I’ve gone mad.
I tear my eyes away from the ember and look up to the darkness above. There’s a visible streak in the sky that has a hue of grey and silver, the slashes matching those of the ember egg in my hand. I look back down at my palms and watch in utter amazement as a small tuft of black feathers pushes through those cracks. My breath catches in my chest, gasping as two beady yellow eyes push their way forward and look directly at me.
Dear Ancients, I really am hallucinating.
The feathers belong to a small but formidable looking black bird that is now pushing a wing through the ember, its yellow eyes never once leaving mine. It pushes its other wing out from the red egg while its black beak pulls at the ember shell in front of its chest, opening the crack wider. The bird leans forward with strength, proudly pushing against what remains of the egg and bursting through with newborn power. Small streaks of grey and silver dart across it’s black torso as it pushes up again, slowly rising on both talons.
Ancients, those talons are sharp.
They pinch the skin of my palms before the bird shakes its leg, getting used to its footing. I stare in silent amazement, just watching it all unfold, and when the babe makes to stand up on his own, he looks at me and extends his wings with even more pride.
I don’t know how I know, butheis magnificent. So proud in his posture that I can’t stop staring back at him in trembling awe. The creature can’t be larger in body than the size of an apple, but with his wings outstretched he extends just nearly across my shoulders. His yellow eyes are sharp and piercing, gaze still not leaving mine, and while the two of us stare back at eachother, something large and loud crashes into the room.
Morose is panting at the top of the stairs and looking at me in wild concern. The crash came from the books she was holding that have now hit the ground, Golem stopping in his own run up the stairs to stand at her side. She continues to stare at me until she notices the bird cupped in my hands, her eyes widening on the creature in pure wonder and fervor. I give her a tired smile and let my gaze fall back to the bird again, greeting his sharp yellow eyes as he stretches his wings once more. He shakes his rear in my palms, revealing a beautiful and long tail of black feathers below him that makes me laugh in astonishment.
Truly, I’ve never met a more proud being.
“You’re gorgeous,” I smile.
The bird tilts its head just as my eyes begin to droop. The full weight of everything is now catching up to me, and I find myself unable to stay awake as my body goes into shock. The bird gives me a small chirp when my eyes close completely, all the exhaustion finally taking over as I start to fall to the ground without restraint.
“Go get the Prince!”
Morose’s voice is frantic, but I can’t focus on it because I’m now hitting the ground for a third time today. The slam of my head on ice sends a roaring pain down my spine, and the last thing I remember before being consumed by darkness is the feel of the baby bird moving next to me. His sharp talons grip my shoulder as the softest feathers I’ve ever experienced curl up against my ear. He leans into the skin of my neck with a chirp of genuine comfort, the sound sending me straight into darkness.
CHAPTER XI
BIRD OF ASH
“Her skin shouldn’t have been that color…”
“She went into hyperthermia,” the sound of Clair’s voice greets me
from far, far away, “she had frostbite in her fingers, toes, nose and ears. She’s lucky to even have a semblance of her normal color now.”
“She is indeed warming to the temperature,” a stranger chimes in.
“But her body is still trying to recover?”
Is that Keane?
“Yes,” the stranger replies, “human ailments take time, Your Highness.”
“He’s our best healer, Keane.”
“She’s looking good already. The swelling on the side of her head has already gone down. We’re lucky she wasn’t concussed. Just a heavy fall that was enough to knock her out.”
“We need to let her sleep,” Clair says steadily.
Yes. Sleep.Please.
“I will not leave her side,” his voice replies.
“Then we’ll bring an extra cot to the room…”
“Morose confirmed that she didn’t eat much the last two days. Nor do they think she slept,” Clair’s voice is closer now.
“She pushed herself into exhaustion…”
