The Mountains Blade

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Panic

Elwyn was slick with sweat, despite the ice that melted off her fingers.

Focus, focus, don't burn the book, she told herself as she tried to gather her emotions. Avelina's horror played over and over again in her mind. She had looked at her like she was a monster. Elwyn gripped the books tightly as she sped down the hallway. Where was she even going? She had no idea what to do. She was a monster. A sob bubbled in her mouth, and Elwyn growled in anger, biting her lip to keep the sound from escaping her.

"Elwyn." She didn't turn as she heard her name, not as it was repeated thrice more. She barely registered as Evander steered her by the shoulder into a room that smelled strongly of cedar wood. Elwyn felt the sweat stick to her, despite feeling unusually cold to the bone.

She sat in the chair Evander led her to and stared at the wood floor beneath her feet. She had no shoes on, and she shouldn't feel so cold. However, Elwyn also shouldn't be able to form ice at her fingertips, but she did. Her magic felt spiraling out of control since her run-in with the shadow leader. It felt tainted somehow, moody even.

"Take some deep breaths, " Evander said tenderly. Elwyn looked up at Evander as he took the opportunity to take the books from her arms. He placed them on the cedar table beside her. Elwyn swept her gaze over him and didn't let it faze her that she was in his chambers. She felt sick, weak, and nauseous. How many others thought of her as a monster?

Evander reached forward slowly, his blue eyes locking with hers as he moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're not a monster, Elwyn."

Elwyn scoffed, looking away from him, knowing he saw the tears filling her eyes.

"You didn't think that when I was in your kingdom?" She said piercingly.

Evander gently moved her face to his and kissed her lips tenderly. Elwyn froze, and the warm sparks that erupted inside her floored her.

"There is only one monster in this room, and it's not you, " he said.

Elwyn was both flattered and morose.

"That's not true." She objected.

Evander said nothing in response to that but stood from where he had crouched in front of her and began to tug at the hem of her shirt.

"What are you doing?' She gasped, latching her hand over his as he tried to pull her shirt off.

"You're bleeding."

"I-" Elwyn stopped as she looked down at her shirt.

The black material clung to her shirt. Her wound had gushed enough blood that she had thought she was sweating.

Elwyn felt she might faint.

"Creator above." She gasped.

Evander pulled the shirt up, gently avoiding the fabric from rubbing at the wound.

Evander helped her stand as a wave of dizziness sent her falling. Elwyn dug her nails into his arms as he caught her.

"I won't let you fall, Mon Coeur," Evander assured, pulling her into a cradle hold. Elwyn's head felt fuzzy as she lay against his chest. She didn't know what his words meant, but the sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before she drifted into unconsciousness.

Elwyn was pulled back into reality with the sting of her shoulder. She hissed, lurching forward, nearly toppling off the counter Evander had placed her on.
He steadied her with one hand, the other holding a bloodied rag.
Elwyn had her undergarment on, but still felt naked to the bone as he continued to blot the wound gently. Elwyn gritted her teeth, her throat muscles aching with the strain.
"Shouldn't Opal be doing this?" Elwyn asked, shifting uncomfortably. She looked past him to the other mirror, seeing herself slouched on the counter, pale as snow. Evander's muscles were tensed, and his focus was on her wound as he pressed his hand against it and closed his eyes.
Elwyn looked at his face in the mirror, watching as they opened, and his blue eyes met hers. They shone with a bright glow, startling her. Elwyn turned to face Evander and stiffened as she noticed the lack of pain pulsing through her shoulder.
Elwyn stared wide-eyed at Evander, but he only breathed deeply, as if annoyed, and pulled away from her.
"What did you just do?" She asked.
Evander's jaw twitched as he used the towel to wipe off her blood from his hands.
"Our bond." He said.
Elwyn's heart stalled. They could help each other heal because they were mates, predestined for each other. Elwyn nodded. "Oh, right." She mumbled, feeling small.

"You should try to give yourself a sponge bath so you don't get your wound too much more inflamed."

Elwyn hummed in acknowledgement, sliding down the counter. Instantly, she grasped Evander's arm as a wave of dizziness blurred her vision.
She took a moment to stabilize herself and cleared her throat in the silence. "Sorry, I'll be on my way."
Evander gently pressed against her arm as she tried to move. She looked up at him with a momentary feeling of confusion. "Stay. Bathe and stay."
Elwyn blinked at him with more surprise than she had ever felt regarding him. She hesitated, searching his eyes, finding a glowing protective gaze.

After a long shower consisting of standing on the edge of the stream of water and using a cloth to cleanse herself, Elwyn exited feeling much more refreshed. If she were honest, she had barely done more than read and take dreaded showers over the last few weeks. Her body was healing slowly, slower than when she had no magic.

Since getting clawed by the shadow leader, Elwyn's body felt like it was drowning in darkness. She couldn't explain it, nothing except the black blood that oozed from her wound.
Opal had paled when she saw Elwyn's blood flowing black, but insisted it wasn't something to worry about. Elwyn, however, felt it was something very wrong, but not bad enough to bother. Not when she seemed to be the only one trying to find a cure for her mother. Hope Greywater grew weaker by the day. Her cheeks had begun to sink in, and soon enough, she would refuse food. When that happened, the clock would truly start to tick.

Elwyn's heart pounded, and she placed her hand on her chest, taking in deep breaths of air. Now was not the time to panic, but timing didn't matter. Elwyn grabbed hold of the counter's edge, sliding to the ground with her towel half-clasped. Her legs were shaking, giving out beneath her as she sucked in deep thick gulps of air. She couldn't see anything, her vision was blurred, her hand slipped from the edge of the sink, and she landed half-sprawled on the floor with a hiss of pain.
This was not happening. She would not panic on the floor of Evader Kane's bathroom. Elwyn grasped her throat, her shoulders aching loudly in her ears like a drum. She couldn't breathe, an inky blackness was stretching beneath her, coaxing her into it, the air was thick with it, blood pooled in her mouth.

And suddenly she was back on the bathroom counter with warm hands cupping her cheeks. "Elwyn?" Evander's voice was thick with worry, eyes sparkling with gold flecks. Elwyn blinked from where she sat. She looked into his eyes, the pain, it felt like hers. Her lip trembled, and a sob broke through her as he pulled her into him. Elwyn didn't push him away; she clung to him with every ounce of her strength, her wet hair sticking to both skin. She didn't care about the sting of her wound or the state she was in. She held him like her was the root to life. Elwyn felt the flow of the bond, his pain and hers melting into one as he held her and she cried.