For two whole days, I was confined to bedrest, first by Mom, and then by Slade. My fever was finally gone by the third day and Mom reluctantly told me I could at least move around the base, more than just getting up to go to the bathroom. My legs were weak, and the going was slow, but anything was better than being in that bed.
I’d slept the majority of the time, but if I dreamt, I remembered none of them. The necklace had been cold against my skin for the past few days, as had the mark at my side. I’d checked that morning, figuring the healing potions I’d been given might’ve had something to do with it, but the mark remained. It looked less angry, but the flesh was extremely tender around it.
So, I’d covered it back up and acted like I was merely recovering from using my powers too much, or a bug, or whatever else would make everyone feel better.
Eventually, I made my way to the training room to find Slade and Jared sparring. Amelie and Tank watched from the back of the room and carefully, I headed toward them. Slade was shirtless, his chest covered in a fine sheen of sweat and my cheeks grew flushed for a completely different reason than being sick.
“Hey,” Amelie said excitedly when she spotted me. “You look so much better.”
“You think?”
She helped me to a chair, and I sat down grateful.
“Yeah, you do. Maybe we all should sleep for three days straight,” Tank teased.
“Two days,” I corrected. “Slept for two days.”
Jared grunted then growled in annoyance as Slade landed a solid kick to his back and sent him stumbling across the mats. He whirled back around and threw himself at Slade, trying to tackle him.
I never thought I’d be anxious to get back to my own training, but suddenly I was jealous of Jared. I wanted to be tackling Slade to the floor right then and… well, doing more than just pinning him to the mats until he slapped them to be let out of the chokehold.
They were back on their feet, and Slade spotted me. He barely managed a wave before Jared was on the offensive again.
“How long have they been going at it?” I asked.
“A few hours now. Slade’s got some pent-up energy, nerves really, waiting for the damned Council to decide if they’re coming or not,” Tank told me.
“And Jared is nervous about seeing dear old dad,” Amelie sighed.
“Right, so beating the crap out of each other is good for the soul, is that what I’m hearing?”
“If you were a guy, you’d understand,” Tank explained.
“Ah, right.” I cringed, along with Amelie as Slade and Jared went to punch each other at the same time, and both somehow managed to make contact. “Damn, maybe we should get them to stop for a while?”
“Why? I have money on this.”
Amelie rolled her eyes as I glanced from her to Tank. “Seriously?”
“Not money, I told him I’d give him my roll at dinner for three days if Slade wins and if Jared wins, I get his dessert for three days.”
“Food, always the best choice for betting.” Not like we had anything else to bet with.
I concentrated on the fight, watching each move the two made. Jared had become a skilled fighter since he started sparring with Slade and Tank. He was good at school, but this was on an entirely different level. Against Slade, he held nothing back, and vice versa.
They went full throttle. I blinked, and a flash of another fight appeared before me. I gripped the seat of my chair, willing whatever was happening to stop, but then another flicker of two dragons locked in combat had me trying to look anywhere but at Slade or Jared.
Hundreds of people yelling filled my ears with painful bursts of sound, and I winced against the assault on my senses. The heavy scent of smoke and what I swore was burning bodies made me gag, and I excused myself to hurry to the restroom in case I lost the tiny amount of food I managed to get down that morning.
I heard Slade talking to Amelie, and then he came after me. “Everest.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, stumbling into the nearest wall. “Think I shouldn’t have gotten up yet.” I covered my mouth with my hand, and the nausea passed as did the weird visions of a battle I couldn’t decide was yet to come or had already passed. “You looked good in there.”
His arm was under mine, supporting me, as he guided me back toward the cot.
“No, can we go sit anywhere else, please? I’m sick of that damned bed.”
“The balcony? Not as comfortable and there’s a lot of stairs just to get there.”
“As long as we take it slow, walking feels good right now.” I waited for him to tell me no.
But then he shifted our path, and we reached the metal grated stairs.
The going up was much slower than I expected, but he never complained and by the time we reached the balcony, I was ready to sit down for a few minutes, or a few hours. He sat beside me, leaning his back against the wall. He hadn’t put his shirt on before rushing out after me, and I found myself resting against his bare chest, my cheek against his skin, listening to the steady beating of his heart.
“You sure you’re feeling better?” he asked, running his fingers through my hair.
“For the most part. Just really weak.” I scooted closer, and he chuckled. “What? You’re comfortable.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Did I miss anything the last few days?”
“I’ve told you what you need to know,” he said, but I poked him in the abs when I sensed he was holding back. “What? Really I have.”
“If you say so.”
“Not much to do until the Council agrees to come, or not,” he grunted. “You’d think they would make it one of their top priorities to check in when all the clan leaders request to see them.”
“What did Charlette tell them exactly?”
“She expressed that several major events of late have made her question the sanity of the Council and that she is suggesting we switch them all out, retire them, and then vote in six new members,” he told me. “I guess she should’ve insulted them harsher.”
“Only if you want them to come here with an army,” I muttered. “You worried about it?”
He shrugged, his fingers stilling in my hair for a few seconds before continuing their soothing motion. “I was before, but not so much anymore. No matter what they say, I have the sworn oaths of the clan leaders to fight beside us. Dealing with the Council is more of a formality than anything else since they are technically the ruling party.”
My eyes closed, and I felt his arms wrap more firmly around me, drawing me in close.
“Do you want to go back down?” he asked, but I shook my head.
“I missed hearing you talking these last few days,” I murmured.
“Then I shall continue to serenade you with my voice,” he teased. “What do you want to talk about?”
For a while now, I’d wanted to ask him, but never seemed to find the right time. “Tell me about your parents, your real parents. What were they like?”
His chest stilled, and I expected to look up and find him angry, but instead, he was smiling sadly. I leaned back and held his hand as he ran his thumb over my knuckles.
“They were incredible,” he started, his words quiet with reverence. “And they cared so much for the clan. They were the ones who started the Light Guard in the first place.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Their personal guard ordered them time and again to leave the other dimensions instead of keep sending out refugees and those that would be trained to fight. They refused. Every time, they refused to get out because their clan would still be forced to live in that nightmare of a place.”
His hand tightened on mine. “Do you hate them for staying?” I asked, failing to read the mix of emotions on his face.
“At first, I think so,” he confessed bitterly. “Right after they were killed. I hated them for not listening, but now that I’m in their place… I understand their decision.”
“You would’ve stayed?”
“I did stay,” he mused. “Until it became too dangerous for me to be amongst the enemy, I was there every day bleeding right along with them. But the family in charge of keeping me safe, once they were killed, the ones who knew who I was reached out to Jenny and Preston and that was when they came for me. Zara and the others.”
He wove our fingers together, and I rested my shoulder against his, doing what I could to comfort him. “What were their names, your parents?”
“Pierce and Leora. Two strongest people I’d ever met in my life, until I met you that is.”
“Don’t give me too much credit, I’ve been knocked down pretty low lately.”
His body tensed beside mine, but if he was going to scold me for pushing it, he kept it to himself. “They would’ve liked you, loved you really for all you’ve done.”
“And hopefully, I’m just getting started. We both are. You’re going to make them… so proud… Slade… you… you really are.” I opened my eyes wide, fighting to keep them open.
It felt just like the sensation when Mom had given me another dose of that sedative.
I gripped Slade’s arm, and then I was screaming as that mark on my side burned fiercer than it ever had before.
“Everest? What’s wrong, what’s happening?’
I tried to tell him, but the words were lodged behind another scream as my body thrashed in agony.
“Help. We need help up here,” he yelled. “Everest, talk to me.”
My hand shot to my side as the pain pulsed in time with my racing heartbeat.
He frowned until he took the hem of my sweater and lifted it up. He spewed curses, and his eyes widened at the mark on my ribs… right where Radnak had struck me.
Clenching his jaw in fury, he scooped me up into his arms, holding me tight against his chest as I flailed, unable to keep myself still from the pain coursing through my limbs. He rushed me to the lower level.
“What happened?”
Mom, that was her voice, but I couldn’t open my eyes wide enough to see. It felt like someone was trying to yank my ribs out one after the other, and I clung to Slade’s arms, digging my nails into his skin.
“Sorry,” I whispered, and he shook his head.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded, not seeming to care that I was making him bleed. “Why? Everest, damn, it answer me.”
“Didn’t want… want you to worry,” I gasped. “Slade.”
I curled in on myself before my entire body went rigid and my back arched off the cot. A scream tore from my throat, and all I wanted was for it to be over.
Slade was yelling, but his words were drowned out by my screaming until I fell hoarse and collapsed back to the cot. I released Slade’s arm and clawed at my side, desperate to get rid of the mark.
“Grab her hands,” Mom ordered.
Slade snatched my wrists, but I fought against him, crying and begging for him to let me go.
“Just knock her out. Do something.”
I didn’t want to go under, afraid I’d never open my eyes again.
I tried to tell him, but when he looked at me, all I saw was the same fear in his eyes.
Then Mom was pouring something down my throat, and I gagged and choked on it.
The room started to spin around me and then there was nothing.
I felt Slade holding my hands and clung to that feeling in case I forgot what it felt like.
In case I never came back to him.