Strong arms propped me up, and my body sank against his. Something cold was pressed against my lips. “I need you to drink.”He tipped it against my lips, and fresh, cool liquid filled my mouth faster than I could swallow, making me cough it up all over myself.
“Sorry,” he whispered, then tried again more slowly.
The cool water was as welcomed as it was painful, burning my throat until I finally felt sweet relief and began drinking in earnest. “Whoa. Easy there,” he said, and a tiny moan left me when he pulled away.
Exhausted from the small effort, my head lulled to the side, the rhythmic cadence of his heartbeat beneath the thin fabric of his shirt was soothing. I sat there resting against a firm, warm body, legs on either side of me on the hard ground. Lifting my left hand, I splayed my palm across his chest. “Is it really you?” I whispered.
Gentle fingers pressed under my chin, tilting it up. “Why don’t you open your eyes and see for yourself?”
I wanted to. Oh gods did I want to. But what if I opened them and found myself in a reality where he no longer existed?
“It’s okay,” he said as if understanding my hesitation. “I’m here. I promise.”
Slowly, I peeled my eyes open, and tears filled them as Artton’s cerulean gaze met mine. Fisting the soft fabric of his shirt, I nestled my head into his chest, a relieved sob escaping me.
“Shh,” he soothed. “We’re okay.”
Sniffling, I wiped away the tears and lifted my head. “We?”
The corner of his mouth ticked up before he lifted his chin, and my focus followed where he’d pointed. “Sidrick!” I yelped and lunged forward, nearly falling on my face. Artton’s strong hands steadied me enough that I caught my balance before crawling a few steps along the cold, hard ground.
“Hey Nyleeria,” he managed, his voice as weak as the forced smile.
Kneeling, I scanned for new injuries, and while I didn’t see any, I noted his ashen complexion and deep purple circles under his eyes. I whipped my head to Artton, my heart suddenly pumping a million beats a minute. “Kaelun? Tarrin?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not here.”
“Not here. But alive?” I asked, glancing between the two.
Something touched me, and I pulled away only to realize it was Sidrick reaching for my hand. Swallowing, I hesitated for a beat before allowing him to take it. “They’re alive. I can feel it.”
“But,” I said, voice thick, “that’s Kaelun’s unara, not yours.”
He squeezed my hand, and my heart ached at how weak he was. “There’s magic of the Mother and the stars, but love binds me to my brother more than any unara. Do you hear me?”
Fresh tears prickled my eyes. “They’re alive, then.” And while I knew there was a very real possibility we were lying to each other, it was a lie I willingly clung to.
Pulling my hand back, I accepted Artton’s help to my feet.
We were in some sort of underground cave. It was uncomfortably cold and damp, but more uncomfortable was the nagging sensation of familiarity. The walls were smooth—perfectly so—with five equidistant walls, and where a sixth wall should be, there were bars and a door. Following the geometric lines where the walls met the ceiling, I gasped, recognizing the crisscross pattern above me. The one I’d idly traced with my eyes as I lay on the tiled floor back in Thaddeus’ palace.
“What is it?” Artton asked, his head tilting up to look at the ceiling with me.
“This room,” I said, shifting my focus to him. “It’s an exact replica of Thaddeus’ training room. His magic training room. It…” I searched for the words to describe what it did and was coming up short given he’d never offered me a real explanation on how it works.
“Siphons powers,” Artton offered.
My brows furrowed, and I shook my head. “No. But it can absorb excess.”
“No, Spark, I’m telling you that it siphons powers—not asking if it does.”
“What?”
“Yeah, it’s why I’m tapped and Sidrick isn’t healing properly. Didyou think I’d idly wait to see what happens instead of getting the fuck outta here?”
I searched for the threads of magic. The relief that they were there was quickly squashed by how faint they were. I could barely see them, let alone grasp them, and attempting to conjure was like trying to capture water with an open palm. Realizing it was futile, I reached for the spark instead, and while she was weak, she was present. Hope bloomed in my chest. “I still have access to my arcane powers.”
“That’s good. Very good. We might be able to use that to break ourselves free.”
