“Let’s get you back in bed,” Ryder says, pulling the covers back. The room is still spinning, so I listen to him and take my place under the crisp white sheets.
I’m thankful when Ryder grabs me another glass of water and places a full pitcher on the side table. He pulls over a chair and his expression hardens. I remember him. I remember him looking back at me on the mountain’s edge. The image of him feels like part of a dream. It’s not vivid in my mind, but I can still make out that it was him.
“What do you remember?” He’s waiting for an answer, but I don’t say anything. “Okay…” he continues after a long moment of silence. “Well maybe it would be better if I told you what I remember.”
I nod, giving him approval to continue. He sits back in the chair, crossing his arms. In the same swift motion, he crosses his ankle over his knee and something about the way he’s getting comfortable makes me think this isn’t going to be a long story short.
By the time he finishes, my head is spinning more than it did when I stood up. My death, the ashes, the Verenite Stone, the image of me floating in the air, the fiery wings, immortality, the Oracle’s comment, the ERV, the coma, the Shadow Lands. It’s all so much to take in.
“Why?” I finally say with a bit of a croak.
“Why, what?” he asks, leaning forward so he can hear me better.
“Why would you try to use the Verenite Stone to bring me back?”
“I just told you that you’re a phoenix. The first one we’ve known to ever exist and you’re asking me why I tried to use some useless stone?”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I retort.
“I—I don’t know,” he answers hesitantly. “You were dead, and it was all my fault. I had the stone in my pocket, and I thought it might work.”
“But why me? Why waste its power to bring me back? So many others died that day. The stone could be used for anything and even I know that’s a gift in the face of war. So, why would you risk using up its magic trying to bring me back?”
“Well don’t worry. Your ashes blew away and my blood never touched the stone, so its power remains perfectly intact.”
“You’re not answering my question!” I raise my voice and it gives out on the last word.
“What do you want me to say?” he shoots up out of the chair, turning toward the door. His fists clench his raven hair and I think he might disappear into blackness. Instead, he turns back to face me. “What do you want from me?” He sounds exhausted now like he’s tired of fighting. “Do you want me to tell you that I didn’t want you to die? That I wanted youto live? That despite your stubbornness and snarky remarks, I didn’t want to imagine a world without you in it? That the thought of you being gone forever made me disintegrate an entire mountain and bring me to my knees? Is that enough for you?”
I don’t understand why he’s acting like my life meant something to him. All I’ve ever been is a burden. A weapon for his father to wield. But here he is, acting as if my existence somehow mattered. Like the thought of me dying broke a part of him.
Perhaps it’s just his guilt talking. The prince in him that feels responsible for every life his father takes. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the time we’ve spent together, it’s that Ryder feels an unrelenting duty to protect his people from the torment of his cruel father. Maybe my death was a reminder of everyone he couldn’t save.
Before I can come up with anything to say, he storms out of the infirmary, his trail of shadows following behind him. A couple of minutes later Amaya and Emeric come barreling through the door and the thoughts that had begun to swarm my mind, fade with the sight of their beaming faces.
“Holy shit! It’s true. The legend that is Reign Calloway lives on!” Emeric shouts.
“Oh, shut it and come give me a hug!” I order to the both of them. Whatever daze or shock I felt when I first woke up has worn off and now, I can truly appreciate this second chance at life. Em’s laughter and Amaya’s gentle touch have my heart smiling. I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to see them again, but here I am. It’s a miracle and a gift that I will never take for granted.
“Dude, so you can like fly, huh?” I appreciate Emeric’s ability to cut straight to the fun stuff.
“Not quite. I mean, I guess I don’t really know. I would assume I’ll have to learn just like everyone else.” I shift my attention to the crisp sheets. “It does explain why I’ve always had this innate desire to fly, though. Of course everyone wishes they could, but it’s always been the one thing I’ve envied the most.”
“I have a feeling a lot of things about you are going to make sense now,” Amaya adds with a thoughtful smile. “What did Ryder tell you?”
“Pretty much everything about that day from his point of view. I still don’t know much about what’s been going on since then.”
“Oh boy,” Emeric says, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah, you’ve missed a lot.”
“Hey there, stranger,” Akari chimes from the doorway. Her silky, smooth bob bounces with each step as she makes her way to the end of the bed. “How’s it feel to be alive again?”
“It feels pretty damn good.”
“Thatta girl,” Emeric praises, shaking my shoulder a little too hard.
“We’re happy to have you back,” Akari says with a sincere smile. She’s never been one for hugs, but I can tell this is her way of showing affection.
“Alright you guys, hand her over.” Our attention turns to the man from earlier.
