Rise of the Firebird Read Free

She wasn’t the most stable person at the moment, but she needed Aramis. Like Yvan, he was a rock that held her in place and without him, she had no hope of defeating Vasilli and Yanka. She put the cloth on the bedside table and shifted to sit on the edge of his bed.
    “I feel better with you around,” he admitted. “I suppose that’s an effect of the elvianth .”
    “I’m sure it would have something to do with it. That’s why I hope this works.”
    “What works?”
    Anya rested her head against his bare chest and placed her hands on either side of his ribs. She thought about the skin under hers as power rushed through her and into him. He cried out in alarm as she poured more in, forcing it to fill the dark corners of him like his power had once done to her.
    Søren burst into the room with a crash but Anya ignored his shouts. In her mind, she saw Aramis as he always appeared to her, strong, stern, but always with a hint of mischief in his eyes. She saw the kindness in him and his steadfastness.
    Finally, she and her magic had nothing left to give. Søren helped her sit up but she had no energy to hold herself up and fell back next to Aramis. She started to laugh as she looked at Aramis’s face. It was glowing and perplexed. He started to laugh too until they were close to hysterical. Søren glowered at them.
    “You two are as idiotic as each other!” he cursed. “It is no wonder that Yanka managed to get the upper hand with you.”
    Anya tried to control her giggles. “She’s angry because I have her runes and ritual knife.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “I dreamt about it.”
    “I wouldn’t argue with her,” Aramis said.
    “What the hell did you do to him?” Søren asked.
    “I have no idea. Aramis did something similar to me once. My magic goes mental around him, but as soon as I physically touch him, it goes into overdrive. It used to happen even before the elvianth .”
    “I need to tell Ruthann about this,” he said. “Did it hurt you, Aramis?”
    “No, it felt amazing, like heat and light. My skin is tingling.”
    “How’s your arm?”
    “The pain is less.” Anya felt the heavy presence in the room lift. He was beginning to feel more like Aramis should.
    “That’s something positive at least. Ruthann will be back tonight. He is the greatest healer of all of us. He said he has something that will help.”
    “Is he going to tell me about how the Álfr helped the Illumination capture Yanka?” Aramis asked, his tone cold again.
    “I’d like to sit in on that conversation too,” Anya added. She wanted Aramis to tell his side of what happened but he wasn’t physically or mentally up to the task.
    “I’m sure he will tell all of us, including your motley gang of freaks.”
    “Tell us what you really think,” she said sarcastically, which made him even more annoyed.
    “Tell you what I think? How about you and my brother are going to get us all killed? You’re playing with an obscene amount of power that you have little knowledge of. Your friends out there are following you and you are going to end up getting them killed. If you keep throwing it around, the Álfr will begin to think you are another Yanka. Get it under control.”
    “How exactly? Come on, you seem to have all the answers.”
    “For starters, no more frođleikr on Aramis before Ruthann arrives. I don’t want you making his injuries worse in an attempt to help.” That’s when Anya saw it. Through his blunt, sarcastic demeanour, Søren was worried for his brother.
    “I don’t think I’ve anything left to give. No more magic, I promise. I’ll wait for Ruthann and listen to what I hope is going to be a spectacular explanation.”
     
    The funeral for the Twins and Trajan was held the following day. Storm clouds loomed overhead, heavy with snow and sleet. The Álfr had allowed them to build the funeral pyres from the wood from their forest, and Katya and Aleksandra had helped Anya wrap the bodies in linen. Eikki