A Crown and A Curse

Chapter 11: Deep in the Darkness

Kian

My eyes widened as Zora rose to her feet. Not a moment ago, she had fallen backward from nausea. I rushed to her side, following Cayra's instruction not to let her move. Zora studied me with a face lacking humanity. The whites of her eyes were dark black. I stumbled back against the cave wall before she started to move towards me. Her expression was emotionless, her mouth set in a thin line.

"Zora, what are you doing?" I asked, my voice cracking. She didn't answer but instead thrust her hand toward me. I watched in horror as shadows began to circle her fingers. Her elbow pinned me in place against the wall. Zora was faster and stronger than me. If she truly chose to attack, I wouldn't stand a chance.

"Zora, please. It's me. It's Kian," I stammered. She pressed forward, her shadowy hand now inches from my face. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. I was prepared for the worst.

Then I heard a thud. The pressure on my chest was instantly released. I opened my eyes to see Tyri standing over an unconscious Zora. Tyri's face was a mask of concern.

"What happened?" I asked her, rubbing my chest where Zora's elbow had been.

"I dropped her body temperature fast enough to knock her out," Tyri said, as she moved Zora into a more comfortable position. I raised my eyebrows. I had assumed Tyri had little power as she had not mentioned her abilities to me before.

"Get her head off of the ground. Cayra will be back any moment." I moved to rest Zora's head in my lap. Her face was incredibly pale and her forehead was hot enough to make water steam.

"What just happened?" I asked Tyri, hoping she would know more about Zora's sudden outburst than me. Tyri looked to me with fear in her eyes.

"It's only occurred once before. Zora never uses her powers. I've only ever seen her use them twice. Once when she was eight, and once to create that burst you saw. When she was eight, she tried to teach herself and... it didn't exactly go well. We had to tie her to the bed so that she couldn't have an outburst like the one you just saw. I was only ten when it happened-scared me half to death,"

I frowned, wondering if Zora remembered getting this sick before. "Why does her power cause this?"

"My guess? Because she holds it in so long. Magic is not supposed to stay trapped in one place for too long. it's a gift to be used. But in Zora's case..."

"It's a curse," I finished. I found myself unconsciously stroking the woman's hair, bidding Cayra and Areis to return quickly.

"Do you really believe she can fight him?" I looked back up to Tyri, who was now holding her friend's hand. I considered for a moment.

"I believe her existence will help spark a revolution. However, I don't expect her to fight the Dark King alone."

"Hey, guys! We got the- whoa, is she okay?!" Areis rambled, pushing me aside to take Zora's head in his lap.

"Cay, she's burning up! Bring the water over!" He called out to his sister. I watched as Cayra pressed the cold towel to Zora's forehead. Then Cayra put her finger against the bridge of Zora's nose.

"She's trying to find the cause of the sickness and pull it out," Tyri explained to me. I looked at the towel.

"Why couldn't you have just used your powers to cool her down?" I asked.