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I did not want to sound like a petulant child, but my thoughts roamed inside my mind without my control.
I cannot help you, Orla answered the question that rose in me. I cannot make my presence known before it’s time.
You shouldn’t, I told her. But you have to help me resist Lady Queill’s magic. Otherwise, she’ll learn where our friends are.
Of course, Orla replied. You are brave.
No, I am not, I told her.
Lady Queill might try to listen, she said after a long pause. I have to go now, so I don’t have time to convince you. But know this, I see the courage in you. You can try to hide it, but it is there.
I did not believe her. As I felt her touching my mind to hide what needed to be hidden, all I could feel was fear as well as relief. Orla did it swiftly and without any room for doubt. She left my mind once she was sure that I could no longer give Lady Queill the information she wanted, but that did not mean I welcomed the torture with all my heart.
I was afraid.
“I’m scared,” Xira said, echoing my thoughts. I forgot my fear for a second as I opened my mouth to respond.
I decided not to tell her about our conversation with Orla. I changed nothing for the two of us.
“What we must face is scary,” I told her instead. “I have been scared all my life, so I’m used to it by now.”
“Were you scared when I abandoned you at the arena?” Xira asked suddenly.
There was a short pause as I tried to decide between honesty and kindness.
“Yes,” I replied.
“I was scared, too,” she said.
“I know,” I replied.
“And I was scared to tell you how I feel,” Xira paused. “About you...”
“You told me,” I replied without thinking. “I knew. But I was too scared to tell you. I... I’ve always been scared.”
“I believe you would have come around,” Xira said, her tone surprisingly teasing despite our situation.
“I like to believe that as well,” I replied.
There was a pause. My heart felt lighter now. It was stupid to feel happy about simple words when there was no way we could ever see each other again. We would likely die with this stone wall between us.
“What is that?” Xira asked. “Is it raining?”
My cheeks were wet. The dungeon's darkness kept me from seeing anything, and there were no windows either. I tried to listen to the sounds around me.
It had to be raining somewhere close. I could not tell how we could hear the drops hitting the ground outside. The dungeons were underground. There were thick walls between us and the inside.
Then, I realized.
A drop of rain finally hit my cheek and slid down, leaving a mark of pureness amidst the suffering.
It was raining inside the dungeon.
“Are you doing it?” Xira asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I don’t feel the strain I usually feel when I use my magic. It is...”
I had to search deep within to find the connection between me and my surroundings. The dampness in the room was not the source of the rain.
