Eris Vanserra Fanfiction-A Land Of Lavender And Thistle-Book One

CHAPTER XXIV

Ruth

Much like the last time I was at Lyn's cabin, I sat on the stairs of her porch, Brux laying beside me on the sun-warmed wood. Only this time, I wasn't enjoying the wind which carried rain clouds toward us, but rather I was pressing the iced rag to my head, dabbing it over my neck and arms. Icelyn offered an ice-cold bath, but I refused. Jamila would come any moment now, and I wanted to be ready.

With my eyes closed and chin dipped, I moved the rag to my collar bones, the frost which Icelyn layered it with melting again. For the past half an hour since I killed that Fae, my temperature lowered only slightly, my skin constantly too warm for it to be healthy. I felt as if someone had lit my insides on fire. Sweat soaked my back and sleeves, my legs and face. Lyn used several of her pins to secure my hair up and let the gradually cooling wind kiss my boiling skin.

We barely spoke on our way back to the cabin. Mostly because of me. I refused to talk about what I did there, what caused me to react so wildly. And even more frightening, where the hell did I get those powers from.

My gut knotted when I recalled the camellias I burned on my last night here. Right after I woke up from that horrid dream. A chill spider-walked down my back at the memory; yet not cold enough to rid me of this heat.

I heard Icelyn's even, gentle steps from behind before I felt her scent of snow and vanilla directly beside me. She heaved a sigh, and when I cracked open an eye, I found her now sitting on the stairs too, Brux laying between us, his head placed in her lap. Boreas, who was sitting not far from us, sniffed toward Lyn and she smiled, opening a leather pouch I only now noticed before she threw a fish toward the bear. He caught it without struggle, chewing it in pleasure.

Warm. I felt so, so warm ...

"I have a similar sort of bracelet like the anklet I gave you. It's how I contact Jamila. Do you want me to call her?" Icelyn said tenderly.

I shook my head. The motion caused for fire to dance between my temples. I surpressed a grunt. "Better not. She might be tracking someone important. I don't want her to worry over nothing."

"This isn't nothing, Ruth. Look at you. You look terrible."

I scoffed. "Thank you."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," she said, clicking her tongue. "Ruth, you are flushed and your skin is on fire. You cam barely hold your head straight. Perhaps Eris can order his personal healer to see how you can be helped."

"I don't want Eris' help." I said through clenched teeth.

She had a point, and I knew it. But the last thing I needed was Eris seeing me this disabled and weak. I had to get better before Jamila returned. I had to look fine when I come back to the Forest House. Gods knew how bad things could get for me if the wrong ears or eyes noticed I was feeling like shit.

"What kind of power is this?" I murmured. "What is it called?"

There was silence for a moment. Then, "I don't know. I've never seen anything like it before. Or heard of something like what you did. At first, it looked like fire powers, but ..." She mused. "It was as if your fire burned the life out of him. You barely even moved and that eagle became cinders. No fire I am familiar with does that." I felt her turning toward me. "What did it feel like?"

I didn't have to consider for long. "Out of control," I removed the rag and opened my eyes, staring at the thunder clouds. Against the darkening sky, lightnings were like whips of blue light in the distance. "Like it was me doing it all, but also like it wasn't."