✧The Earthe of the Elves✧

59

Mia's POV

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Instead of waking up slowly, I feel as though I'm falling. When I hit the ground I bolt upright, and find myself in a hospital bed.

"Woah!" I hear a shout, and the blurry masses in front of me soon form the shapes of my friends- Elanil, Halion, and Flint. They all look in good condition- as good as you can be after a war, I guess. Elanil has bandages along her arms, Halion's arm is in a sling, and Flint has a few steri strips on a cut just above his brow.

"Oh my god!" I jump up, crashing into Elanil. Neither of us seem to care that we're hurt as we hug. But I make sure to keep my injured leg straight as I hug Flint and Halion, ignoring the painful tug at what must be stitches in my upper arm. My whole body is alight with happiness as I take in my friends, safe and whole. I eventually hiss and pull away as I feel the bruises on my face and ribs. Now that I focus on it, I feel bandages around my midsection under my robe. I knew I broke some ribs.

"What happened? Did we win? Are you okay? What about Knox? What day is it? His dad-"

"Slow down," El says, laughing. "Rothilion came with troops just in time. We got the Cin to surrender. Without their leaders none of them really knew what to do. So these past few days Rose has been getting our people in there to watch over Dae Taur and make sure nothing happens. A lot of the people actually hated living there, so they're happy with the change in leadership. The ones who weren't... Aren't here anymore. It's been three says since the war."

I nodded, understanding. "Knox?"

"He's alive," Flint replies, smiling. "You saved him. The Heartstone shattered, but you saved him."

Relief hits me so hard I wants to cry, but I force that feeling down for now.

"Shattered?" I ask. "But I thought- what happened to Earthe?" My mind is already spinning and I just woke up.

"Nothing happened. I guess whatever you did just got rid of it- so no one else can use it for its power."

I just shake my head, looking down at my hands. My hands-

I didn't notice that they were wrapped in bandages. I vaguely remember the stone burning my hands.

I look up at my friends, but none of them say anything. Throat tight with worry, I unwrap the bandages. My forehead crinkles as I stare at the burns on my hands. Both palms have red, angry spots dotting them, with scars already forming. It's not huge, not enough to change the way I use my hands, but enough to have me staring for a long minute. These scars will never go away. That was something I hadn't thought of before the war either.

My negative thoughts vanish, however, when I see the word 'forever' written in elvish, in my dad's handwriting, tattooed on the inside of my left wrist. So a scar and a tattoo is 'the price' for saving Knox? I smile to myself. My dad must've been the one giving out said price. My right arm, which took most of the heat, has the same healing burns on my palm, but also my arm. Tendrils of slightly raised scar tissue run up my arm, to my elbow, like lightning. Another smile escapes me as I take in the tattoo of a tree- the shape of my dad's star that I saw at the Solstice all those months ago- in the middle of my palm. The lightning-like scars running up my arm have turned into tattooed vines, beautiful and delicate, and extend from the tree. I hold my breath to keep from crying again.

If the only price I have to pay is a bit of my dad to carry with me anywhere, I'll gladly take it.

"I need to see Knox," I blurt out, trying to stand and walk away. I Huff in frustration as Halion gently pushes me back into bed.