Page 108 of A Whisper of Cinders

“A couple of bruises and cuts,” Aramis replies to a question I didn’t hear. “She’s hypothermic as well. Her temperature is rising, but slowly. Her powers were…depleted.”

“Thank you, Aramis. Please make sure you all get a good night’s rest. I will take over from here.”

I look back, meeting the worried eyes of the siblings. “I promise I’m okay,” I whisper, but due to the water that drips on the tile floor, the cuts in my clothes and the sting of the wounds, I imagine it doesn’t look very convincing.

Ami is the first one to react, pulling me in a too careful hug, followed by her hands on either side of my face. “We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.”

Her brother on the other hand seems frozen in place, ready to kidnap me to a safe place and never leave me out of his sight again. Ami gives him an elbow bump in his ribs, earning an angry look of Aramis before he walks over to me. “Please, don’t go on any other late-night walks.”

The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. Almost dying is apparently very draining. Who would’ve thought?

“I promise,” I whisper back. He places a gentle kiss on my cheek, before turning around and leaving me with Mrs Delalune.

She patiently waits, a soft smile tugging on the corner of her lips. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”

I walk over to her and out of nowhere, a thick blanket appears, landing on my shoulders, enveloping me in its warmth. “My head is kind of a mess right now,” I admit.

“I can imagine. It might be better to take the day off tomorrow and rest up. I know you feel mentally drained right now, but adrenaline is keeping you up. It also keeps the pain at bay.”

Right. That doesn’t sound very reassuring. But resting sounds…good. I think it might be exactly what I need. “Do I need to see Althea?”

She looks down at me, quickly analysing me once more. “It isn’t necessary, but we can if it would make you feel better.”

“No…that’s…I think I just need to sleep right now.”

“To bed it is then.”

We walk in silence for a little while, my thoughts a mess and the closer I get to my bed, the more drained I feel. Yet, there is one question that is burning on the tip of my tongue.

“Mrs Delalune?”

“Yes?”

“Those creatures…they are the ones Sirideán told me about, right?”

“Yes, we call them Myrvael. They are loyal to —”

“Morvith.” A shiver rolls down my spine, not the pleasant one this time.

“Indeed.” We reach my room and she opens the door, quickly checking before she allows me to enter. With a snap of her fingers, I am back in my pajamas, all cleaned up. I even smell nice.

“That is a very handy trick.”

She smiles softly at me, guiding me to the bed. “I am truly sorry this happened to you, Maily. Those creatures shouldn’t have been there. The domain is protected. I will get to the bottom of this.”

Concern is written all over her features. “No need to worry Mrs Delalune, I’m fine. Someone pulled me out of the water and signaled the others.”

Her brows furrow, yet not a single wrinkle is to be seen. “You were pulled out of the water? You didn’t swim to the surface?”

“No, I was completely tangled up in the roots. Without the magic bubble, I probably would’ve drowned. I was drowning. Then someone saved me, but I’m certain I was all alone. It is very…confusing.”

She relaxes her forehead, but the tension is still visible in her eyes. “It is. Rest well, I promise no nightmares will find you tonight.”

And with that, she touches my forehead with three fingers and a pulse travels across my skin as soon as she lifts them.

She leaves my room and for a moment, the dark scares me. That’s when small magical lights flicker on the ceiling, they remind me of the little creatures I saw with Aramis that day.