Bleeding Ink

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Her mother helped Dessa stand in the middle of the courtyard, legs shaking beneath her. Somehow, her lips lifted at the corners to smile, though her mind still raced with all of her unanswered questions. Questions Lyv promised to answer for her, though Dessa had a feeling that would be until later once they were alone.

Right then, her aunt Ada stepped forward again, bringing along with her a skin of water one of the guardsmen handed her. "Here," she said. "Drink something. Are you feeling all right?"

Dessa nodded, taking a long drink. "I guess. My stomach's still turning, but I don't think I'll get sick again."

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as some of the palace staff came to clean up the mess she made. Training was obviously finished for the morning, so the guardsmen began to shuffle out until the only ones left were her, her mother, Ada, Balian, and Imrie.

Meeting Balian's worried gaze, Dessa stepped forward just as he opened his arms for her, hugging him tight. "Hi," she said in his ear.

"Hi?" he snorted. "That was some entrance, Dessa."

"You know me," she laughed.

When they pulled apart, Balian gave her another blinding smile before leaning in to kiss her cheek. The way her stomach flipped then wasn't anything related to being sick, but rather nerves and awkwardness. What a way to come back to Escarral, especially after what happened between them the last time she was there. She would always find him handsome, though they would never be anything more than friends.

Imrie got to her then, yanking her forward to hug her. The jerking movement had Dessa laughing at her other female best friend, blowing the strands of blond hair out of her face.

"The only time you're allow to get sick like that is when we're drinking the night away with Milena, got it? You scared me half to death!" she chided, squeezing her tight before leaning back to grin at her. "But magic, huh? Why didn't you tell us you finally got it?"

"Because that was the first time," Dessa answered.

"Are you all right?" Balian worried. "Do you need to go to the infirmary. You know Mother's got anything and everything you would need to ease any nausea..."

"I'm fine. Would you stop it already?"

Lyv was shaking her head as she said it, though. "No, even though your healing magic..." She made another little sound of happiness. "...has pretty much healed every break, bruise, and cut, I want you to drink some of the tea she usually has on hand. Balian, Imrie, would you take her, please?"

At the thought of her mother leaving her side, Dessa's panic rose in her throat. What if she couldn't regain control of her magic if it exploded again? What if another portal appeared and pulled her into it with no way of knowing where she was going?

Lyv reached forward, grabbing Dessa's hand and squeezing tight. She could practically feel her mother's magic in her fingertips, which made Dessa's jump at the familiarity, at the opportunity to say hello. It was mostly the fire magic she'd inherited from her, though theirs were so different yet alike. Intricately intertwined with it, there was the side of her magic from her father, magics from all four territories of Dalcaine.

"You're going to be fine, Des. I promise. I'll just be a little while, all right? I need to...I need to talk to Ada and then I'll meet you there."

"But..."

"Go on."

It was the tone in her mother's voice that had Dessa going silent, nodding in compliance.