“Yes, for a while we weren’t even sure if we could bring you back. I’ve been channelling healing energy into you, but the Elorium managed to severely drain you even in the short time you were exposed to her.”
I shuddered at the thought of the creature. That she possessed such power to even challenge Seraphina and the brothers concerned me and caused me to feel more helpless than ever. Still… a tiny, treacherous spark of satisfaction flickered through me. At least it had been worth it to see their faces squirm, even if it had nearly killed me.
“Tell me about that creature, the one you call the Elorium,” I said, not wanting to dwell on the slightly shifting images in the portraits, their painted eyes following me as if aware.
“Tilly, the Elorium isn’t like anything from your world,” he said quietly. “She’s from one of the higher Orders, her kind are closer to the Divine than most in my world. Their kind were born with gifts that can drain or restore life. It’s said their power is granted from Vareth himself. That’s why she was able to take so much from you so quickly.”
He hesitated, jaw tightening. “And why she’s dangerous even to us.”
To think that a week ago, I believed the mystical creatures filling the pages of my sketchbook were products of my imagination. Now, as I sat in a manor with Cillian, trapped in another country with paintings that spoke, spells that confined me, and the Eloreum draining my life’s energy. It seemed that my mystical creations had come to life. I was becoming confused between what was real and what wasn’t.
Fionn’s voice rose in my mind. Once again, I’d acted without thinking. I had to learn that if I was to survive this frightening world, I had to keep my wits about me.
“You know, Fionn was right to say what he did,” I said. “I acted foolishly in the cellar. I let my emotions about Donte and being left alone here dictate my behaviour. I didn’t know if you were coming back. “Cillian squeezed my hand reassuringly but gave me a stern look.
“Of course we were coming back, Tilly. Do you really think we brought you here simply to abandon you?”
I looked at him apologetically. “I realise now I could have died or I could have caused the Elorium’s death.” I hesitated. “Did Fionn have to…?”
“No, Fionn didn’t have to use the dagger, but because of the energy the Elorium drained from you, she regained her strength. It was close for all of us. Torin is watching her now.”
“Will I be safe even from a distance?” I asked with concern.
“She’s regained some strength, but her damaged wing curtailed her power, and without the ability to take the energy of others, she’ll eventually weaken and lose her ability to transform.”
“Why did you bring this creature here? What purpose could she possibly serve to you?”
Cillian regarded me with the indulgence of someone dealing with a charming but persistent puppy.
“All you need to know for now, Tilly, is that we need her.”
“Why can’t you just tell me the truth?” I asked a little sharply. “I’m so tired of these games. Where can I go? Who can I speak to? I’m hardly any threat to you or your plans.”
I glimpsed a challenge on Cillian’s face. “I could debate that. Look what happened with the Elorium. Besides, like her, you need to recover. As do I, since I drained my own energy restoring you.”
Only now did I notice how exhausted Cillian looked.
“Are you all right? You don’t look well.”
“Tilly, you’ve been drifting in and out of consciousness all night. I’ve been using my energy to sustain you.”
A fleeting whisper drifted to my ear, but it wasn’t Cillian's voice. Unnerved, I glanced at the portraits and felt eyes watching me.
A voice whispered then I felt a soft breath move against my neck:
“Do not trust the hands that hold you.”
Not now. Not again. I thought as I looked from mysterious face to face, the room blurred. The whispers became voices, and then laughter. Immersed in the golden glow of flickering candlelight, figures danced around me to phantom music.
I blinked and stared at the masked women in the portrait pirouetting around me in the arms of faceless men, their gorgeous gowns swishing in swirls of brilliant colour. Their glittering eyes watched me, and my name rose above the tune of the harp casting enchantment in the air.
Frightened by the spectral images and the enchanting sound of the harp, I reached for Cillian.
“Please, I don’t want to stay here.”
The moment I turned around, the room was silent, the portraits still.
“Tilly, I told you, the Elorium...”
