I ducked my head, the shame that filled my heart at my failure choking me, but Elex didn’t react except to squeeze my hand.
“So, how did you meet up with this Rhuyin?”
I briefly recounted what had happened and Elex nodded.
“No wonder you were exhausted,” he said. “I saw the thickness of the barrier you created, and I’ve seen the devastation at the site. Protecting the two of you had to take ahugeamount of energy. I’m frankly surprised you guys made it out unharmed.”
“How long was I out?” I asked. Despite what Elex said, I didn’t feel all that tired anymore. A little drained maybe, but I was more than a little crestfallen that Rhuyin had taken off. I’d thought we’d made— a connection? That was silly, though. He didn’t want to be stuck with a foolish, anxiety-riddenchild, because that’s exactly what I felt like right now.
“The Soma said you were brought in about eleven, so, eight hours.”
I looked at Elex in shock.
“Eight—seriously?”
“Seriously. We only found you about an hour ago. We’ve been looking for you everywhere since the explosion.”
He leaned forward and bumped our foreheads together.
“I thought you haddiedin that explosion, Luke,” he whispered, his eyes suspiciously shiny. “Don’t scare me like that again, little brother.”
I smiled gently.
“No promises,” I responded quietly and he laughed as he leaned back.
“Knowing our lives, that’s fair enough. So let’s see about getting you out of here. I’m sure there’s someone that needs the bed and you’d be more comfortable someplace more secure.”
We found Hel at the medic’s station, talking to someone on his phone. He ended the conversation as we appeared.
“Glad you’re okay,” my brother’s Bonded said as he pulled me into an unexpected hug. “Elex was scared shitless.”
Elex scowled at him, but I saw a certain affection in his gaze as well. Their Bonding had been a surprise to everyone, including them. They were still getting to know each other.
“Yeah, well, he is kind of a mother hen,” I responded. “Wait til he starts laying eggs in your bed.”
Hel raised his eyebrows in alarm. Elex reached over and punched me in the shoulder in retaliation.
“Knock it off!” I yelped in mock pain.
“Stop being an asshole, and I’ll stop punching you.”
“Can’t. I take after my brother.”
Hel just rolled his eyes at the horseplay and helped us through the procedure to get me discharged from the hospital. I signed what seemed to be a million forms.
“I’ll take you over to the Pavilion,” he said after bidding the medics goodbye. Even though he had been gone from Heraklion for several years he seemed to be well known by the staff. “You’ll have missed the official orientation, but Lottie will get you sorted.”
True to his word, Hel arranged transportation for us to the Tower Pavilion. I was fascinated by the vehicle and must have asked the driver a million questions, but the man was proud of his car, as he called it. He even let me take a look under the hood at the combustion and electric engine. Elex finally dragged me away, pointing out that it was getting late, and Lottie was waiting for us.
Hel led us through a maze of hallways until stopping outside an office that said “L. Galanis” on the door. Lottie looked up at us as we walked in, her desk covered with neat piles of paperwork, and smiled.
“Hello! Glad we found you, your Highness,” she said.
“Please, don’t!” I groaned, glaring at my brother. Who told them my parentage? “It’s just Luke. I was disinherited, just like any other Mageia when my powers manifested.”
“Ah! Well, then,” she said, apparently uncomfortable at the faux pas. “Let’s see what we can do to get you set up in Illyrian society.”
She led us to a large storage room filled from floor to ceiling with shelves and boxes of supplies. She made her way confidently down each aisle and returned with a backpack filled to the brim with strange items.
