Song of the Fairy Queen (60 page)

Colton looked around at what he’d built, at the house where his children had been born, at the small spot on the rise where their mother was buried and then he looked at his children. His daughter clung to his hand as she hadn’t since she was three and Brion was pale, shaken.

“I’ll get the wagon,” he said, with a nod to Kyri. “Brion, go pack some things, hurry, lad.”

His worried eyes on Kyri, Gordon said, “I’ll give you a hand, Colton. Come on, Gawain.”

“If you hold her, Captain,” Caleb said, “I’ll see what I can do to patch her up.”

Morgan nodded, grateful, knowing Caleb would be as gentle as he could.

Little Angela came over, slipped one hand into Kyri’s uninjured one, her small face so pale her freckles were sharp against her skin. She looked up to Morgan for reassurance, her brown eyes huge.

The gesture touched him.

“She was going to teach me to fly,” she said, in bewilderment.

“I remember,” he said.

Had it only been a few hours ago? Less?

Through the haze of pain and weakness, Kyri knew Morgan’s strong arms were around her, holding her and then a small hand slipped into hers.

Her eyes fluttered. Blinking, she looked to see little Angela there. She attempted a reassuring smile for the girl but another wave of weakness went through her and she gasped.

Turning her head, she looked up Morgan, into his clear blue eyes.

He was all right, alive…

Morgan looked down at her, brushing a kiss across her forehead.

“Lady Kyri,” Caleb said, apologetically, “I have to touch this arm.”

Her breath shuddering, Kyri looked at him, then up at Morgan. Pressing her face against Morgan’s shoulder, she steeled herself and nodded.

The pain was sharp. Tears sprang to her eyes as Morgan tightened his arm around her.

Angela gave a little cry and Kyri realized she was crushing the little girl’s hand.

With an effort she forced her fingers to loosen, panting with the pain.

“Sorry, baby,” she said, softly.

“I’m not a baby,” Angela said solemnly.

Kyri gave a small laugh. “No, sweetness, you’re not.”

“Will you still fly with me?”

Another wave of weakness went through Kyri and then Caleb moved her arm. She tried to bite back the agony but the blackness swallowed her up.

Despite his fear for her Morgan was almost grateful when she fainted.

At least for a time, she wouldn’t know the pain. Cradling her head against his shoulder, he nodded at Caleb to continue.

“Better this way, Captain,” he said. “It’s broken for sure, that arm.”

Should Morgan be grateful that it wasn’t her wings
?

Colton, Gordon and Gawain walked toward them, leading the horses and wagon.

“Angela, love,” Colton said. “Run inside and get some things. Include some that are warm. We don’t know how long we’ll be away.”

“But,” she said, looking at Kyri, her eyes pleading....

Rubbing his cheek against Kyri’s soft curls, Morgan said gently. “Kyri’s sleeping right now. Go on.”

Kyri was more than sleeping, she was limp in his arms, but Morgan couldn’t say that. He couldn’t speak his fear.

Her little face troubled, Angela nodded and ran to the house as Brion came out.

“What I want to know,” Colton said, “is what happened to the watchers and the guards? They were supposed to be keeping an eye on you and the guards were supposed to be protecting us.”

“Dead,” Morgan said. “Arthur and Haerold would have seen to that. The question now is how much damage did he do? And with him gone, we’ll have to start all over again.”

Colton shook his head. “No. Arthur wasn’t part of that cell. That was me. Our job was first to watch you, us and those on the hills, to keep you here long enough to see if you had anyone trailing you and then I was to send you on. I guess we’re going, too, this time.”

Morgan sat in the soft hay at the back of the wagon as it trundled over the hills, Kyri cradled in his arms. His horse was tied to the wagon. He should have been on it, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave her, not again. She hadn’t opened her eyes since the moment she’d fainted and she seemed only to grow more pale and weak by slow seconds, not stronger. Her wounds weren’t healing. Little Angela was curled by Kyri’s side, asleep in the hay, her fingers loosely around Kyri’s limp ones.

Pressing his lips against Kyri’s hair, Morgan whispered what he hadn’t yet said, “I love you, Kyri. Don’t leave me, not so soon. I just found you again.”

For him, Kyri fought the darkness, the weakness, only a small flicker of consciousness aware of herself, of Morgan, fighting the growing fear that she was, in fact, dying. Waves of weakness surged through her. Only Morgan kept her anchored in this place, his strong arms around her giving her strength, keeping her warm. But it took energy to call energy and she barely had enough to keep her heart beating, her lungs breathing. Even her body’s natural healing took energy she didn’t have in her to give, but it kept trying and every moment she gained, she lost. If it had been one or the other…but it was both.

“How is she, Captain?” Caleb asked, worriedly.

Looking at his old friend, Morgan said, his voice heartsick, “I think we’re losing her, Caleb. Whatever that wizard did to her, he took too much.”

Morgan closed his eyes.
Would he lose her, too
?

Gawain made his way across the straw. “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

Kyri had been through so much for him, for all of them, Gawain knew. Always resolute, kind and steadfast. He remembered how she’d held him when his mother had gone. It didn’t seem right.

Suddenly and sharply, it didn’t seem fair.

“Not without a Healer,” Morgan said in answer, his heart aching.

He’d called for Galan, but who knew how far away the Fairy were? Where once it might have taken hours, perhaps, it would take that much longer. And he feared they didn’t have the hours to spare.

That Kyri didn’t.

Gawain looked down at Kyri helplessly.

It seemed impossible.

From that first meeting in the woods she’d always seemed so sure, so determined, almost indestructible. While she’d always appeared fragile, there had always been that core of strength, that strong will.

How many times had she saved his life now?

On his knees in the straw Gawain took Kyri’s hand and wished he could do something to help her, anything, as she’d helped him.

Lowering his head, he willed her strength.

The contact was a shock, a lightning bolt and Kyri jolted as energy poured into her.

Her eyes shot open, looking first to Morgan in amazement and then to Gawain, blinking in shock as power coursed through her.

Gawain.

Panting, she gasped and with half a laugh said, “Gawain, slow down, or you’ll kill me with kindness.”

It was a near thing, too, her heart hammered in her chest.

Morgan stared at them both in astonishment, hope so sudden and shocking he wasn’t certain he wasn’t imagining it.

Startled, Gawain started to release her.

“
NO
!” Kyri cried and then moderated her tone. “No, whatever you do, don’t let go right now.”

The distraction had moderated the flow so it didn’t batter her seared internal pathways.

Around them, everyone grew aware of the drama taking place in the wagon bed. Colton pulled the horses up to turn around and look.

Kyri looked at Morgan and smiled, her brilliant eyes shining.

In wonder, he touched her soft cheek, watched color bloom there once again.

Turning her face, she pressed her lips to his palm and kissed it fiercely.

Sliding his hand deep into her tight curls Morgan lifted her head and kissed her as intensely back and then closed his eyes, cradling her head tight against his shoulder, his cheek against her hair.

Kyri pressed back, breathing him in, hearing his heartbeat beneath her ear, a steady rhythm.

She turned to look at Gawain, before looking back at Morgan, laughing.

“There’s your wizard, Morgan,” she said in astonishment, looking at Gawain and smiling. “A wizard and a Healer.”

Stunned, Morgan could only stare at the boy.

Gawain stared right back, in stunned shock.

The words didn’t make sense, but there was something…

“But,” Gordon stammered, “how is it we didn’t know this?”

Kyri shook her head. “The gods don’t give weapons to children. He’s come of age. His power is starting to show itself.”

Bewildered, a little frightened, Gawain shook his head.

“I’m not a wizard,” he declared. He’d seen wizards. He’d seen what they did. Terrible things.

“There are good wizards,” Morgan said, seeing the shock and horror in the boy’s eyes and understanding. “You just haven’t seen them.”

Reassuringly, Kyri tightened her fingers on Morgan’s and Gawain’s hands. “Remember, I have magic, too, Gawain. A different kind of magic, but magic all the same. A Healer, too. And, there’s this…”

She lifted their joined hands.

With a quick stroke to sleeping Angela’s hair, Kyri reached to take Morgan’s hand again against her next words, knowing it would hurt. She looked up at him quickly, brushing her forehead against his chin.

Then she said it.

“I was dying, Gawain. Almost gone, if you hadn’t done what you did.”

Morgan’s hand tightened on hers, the heartache sharp, piercing. So, it had been that close. Her hand tightened on his as his did on hers.

She turned her head to bury her face against his throat, fear burning through her.

“You were the only thing keeping me here, Morgan,” she said softly. “You held me here.”

His arms tightened around her as his eyes closed.

Turning her head, Kyri looked at Gawain. “I was fighting, but losing. I would’ve died if you hadn’t done what you did.”

Gawain looked at her in shock, all color draining from his face.

“You saved my life,” she said softly, simply.

“But, if you’re a Healer…” he said confused.

With a smile, she said, “So…your first lesson in Healing, Gawain. Healers can’t Heal themselves. It takes energy to Heal, energy an injured body doesn’t have and may be leaking from multiple places. As I was.”

Gawain looked at her.

“So,” Kyri said, with a soft grin, “shall we try this again, but with not so much feeling? You might as well take care of the rest and I would appreciate it.”

“But I don’t know what I was doing,” Gawain said nervously.