Lorik’s face snapped to me in need of an answer, but he didn’t speak to me this time.
“Thea,” Lorik pleaded out loud. His eyes flickered from dark to silver as if the sun were hitting him straight in the face. But it wasn’t.
“She is blocking you out,” Trivian teased. Thoughts flooded my mind at once.
I knew Lorik was hiding secrets, but he had willingly shared many with me even before we were together. He had saved my life; he had saved my friends' lives today. Lorik was attacking the enemy. Lorik gave me a dragon guide to pass my trials; his voice was the one I heard when my confidence faded during my trials. He had contacted me somehow and kept me going.
I remembered Lorik saying he would tell me all his secrets if he could when we were lying by the lake. I didn’t think much of it then. And just now, Trivian said there was a lot Lorik couldn’t tell me.
Then, I remembered his cough in the Sky Terrace when Lorik said he wouldn’t do anything to harm me. The same cough that caused Camelia’s death just hours ago.
Then, everything clicked into place. How had I not seen it sooner? Lorik Draventh was also coerced into not speaking the truth. Realization struck like a blade. Why was he silenced? Who had done it? My stomach twisted. It had to be my court. My court and my family had taken so much from Lorik, and yet he was here risking his life for me again, for my friends.
I did trust Lorik. I trusted him with all my mind, body, and soul, and I was not going to let a wildweaver get between us.
But before I could voice anything, Lorik’s magic faltered as if his eyes were on me, not on Trivian.
The wildweaver lifted his hand, and Lorik screamed in pain. He was mind-bending him as he has done with Rowan. Lorik stood, back arching and immobile. He screamed as his gaze was fixed on the sky.
Trivian then created magma on his hands, ready to attack.
I didn’t think twice. I let go of my fire. I had been aiming at the dragon as the parasite released the magma in Lorik’s direction. My hands pointed to Trivian unnaturally fast, and I aimed my magic at him.
The magic that came from me was one I didn’t recognize. Ice flung from my hands, freezing the magma before it hit Lorik. Then, I aimed at the wildweaver with full rage and strength. He was thrown by the impact a few feet away from Lorik.
A growl of pain came from Lorik’s direction, and my gaze snapped back at him, already lying on the floor. A piece of magma had hit his right leg.
I ran towards Lorik and kneeled next to him, examining the burn. Magma created more damage in one impact than any fire burns from my faction's magic. Half of his thigh was melted away; I could even see fractured bone at its center. No healing potion would fix this; we needed someone with a magical healing trace to reconstruct his leg.
“You just used ice,” Lorik hissed. “The magic is…”
“Doesn’t matter what I did, you will lose your leg if I don’t do something about it,” I cut him off. “Portal yourself to the auroric wing.”
“I won’t leave you alone,” he murmured. “And not that I can wield a portal after this injury.” “This is all my fault,” I purred.
“Stop apologizing,” he demanded.
“You were focused on me, and not on the wildweaver,” I said. “I… I do…”
“I know,” Lorik said, grabbing my hands as if he could feel what I was going to say. I do trust you.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Trivian standing up and walking with ease towards us, followed by his crimson dragon behind him.
The wildweaver was coming to kill us.
Chapter 38: The Secret
Trivian moved toward us as Lorik tried to speak to me, but I froze. I wasn’t listening; my body was still caught in fear and in the anticipation of a death that could plunge the island into chaos.
“Thea, stop spiraling,” Lorik’s voice echoed in my mind again. I shook my head, forcing myself to let go of the fear and the dark, spiraling thoughts. Even injured, this male was able to ground me.
The wildweaver was close, too close, already lifting his hand to attack us again when a shield snapped into place around Lorik and me. I had meant to wield fire. Fire was all I
knew. But something else poured from my hands.
“Impossible,” I heard Trivian say from the other side of the shield, his voice distorted and muffled by the air I had just wielded. The air barrier was impossibly tight, dense enough to protect us from the attack if I could hold it in place.
“How did I …?” I asked not knowing exactly why, but the words didn’t completely leave my mouth.
