The Hidden Crystal

Chapter 60

Iris was trying to be upbeat, but her thoughts were more suffocating than the sweltering summer sun above. The creature in the tunnels. The amulet, or crystal, or past bearers, or maybe all of them, possessing her in the throne room. Micah.

He was a poison running through her veins. She hated him, she couldn't bear to think about him, and she couldn't get away from him. Every word, every touch, that horrible morning when he raped her. The pain and torture he inflicted during the extraction process was nothing compared to the rest of it. And the worst part of it all was that she meant nothing to him. She held no attraction for him beyond her magic, but he had studied her like any other test subject, any other enchanted creature, and he knew exactly how to make her feel as helpless as possible so she wouldn't fight back.

It hadn't worked, of course. He went too far and pushed her over the edge. Now he was dead and gone, and she was still here, broken beyond repair.

She should be happy. Char proposed to her, and he still treated her like she was something precious, even though she felt like she was filthy and unloveable. Being with him made her feel a little better. Rath, too, was a spot of sunshine in the darkness that surrounded her. And when they got back to the mountains, Elera would be there with her bear hugs and her incessant mothering. Iris would have a family, a real family, one that didn't change every few years.

But Micah took the only gift she had to give Char, and the amulet...

She didn't even want to think about that.

"That's it," Rath announced, tossing his packs down to the ground when the sun climbed to its zenith above them. "I can't stand this heat anymore. We're flying from here."

"Where did it even come from?" Char asked, tossing his pack with the rest. "It's been so cold lately, and then today, it's back to summer."

"It's because of the crystal," Iris said quietly.

Rath and Char looked up from rummaging around in the packs for food.

"What? How?" Rath asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know, but I know it's true."

All three of them sat down to eat for a few minutes. She had the feeling Char and Rath were waiting on further explanation, but she didn't have one to give them. The past bearers told her that all the wrongness she saw on her flights to the castle was because of the amulet needing to be restored to the crystal. She didn't know more than that.

"Well, let's get you bundled up," Rath finally said, untying the pack that held most of their blankets and standing up to let one unfold. "I'm going to apologize in advance, because I know this is going to make you feel absolutely miserable until we get in the air."

"I should hold the packs, too," Iris said, picking the other two packs up and climbing to her feet. Rath draped the first blanket around her shoulders.

"It'll be late when we get back," Char said, adding another blanket. "Too late to wake Mother. You'll have to stay in the barracks with us."

A thin layer of sweat covered Iris' skin even before they started piling the blankets on. The thick quilts and comforters were heavy around her shoulders, and she decided she had been exaggerating earlier when she thought the heat was suffocating. She wasn't exaggerating anymore. These blankets were indeed making her miserable.

"Kelnor will want a full report first thing in the morning, anyway," Rath continued. "Are you doing okay?"

Iris nodded. "Just really hot."

"Yeah, you are," Rath agreed, his teasing smirk out in full force.

"Rath," Char warned.

"What? I was just agreeing with her," Rath teased, his dancing blue eyes taunting Char. He earned a smack on his shoulder for his efforts.