Broken (27 page)

His father put a hand on his shoulder. “I suspect it is steep.”

Octavion nodded. “I am so sorry Father. The last thing I wanted was to give up my heritage, but I could not let her die.”

“You must love her very much. When do you leave?” Belesgar cleared his throat and stood, leaving his back to his son.

“Ramla said he would send for me. I thought he would have come by now, but then he said it would be in
his
time, so . . . I have no idea.”

“His ways are a little unpredictable. We can only hope he will not summon you until you have had time to put your affairs in order. Perhaps making your union with Kira official should be a priority.”

“Perhaps.” He knew he should have told him the truth, that Kira would never accompany him to Panthera. But right now he wanted to keep that part to himself. He needed to figure out how to explain it to her first.

Now more than ever, Kira wished she could share her thoughts with Lydia. She wanted to scream at her to wake up like she did in the clearing, but this time was different. She was but a whisper of herself and their connection had been broken.

For the longest time Kira watched her, taking in every inch of her face as if seeing her for the first time. She wanted to tell her everything that had happened since she arrived in this world, but she knew it would fall on deaf ears. She’d imagined, and even wished, that she’d have one more moment with her, one more chance to say goodbye and tell her what a good friend she’d been, but now—there were no words.

Kira wiped a tear from her face and took in her surroundings. The room seemed eerily quiet. There were no open windows and the long thick drapes covering them shut out every hint of sunlight. The flicker of candles placed around the room provided a warm radiant glow against the stark white walls, but did nothing to bring color to Lydia’s face. Kira touched Lydia’s cheek expecting to feel cold flesh, but instead a sharp pain shot up her arm and into her chest, deepening the pressure already there.

“Oh, Al. How am I going to do this? You have to help me.”

Kira reached out and touched Lydia’s hand, hoping Altaria would figure it out and go back to Lydia, but it only increased the pain. So much so that Kira’s knees buckled and she collapsed to the floor next to the bed. She cried out for Octavion, not knowing if he’d hear her plea or not.

Kira pressed her fingers to her chest. “Altaria, please stop!” But the pain only increased. Everything in the room swayed. She curled up on the floor and tried to stay conscious.

A few seconds later she felt Octavion’s spirit in the distance. Then the door flew open and hit the table, sending a ceramic pitcher onto the floor, shattering it. “Kira!” Octavion knelt beside her, panic in his voice.

“Tell her to stop,” she cried.

Octavion tried to pull her hands away from her chest, but she pushed him away. “Altaria, you need to stop hurting Kira. Please.”

A few seconds passed and the pain started to diminish. “It’s working. Keep talking to her.”

This time he slipped his hunting knife from its sheath and held it in front of Kira’s face. “Altaria! Stop now or I will cut Lydia’s hair . . .
short
.” He flashed a dimple and winked.

Kira knew the message was received when the pain subsided and only a dull ache remained. Finally, she could breathe.

Octavion replaced the knife and pulled Kira into his arms. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “She didn’t mean to hurt me. I think she’s just scared.” Kira took Octavion by the arm. “Help me up.”

“Perhaps you should sit for a moment. You are shaking.”

She put her hand on the side of his face and smiled. “I’m okay. Now help me up. I want to try something.”

Octavion slowly stood, took her hand and helped her from the ground. His eyes watched intently as Kira walked to the other side of the bed, hiked up her skirt and climbed onto the billowy mattress next to his sister. She motioned for him to come closer, but he didn’t move.

“Explain this first. I do not want you hurt.”

“Okay, but will you at least keep an open mind until I finish explaining it?”

He sat on the edge of the bed. “Yes.”

“Earlier when I touched Lydia, nothing happened, but after you left with your father, I tried again and a bolt of pain shot through me.” She reached across Lydia to take his hand. “I think we need to give Al a chance, let her experiment and find her way back. Lydia had it all figured out, I’m pretty sure if we give Al time, she will too.”

Octavion’s brow furrowed. “But you said it hurt when you touched her. What if she—”

“Nothing will happen to me. I think the pain was so severe because she’s frustrated and desperate to get out. Maybe if we talk to her and tell her we won’t stop until she is settled she will go slowly and it won’t hurt as much. I don’t have all the answers, but it’s worth a try. Besides, I can’t live with her inside me like this and it’s not fair to keep her locked up.”

His expression turned more serious. “Promise me if the pain gets to be too much, you will stop.”

Kira shook her head. “No. Think about it. What if her spirit is half way between Lydia and me and I let go? Will that kill her? Will her spirit be split between the two of us? No, Octavion, I won’t stop until this is finished and you have to promise me you won’t either.”

“What do you mean?”

She squeezed his hand. “I don’t know if this will effect me like when I healed. If it takes my strength and I can’t hold onto her . . . I need you to hold our hands together.”

He nodded hesitantly, but remained quiet.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

He ran his fingers through his hair. “That you are stubborn and will do this whether I help you or not.”

“You’re right. I will.”

He put his hand on the side of her face and gently ran his thumb across her bottom lip. “I love you. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” Normally, she would have anticipated a kiss, but wasn’t surprised when he lowered his eyes and drew back his hand. Her theory—either he was uncomfortable with Altaria watching or he was thinking about Serena. She pushed that thought away and tried to focus on Lydia. She instructed Octavion to sit behind her so she would have his physical support in case she lost her strength. He pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. He took Lydia’s hand in his.

“Promise you won’t let go,” Kira urged.

“I promise.”

Kira held her left hand above theirs and summoned her courage. “Ready?”

“I am if you are.”

“Okay, Al. Take it slow and easy.” Kira took a deep breath. “Here goes.” Kira forced her hand down on Lydia’s. Octavion closed his fingers around them and squeezed gently.

At first she felt the surge of pain like before, but then it burned. The warm feeling she’d felt for days pulsated down her arm and out the tips of her fingers. It felt like a hundred little threads unraveling through each fingertip. She felt them as they extended beyond her own skin, as though she and Lydia were one.

With every beat of her heart, the heat of her body decreased. So much so, that she began to shiver. It felt as though Altaria wasn’t just taking the warmth of her own spirit, but that of Kira’s as well.

“Kira, you are trembling.”

“I’m okay. D . . . d-don’t let go.” Her teeth chattered so hard she thought they might shatter.

A few more seconds passed and Lydia took in a deep breath, arched her back and let out a deep moan. Her chest heaved heavily with each breath.

“Oh-kay, I th-think she’s done.”

Octavion released both their hands, then turned Kira so he could see her eyes. A huge grin spread across his face. “You did it.”

“Yeah, but . . . I’m really c-cold.”

He pressed his lips to her cheek. “You are like ice.” He pulled a blanket from the end of the bed then wrapped them both in it. The heat coming from his body felt like a hot iron against her skin. She buried her face under his chin as he pulled the blanket up around her head.

They sat there quietly until she felt something touch her leg. Both Octavion’s arms were around her, so she knew it wasn’t him. She slowly pulled the blanket from her face and peeked out. First, she looked up at Octavion, his emotions welling up in his eyes.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Can you come out long enough to say hello to a friend?”

Kira jerked her head around to find Altaria lying on the bed. Her eyes were barely open, but when they met hers, she flashed her crooked smile.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Hey you.” Kira returned the smile. “Welcome b-back.”

Al’s bottom lip began to quiver as tears formed in her eyes. “She is not . . . bonding . . . with me.”

“Who?” Kira barely understood what she said. She’d gotten used to everyone’s accent, but Al’s words seemed jumbled.

Altaria didn’t answer, just closed her eyes while a tear escaped down the side of her face.

“Octavion, maybe your father should be here.” Kira had barely finished her words when the king’s spirit whirled around her. He appeared so quickly it startled her.

He didn’t notice Altaria at first, only looked at Kira sitting on the bed shivering within Octavion’s embrace.

“Why have you summoned me with such urgency?”

Altaria opened her eyes and reached out her hand. “Father?”

Kira watched as the color drained from his face. The emotion that filled the room in that moment warmed Kira’s heart and filled her soul. He took Altaria in his arms and held her tight.

Kira looked up to find Octavion’s tear filled eyes. Overwhelming joy washed across his face. She was so in love with this man and seeing him express his emotions so freely only solidified those feelings.

She still hadn’t warmed completely, but the constant shivering of her insides had calmed. Completely exhausted, she fought to keep her eyes open. For the first time in weeks, she had no pain or pressure in her chest and she could breathe deeply. She adjusted slightly so she could snuggle against Octavion’s chest.

Octavion kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair. “Perhaps we should give my father some time,” he whispered.

His voice seemed so far away, she thought it might be a dream.

A cool breeze swept across Kira’s face causing a strand of hair to tickle her nose. She brushed it away and took in as much air as her lungs would hold, filling her senses with the room’s bouquet—the sweet perfume of flowers from the garden, the hint of fresh baked bread and the pleasant aroma of prepared fruit.

Before opening her eyes, she filled her lungs one more time and stretched her arms and legs to their full length, curling her toes as every muscle in her body flexed. She was grateful for the bed being in the middle of the room, without a headboard. It left nothing to get in the way of the much needed untwisting of her appendages. It was the first time in weeks she’d woke without pain. She opened her eyes and took in the bright sunlight spilling into the room and the curtains billowing on the breeze like delicate angel wings.

A wash basin sat on the dressing table with clean linens folded neatly beside it. Next to that, a plate filled with bread, sliced cheese and fresh fruit—most of which looked like Koostai—made her stomach growl. On the table near her bed lay a single daisy lying atop an envelope sealed with red wax—Octavion’s initial pressed into its center. Gratitude for Octavion and Ussay, and their gentle way of caring for her, filled her heart.

She pulled back the covers and reached for the envelope. It was then she noticed her middle and ring finger wrapped together with something stiff inside to keep her from bending them. It didn’t hurt until she tried to move her fingers.

“Dang,” she mumbled. She had some pain after all. But compared to before, it was nothing.

She sat cross legged on the bed and took the envelope with her other hand, carefully pried the seal open, retrieving the contents. His perfectly scribed penmanship filled the entire piece of parchment. She held it to her face and breathed in his scent and smiled.
I could get used to this.

Good morning, My Love.

Morning?
She’d slept half the day and all night. She thought the meal they’d prepared was her dinner, not breakfast. She started the letter again.

Good morning, My Love,

I hope you slept well. I will take you upstairs later, but for now I need you to follow these loving instructions:

1 - Breathe . . . all is well.

2 - Go to the mirror. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised.

3 - Take in nourishment. You will need your strength.

4 - Wash the tears from your face, I plan to kiss you today and do

not want to taste the remnants of your salty tears . . . although it

would not hinder my pursuit one bit.

5 - I have left something for you in your dressing chambers. It will

match your eyes.

6 - When you are ready, join me in Mara’s room. It is in the south