Romeria
“Romeria … Romeria!”
I regain consciousness with a slap across the cheek. Abarrane hovers over me, scowling, only her face is lined with worry rather than anger or annoyance.
My head swims in that underwater sensation again, the one that means I’ve drained my power. I struggle to lean up onto my elbow, my arm wobbly.
The first person I see is Elisaf. He’s propped up with Zorya’s help, his tawny skin still tinged with an ashen pallor.
But he’s alive. I didn’t fix all of him, but maybe I fixed enough.
“Zander …,” My speech is garbled.
“He’s there. See?” Abarrane points to the figure walking toward me, slightly hobbled, his arm tucked into his side.
Behind him, the beast lies in a smoldering heap, its scaly flesh charred. “What happened?” I ask, but I don’t have the energy to wait for an answer.
I float away to the sound of Abarrane’s laughter.
When I stir again, I’m in a wagon and early dawn glimpses through the tiny driver’s window, cracked open for fresh air or light, or both.
My cheeks are chilled, but animal furs and a solid body wedged against my back keep me warm. I recognize the sweet woodsy scent even before I roll over to find Zander next to me.
“Good morning.” He presses his lips against mine in a slow, intimate kiss that awakens my senses. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” I croak, my throat raw. Not a hint of that second heartbeat lingers in my chest, my affinities drained. “What happened last night?”
He curls an arm around me, pulling me tight. “One moment, I was watching the grif’s tail spike coming straight for me, and the next, I couldn’t see anything at all. There was a blinding light and a wave of heat so hot, I thought my skin was burning.” He frowns as if he’s recalling the moments but isn’t sure of the truth. “And then the grif was dead, and I was unharmed. Other than my shoulder”—he rolls it—“which has healed already.”
Healed. That word … “I was with Elisaf … I was trying to fix his leg, and then I heard Abarrane scream your name, and I knew that thing was going to kill you.”
“It would have tore me apart from the inside out like it did Darragh.”
I grimace at the gruesome image he conjures.
“But you destroyed it with whatever you channeled.”
What did I channel? I’ve wielded all four affinities now, and none felt like that. I wonder what Gesine might know of it.
Gesine.
Jarek.
I’m suddenly wide awake. “Was she able to save him? Jarek. Is he going to be okay?” I hold my breath, dreading the answer in case it’s not the one I want.
“Gesine still needs to finish repairing the damage, but he will survive.”
Tension slides from my body. I can’t explain this feeling, but something deep inside senses I will need Jarek by my side. “And what about Elisaf? I didn’t know what I was doing, but I think it was working?”
“You stemmed the blood loss and repaired enough of the damage to tide him over until Gesine could tend to him. He is alive because of you.” Zander strokes hair off my face. “We are all alive because of you. And everyone is grateful.” He leans in to press a kiss against the hollow of my throat.
“It’s a nice change from what everyone’s usually saying about me.”
He chuckles, his breath tickling my skin. “I imagine so.”
A dark thought strikes me, rousing my fear. What are the chances another grif will find me?” “They won’t be grateful if they have to keep doing this.
He pulls away, revealing a somber expression. “They are rare, but I cannot say for certain how long before another surfaces. In any case, we should reach the caves in two or three days, and they cannot follow us in there. They won’t fit through the entrance.”