Orelie

*29*

*29*

Eventually, I came to. I let out a small groan as I held my head. Where am I? I remember being attacked, but what happened afterwards?

"Kyrene!" I gasped in pain as something rammed into my body.

"Myla?" My voice barely managed to get out. "Where am I? What happened?"

"You don't remember the two drunk men?" She asked as she sat in a chair next to me.

"I remember that, but what happened afterwards?" I slowly sat up, grimacing.

"You used Dark magic." Her voice trembled. "I was so scared for you... after you had shot the Propulsion orb back at them, you started coughing up black blood. I didn't know what to do. Then, Elementals came out of no where and carried us to the healing room."

"How long have I been out?" I glanced over to see a glass of water on the small table beside me.

"About two days." Myla replied. "Striker and I have hardly left your side."

My eyes widened at his name. "Where is he? Is he okay? He hit that tree pretty hard."

"He's fine." She assured me. "He had a huge bruise, but the Healers took care of it. As for where he is, he said he had to grab something from town. He should be back soon."

A knock at the door startled the both of us. I held back a relieved sigh as Professor Rodnik and Striker stepped in. "I was told to come in and assist Kyrene with something. Is she alright?"

Myla nodded. "She's awake."

"What do I need assistance with?" I asked as Striker paced towards me.

He took up my hand and placed a small object in it. "Add this to your staff. It will help you."

I pulled my hand back and opened it. "What is it?"

Professor Rodnik took a step closer. "That's a piece of obsidian. It's meant to help with channeling Dark magic so it doesn't cause too much harm to the caster."

"Where's my staff?" I shifted and held my head, grimacing once more.

"We can add it later." Professor Rodnik placed a hand on my shoulder. "Right now, you need to rest. But before that, I need you to answer me a question. How many times did you feel your heart beat like it was wanting to come out of your chest?"

I thought for a moment. "Three. It was three times, one every two seconds."

Professor Rodnik scratched his chin. "Three times. Three years."

"I'm sorry?"

He took a breath. "Kyrene, from what Myla told me, you used the combo spells Absorption and Propulsion against the man attacking you. For every two to three seconds those spells are used, one year of your life is taken."

I gulped. "So, I'll live three less years in my life time? Is that what you're saying?"

"I'm afraid so." He said softly as Striker stiffened and Myla gasped. "We don't know how long you actually have. It could be ten years, twenty years, or five. The only way to get a decently accurate reading,"

"Is with an Orelie." Striker finished for him and punched the wall. "Damn it all."

"Control yourself." Professor Rodnik scolded him. "This is a place of healing. Any more violence, and I'll kick you out."

"Yes, sir..." Striker turned and crossed his arms.

"Try not to think about it too much," Professor Rodnik gave my shoulder a comforting pat. "We'll let you rest now."