Page 55 of Birthright

CHAPTER 23

Iwoke to wonderful warmth and the sounds of lots of people talking. I was in a small bed I didn’t recognize. I saw Coyle first. He was in the bed next to mine, propped up, watching me, and trying to wrap his magic around me.

I smiled at him. He tried to do the same but one of the newer wounds on his face prevented his lips from moving that far. I clambered into his bed, kissed his head, and brushed what was left of his gray hair from his face. He was home. I was happy to lie next to him and feel his energy mingle with mine.

Bevin appeared, pulling back the sheet hanging around our beds. She touched Coyle’s forehead. “It’s a miracle he survived at all.” I watched her as she put some healing herbs on his face and tucked the shimmering blanket in around his sides. I looked at her and didn’t have to ask out loud before she started talking. “It’s healing his insides. He’ll get stronger. His mind is strong, though I don’t know how. They split his tongue, years ago it looks like. But I think we can get that back with some time.” As she talked, I felt the push of tears behind my eyes. “His legs are going to need a modern healer though, so I’ve called for a Witch in Florida who’s an orthopedic surgeon. She’ll be here in a week or so.” Bevin smiled.

“Manus?” I asked.

“Fine. Those Shifters heal amazingly fast. He’s prowling around somewhere.” She was in her element, whizzing around, making Coyle comfortable. My leg was miraculously healed and my ribs felt sore, but otherwise fine. I stood once more to test my steadiness. The amulets around my neck swayed and took care of any remaining pain. I looked down at Coyle again and felt grounded, though weak.

I had managed the impossible and gotten them all back alive. Cliona strode into the small healing room. “May I see you?”

“I figured Tynan would be here,” I said.

“I put him to sleep this morning.” Her face was pinched. “After two nights and days of pacing and worrying, I thought he needed to sleep.”

“Two days? We were only gone one night,” I responded, confused.

“No,” Bevin said. “This morning began the third day of your absence. Doran and Tynan and the rest of us have been going out of our minds with worry. Time moves differently on Thule, Keena.”

I thought about how slow things seemed when we’d first arrived. It made sense. I looked back to Cliona. Her displeasure was written across her perfect, angular face. “I would have touched base with him sooner if I’d known that.”

Her anger didn’t seem to lessen with my explanation. “I had to put him to sleep, Keena. It wasn’t pretty. I usually can only do that if he’s hurt. He fought me. He’ll probably kill me when he wakes.”

I was surprised she could do it all. Tynan had eased me to sleep before. I knew he could do it to someone else. I couldn’t imagine what it would take for her to put him to sleep against his will. “I’ll bet. I’ll take the blame, Cliona,” I said, but she didn’t look any happier.

I walked past her and started down the hall toward my chambers. Bevin stopped me and handed me an extra pain amulet. I was still in my torn jeans and tattered tank top, but I didn’t have any of my weapons. Doran must have taken them. Hogan met me in the hall and started to scold me. His big eyes were wide and I could tell he had been worried sick. I bent down, took his shoulders in my hands, and pressed my forehead to his. “I’m okay, Hogan. I’m okay. Bran is dead and Nessum took off. I’m okay.” I kissed his nose. The touch of others is soothing to Gnomes when they’re upset. My hands on his shoulders assured him and his tension eased.

Cliona made a noise as she backed against the wall, her face whiter than usual, as were her eyes—not a bit of color to them at all.

“What is it?” I asked, straightening.

“You saw…him?” Her voice almost didn’t hold.

She looked terrified. I didn’t think that big, bad Cliona could be terrified by anything. “Yeah, I saw him. I almost killed him.”

The color came back to her as she scoffed at me. “No one can kill him.” She was so matter-of-fact. I opened my mouth to argue and then closed it. I decided not to tell her about my mother’s sword. The fewer people with that particular piece of information, the better. Maybe she would go after Nessum herself. Tynan would never recover if something happened to her. They had been together for centuries, and he would need her when the time came that I would leave him.

I hurt for him again at the thought of it. If I told her my mother’s sword could kill Nessum, she would surely try. If she failed…I couldn’t bear for him to lose both of us. I kept my mouth shut.

I started toward my room again, Hogan babbling after me. Cliona was following behind him, also asking about Nessum. I just wanted out of the dirty clothes and to fall into the bed next to Tynan.

“What did he look like?” Cliona asked. I stopped and studied her. “Not many have faced Nessum and lived to tell of it.” She was so tall and beautiful.

“He’s as beautiful as the rest of you, only not. He was pure alabaster. He was marbled with the life of others running in his veins instead of blood, making him appear black under his skin. His eyes were dark like yours, but completely dead.” She took in every word, as if to memorize it. “You’d know him by sight if you saw him. You won’t need my description.”

She shivered. “I hope I never see him.” I nodded and started walking again. Cliona stumbled over Hogan, his shorter legs moving much slower.

I opened the door to my chambers, chuckling as Cliona chided Hogan about his pace.

I turned away from the pair—only to find Feldema straddling Tynan’s thighs.

Her skinny, naked body was bent over his, her wet hair dangling around them like a cape. A thin trail of blood was running off his hip.

Our necklace was wrapped around her hand, Feldema pressing it against a cut on Tynan’s lower stomach. The twisted silver and gold of the chain was covered in blood. Tynan’s arms were spread wide and Feldema was chanting.

The Witch had recovered my necklace from the sea and was using it to spell him.