal and force them to get some rest, after Maida had healed Kyra’s ankle. The journey from Wehyna had been long and unpleasant, and though Naal knew Kyra was unwilling to leave Kawai’s side, her fatigue far surpassed her stubbornness, and she had followed Zuriel without too much complaint, tonic in hand to speed up the recovery from the mer’s attack.
Less than a day. Yet there was no rest to be had for Naal.
Whilst Maida tended to Prince Gedeon in preparation for his impending trial, there was someone else Naal needed to meet with.
And she was sitting opposite her now in the small Council Room, silent and patiently waiting for Naal to open the conversation.
Smart woman.
‘Are you well, Sunsi?’
The fireling’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if unsure of the genuinity of the question. ‘I am,’ she said. Her voice was lower than Naal expected, and thick with Zarynthian dialect. ‘Thanks to Maida. She is a great healer. I owe my life to her.’
‘That she is,’ Naal murmured her agreement. ‘And that you do. I wonder though, was my Second right in saving you? My Third certainly does not think so.’
To her credit, Sunsi’s strong chin did not dip. ‘I am valuable to you, Air Warden. As is… my companion. I hope you and I can establish a trust that will allow you to see that.’
Naal leant forward, unable to keep the slight bite in her voice as she said, ‘You are aware, I am sure, that yourcompaniondestroyed Phaenon city and all its people mere months ago? Forgive me if I am slow to believe his apparent change of heart.’
Sunsi’s hazel eyes flickered then. ‘I know what he has done to your people. But the attack on Phaenon was nothing more than a son following his mother’s orders. Following his duty.’ She swallowed. ‘I was there the day Empress Azar called him a traitor. Gedeon challenged the order to attack your city, and he withdrew his flames when he realised the order was not just. Gedeon was not the one whodestroyed Phaenon. It was Prince Sekun who finished the task set by the Empress.’
‘That task being the massacre of my people, I assume?’ Sunsi did not reply. ‘And why should I blindly believe the word of the woman who captained Empress Azar’s sentries?’ Naal said blandly, her nails drumming the table. Sunsi blinked. ‘Yes, I know who you are, Sunsi.’
