Aurelie braced herself for the water, her eyes shut, and her arms lifted in front of her face. The sand beneath her softened and turned to sheets. She opened her eyes, frowning. The Keeper's grounds were gone, and she was back in her bedroom, a ray of lights shining on the bed. Her dreams felt more real than ever before, even those that were not visits to the Keeper's library.
Kirin emerged from the door, his face in a scowl. "What were you doing?" The night before seemed forgotten, and he was now back to being his normal self.
"Sleeping," she replied and yawned. The sheets were covered in patches of salve and dead skin. She flipped the quilt; her legs were soft and silky. All traces of the previous afternoon were gone. The herb even fixed the gashes she had received from the bridge.
"I'm healed!"
"Wonderful observation."
Aurelie rolled her eyes and covered herself once again. "Aren't you supposed to be at the castle? I thought you don't come often," she said, expecting him to catch the hint. It was odd, when they were separated, all she could do was think of him, but when he approached her in one of his moods, she couldn't help but ignite with her own anger.
Kirin leaned against the door frame. "Well, if I could leave you alone for longer than an hour without you running off and destroying the worldâpossibly revealing usâI would have stayed away longer. Since you make it so difficult, I have decided to make my life harder by saving the world. Now come with me before I change my mind," he said and turned to leave.
"I wish you'd stay away longer."
Without turning, Kirin said, "I'm not here to grant your wishes, princess."
Aurelie flew out of bed and grabbed her cloak. You filthy toad! I didn't come here to be your . . . yourâugh!
People were emerging from their rooms. Some had not even bothered to change from their nightgowns as if sleepwalking to the kitchen. She pushed her way past them, her eyes soaring through the crowd and searching for Kirin. Her thoughts screamed insults and scolding speeches. He had gotten away with far too much.
Sasha and Daerious stood near the stairs, immersed in a deep conversation. Daerious's hands were flying all around him, and Sasha's crossed and her eyebrows in a deep crease. She lifted her hand to level with his mouth.
"I don't care how you get it. If you don't replace them, I'll turn you into a fish and throw you out into the pond. Untilâ
Daerious flipped his head backward. "What do you need, Hogâ
Sasha's finger pointed at his face. "Until I think that you have learned your lesson."
"Morning," Aurelie said.
"G-Morning," Daerious echoed.
Sasha bowed her head. "Morning, dear." The scowl disappeared from her face, and warmness filled all her features.
Aurelie lowered her eyes, feeling suddenly embarrassed and ashamed. "Sasha, I'm really sorry about last night. I was out of control. It will not happen again. I assure you," she said to Sasha.
Sasha laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it won't," she said and smiled. "I know how frustrating it must be for you, knowing that you have all this power inside you but not being able to control it. You really should be careful, though. Have you ever heard about the Old King's roses?" she asked.
"No."
"Your grandfather was a powerful man. He had no interest in using his power to extend his kingdom. It was more of a fascination. He did many things, studied foreign magic, and searched for magical artifacts. He constantly tried to strengthen his own power and extend his knowledge, to see what he could do, where his fire would lead him, and what mad things he could accomplish," she said and turned to Daerious.
"Would you bring me my rose? It is on my night table right next to my bed," she asked him.
"He created his flowers in the name of the queen after she passed. The fire burns even after his death. That is the root of your power. The connection it shares with you never breaks, even if you no longer walk this earth. The danger of it is great. That is why a dragon is the most powerful creature in the whole of Highfire," she said. "Witches can conjure fire, though, it is not as strong. Of course, it can be studied. But, our magic fades. Yours will not. At least, not unless you want it to."
Aurelie sensed the rose before Daerious came near. Its magic was pulling at her, demanding her to draw it inside her. Her insides twisted with exhilaration. The fire danced upon it as if someone had just set it alight. The rose itself seemed to have just been picked from any regular garden. Daerious came to a halt in front of Sasha and placed the flower in her outstretched hand.
Sasha took Daerious's hand and held it against the flame. He hissed and pulled away.
"What'd you do that for?" He blew on his finger.
Sasha pursed her lips. "Firstly, punishment, and secondly, to show Aurelie what her magic can do." She held her hand inside the flame and turned it to show Aurelie. Her skin had not been harmed. "I looked after your grandmother until the day she died, and he rewarded me with this. The Old King plucked this flower especially for me and imbued it with a small piece of his magic to ensure that the fire within it would never harm me. The rest of the roses burn at the castle, just outside her window."
A memory of the Keeper's words sprung into her mind: magic was an idea. Seeing this made her anxious to find out what she could accomplish. There was, however, one thing that she could not figure out.
"I can understand the shared connection between the flame and my grandfather, but how does the flower still look the same? Surely he had no power over nature?" she asked.
"Your grandfather had many friends, some that shared his curiosity for magic. He went to the forest queen. The same queen your friend, Jermyn, loved so greatly. She agreed to create these flowers for him. The flowers bloomed and never stopped. I was told that she had one just like it in her tree."
Aurelie touched the rose, the fire cradling her fingers. She closed her eyes and explored the magic. The energy touched her very bone.
"How long do I have to wait?" Kirin said from the door. He was wearing his cape today, the King's mark embroidered on the back. The cloak had been too long and dangled on the ground a fair way behind him, getting filthy from the red ground that surrounded the inn.
"We better go before he explodes," Daerious said and began to walk toward him.
"Oh, yes!" Aurelie exclaimed, her face blank. "We better not keep Mr. High and Mighty waiting."
Sasha smirked. "Don't get mad," Sasha said. "He carries a feeling of responsibility for all of us on his shoulders. He just can't let go. He is a lot like his father, as much as he would hate to hear it. The same force of loyalty leads their way."
"He doesn't have to feel responsible for all of us," Aurelie replied. "Each person here decided to come. They are quite capable of fending for themselves." She tapped her foot, her fingers clenched into fists.
"He does not see it that way. If he could, he would fight the King's armies on his own. Do not be surprised when a battle arises, and you find him at the front, throwing himself at anyone who crosses our path. He is the son of the most powerful shadow walker Highfire has ever seen. If anything, he will fight just to prove he is worthy of being his father's son." Sasha glided her rose against her face.
Every muscle in Aurelie's body wanted to do the same. She shook her head and attempted to chase the yearning away, making it come at her with even more force.
"He does not look like someone who seeks approval," Aurelie said, looking away from the flower. "He thinks that I am pathetic, doesn't he?"
Sasha gave Aurelie a sideways glance. "He cares for you a little too much for his own good. I think." A sly smile crossed her face. "Do you think it was easy for him to kill that hunter? He just did it because he knew someone would have to. Killing changes a person. You would know. It is not something everyone can handle," Sasha said.
Aurelie did not speak. If killing someone changed a person, Marianne should surely have been alive. Aurelie felt nothing of the sort. No twinge, no guilt, and if she had to do it again, she would not hesitate but rather do it faster.
"Seriously?" Kirin entered through the door again. "Now," he said and pointed his finger out of the door. "You know what?" His eyes broadened with fury, and he ran up the stairs. "No."
"I'm coming. Let me wake up first!" she complained.
He bent down, his shoulder pressing against her stomach, and gripped her thighs.
"Kirin, what in theâ
Her legs left the ground, and the room turned upside down. "Kirin!"
"I've been waiting for half an hour."
"Put me down!" She banged her fists against his back, her legs kicking the air.
"No," he said as he ran down the stairs.
Aurelie's head hopped like a bouncing ball, her fists hitting his back, harder and faster. Wondering eyes traced their every step. She pursed her lips and glared back at them. "You treat me like a child. How are these people meant to respect me, even a little, if you keep up this act?" she asked, keeping her voice low. All attention was on them, and she did not want to create more gossip.
"It's not an act. And you've been casting away respect quite well on your own."
Aurelie rested her head on her palm. "At least, I've been trying to accomplish something."
Soon her eyes would burn right through his cloak. The dragon insignia would make the destruction all the more satisfying.
"You sure have. The boiled fish in the pond will support that claim."
His head was close enough for a heavy blow of an elbow. One more word, and she'd start beating at him. The pulse in her stomach knocked. She was sure that he could feel it too.
Daerious was waiting outside. He waved, the side of his lip turning downward at the sight of the two of them. Three stick men stood in a row, dressed in the hay.
"What's that doing there?" she asked.
"I made them." Kirin bent his knees and knelt so that she could climb down. "It's a little close to the inn, but they're for later. When I'm sure that you won't burn us all alive."
"Oh, here I thought that you were making yourself some friends," she replied, with as much sarcasm as she could muster in the early morning. All her insides warmed, and the anger that he had brought upon her passed. He made them for her. The romantic within her fluttered, and her cheeks colored. She felt like a little girl who had just received a tiara.
Kirin flinched and shook his head. "You're welcome," he said, his expression grimmer than before.
Daerious leaned against one of the hay men. "You know, if we put a scowl on its face and color its hair black, you'd have a more believable target." He shrugged.
Aurelie's cheeks pulled up with a smile. She caught Kirin's eyes just as his jaw clenched.
"Morning."
They all turned to the voice. Leila stood on the porch with a beverage in hand and a yellow blanket wrapped around her. Her once tanned skin was as pale as Aurelie's, and dark purple circles foregrounded her hazel eyes.
"Leila!" Aurelie called. "You're well enough to be up?" Just yesterday, she had resembled a corpse.
"If I had to stay in that wretched room for another second, I would gladly have died," she said and took a sip of her drink. "I'm well enough to walk."
"How much do you trust this person?" Kirin asked.
Aurelie sighed. "Have we not been over this already?" she countered. The answer to his question had grown complicated. Leila had a sinister shadow that followed her now, one that, thankfully, only Aurelie could see. Her step had lost its confidence, her eyes lost their spark, and it was not due to injury.
Aurelie had seen her break three ribs, her arm, and her ankle after she jumped off a tree, convinced that she could fly. She cried and complained but never changed. The jump itself is better explained now that Aurelie knew she was a shifter, but her attitude change was not. Aurelie justified it with her father's death, but she was struggling to believe in the event itself.
"I don't trust her at all," he said in a lower tone and glanced at Leila, whose head was now lowered.
"You don't trust anyone, not even yourself," Daerious said, attempting to save them from yet another pointless argument, but Aurelie knew that he felt the same too.
"Well, I do," Aurelie lied.
The slightest mention and Leila would be tied up in the basement, or worse, interrogated and killed. Kirin angered her at times, but she could not help valuing his opinion. What if he was right about Leila? Why didn't she catch up to Aurelie sooner? After all her eyes she saw so many times, following her wherever she went. Why had she not told her about her father? She ended the conversation so abruptly. She had so many unanswered questions about Leila, but she was too afraid to learn the truth.
If Leila turned out to be a liar, she would be alone again. The inn was full of people, but she needed more. She was selfish that way. She needed Leila as much as she had hoped Leila needed her.
"It was too sudden, her return. I wonder if she would have shown herself at all if that hunter had not seen her. Shifters are fast. She was a tiger. After all, she must have caught up to you days before she came to this place. Did she want to be seen that night?" he said and kept looking in Leila's direction.
Leila lifted her head, her eyes cutting into Kirin's. "I was not sure how she would react to the truth. She had never seen me like that. I had kept it from her. I wanted to make sure that she didn't get into trouble. I was scared that I would lose her if she had learned the truth. I didn't want to be seen even when the hunter attacked me, but you had gone out of sight, so I did not know which way to run, and then you suddenly appeared," she called from the stairs, making sure they knew she heard them talking about her.
Kirin's eyes narrowed.
Daerious laughed and tapped Kirin's back. "She's a shifter," he replied. "She can hear you."
"Can we start?" Aurelie asked, changing the subject. All Leila's answers did was create more questions. Aurelie was not sure that she wanted to hear the truth, if there was any.
"Yes, let's go," Kirin said. His face relaxed at the thought of being away from Leila, no doubt.
Daerious raised a brow. "Where are we going?"
"We," Kirin pointed at Aurelie, and then at himself, "are going to the mountain clearing, and you are babysitting her."
Leila turned her head, her mouth stretching into a thin line. Aurelie avoided her eyes. In case she was wrong, she didn't want Leila to know that the only person she had left doubted her too.
"Let's go."
Aurelie followed Kirin to the clearing.