He clenched and unclenched his fists, willing the answers to appearin the lines of his palms. But there was nothing. No seared flesh, no scars—none that were visible, at least.
He reclined against the wall, tipping his chin up until the back of his head came to rest on the cool stone behind him. His upper arm brushed Elyria’s shoulder as he did, but still, she said nothing. Turning his head, his eyes flicked to the long bandage that started at her hand and wrapped its way up her arm. Guilt spiked in his gut. He hated that she’d gotten hurt—thathe’dhurt her, again.
“I’m sorry,” he suddenly blurted, his voice piercing the tense silence between them.
“It’s fine.” The words were clipped, her body tense, as if she were angry. She wouldn’t look at him. But she also hadn’t moved from her spot beside him.
He didn’t understand why. It wasn’t as if she didn’t have the entire open Sanctum to retreat to. Hells, she could take her pick of bedrooms. There were more of them than the remaining six of them could occupy at this point, a fact that had Cedric’s shoulders sagging with heavy sadness.
Fourteen champions had entered the Arcane Crucible—fifteen, if you wanted to get technical. Six remained.
His attention turned back to Elyria and the simmering tension he felt radiating from her at his side. Her uninjured hand was fisted in her lap, her exhalations coming fast and indignant through her nose. Yes, she was definitely angry. Outraged. Livid, even. And she had every right to be.
Once again, she’d had to come to his rescue. Once again, he’d proven himself the weak link amongst them. Once again, they were forced to wait onhim.
Although . . . that wasn’tentirelytrue this time, he supposed.
In the hours that had passed since Cedric awoke back in the Sanctum, there had been nary a sign as to what was to come next. No accolades or congratulations from the Arbiter rang through his mind. No doorways glowed. And Cedric suspected part of Elyria’s obvious frustration was due to the fact that not a single one of the champions knew what they were supposed to do next.
“I understand that you’re angry with me,” he said, coughing toclear the scratchiness in his voice. It still felt like there was smoke in his lungs. “And I know?—”
Her head whipped to him. “Of course I’m fucking angry,” she hissed, not quite meeting his eye. “I’mpissed.”
“You could have let me burn.” His voice was hoarse, and though he hadn’t intended to sound so pathetic, the words came out as barely more than a whisper.
Elyria stiffened but didn’t answer immediately. She was silent for so long, in fact, that Cedric wondered if she’d even heard him.
Finally, she released a long, shaky breath, tilting her head so that she met his gaze straight on. “And that, right there, iswhyI’m so pissed.”
He blinked, surprise flickering through him.
“All that shit that you said before you lit up like a fucking bonfire,” she continued.
Flashes of all the fears Cedric had put into words ran through his head.
“I shouldn’t have made it out of the trial.”
“How many times should I have died in here?”
“I wouldn’t have even made it past the first fucking trial without your help.”
“Look how easily my fellow humans were all taken by the Crucible. Did we even have a chance?”
“I should be dead.”
Elyria’s silver-flecked emerald eyes burned into him with a fervor, a rawness, that locked his gaze in with her own. He couldn’t have looked away even if he wanted to.
He didn’t want to.
“You think you’re so expendable, that you’re not worth saving? I disa-fucking-gree. And I really wish you would stop with this self-pitying, self-sacrificing bullshit.” Her words were like acid, but her voice was thick. “Did you ever think that maybe I didn’twantto let you go?”
Cedric swallowed hard. What was he supposed to say to that? “I’m...I’m sorry?—”
“Fucking stars above!” She threw her hands in the air, her bandage slipping slightly as she stood. “Stop apologizing for being alive, Cedric.”
Her words struck him like a slap. Not malicious though. A plea. Ademand. Like she was still waiting for him to wake up.
And hadn’t he sworn he would no longer keep anyone else waiting?
