Page 31

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Liv

M y head rang from the pain.

Maev landed in a heap near the railing, unconscious, surrounded by melting chunks of ice. She was close to the edge, and if she rolled back any farther, she would fall into the open air.

I reached out a hand. “Maev.”

Ollo rushed for her, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around her. He held her to his chest while he rested against the gold metal railing.

“What did you do?” His tone was flat, angry.

“I don’t know. It was the swords. They’re magic.”

“It’s concerning to know you have ancient ore weapons and don’t know how to use them.”

“I never figured them out. I …” I dropped my gaze, unable to look at him. “Is she okay? Would the barrier not have kept her on board?”

“The barrier keeps out danger. It senses attack, power and projectiles. It does not keep anything in.”

“I thought the swords would help you?—”

“I suppose I should be thanking you.” Ollo sounded reluctant to say anything.

“It was my fault in the first place.”

“Yes. It was. What’s the matter with you? You could’ve died! Why did you take it on? I thought you wished to return the magic, not fight the beast.”

His anger was jarring when, only moments ago, he was trying to soothe me. Now that we were all safe, I suppose it was time to let it all out.

“He wasn’t attacking me, not until the last second.”

“He?” Ollo’s hair fell in wet strands, sticking to his clenched jaw. “Liv, it’s a thing now. The Guard is gone.”

I flinched. “You don’t know that. I’m not gone! So he could still be in there.” I didn’t dare tell him about how I saw him in sleep.

He stayed quiet until a hint of compassion eased the heat in his glare.

Then his nostrils flared, and he remembered his sister lying in his arms. “You’re two sides of a coin.

You bury the magic within. The Aspis is a beast without.

You are magic taken from the gods. It’s a creation to destroy you. The hosts, they never come back.”

I ignored how his words stung. Ollo leaned his head against the railing, cradling his sister, trying to warm her, pulling her in tight. I was ashamed to note I was jealous. Ollo looked solid and warm.

“I’m not trying to hurt your feelings,” he continued, brushing back the hair stuck to his brow.

“Or to demand you get over your loss and love for the Guard. I’m merely trying to keep you alive.

Despite our turbulent introduction, my sister has come to care about your well-being.

As such, so must I. Let Maev and I protect you.

Even if it’s only until the temple. I want to make sure I get Maev home. ”

I shifted away, uncomfortable, and flexed my fist. My thumb and forefinger curled this time, and the middle moved, but the last two remained stiff. “You fixed me,” I said in a low voice.

“Not so well. Your arm is attached, but the scarring—there wasn’t enough magycris. You … healed too fast on your own.”

I tried my fist again, pushing my muscles. I healed myself … but not well enough.

“We did our best,” Ollo said. “I’ve never healed a severed limb.”

My hand shook so violently it vibrated. I let it fall, studying the fingers that wouldn’t bend as moisture dripped from the railing.

“I should be protecting you. The Ikhor is the saviour of the Aethars—I mean Rydavians—is it not? You two should not be protecting me. I’m not that kind of girl anyways.

I don’t want a knight in shining armour. ”

“I am starting to see that. Then let me play advisor.”

I lifted my head, covering my broken hand with the other. “Okay. What’s your advice?”

“Smarten up, control yourself, embrace your situation and follow me. We must ensure Maev gets us to Ouras and then gets us home. We arrived close to the temple. I was coming up to get you two. Our bags are packed, and we are ready to go. After you change, of course.”

For the first time, I noticed Ollo dressed in all black. The contrast to his pale blue skin and shining light hair was … well, appealing. The clothing hugged his frame tightly, showing he was fitter than I had thought.

“Bags?” I asked as he shifted Maev so she was lying comfortably, her head resting on his chest.

“Maev found the Guard’s room. We’ve taken their supplies. It’s how we had magycris so close by when I heard Maev screaming.”

“I’m glad you two were so close. Thank you.” I tried to make a fist again. Still, the last two fingers barely moved.

“We have prepared ourselves this time in case the ship is compromised. Again.”

Three packs laid discarded close to the door. I recognized them. One was Nuo’s. I knew it well from gripping it as I followed him through a jungle.

“When Maev recovers, we will leave immediately. We have no idea how close the Guards could be. Not that they are a threat to you anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

Ollo looked from my hand to my shoulder.

“The Ikhor’s magic seems to be keeping your body from fatal wounds.

Though you are starving and growing physically weaker, I saw for myself how quickly you healed on your own.

Had we not had your arm,” he paused, squirming where he sat.

“Had we not pushed your arm back toward your shoulder and aided with magycris, you would have healed anyway—if only one limb short.”

“What does that have to do with the Guards?”

“They’re trained to hunt and kill you alongside the beast. I don’t think they would be able to. I think your only fear should be the beast itself.”

It wasn’t my only fear, but I didn’t correct him. The Guards could harm me in other ways.

We waited for Maev to warm up, and I wondered how long I would be on the run. Was there nowhere in this world I wouldn’t be chased down for who I was?

I hated that I was jealous of Ollo embracing Maev. My sister had never held me.

“What’s that look you’re giving me,” Ollo asked, shaking me from my thoughts.

I should have considered not answering, but I was too tired and rattled to think before speaking. “Maev told me you had another brother.”

Ollo’s face changed so fast that I knew immediately it was the wrong thing to say. “Sorry,” I backtracked. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I had a sister, I do have a sister, but she’s in the past now. She was not caring toward me as you two are.”

I don’t know why I thought mentioning Rebeka would improve the situation—like having a lousy sibling was better than a dead one.

“I’m surprised Maev mentioned our brother,” he said after a moment. “We rarely speak of him.”

“She didn’t really tell me anything. She was yelling at me.”

He laughed, breaking the tension, and my shoulders slumped in relief.

“She also doesn’t get this aggressive towards people. You bring out a side of her I haven’t seen in a long time. I thought I was the only one who received her caustic commentaries.”

“That’s not great to hear,” I muttered.

“You are a strange woman, Saviour. Not bad, but strange.” Ollo gazed down the length of my body, stopping at my hand in my lap. His expression hardened when he saw me playing with my stiff fingers.

Something stirred within me, held under his sharp gaze. Maybe it was the jealousy of Maev having someone close. Perhaps it was finally realizing the Aspis was not him . Maybe it was because I was lonely, but I liked how Ollo looked at me.

“Maev and I were inseparable once.” He looked away too quickly to be casual. “When we began our studies several years ago, we parted for the first time. It was a thrill at first, the freedom.”

“What happened? Maev commented that you two hadn’t been keeping contact.”

“She was surprised I asked her for help—asking how to locate you—because we hadn’t spoken in months. I suppose I can admit now that when I was advancing in my studies and succeeding at every turn, I got a touch distant. No—arrogant. Maev tried calling me on my ego long ago, but I wouldn’t listen.”

“I got the impression you weren’t full of ego.”

A sadness made his shoulders sag. “It was another woman who made me see how my behaviour was unappealing. I was too embarrassed before to reach out to Maev and admit she had been right. This journey has been another lesson in many ways. I didn’t know how much I missed my closest friend.

” He ducked his head, frowning down at Maev.

“She knew me best, and yet, travelling with my twin these past few months, I realize I haven’t known her in some time.

She’s changed. She’s more fierce. This trip—and don’t tell her I said this—it was also an excuse to have time with her so I could know more about the woman she’s become.

And now, I want to get her home so I’m not learning all of these things while we are in danger. ”

“What was she like before?”

The corner of his mouth lifted from whatever memory was brought to mind.

“She was endlessly curious, always bothering someone to ask a million questions. I was more reserved at home, enjoying solitude. But when people were around, we were the opposite. Maev closed up, afraid of what others saw, while I enjoyed the attention. We were inseparable, however, and told each other everything. Now, I feel like we don’t talk about what’s underneath.

She’s surprised me with her displays of honesty regarding you.

She was always overly polite when speaking to others. ”

“Glad to know I am bringing out the worst in her.”

“You’re bringing out the trueness of her. I think she intends to be your friend.”

Guilt stabbed me—running from them, icing them, causing so much trouble. “I’m doing my best, you know. I’m not trying to make things harder for you two.”

Ollo took a deep breath, checking Maev’s temperature with a hand to her forehead.

“He was a mechanic. Our brother.” Ollo glanced up at me through dark lashes, and the look sent a cool wave down my spine. It was hard to ignore the impact his attention had on me and the confidence he always carried. But behind that, he was kind, showing me something real.

“It was because of my brother I trained to become a pilot. He showed me his love for fixing machines, and I wanted to fly them. Maev saw what I was doing and decided she wanted to fix things too, like him.”

“When did you lose him?”

“We were twelve. Too young to understand or properly deal with such heartache.”

“I’m sorry.”

Ollo adjusted his sister in his arms, trying to keep her comfortable. “Our mother died when we were born, so we only had my father to learn from.”

“Magycris couldn’t save them?”

The regret that passed over his face made me hesitant to ask more.

“We didn’t come from wealth. Crystals are in short supply in Rydavas, so those that can’t afford magycris don’t have the safety net that comes with it.

Being part of the aerial division, I have access to some supplies.

It used to be a much more common thing. My mother’s death would have been hard to avoid, even with magycris.

My brother … we didn’t find him in time anyway. ”

This was not a conversation Ollo wanted to have—he was trying to be kind.

I changed the topic. “So what will happen in the future if the magycris runs out?”

“The future will look far different than the world does now.”

I studied my bracelet, glowing through the drying blood. It never faded anymore. The crystals constantly reacted to my magic, pulsing with their strange light.

“It’s why Maev came to get you,” Ollo told me.

“What do you mean?”

“I was recruited to bring the Ikhor home—to fly fast. But Maev agreed to come so we could ask you for help before the armies did. She wants to make a change,” he said, his smile crooked. “She thinks I am unaware of her other motives.”

When I didn’t reply, he said, “Maev told me you discovered our Elders want you not only for protection but to fight on our behalf. Yes, they wish to put you in the path of danger. Our people are running out of ways to defend themselves against the Guardian’s numbers and their weapons.

They have more crystals than our people and are better equipped to fight. ”

“But the Guardians don’t even know you exist.”

Ollo tilted his head to the side. “If that’s what you are being taught, then it’s a lie.”

“Then the Guards are lied to. Because I know they were telling the truth when they said nothing civilized existed across the borders.”

I considered it, wondering if the Guards had truly known. They couldn’t have if they thought the Aethar came from wastelands. Not that I had proof that what they said about their lands was true.

“What could I have helped you with? If I wasn’t taking the magic back?”

Ollo held my stare, searching for something in me before answering.

“Maev believes the gods have the power to put magic into the crystals. Their magic connects to the lands. She believes the Ikhor would have been able to do this, too. Part of her studies was figuring out how the magic got into the crystals in the first place. I knew when I asked her to come, it would be part of her motivation. She believed she could plead with the Ikhor for help, replenishing our crystals so our people would have the resources we need so that when the armies leave, we aren’t defenceless. ”

And so that families who were too poor to afford the healing liquid wouldn’t lose loved ones as the twins had.

No magic burst forth when the guilt overtook my thoughts.

My decision to give the magic back would destroy the twins’ hope for their people. Ollo would return, a failed mission. And Maev would lose her hope for the future.

“So why did you agree to take me to the Temple if you believe my magic can save your people?”

Ollo shrugged. “We don’t believe in forcing anyone against their wishes. Our father raised us that way. I planned to talk you out of it. But not force you.”

I searched his face. “People like you don’t exist where I am from,” I whispered.

I looked down at my bracelet, glowing strong, never fading, and knew then that Maev was right. The bracelet wasn’t reacting to me. It was filling up with magic leaking from me. She had accused me of being foolish for wearing jewellery with magic crystals when they could be put to good use.

Maev moaned, lifting a hand to her face, and Ollo fussed, making sure she was okay.

“Ollo,” she whimpered, “I want to go home.”

I ground my teeth until it hurt. I balled the fabric of my pants in my good fist. How could I tell them Maev was right? The magic in my bracelet was from me.

I couldn’t.

Because I still wanted to get this suffocating thing out of me.