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I woke to the smell of fire smoke and cedar. Syrra darted from the far side of the room as I opened my eyes and rubbed my temple. Sheplaced a cool cloth on my brow and I realized how damp my clothes had become.
“Did you succeed?” From the edge in her voice, I knew that Syrra had an inkling of what I had faced.
I rubbed at my dry throat and Syrra handed me a cup of water. It tasted cool and fresh on my tongue and didn’t spark a craving in my chest. I turned to her. “You had to face something like that?”
Syrra slumped beside me on the cot, breaking from her perfect posture for the first time. “I did not complete the ritual until my third attempt.” She swallowed, eyes misted as she relived some memory of it. “It takes much strength to succeed.”
I shook my head and grabbed her hand. “I could never have faced that again. You need to give yourself more credit.”
Syrra’s lip twitched to the side before her head snapped to me. “Youdidrefuse then.”
“How did you know I would be tempted?” I tucked my legs into my chest.
“The mind and body are a powerful pair.” Syrra patted my knee. “They can accomplish the most vile things if threatened.”
I shivered. I never wanted to think of the way Brenna had stood over me again.
Syrra filled my cup with water once more. “I am proud that you trusted me to get you through this safely and that you had the strength to do so.”
I wrapped my arms around Syrra and we held our embrace longer than ever before. “I will need your support to make it through this war.”
Syrra chuckled. “And I yours. Your resolve will strengthen, but even after six hundred years, I still have days that tempt me.”
I grabbed her hand. “Then we shall be strong together.”
“Apavra’kir.” Syrra nodded.
Always.
I glanced around the room. “Where’s Riven?”
Syrra stood from the bed and walked over to a small pool of water nested in one of the branches. “I told him to leave. His power was growing too dangerous while watching you struggle.”
I swallowed guiltily. “How long did that round take?”
“Eight hours.”
I blinked. The other rounds had just been pain that seemed to never end, yet every time I woke, Syrra said the session had only last an hour or two. My body was exhausted but there was a clarity in my mind that I couldn’t remember feeling before. I leaned back knowing the poison of my vices had been fully leeched, at least from my body.
Syrra swirled the water with her finger three times sunwise. The liquid rippled before glowing with a soft emerald light. Something shifted out the window and I saw that the large orb of water hanging from the city center was glowing with the same soft light.
Syrra peered over the pool in our room but her face also appeared in the orb above. She made three quick gestures with her hands, projecting them across the entire city for Riven to see, no matter which part he had ended up in.
I stared, wide-eyed, as Syrra swirled the water in the opposite direction and the glow faded away. Riven’s shadow curled around my feet a few moments later, soon followed by the Fae himself.
He whipped open the door and his entire torso sagged with relief when he saw me standing. “You’re well,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around me.
I nodded against his chest. “Areyou?” I glanced at the way his shadows shook and the sweat along his brow.
Riven’s jaw stiffened but he nodded.
“Very clever magic.” I tilted my head in the direction of the orb.
Riven smiled proudly at the watery sphere. “Vellinth was the stronghold of theniibivra’thir niimi’vra.”
“Singing fingers?” I echoed, unsure of my translation.
Syrra nodded. “There were a few bloodlines of Elverin who were born without the ability to hear as we do. Most of them were unable to speak by tongue so they created a language by hand.” Syrra moved her hands in the same gestures as before, but more slowly. I could see that there was an intricate way she held both hands for each sign and the way she positioned them in front of her seemed to change the meaning.
