Page 113 of Catatonic


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“I will aid you in healing him,” Alcor said softly. “This man is protecting my home realm from being attacked by the dragon.”

Daithi hissed, “You were almost killed so he could—” He stopped when Savida shot him a sharp look.

Savida whispered excitedly with a raised hand. “I will also help. Although, I confess, I have never used my fire to heal before. And I’m not sure how to do it.”

“You were never tested for the gift?” Alcor asked with a frown marring his face.

Daithi spoke before Savida could. “He remembers nothing of his life before I found him buried here ten years ago.”

“Your true name?”

Daithi spoke again. “Forgotten.”

It frustrated me that Daithi was speaking for Savida, but Alcor’s eyes didn’t move from Savida, nor did they show any pity. “I will show you how to remember your true name and use your fire, and we can see if you have the gift. When we have defeated the dragon, we can take you home.”

I heard the inhale from Daithi, who was about to protest, and spoke quickly. “Do we have time to do that now?”

I lay my hands gently on the chest of the old man and waited to see if he would open his eyes. He didn’t react.

Alcor continued, his focus solely on Savida. “Your true name is the sound of your fire, you only need to close your eyes and concentrate on the power inside you. Ask for its name.”

Savdia closed his eyes, his wings trembling with nervous excitement. When they went still, I knew he’d found his fire. Suddenly his eyes sprung open, and a sound emerged from his mouth like an alarm.

It didn’t make sense, the words and noise unlike anything I’d ever heard before, but Savida suddenly looked more powerful. His chest heaved and tears welled in his eyes.

Alcor crossed his arms and smiled proudly. “I’m honored to hear your true name. I swear by my own fire that I will never use it against you.”

“Nor I,” I added. Not that I would be able to pronounce it, but it felt ceremonial to announce my good will.

“Thank you, Alcor,” Savida whispered, tears streaming freely down his cheeks as he pulled Alcor into a hug. “You don’t know what you have given me.”

“A blessing and a curse. But your heritage to keep.” Alcor nodded. “You’re welcome.”

“Daithi–” Savida turned to his soul mate, a wide smile stretched across his face, but Daithi wasn’t as thrilled. His jaw locked, and his brows lowered. Savida stopped in his tracks, and his smile faded.

I patted him on the back and quickly distracted everyone from the developing tension. “I’m proud of you. Do you think you can help? His threads turn a deeper red by the second.”

“I can talk you through the process, and we can see if you have healing fire,” Alcor added, and Savida’s smile relit, his wings rising with his growing excitement. The demons stood to the side of me and leaned down to touch the protector.

As I did with Clawdia, I pushed power from me and watched as his threads slowly reacted. Red, orange, and yellow. But then they stopped changing, and despite the power I was pouring into him, the yellow suddenly flushed away, replaced by red, and his threads were even darker than before.

“Help me,” I hissed.

Clawdia was right. It is like a drain that sucks away the power.I pushed more power, but it felt like throwing all my energy into a void.I’m not helping him.

“Speak your name and feel the flicker of your fire inside you,” Alcor told Savida calmly.

The noise and words escaped Savida’s mouth again. Alcor followed with his own strange noise, the name of his fire.

My breathing was heavier, and I dared not to blink or look at them in case I lost focus on the red threads.

“Reach for the flame and grip it tight. It is yours to use. It will not hurt you. Let its power seep into the skin of your palm and feel its warmth building against this man. Now wish him well and push that into him. Your fire knows what to fix. Just lend it to his body.”

Their hands glowed, and the threads finally started moving back to green. I felt when their fire had solved whatever problem there was with his body causing my power to drain elsewhere. In a matter of seconds, his threads were a vibrant green, and my power rebounded, then stopped.

I jolted and took my hands away from the protector, closing my eyes to stop the dizziness.

Alcor calmly continued to instruct Savida, “Call your fire back to you by saying your name.” They echoed the same strange noise as before, and I opened my eyes to see their hands glowing again. “Can you feel it back in your hand? Now place it back in that safe place inside you.”

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