The Heir of Moon-Fire

Chapter 38

Elentiya's POV

Mal had just finished tucking Ashleigh back into bed after she had fallen asleep while studying with him.

"You know she really looks up to you," I told him.

He nodded with a small smile. "I know..."

Realizing that there wasn't any more to say on the subject, I asked him, "Wanna go for a walk?"

He shrugged. "Why not?"

I smiled as we walked out of the palace, a wind sweeping my hair behind me. Orynth was different during the night. It was cold and dark, never terrifying... just strange. Although, the heavy snowfall, which was common during early March, could easily factor into the strangeness, causing me to see Orynth in such a strange light. 

"I've always loved the snow," Mal murmured to me as we strolled through the empty streets. He held out a hand, palm up, to feel the cold flakes against his skin. "It's soothing."

I frowned. To me, the snow had never been soothing. It felt as though it wanted to smother me. As if it was trying to suffocate my magic, too.

"It's strange, isn't it?" he asked me. I hummed in confusion. "How people can experience the same thing at the same time... but can feel completely differently about it," he elaborated.

"I was just thinking the same thing," I replied. "What do you think of the wind?" 

He frowned. "I hate it. If it's strong enough, it prevents me from hearing anything. It's hard to explain how I feel... but it's like losing my eyesight all over again."

I nodded solemnly. "For me, it feels rather invigorating..." I paused, looking over at him. I could see a pained look enter his eyes as he smiled sadly. "You can't hear or scent anything, can you?" I asked him.

"I can hear you and the wind... but I can only scent the snow." He looked towards me. "I feel..." He paused, searching for the right word. "Lost."

"Do you want to head back?" I asked him. 

He opened his mouth to reply, but I interrupted him. "Who's there?" I shouted towards the figure that I could barely make out through the gloom of night and heavy snowfall.

Mal stiffened as I shielded the intersection from the storm. I focused solely on the figure in front of me, ignoring his strange reaction. I didn't receive a response from them, though. Seconds later, strong hands shoved me sideways, taking me by surprise as I fell to the cobblestone street. I grimaced as my face connected with the cold, snow-covered stones.

"Malatyr! What the he-" my words died in my throat as I took in the scene before me. 

Mal had a deep gash running down his left arm, his dominant hand. His magic was slowly healing the wound, but it was evidently still hindering him. The four men and four women surrounding him were starting to gain ground, getting more hits in than he was dealing them. I cursed our luck. Swords would've been useful to have right now. Daggers would do, however. I launched forward, engaging half of his opponents.

I sent a plume of fire at them, scowling as it did nothing.

"Iron," Mal told me. 

"Thanks for the warning," I shouted back as I ducked under one of their swords. We couldn't keep this up much longer.

"You're welcome for saving your life," he retorted. My scowl deepened as they backed me up until Mal and I were fighting back to back.

I smiled. The fools didn't know what they'd just done. Throwing one of my daggers, it embedded itself in the eyes of one of our attackers. I used their distraction to grab Mal's left arm, throwing whatever healing magic I had into closing the gash on it.