Total pages in book: 214
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 195876 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 979(@200wpm)___ 784(@250wpm)___ 653(@300wpm)
Raith ignores Beck's comment. "Bastian has been by three times. He is asking a lot of questions. Questions about the siphons."
"Raith sends him away with a few harsh words every time." Beck grins, dropping into a chair beside the bed. "It's quite impressive, actually. Very dramatic. At one point I thought they were going to fight. Both had their elementals out and everything."
"And Bastian listened?" I ask, mildly surprised. Legacy students rarely take orders from anyone but instructors and other legacies. And Bastian isn’t just any legacy, I’ve learned. He’s heavily favored among them, partly because of his father’s status.
Mireen shrugs. "Reluctantly. I got the impression he was leaving more for your benefit than Raith's. He might be the only first-year who isn't terrified of you, Raith."
Raith's eyes narrow slightly. "He should be."
The suspicion in his voice is clear. I share it, but I'm not ready to voice my concerns about Bastian. Not yet. I may not completely trust him or understand his end goals, but I at least feel confident he’s not out to kill me. Here at Confluence, that’s saying a lot about a person.
"I need to sit up," I say, struggling against the heaviness in my limbs. The short conversation has already drained more of my strength than I expected, but I'm itching to be back on my feet again. Moving. Proving to everyone they can stop worrying about me.
This time, Raith helps me, his hand warm against my back as he arranges pillows behind me. The brief contact sends a strange pulse through me—not just the usual heat I feel when we touch, but something deeper, like an echo of his own strength flowing into me.
And with it comes a fleeting impression—a fragment of thought that isn't mine.
Cannot lose her…
The thought vanishes as quickly as it appeared, leaving me wondering if I imagined it.
The tether. I'd almost forgotten about what I'd done to save him.
"It holds," Typhon confirms, materializing at the foot of the bed in a smaller form than I've ever seen him take. He's barely the size of a house cat, his scales dulled to a muted blue. "Though it remains fragile. One-way tethers are not meant to endure long."
"You look terrible," I say silently, concern washing through me at his diminished state.
"Your flattery knows no bounds," he replies dryly. "I have expended significant energy helping your body purge the void contamination. It would have consumed you otherwise, much as it nearly did the fire human."
“You’ll get back your normal size?”
“Yes. In just a few days. I’m merely lending my essence to you. It’s different than the way it disperses when we’re wounded or even killed. It won’t take me very long to call it back into my core once you’ve stopped sucking it from me like a babe at her mother’s tit.”
"Will it fade?" I ask, meaning the tether. "The connection to Raith?"
"Eventually. Unless strengthened by mutual oath. I'll confess this is one area I have limited knowledge. I've never tethered to an unbound before, nor do I know any elementals who have and still retain their sanity."
I look at Raith, wondering if he can sense the connection between us. If he can feel me the way I'm beginning to feel him—a quiet presence at the edge of my awareness. Can he hear my thoughts? Feel my emotions? The idea is both thrilling and terrifying.
"You should eat," Mireen says, holding out a bowl of broth. "You need your strength back."
I accept the bowl gratefully, realizing how hungry I am. The broth is simple but hearty, warming me from the inside as I sip it slowly. The first spoonful sends a shock of pleasure through my system, my body craving the nourishment after days of nothing.
"The Crucible is in a few days," I say between spoonfuls, doing the mental calculation. "I can't afford to be laid up like this."
"The Crucible should be the least of your concerns right now," Raith says sharply. "You nearly died, Nessa."
"So did you," I counter, meeting his gaze directly. "But we survived, and now we need to be ready for whatever comes next. The siphon admitted it was only using me as bait. It was targeting you specifically, Raith. We need to figure out why."
Mireen looks between us, her gaze calculating. "I'll let the others know you're awake," she says finally, standing. "They'll want to see you. Even Brunhild. And Ambrose has been theorizing non-stop about unbound abilities since he found out. It's driving Beck insane."
"Truly," Beck agrees, pushing himself up from the chair. "He's like a dog with a bone. You'd think he'd discovered a new element the way he's going on about it."
After they leave, a heavy silence falls between Raith and me. There are too many things unsaid, too many questions neither of us seems ready to ask.