Storm's Rapture | Storms Series: Book 1 (This is a Co-Write)

Chapter 66: Rosanna

AN: No Piarari Key needed this time. Be sure to drop some comments as you read. Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I heard Cyris come into the room really late last night, and I knew it was because he'd been having problems sleeping for the past few nights now. However, no matter how many times I asked, he wouldn't tell me what was wrong! And something was definitely wrong! He was losing sleep and in pain. What was going on?! Cyris mentioned Kian in his last explanation to me, so maybe my brother would be able to shed some light on the situation. I decided I'd go to the library the next morning to seek him out, and I found my brother sitting by the fire.

"Kian," I greeted my brother.

"Oh hey, Rose. What's up?"

"What's up with Cyris?" I asked. "Do you know?"

"What?" he questioned, as if he didn't know what I was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"Well, did you say anything to him?" I pressed. "Something that would offend him?"

"No, of course not! I didn't say anything—"

"Really? Because he seems really distant lately. Did something happen?"

Kian paused, thinking about the question I assumed. "Not that I know of..."

"Cyris told me he's been training very hard with you... Why are you pushing him so much? You know it's only going to hurt his health more." I folded my arms over my chest.

Kian sighed. I could tell he wanted to tell me something, but he was hesitating.

"What is it, Kian? Tell me the truth, what is going on?" I pressed.

"You died Rose," he confessed. "You died and he couldn't imagine a world without you in it, so he went to the temple of death and begged for you to be brought back!"

I was stunned and found myself staring at him with wide eyes.

"He...took on a curse for you. I guess I was wrong about him. He was reckless, Rose, his love for you is reckless. He got lost in it while you ran for your lives. That's why he couldn't let you go. He couldn't let that reckless love for you go... Neither one of you can..,"

I think my heart stopped at that moment. Cyris had...made a deal to bring me back, he'd taken on a curse for me. I wasn't sure what kind of curse it was, but I knew I needed to know more.

"What kind of curse?" I asked shakily. I was panicking inside, breaking down for the man I loved.

"From Cyris' explanation... When someone dies, their soul passes on through Cyris, and then into the afterlife. He said it was excruciating for him..." Kian winced. "I guess he's the veil between both worlds now."

"So...all this time...he's been in pain...because of me?" I bit my lip as tears welled up in my eyes. "Gods...he...he took on a curse because of me...!"

"Because he loves you, and couldn't live without you, Rosanna," Kian countered.

"I need to fix this. I need to fix this right now."

"Hang on," Kian stood up. "What does 'fix this' mean exactly, Rose?"

He gave me a look, already suspecting what my next action would be.

"I need to break his curse," I stated. "I need to stop this. He's suffering because of me."

"Rosanna, no. You don't need to put yourself in unnecessary danger!"

He stood up, ready to stop me if he had to. I ran my hands through my hair. I was panicking. Cyris had been suffering this whole time and it had been something magical. Why hadn't I clued into this? I'd sensed a shift in his aura, I should have known it was something magical. Why hadn't I seen this?

"It's not unnecessary danger when I want to protect him, Kian. Why should he be in pain and suffering because he saved my life?!"

"That was the choice he wanted to make," he affirmed. "And he would make that same choice again if he had to..."

"What happened that night?" I asked. "Tell me. Please! I have to know what happened..." I needed to know what happened. What exactly had he done that night? What had been running through his head?

"We...all were mourning...but I..." he bit his bottom lip.

"What? You what, Kian...please, tell me."

"I'm the one who brought it up, Rosanna. It's partly my fault," he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I told him about the temple, and about Akodic, remember?"

Kian was right. He had told Cyris about the temple and Akodic prior to the battle. But I didn't think it was significant at the time.

"It's not your fault," I assured my brother.

"Then why do I feel so guilty?"

My brother's eyes glistened. I touched his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. I didn't want him to feel guilty, but at the same time, I couldn't stop thinking about Cyris and the curse. I needed to break it somehow.

"Kian... I need to fix this..." I whispered.

He had his hands on his hips, but he shifted his body and folded his arms across his chest.

"Fix it how? He's enchanted, which means we need some very powerful magic to counteract it," Kian pointed out.

I thought about it for a few moments. One of the first things I learned when I started mixing potions was that every potion had an opposite. A fire starting potion had a water potion that could cancel it out and so on. So, there had to be a way to break the spell on Cyris or at least lessen the severity of it.

"I...I don't know yet," I admitted. "I'm going to do some digging, but later. Right now...I need to talk to him."

"Are you sure? He really didn't want you to know, Rose..." Kian questioned and bit his lip. "I've betrayed his trust."

Kian looked deflated as his arms fell to his sides, and I could tell he felt awful.

"I need to know exactly what happened in the Temple, Kian..." I replied as my eyes glistened with unshed tears. "He's going to be my husband...and the King of Espor. He's the father of my unborn child... I need to fix this...I need to talk to him."

"Fine. But please tell him you forced me," Kian said. Then he put his hands together like he was praying.

I nodded. My brother let out a sigh of relief.

"Where is Cyris now?"

"Last time I saw him, he was outside in the gardens," he told me.

I didn't say anything else. Instead, I rushed out to the gardens. I needed to talk to Cyris. I needed to know the truth, and I needed to hear it from him. I also needed to know why he wouldn't tell me something like this! I needed to fix this. I needed to save the man I loved just as he'd saved me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: Be sure to drop some comments and vote!