And What I Found There - Book Two

51. I'm Only Looking At You

But two things happen at the same time in that very second.

I summon fire right before the tip of the specter can stab me and blast a wall of flame at the Phantom ready to kill me.

And Vyndren jumps on the Phantom's back, plunging his blade through its hood right just as it is engulfed in fire. I scream as they both go up in flames.

"NO!" I spring to my feet, my heart freezing in my chest as Vyndren and the Phantom burn with savage flames ripping through their bodies like swords through a haystack. I mean, bands of forked fire literally stab through their bodies.

In my frantic, wildly panicking state I summon water and earth and wind and everything I can till it's like I'm drawing strength out of world itself and I throw all I have on the flaming Dark creatures. They are thrown to the ground under a shower of dirt, the howling wind makes all the trees whirl around us, and what moisture that been pulled from the earth turns the soil around us into a huge mud pit.

The screaming red bonfire flickers and fizzles, and all is painfully still once more. Smoke wafts up from the muddy soil the two Dark creatures are buried beneath. Everything is unnaturally silent. The stillness is haunting.

I fall to my knees as tears race down my dirt and ash-streaked face, my breaking heart makes my whole chest ache with misery as I frantically claw through the mud. Smoke still billows off Vyndren's brutalized form. Did I just...? No! I sob.

"Adara," Quill shakily kneels beside me, looking me over anxiously. "My gods, I thought we lost you," he quickly pulls me into an embrace. I'm still crying as I stare over his shoulder at Vyndren. "C'mon, we have to get out of here." Quill helps me to my feet.

"No," I frantically push him away. "Vyndren!" I cry as I sink back down at my Dark Rider's side. "I'm so sorry!" I hide my face in my hands, unable to look at the dehumanized form before me a moment longer.

I'm vaguely aware of Cornelius kneeling beside me, wrapping his arms around me protectively, I cling to him as I sob. "It'll be alright, my dear," he soothingly strokes my hair but I refuse to be comforted.

"Please, get up," I wobblily urge the Dark Rider. "Get up, Vyndren!" Cornelius tries to pull me up but I shove him away and frantically crawl closer to the burned bodies. "Please, don't lay there! Get up and Heal yourself!"

Vyndren is completely burnt black save for the bright white bits of bone showing through his singed skin, glossy marks of black blood form stripes all over him and blood seeps rapidly from his closed eyes like tears of pain. I would be hysterical if I believed what I'm seeing but it's too much, this is too impossible! I mean, one entire side of his face is gone. This can't be right! This has to be a nightmare! I can see his jawbone and all of his sharp fangs through the ragged tear in the side of his face. Essentially, Vyndren is gone and there's just this wildly burnt skeleton laying here with torn chunks of flesh and muscle clinging to the charred bones.

"He's...gone. It's over, Adara." Cornelius takes my hand and tries to pull me to my feet but I wrench myself away again.

"No! I. Can. Save him!" I exclaim. I anxiously reach out and take what's left of Vyndren's bloody, boney hand, ignoring the crisp flesh that scrapes my hands as I hold it between mine. "You wouldn't let me die," I manage to stop crying long enough to speak clearly. "An-and now I'm going to...to prove to you th-that you are worth saving," I am still trembling and crying as I close my eyes, summoning magic from deep within as I search for...something. A connection or whatever to his Talent. Vyndren himself told me that I have the power to take other people's powers... If this is true -and I have to believe it is more than anything- than I need to figure out how to use this power to save Vyndren's life.

I shakily reach out with my mind... feeling with my heart...and searching with my soul...

But it doesn't help that I hear everyone's voices, loudly talking around me. "Shut up," I hiss, rocking back and forth on my heels. Their voices get louder, full of doubt. I can't take it! "I said shut up!" I shout and my eyes fly open to glare at them, tear rush down my face.

"No one said anything." Adisonia snaps, clutching her wounded side as she glares back at me, but at the same time I hear another voice, her own voice, say gods, she's really fallen off her trolley, hasn't she? But her lips haven't even moved! Adisonia doesn't even open her mouth but I can hear her just as clearly as if she's spoken aloud as she rolls her eyes. I can't believe Darie's torn up about this thing. It's a freaky Vampire for saint's sake! Stop bawling over it!

"No, shut up!" I exclaim. "Don't say that!"

"Adara? What are you doing?" Cornelius says softly but I hear him also say simultaneously, "the poor thing is clearly suffering from a mental breakdown. Gods. I hope she doesn't suffer the same as Adarina did with madness."

"I'm not crazy!" I glare at them, betrayed.

"I wish Adara wouldn't waste all of her strength on Vyndren," Quill sadly says even though he doesn't technically open his mouth to speak. "She's so exhausted as is... she might have a powerdrop, or worse."

"Wait, what?" I frantically look them over.

Nothing is making any sense to me. How can they be talking yet not? I mean, they aren't even talking to me! It's like they're talking to themselves, like I'm hearing the voice inside their - Wait! OMG! I can hear their thoughts?! The realization hits me suddenly. How insane?! Now I can hear people's thoughts? What kind of magic am I summoning?! Whatever it is, this isn't what I need right now!

I force my eyes closed and try to block out the groupie's nervous thoughts which keep getting louder and louder. Silence them, silence them, silence them, I try to hit the mute button -

Everything is quiet. Whew.

Now I try to focus on summoning Vyndren's Talent.

Suddenly it feels like ice water has been dumped inside of my head and the pain is enough to make me gasp and I dig my nails deeper into what's left of Vyndren's hand. The numbing pain gives away suddenly to colors and emotions and I feel all of his pain and his dying rage and fear, it's like...now a part of me becomes him. I hear his deep voice in my mind; Failed...failed, I failed her... Dead...if she's dead, then I should just die now...die now... I failed again...

I wearily gasp, my eyes still closed. He thinks I'm dead, he can't feel me holding his hand right now! But I can feel everything, I feel the darkness, the evil demons struggling to breathe inside of his heart, and can feel an essence of myself transcending the boundaries of my body as it melts within his dying spirit...

For a split second, I can feel all of the magic in his veins briefly surge through my own. In this breath, I desperately summon his Talent and to my complete amazement, I feel the warmth of the Talent burn in my hands. I open my eyes anxiously to see the blazing red light glowing in my palms.

"Adara," Cornelius sounds stunned.

I shakily hold my hands to Vyndren's face, the contact of our flesh instantly absorbs the lychnis light and I suddenly feel the strength of my body pouring into his. My temples are beating in time with my pounding heart and my head instantly swims... I feel so dizzy but I instantly come back to life in amazement as I watch Vyndren begin to regenerate.

It's working! I think victoriously.

"Look! She's Healing him!" Adisonia exclaims in disbelief. "How is that possible?!"

My vision dims lethargically as I struggle to stay conscious, channeling more power into Healing him before my last ounce of strength fades and my connection with his Talent is severed. I numbly collapse by my Dark Rider's side. With my last bit of consciousness, I just manage to take his hand in mine.

Just before I pass out, I think I feel him squeeze my hand...