Wylde Magic | Book 3

Seventeen: Burning

My eyes opened to darkness. 

It stirred me in alarm to not remember where I was at first, and I reached with my magic only to find nothing at my fingertips to light the room. I called, but it didn't come.

"She's awake," a familiar voice murmured, and I found that it rumbled from underneath me. I lay against a warm wall of muscle. Breathing in his smokey scent, I recognized the comfort of my triquetram with me. Spaulder. 

But where were we? And why?

My elven eyes were quickly adjusting to the dark room and I could see that we were in a bed I didn't know. Though, from the look of the room, we were still in Eberon's estate.

Schula rushed into the room at Spaulder's words, soon followed by Nassir.

"What happened to the battle?" I asked. 

Images began filtering through my head. Bara Khalja. The devil that burns the plains and raids the peaceful. He was there, more terrible than any story of him I'd ever heard. And the Winter fae creatures that assaulted the estate. They were terrible in their vicious attacks, lashing out with no regard for the lives they tried to take or even for their allies fighting next to them. 

I shivered at the memory.

"Wren!" Schula sat on the other side of the bed so that I was now squished between an ice fae and a dragon. Their arms tangled around me in a hug.

I tried to sit up. "But the battle!" 

"Shh, it's over," Schula said. 

"It was over before you fell, little one," Spaulder said. "Can you remember?"

I took a steady breath, nodding. "Right, of course. I do remember now."

"What happened?" Schula asked. "You just lost consciousness. You had us all so worried."

I looked around the room to the nearest lantern on a side table. Schula saw my stare and wordlessly reached over to light it with the provided flint. 

"My magic, it's gone," I said. My throat was tight with worry. I tried reaching a hand up again and calling for flames. Still, nothing happened.

"I believe it is not gone, so much as it is empty," Nassir said. 

Schula managed to squirm even closer to me, entangling our legs and arms as she laid her head on my shoulder. 

"It's such a mess out there," she said. "The bodies, the destruction."

I moved around in the bed just enough to feel that I had been put in one of my easy tunics and leggings. At least I wasn't wearing the tattered war clothes in bed.

"We should help clean up," I said, trying to sit up but being prevented by Spaulder and Schula.

"Oh no you don't," Schula said. "We've already taken some turns leaving your side to help, but with all the Autumn warriors here they don't need any more help. Right now you just need to rest."

"And eat," Spaulder said. "I will procure something from the kitchens."

The solid warmth of Spaulder at my back left as he got up from the bed. Schula reached around me to pull the blankets up around us.

"Where are we anyway?" I asked. "This isn't the room I put my things in."

"No, it's a room from our suite," Schula said. "Do you think Spaulder and I are going to let you out of our sight today? You scared us terribly."

"And they are not the only ones upset," Nassir mused, his mouth fighting to grin under his cool composure. "A certain champion of the Autumn court is outside now, chasing down remnants of the enemy army just to burn off his upset energy."