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“Don’t be so silly. You did not know it would be that powerful. There had been no inclinations that it would be.” Leo smiled at me reassuringly, “Now why are you hiding?”
“I’m not hiding,” I snapped, and Leo raised an eyebrow, “I have been on fire.”
“Are you still on fire?” He asked, his eyebrows still raised as he did so. I glared at him, shaking my head. “Then you are hiding.”
“I nearly killed him!”
“But you didn’t, did you? Nearly killing someone is not the same as actually killing them.”
“Why are you here?” I sighed, knowing that I sounded like a child throwing a tantrum, but I did not want to be lectured. I wanted to understand why this had happened. I was not searching for my magic, nor had I been trying to use my emotions as an anchor, and I could not wrap my head around the horrific injuries I had caused Maeteo.
Leo smiled, his face relaxing into that of the kind mentor.
“I heard what happened, and I was waiting to hear from you yourself, but Cyrus sent for me instead.”
Cyrus sent for him? I frowned, my eyebrows furrowing in the middle.
“Now, are you going to get out of this bath and talk to me properly? Or have you not finished sulking?”
I cupped my hand and threw water across the bathroom to where Leo was sitting on the stool, giggling to himself. He lifted his hands in defeat, still giggling as he stood and made his way to the door, telling me he would see me when I was ready.
I glared at his retreating back, but slumped back into the water as I did so. I knew I could not stay in here forever, replaying the night in my head over and over again, but that did not mean that I was ready to talk about it, either. It struck me as unusual that Cyrus had sent for Leo, and the curiosity of that alone was enough for me to push the towel off the edges of the bath and stand myself up, wrapping myself in the fluffy white cotton. I grabbed a second towel to wrap my hair in and piled it on top of my head, not bothering to brush it through or use the products I had been given to keep my curls under control.
Gracie had brought a pair of linen pyjamas and left them on the bench by the mirrors for me. Baby blue with white trim, long sleeved and, to my amusement, a pair of matching, fluffy slippers. I slipped them on and reveled at the instant comfort they brought me. My hair, still in its towel, dripped slightly onto my neck, and I wiped it awaywith my hand, staring at myself in the mirror.
I had not had the chance to properly look at myself yet. I was terrified I would see nothing but a monster as I was burning, but now I just looked tired. Purple bags had begun to form under my eyes, and my freckles stood out harshly against pale skin. I looked away quickly, grimacing at the sight of myself.
A short gasp left me as I walked back into the living room. The burned curtains had been removed and new ones were hung in their place. The couches had been cleaned, and there was no sign of where they had been burned in the first place. Gracie was sitting on one couch, her legs curled up under herself as she munched happily on a small, chocolate muffin.
“How in the world —“ I cut myself off, gesturing to the room around me, and Leo laughed from where he now sat on the floor.
“It’s easy enough when you know how,” He smiled, wiggling his fingers at me, and I flushed a deep pink, moving past him to sit on the couch beside Gracie. She smiled at me as I sat, bumping me with her shoulder and holding out another small cake for me. I took it from her with a small smile, but I did not eat it, instead picking the small chocolate chips off the top of it with my nails.
Leo pushed himself up, his slightly greying hair glinting in the sunlight as it streamed in through the windows.
I watched him as he moved, making himself comfortableon the free couch. My brain had not stopped spinning with worry since I got back to the castle — Who saw me? Who saw what happened? Was I in danger? Was I the danger? Did my outburst threaten my place as ruler of the kingdoms? My hands began to sweat as the thoughts continued their battery on the inside of my head.
Leo sighed as he leaned forward, grabbing himself a small muffin from the table between the couches and sat back, one leg crossed over the other and looking far too relaxed about the conversation we were about to have.
“Start at the beginning,” He said around a mouthful of chocolate, “What exactly happened?”
I searched back in my brain to late yesterday morning, when Maeteo had come to my room to collect me for the journey into Zalas. He had been snippy and short with Cyrus but had softened when I had spoken to him. He was not himself, though. And when he had slunk away to the tavern… that was when I first noticed the burning ache in my chest.
“It felt like… indigestion.” I struggled to find words for the feeling, and Gracie lifted her eyebrow at me, “You know, when you eat too many treats before you go to bed and your chest burns, it was like that.”
Leo nodded, as though he understood. His eyes were calm and his facial expression encouraging as I wrung my hands together, staring at the now calm skin. There was no sign of any of what had happened on them. My nails were still manicured, the backs of my hands stillblemish free — the only sign that something had been amiss was the still pulsing veins.
“Maeteo came, and we went to Zalas with Cyrus, and it was so awkward in the carriage that I thought I was going to vomit. Then, when we got there, Maeteo disappeared and the feeling got worse, but I put it down to anxiety, I suppose.”
“Did anything happen in the bunker?” Leo asked, pausing his eating to take a drink of water, his eyes still on me.
“No, not really. Cyrus told us about the history of Everfell and Veton, and Hollis left with Aepein and the egg.”
“Where?” Gracie asked, frowning, and scrunching her nose.
“It’s a long story.” I sighed, shrugging, “Turns out they don’t teach the entire history of Earth back at home.”
Gracie opened her mouth as though to ask more questions, but Leo shushed her with a gentle wave of his hand. I knew I would have to answer her questions later, but now was not the time for that.
