“I’m not going anywhere.” To prove his point, he sat, leaning against the bars. Iyana finally stirred, brushing her hair back from her face, hissing in pain when her raw fingers brushed through the strands. She sat, glaring at Emmeric. Iyana wrapped her arms around herself, shivering, her tiny body not accustomed to the cold. “Here,” he said, taking off his cloak and handing it to her. She took it reluctantly but sighed in relief once the warmth wrapped around her.
“Why do you smell like lemons?” she asked.
The question threw him off guard. “Because I ate a lemon bar this morning.”
“Those are my favorite…” she mumbled.
Emmeric felt as if his heart was breaking. This woman was not suited for these conditions. She deserved to be in the sun, running around on her bare feet. In that moment, he made a choice.
“Mine too. I’ll try to bring you one next time I come down,” he said.
“You don’t need to bribe me,” she said, affronted. “I won’t tell anyone about you.”
Emmeric shook his head. “That’s not why I came.”
Iyana scoffed, and he could see some of her fire reawakening. He almost smiled. She needed an argument to bring her back to herself. “Don’t act like you care.”
“It’s not an act.” He hadn’t meant to admit that. To himself or to her. They sat in silence for a moment, Iyana looking at him with curiosity now, instead of outright hatred or annoyance. “Check the inside pocket of the cloak.”
She reached inside, flinching again from the pain in her fingers, causing a flair of pain in Emmeric’s. He gritted his teeth against the burning. If it was hurting him this much, it was much worse for her. And now was not the right time to tell her of this development. Iyana already didn’t want to be connected to him as the Kanaliza; she definitely wouldn’t want to know he felt her pain. Iyana would consider it a breach of privacy, even though he had no control over the situation, and it would make her more wary of him. He needed her to see him as an ally.
Iyana pulled out the small vial Emmeric had bought at the apothecary out of the pocket. Wrapping her hands around it, she closed her eyes. She was silent for a moment, concentrating. He heard a small sigh escape her. She sounded relieved.
“A numbing draught,” she finally said, opening her eyes, looking at Emmeric in wonder.
Emmeric nodded towards the vial. “You learned a new trick.” She hadn’t had a grasp of her magic at all when he’d left, so Altair had been good for something, at least. Although Emmeric was still angry at the prick for not saving Iyana, resigning her to this fate. There was plenty of opportunity for a powerful star to sneak into their camp and steal away a defenseless woman without any of them noticing. It made Emmeric wonder why Altair hadn’t even tried. Why Iyana was in this situation to begin with.
“Why?”
He shrugged, playing off the extent of his involvement. “We may not like each other, but you’re still a person, and I don’t want to see you in pain.”
“Do you treat them the same?” Iyana asked, nodding down the hall where the moaning and crying continued endlessly.
“You know I don’t,” Emmeric said softly. “I never claimed to be a good man, and I can’t help everyone. But I can help you. Please. Take it.”
“Thank you.” Iyana mumbled so quietly he barely heard her. Emmeric didn’t acknowledge her appreciation, recognizing it would only cause her shame.
“Don’t let anyone catch you with it or things will be worse.” The door to the dungeon opened, and Emmeric was out of time. “I need to go, but I’ll be back as often as I can.” He nodded towards the draught. “I hope you’re a good actress, Mouse.”
As he turned to leave, she called his name. “Your cloak.”
“Keep it. You need it more than me.” He walked out without turning back, not wanting to see what she thought of him. If she could see right through him.
Emmeric walked quickly, but as casually as possible, back to his quarters where he knew Talon would still be sleeping. Sure enough, he entered their room to see his friend in bed, arms and legs splayed, long red hair draped on his pillow. He was snoring lightly. Emmeric closed the door harder than he needed to, and Talon jerked awake with a snort.
“Tal,” Emmeric said, his voice gravelly, “they’re fucking torturing her.”
Talon was now wide awake, running a hand through his hair, a sheepish look on his face. “I mean, we always knew that was a possibility.”
“They ripped her fingernails out of her hands.” Talon winced. Emmeric paced the length of the room. “I’m going to fuckingmurderAzazel,” he growled.
“Hey, man.” Talon put up his hands like Emmeric was a wild horse in need of taming. “I know this sucks, and you care for her, but I don’t want you to do anything rash.”
“I don’tcarefor her,” he sneered. “It’s this fucking bond. We can’t stand each other, but it draws us in, causing pain if we’re too far apart. Believe me, neither of us would have chosen this if given an option. She hates me, I hate her; the bond is making me feel things that aren’t real.”
“Sure,” Talon said, drawing out the word.
Emmeric ran his hands through his hair, gripping at the roots and tugging. “This is all messing with my head, Tal. I don’t know what to do.”
