“Purpose,” Ellie repeated, her voice hollow.
“Yes, we need you to come with us and see if you recognize anything from Vairik’s mind.”
Ellie’s body visibly reacted to the male’s name and her head snapped up. She bared her teeth at Sive, then lunged for the female, hands curled into fists. Arianna reached for her sister too late, but Sive moved with lightning-like reflexes. She grabbed Ellie’s wrist and light blossomed beneath her fingertips. There was no real need for magic, not as Ellie’s strength faded just as quickly as it had come.
Sive guided her back toward the pillows. Like she’d done it a thousand times. “It’s okay,” Sive assured. “I—none of us would ask if it weren’t important. Gods know you’ve been through enough. Do you remember being Vairik’s captive?”
Ellie nodded slowly, as if returning to the mechanical way of movement she’d had on the road.
“When someone dives into a mind like that, the door opens both ways. There are things you might recognize if you come with us. Things that might help us turn the tide of the war.”
Ellie didn’t react. She just stared at the bed sheets before her, her gaze going empty. For a moment, Arianna feared they’d lost her all over again.
“You don’t have to do much, just a simple glance around, and—”
“He’s gone.” Sive closed her mouth. More tears rolled down Ellie’s cheeks. Then she turned away, wrapped her arms around her midsection, and curled onto her side.
“That’s enough,” Avalon said before pulling the blanket over his daughter’s shoulders. Gavin stood on the outskirts, his eyes wide and red-rimmed as if he could feel Ellie’s pain. Maybe with their sliver of a bond, he could.
Sive tilted her head toward the door. Arianna stepped aside and Avalon took her place. Rion and Talon followed them into the hall.
“We have some time,” Sive whispered once the door had closed. “She’s doing better than I thought she might.”
“That’s better?” Arianna hissed.
“She’s responding. That’s something. So long as she remains calm, she can stay awake and process. Once Liam and his team break into the lower levels, we’ll reassess her state and ask again.”
“She needs to rest,” Talon said.
Sive glanced toward the door, sadness covering her expression. “Grief is a difficult emotion. It comes and goes. Some moments are like an ocean pulling you under, others are equivalent to the raging sea. Neither is pleasant, we just have to tread the current when it’s calm.”
“How is she ever going to recover from this?”
“There’s always hope.” Sive glanced between Rion and Arianna. “Even for those whose pain seems endless. Speaking of,” Sive stepped toward Rion and glanced down at his arms. “You’re doing well without the runes?” Arianna followed Sive’s gaze, feeling as though she were missing the context of her question.
“Well enough,” he replied, hands flexing.
Sive nodded. “If you ever decide you need them, the staff knows where my room is located, though I might be here more often than not.”
Something about the suggestion of Rion going to a female’s room had Arianna’s blood boiling. Sive had a young child, she reminded herself. She also had a Fae male who cherished her. Even so, the emotions were fresh and hot, like a white hot poker straight from the fire. Sive gave Arianna a knowing smirk that had Arianna’s face heating.
“And you.” Arianna froze, hoping Sive wouldn’t give voice to her emotions. “Eimear tells me you have headaches. Come to me later and I’ll see that they’re fixed.” Arianna nodded. “I have to get back to my little one. Both of you, take care and be kind to one another in my absence.”
The Weaver left her and Rion standing alone in the hall. Arianna watched the woman disappear, then studied the floor, still wondering how Ellie could be of any use in the catacombs. She’d been subjected to Vairik’s magic as well; did that mean Arianna might have seen something too? Not that her captivity compared to what Ellie had endured.
Arianna glanced up slowly when she felt his heavy stare. She met those green eyes for a moment. A moment that was so full of emotions Arianna thought she might burst at the seams. She clenched her fists, but before either of them could utter a single word, Arianna pushed the door open and went back to her sister.
Rion didn’t follow.
Chapter Thirty
Arianna
Days flew by with little news. Sive saw to Arianna’s headaches, drawing complex runes across her head and back that brought immediate relief. Zylah watched intently, asking questions that had the pair delving into the complexities of the magic. Arianna couldn’t help but feel like some sort of experiment.
“Do you remember anything new?” Zylah had asked after a particularly long session.
“No.”
