A Forest On Fire

Banshee

The book. As soon as the haze in Elliot's mind cleared, she remembered the book. The book. How could she have forgotten the book? The books that they had found in the ravaged theatre. The book that Victor had put his note to Delilah in. The books that Merlin had taken with them in his bag. The other book in which Victor had written a note to himself, a note that he was meeting his brother in the L'arbre Vivant, where Isaac told them that Oliver was his brother. A book that would, potentially, inform her of what Lydia was, what the telé'l were, what lourierre was. But did Merlin still have his bag? Did he lose it? She couldn't remember. Maybe it was in the carriage, maybe he had left it there.

As the Governor became more aware of her surroundings, she became conscious of a tingling sensation in her legs and hands. Then, she felt the coolness of something against her forehead and water slowly rolling down the side of her nose. The muscles in her jaw and neck felt unusually tight. The first thing she could move was her tongue. She felt her teeth and the roof of her mouth steadily, quietly, eyes closed. Her mouth was sickeningly dry. Elliot cracked open her eyes; the room was dark, except for three candles. She felt pressure on her hand, but she did not look over. She closed her eyes again. Something was quickly pressed against her lips; something porcelain- a cup.

"It's water," said a voice. It came from the same side as the pressure on her hand, which had now lifted. It was Lydia.

Elliot barely opened her mouth, just enough to allow Lydia to pour water into it. She swallowed softly and relaxed. She did not know if she could speak, so she did not try. Instead, after a moment of prolonged silence and a few more mouthfuls of water, Lydia spoke for her.

"You're wondering what happened, no, Governor? Even if I couldn't tell, it's only natural."

Elliot did not move or speak.

"It was strange; they said they had never seen something quite so dramatic. They didn't know what happened, and they didn't know what to do. But they did something right, I suppose. It passed eventually. I should tell Maribelle to get better nurses, shouldn't I? Poor things were helpless."

She did not want to open her eyes.

Lydia suddenly went quiet. She gave the Governor more water. Lydia was thinking. She was thinking whether or not to tell Elliot of the bond they share. She felt all of it; it was something unlike anything she had ever experienced. It wasn't terrible; it didn't hurt. In fact, she couldn't feel anything. It was strange, confusing. It was like she was out of her body. She was with Claudia and Louis at the time, and, when they saw her just staring, sitting, that's when they knew something was wrong. Lydia herself didn't realize that meant it had happened to the Governor until after it passed.         

They would be able to use the bond to their advantage, somehow; they would be able to communicate. At least, Lydia would be able to tell what she was thinking. Elliot wouldn't be able to do much with it, but, if she knew, think of what they could do! What they could accomplish! The Governor could command her from afar; Lydia would be able to obey from afar. But, alas, Lydia did not tell Elliot. She sat there, with her hand on the Governor's, with a pristine, porcelain cup in her hands, looking down at the ruffled sheets draped over the bed, wondering when the woman lying in front of her would speak. But she did not speak, not for many minutes, not for many hours after.

Lydia set the cup down on the bedside table covered with folded spare blankets and pages inscribed with unintelligible words, and she bent down, shuffled around in Merlin's bag, and took out two books- the very books Elliot had been thinking about. See? The bond was useful, yet it remained a secret. She opened the folklore book and flipped through the pages, which gave a satisfying crunch whenever one was turned. Lydia looked at Elliot.