As his eyelids begin to sink closed, I murmur, “That is all I am asking—that we take our time. Rest, Eurus. Morning will be here soon enough.”
After a time, he succumbs to sleep, but I remain awake, lifting his words like pebbles from a creek bed, admiring their smooth texture and eroded curves. The East Wind is not mine. He will never be mine. But for now, I pretend there exists a realm where he and I might belong together, and I quiet my mind, settling against him near the fire that is heat and vitality and light.
25
“BIRD.”
I startle awake. The room is swathed in darkness, yet a large form looms over me. My heartbeat spikes, and I recoil, hands lifting to protect my face. The voice comes again, breaking through the heavy fog of lingering slumber. “Steady, bird.”
That rough, growling resonance pierces the haze. I sag onto the ground, scooped hollow of feeling. Lady Clarisse is not here. She is far from the City of Gods, back in St. Laurent.
Eurus tugs the cloak away from my face, peering down at me in concern. I blink rapidly in the brightness. Daylight. A cave. The third trial.
Slowly, I sit up, my bones creaking in protest. “How long was I asleep for?”
“A few hours. I thought it better to let you rest.” He cradles my cheek in one large hand, searching my eyes. He has donned his now-dry shirt and trousers, black hair disheveled. The fire has burned to coals.
Heat climbs my face, and I pull away. “Sorry,” I murmur. “I thought y-y-you were someone else.”
His eyes are too grave. He knows. Of course he does. We are two sides of a single dented coin, one mortal, the other divine.
“How are you feeling?” I murmur, noticing the tremor in his hand. “Cold?”
The sweep of his thumb along my jawbone speaks of how far he has come, this immortal who once refused touch of any kind. “There is a chill in my bloodstream,” he says. “I can feel it moving toward my heart. My legs… they grow weak.”
Deep breath.This is not the end. Not yet, anyway. “What of your power?”
He releases a small sphere of air. It is unable to hold its shape for long. “Still there, but it wanes.”
As I expected. “We should keep moving. Seek out higher ground. We’ll have a better idea of the arena’s layout that way.” And hopefully spot some of the remaining competitors, if the Mother of Earth wills it.
I’m moving toward the cave entrance when the East Wind grabs my forearm, faster than I believed was possible. “Wait.”
He tilts his head, listening. I am motionless, my awareness of our surroundings coming into sharper focus. The scent of crushed leaves and loam swells inside my nostrils.
“Someone approaches,” he murmurs.
A blink, and he scoops me into his arms, darting to the rear of the cave. He pulls me into a tight nook, between his thighs. The dark folds of his wings act as a shield against the shadows collecting at our backs.
“What is it?” I murmur into his ear. This close, I expect the heat of his body to blanket my side, but he shivers, his muscles contracting incessantly in an attempt to pull warmth back into his limbs.
“I can’t be sure,” he says, the words oddly thick, “but it sounds like…” He swallows. “Stay here. I’m going to take a look.”
“What? No!” I snatch at his cloak with one clawed hand. “It’s not safe.”
“It won’t be for long.” He searches my eyes, and in their clouded depths I spot… something. It is unfamiliar in the way the sea is unfamiliar, wrapped in terror and awe both.
We come together. The kiss is sweet, yet brief. Eurus vanishes in the light beyond, moving far more quickly than I would expect from someone who has been poisoned.
I remain crouched in place, sweat trickling from my underarms. Round and round my thoughts spin. What to do? Should I stay here? Or perhaps I should go after him. But what if I endanger him further? No, best to stay safe.And small. And do nothing.
Nothing, I can do. Nothing, I am familiar with. And it isnothingthat has gotten me into this mess. I have come far, haven’t I? Farther than I would have believed. As it is, I no longer wish to be someone who observes from afar.
Beyond the mouth of the cave, the sky is clear, untouched by clouds. The slope toward the river reveals the unbroken wood. Seeing as Eurus is too weak to fly, he would not have gotten far on foot.
As I follow his tracks downhill, an animal’s bellow erupts from across the river. Was that Eurus? Or another competitor? His footsteps end at the river bank. He must have crossed onto the other side.
A fallen tree offers a means to traverse the swiftly moving water. Once I reach the opposite bank, I plow through a thicket of bramble. The thorns are many. They draw blood with their pointed fingers, stinging kisses alighting on my cheeks and arms. I break into a clearing and slow, ears straining for sound.
