Thaddeus finally threw the overpoweredsphere, and a vicious cracking sound rang out as it hit the pillars, their magic unable to contain the force.
My hands dropped from his back. I was free; only, now, I was frozen in place. As if a puppet suddenly bereft of its strings, I was a mere witness to the unfolding scene, my body immobile in that suspended moment just before the relentless pull of gravity asserted himself.
“We did it!” Thaddeus exclaimed, turning around and crushed my mouth with his.
Pulling back, he continued, words tumbling out in haste, “Gods, Nyleeria, how do you do it?” He grabbed my arms hard as he looked wildly at me for answers. “Holding that much power inside of you… It’s exhilarating, pleasurable.”
“Nyleeria?” Thaddeus said, finally realizing I hadn’t responded.
My knees gave out, and I fell, Thaddeus catching me before my head hit the ground. I turned my head and emptied my stomach’s contents onto the mat.
I tried to stand, but my trembling arms couldn’t bear my weight. Thaddeus turned me over, cradling me, caressing my face. His lips moved, but there was no sound—the world had gone silent. Panic stared down at me as I remained listless in his arms.
Wiping the cold sweat off my brow, Thaddeus scooped me up and carried me toward the exit of the training facility. Bobbing up and down, I sightlessly stared up at the cloudless sky.
Thaddeus’ mouth moved, as if yelling for help as he continued to the palace.
Moments later, Tarrin arrived. Gently, Thaddeus placed me on the ground, propping my head up with a strong hand.
They knelt, mirrored expressions of poorly contained fear and helplessness staring back at me.
Thaddeus tilted me up further with gentle hands and offered me water. I tried to take a sip, but most of the water pooled out of my mouth, dripped down my neck, and soaked into my shirt.
They exchanged words, and Tarrin seemed upset. Settling, theyslipped off my shoes and socks, and the cool sensation of grass tickled the soles of my feet. I could have wept in relief.
Slowly, the trance lifted, like the autumnal sun taking its time to burn off the morning mist.
I regained the faculty of my extremities first, with the rest of my body eventually following suit. The instant I could hold myself up, all my senses came back, along with my wits.
“I can’t do that again,” I whispered. Still trembling, that part deep inside of me still roiling as if it had been violated—as ifIhad been violated.
“But it worked,” Thaddeus countered, his surprised disbelief evident. “You weren’t prepared. We’ll be ready next time, and I won’t take so much.” His words were fast, bordering on desperate.
“Thaddeus, maybe we should—” Tarrin began.
“This doesn’t concern you, Tarrin.”
A shiver ran through me—I’d never heard him speak that sharply to someone, let alone Tarrin.
I didn’t want to be the cause of them fighting. Couldn’t be. Maybe Thaddeus was right, and it was too much, too fast. I just needed some rest. And to prepare better for the next time. It would be okay. I would be okay. It was fine. I was fine.
“I’m okay,” I said as I stood up, forcing myself to act like the words were true. Even as my head spun so hard, I thought I’d vomit again. “I’m okay,” I repeated, and stepped toward the palace.
Chapter 44
Implications Abound
Unable to bear the tension between them, I’d brushed off Thaddeus and Tarrin’s help when we got back into the palace, promising I was okay. But making it to my suite was no small feat. I’d collapsed before the last hallway, and a couple of servants helped me the rest of the way.
Trying to steady myself, I leaned against the edge of the bed with my hands gripping its side, feet pressed into the glossy tile. My head wouldn’t stop spinning, and as if caught in a spiderweb, I couldn’t move.
A tentative knock sounded at the door.
“Enter,” I said weakly.
The door creaked open, and I turned my head, surprised to see Tarrin.
His face, normally alight with mischief, looked drained, and his eyes were filled with confused sadness.
