Page 118 of Burn Her They Said
I stare out of my periphery, in awe of their care for me.
Malin sends his magic up and around the Emperor’s knee where it tugs like a rug, freeing my face from his grasp as he falls.
Drowsiness sets in, and my vision fades, with all other sound closely following.
Chapter Forty-One
Secret
Sharp pain stabs inside my brain, and the muscles running along the sides of my spine throb. Groaning, I feel around and scratch my fingertips on the rough stone behind me, then furrow my brow with the weight and clanking of metal over my wrists.
“Tasch, you’re awake.” Varic’s voice is so faint, I might just be imagining it.
I pry my eyes open to try to make sense of my surroundings, while every breath I pull in is filled with his warm spice scent. The ache in my joints burns when I shift under the weight of a heavy material sliding down my shoulder. Blinking, I try to will my eyes to adjust to the low light, aside from the amber glowing from my own body, which pulls my attention to the black leather riding jacket falling down from my shoulders. One which Varic must have draped across my chest because it smells just like him.
“I’m so sorry, Tasch. I never imagined—” Varic says, warming me as he leans into my side.
My eyes dart around the bare stone space for the rest of my Guards, though I can scarcely make out any details in the dim light that barely reaches from the opposite side of what appears to be a narrow room.
“Where is everyone?” I manage, staring down in disbelief as my fingers seek and curve around metal shackles surrounding each of my wrists, with the bite of metal entirely absent from the layer of protection Varic’s shield offers.
Tears form as I feel my way down my legs to confirm the metal is also circling both of my ankles, barely noticeable with the pulsing warmth of Varic’s protection, which he seems to be casting differently, as it’s brighter and thicker, while only covering anywhere the metal touches me instead of my whole body..
Even though I know the answer, my hands tremble as I reach up to find a metal ring around my neck.
“The Emperor commanded Cirrin and Malin practice sword fighting, deeming it a necessity for your protection.” He pulls the top of his riding leathers back over my shoulders and smooths the arms out to hug me with the heat from my body held in the liner, his scent a comfort with every breath, despite the otherwise dire circumstances. “Fray and Lars are in the dark corner. I suggested they sleep.”
Gooseflesh rises along the sides of my cheeks. “He didn’t want Cirrin to heal me.”
“Or Malin to free you. And I was too afraid to try healing you in your sleep, since I could have hurt you without knowing.” An amber glow fills his palms, appearing more like a cloud than the bolts of energy which emit when he charges to blast his force magic.
“No.” I shift the shackles over my lap to gesture with my hands.
“Yes.” His voice is adamant as I rather aggressively release a breath.
“What if the Guards posted outside the door sense you using it?”
“Only one of them is telekinetic. The other one is a healer.”
“Which is why you cannot heal me. What if the telekinetic Guard says something?”
“I’ve already healed you once.”
“You said you were too afraid to heal me while I slept.”
“It was on the way in here, when Cirrin was present and able to help guide me—silently,” he adds, and I send him a look. “He wanted to make sure I could do so properly. I just couldn’t bring myself to try again once he was made to leave, since he wouldn’t be able to repair anything I damaged. I couldn’t risk it.” Silence settles over the room as the healing magic undulates like a low-hanging fog, hovering just above his cupped palms.
“You shouldn’t have.”
“I wasn’t going to let you suffer.” He pushes off the wall to turn until his eyes meet mine. “Not when it’s safe for me to prevent it.”
His expression shifts, ensnaring me in his gaze as he holds his hands out in question. I nod, against my better judgment, while tears stream down my face, creating a trail many others will likely follow.
He reaches under the leathers draped across my chest to take hold of my arm, and I suck in a sharp breath when the cooling sensation penetrates beneath my skin before coursing through my body to soften the sharp edges of my pain. He retracts the unsanctioned magic once he does all he can. Its impact feels fainter than Cirrin’s—which isn’t a fair comparison, since my healer is the strongest and has many years of practice.
An unexpected consequence of Varic reliving my pain hits me, and hot tears expel the anger and frustration wrought from the Emperor’s intentions in physically chaining me.
“I am so sorry, Tasch. I never should have brought you back here. Fray and Lars were right. We should have kept going. I have regretted my decision every moment since Minea landed in the clearing.”
