Page 78 of A Whisper of Cinders

“Enough,” I whisper, but they don’t hear me.

“Enough,” I say, but the voices only grow louder.

“Enough,” I plea, as the tears run down my cheeks. My head is going to explode.

“ENOUGH!”

And finally, silence remains.

Drops of water run down my face, my neck. I’m soaked, gasping for air that isn’t there. I try to count to ten, think about happy things and any other technique I can remember to calm down, but it’s no use. The pain is excruciating and I scream, unable to contain it.

The scent of burned wood is back, but I barely register it.

“Don’t touch her, she’ll burn you.” I hear Conláed’s words, but they don’t make sense. How could I burn someone?

“I don’t care, I’ll heal. She is hurting.” Amira counters, which is funny since she caused a lot of the pain I am currently feeling.

“And she’ll hurt even more if she knows she hurt you. Keep your sister back, Aramis.”

It’s so hot in here, why is it so hot? I need some air.

I can’t make sense out of the words they say. I try to open my eyes, but all I see is white light, so I close them again. I place my hands in front of me, trying to remain upright, find some grounding. It’s no use. The floor shakes underneath my palms. A whine escapes from my lips.

Two hands cover mine, holding them. They too are warm, but not as burning hot as mine.

“Maily, look at me.”

I shake my head. “I can’t, it’s too much.”

“Yes, you can.”

One hand releases mine and caresses my cheek softly. Everything is muffled for a couple of seconds and I carefully open my eyes to slivers, surprised to see it’s not Aramis sitting in front of me, but Conláed. He looks different — I tilt my head to the side — but I can’t quite put my finger to it.

I look around me, seeing small fiery sparks surrounding me and flames licking up the walls. What the…?

The throbbing in my head comes back instantly, even stronger than before now. I quickly search for Aramis who is holding Amira. Worry, awe and maybe reverence are visible in their eyes, written on their faces, but no fear or shock.

An image plays in front of my eyes, a father playing with his daughter. A white-headed boy chasing a girl. Nature surrounds them, full of colour and life. I blink and it’s gone.

My hands go to my head, pulling at the hair there. “Make it stop, please. Make it stop. I can’t take it anymore.”

“I’ll have to move her, she needs Althea. Her body will break otherwise. Amira, go find Mrs Delalune, Aramis, you’re with me.”

I’m gently scooped up by strong arms and it feels like a hazy deja vu. The scent of pepper and smoke and something citrusy calming my racing heart just a little.

I’m carried out of my room, the only way I notice it, is because of the slightly cooler air that flows past my face. I know he’s running down the stairs, but I lay steady in his arms.

I wave in and out of consciousness, the pain a constant now and I am so fucking warm. It feels like I’m burning from inside out. I don’t think I’ll ever cool down again. I can’t keep a groan from escaping my lips.

A cool, glowing hand floats above my forehead and I feel the slight sensation of raindrops falling on my head like soft kisses.

“We have to go faster, Con. She’ll burn out.”

“Don’t you think I know that? I feel it too. I try to take as much as I can, but it’s different with her. Can’t you heal her?”

“She is way past that.” I cry out, the intensity of the pain reaching its crescendo. “Hold on, gorgeous, we’re almost there.”

“Can’t you move us?”