The Hidden Crystal

Chapter 49

The fairy left through the door while Iris was bathing, unsatisfied by the offerings it found in Micah's bureau. Iris stepped out of the tub and was reaching for a towel when the door flew open again. She grabbed the towel and hid behind the dressing screen, her heart pounding frantically. If it wasn't the fairy - if it was Micah-

"Iris?"

"Char?" she gasped, peeking around the dressing screen. She had only a second to register those sharp green eyes, that familiar form dressed in a soldier's uniform, before she realized he was rushing toward her. "No, wait!" she shrieked, hugging the towel tightly about her, but he was already behind the dressing screen, engulfing her in his embrace.

"Don't you ever do that again," he said sternly, crushing her to his chest.

"Char, I'm n-not dressed," she stammered, tripping over the word 'naked' and changing it at the last second.

He released her like she was on fire, but he didn't turn away from her. She swallowed hard, holding the towel in place as his eyes scanned up and down, watching the anger build in his face.

"Did he-"

"Please stop looking," she begged him.

He finally turned away, stepping around the dressing screen as the fairy zipped through the door. Iris snatched the maid's uniform from it and pulled it on as quickly as she could. She hoped the fairy had picked up her torn dress from the floor. Char's sudden arrival had scrambled her thoughts, and she was struggling to focus on the crystal while making sense of what was going on. He was wearing a soldier's uniform. Rath had stolen a set of keys from the guards that Char had knocked out the night before.

"Is Rath here, too?" she asked, stepping around the dressing screen.

The fairy hadn't picked up the dress. Char was staring at it, and at the blood staining the gold of the tangled sheets. The sheer rage on his face made Iris take a step back. His eyes were flashing, the muscle in his jaw pulsing as he flexed and relaxed it, his fists so tightly clenched at his sides that his knuckles were white.

"I'm going to kill him," he growled.

Iris swallowed hard. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "I was following the crystal, and I-"

"No," he snapped, storming up to her. "You're not apologizing for this. Come on." He grabbed her hand and headed for the door, pulling her along with him. "I'm getting you out of here."

"But - I can't go yet," she said, following him down the stairs. "The crystal-"

"Forget the stupid crystal," he said sharply. "I'm taking you away from here. As far as I can go. Farther still if he comes after you again. This can't continue."

"It won't end unless I reach the crystal!" she exclaimed. "He's going to keep hurting people - and not just him. So many have died for this amulet - so many have killed for it. I have to stop this!"

Char stopped and spun around, grabbing her upper arms firmly and bringing his flashing green eyes close to her face. "I don't care about other people," he growled. "I care about you, Iris. I love you, and I will not allow you to stay here with that madman for another second."

"But I do care about other people," she countered. "You said it yourself - that's who I am. I could have ended this last night, but I let fear stop me. That won't happen again. If he even tries to lay a hand on me, I will kill him."

She stopped, her eyes widening as her last words echoed in the air. They were words she never thought she would say, but they rang true. She felt the anger in her chest, the same anger that lit up Char's eyes, and she felt the certainty of those words.