The Magic of Three

9.

She awoke on her bed with a scream, her arm burned, it was like someone had stabbed a hot pole in to her bicep and she howled as tears escaped the corners of her eyes.

"Breathe Erena", Caleb's voice was soothing but she grunted as she pulled her head up to see what was wrong with her arm. She gasped as she saw the bleeding hole, her gaze shifted up at the nurse and the felinx claw that she'd just torn out of the wound. The woman gave her a sorry smile as she carried the claw away and another nurse started to apply salve to the wound.

"Why were you in the woods tonight", Caleb's voice was harsh and she felt his fulll wrath as she looked up in to his eyes, the grey in his irides shone with anger as he loooked down at her. She blinked and her head swept to the window, it was pitch black outside, night had fallen a long while ago.

"I- I wanted to hunt", she stuttered,

"I thought you said you were going to the library".

Fitz was standing at the door to her room and a pang of hurt went through her as she saw the heated look on his face. He wasn't looking at her as he spoke but she could feel his anger.

"I- I changed my mind".

"You could have died".

"Fitz found you", Caleb's voice had softened but his eyes were still hard as he looked down at her, " he fought off the felinx that was going to devour you as you lay in the snow and then carried you back here".

"I'm- I'm sorry Fitz", she said softly but he just shrugged at her and strode out of the room without another word.

A silence weighed heavily in the room and Erena felt tears of hot shame pooling behind her eyes.

"He's just angry at himself for not finding you earlier", Caleb spoke breaking the silence.

Erena didn't say anything and he continued, "When did the vision start".

"His name is Ezekiel", she interrupted, "the figureless fog that spoke to me last time".

"Yes I know", Caleb licked his lips, "I was there with you at the end when I pulled you back".

Erena gulped as a realisation made her look at Caleb more fully, "He knew you were there- he knew who you were", she blinked as the edges of her sight began to dim.

Caleb gave a grim smile, "rest for now Erena", he rose from her bed, "-and please don't hunt without a partner again", he nodded at the nurse as he strode towards her door but before he could walk out she felt herself stop him,

"Wait- who is he", she gasped as the wound stung her as she moved.

Caleb looked at her from her doorway, his eyes were hidden by the shadows but she could see the thinness of his lips as he spoke, "pure evil", the words shook her and she gasped again as the nurse slid a needle in to her arm with an apology. Caleb was gone and she rested her head on the pillow as the inky tendrils of sleep claimed her letting the nurse continue to work silently.