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desperately. Unfortunately, despite Aurian's promise, she had no confidence that the Mage would do anything of the
kind. Were our situations reversed, Raven mused, I would not help her . . . Then the door of her chamber opened, and
the subject of her thoughts walked in.
For a moment, their eyes locked, then: "Don't dare to pity me Raven snapped, before the Mage could turn away, as
others had, with that expression in her eyes.
Aurian merely shrugged. "You brought it on yourself," she said coolly, and the winged girl clenched her teeth with
anger. It was even more galling that the Mage had noticed. Aurian raised an eyebrow. "Make your mind up," she said
brutally. "I didn't come to waste sympathy on you, Raven. I came to Heal you, as I promised and then we'll see what
you can do to make amends for betraying us all." The Mage's stern words were echoed by a low and menacing growl,
and Raven's heart sank to see that Shia, together with another cat, had accompanied Aurian into the chamber. She was
further dismayed to see Yazour behind them, his eyes like a naked blade. The winged girl flushed beneath his withering
glare. As far back as the forest, the young captain had made it clear that he was attracted to her. When she had
repeatedly spurned his tentative advances, his feelings for her had soured. She was astonished, therefore, to see his
face turn pale with shock as he took in the extent of her dreadful injuries. He shook his head, dismayed, and tightened
his lips as though he did not trust himself to speak.
"Lady, must these animals be in here?" Cygnus, entering with Elster, was frowning. He sidled across the chamber,
putting the widest possible space between himself and the intimidating cats, to hover protectively by Raven.
"Yes, they must" Aurian replied shortly. "Now get out of the way, and let me get on with this."
"What?" Elster looked startled. "You intend to heal her now? Just like that with no preparation or anything?"
"Well, I must admit, a hot drink would have been welcome on this freezing night, but since no one has offered . . ." The
Mage shrugged. "Yes, I'm going to do it now, and I want you two out of here." She looked hard at the remains of
Raven's wings. "This will be tricky, and if I'm interrupted or distracted while I rebuild the wings, she could end up in a
worse state than before I started."
Raven saw the bitter disappointment on Elster's face, and a flash of angry denial in the eyes of Cygnus. For a moment
she was tempted to insist that they stay. Alone, she would be utterly at the mercy of Aurian and the cats.
The Mage was looking at her with one eyebrow raised and a challenging tilt to her chin. "Well, Raven?" she asked
softly. "Will you trust me to keep my word or not?"
"Do not permit this, Your Majesty," Cygnus urged. Elster said nothing, but she also looked unhappy. The winged girl
hesitated but only for a moment. "I owe you my trust," she answered softly, "and much more than that."
The Mage nodded briefly, accepting the sentiment behind the words. Raven turned to the protesting physicians.
"Out," she said in imperious tones that she had learned from her mother. "Do not return until you are summoned."
"Actually ..." Aurian was frowning thoughtfully. "One of you must stay. In order to repair that wing, I'll need a perfect
example to work from." She gestured to Elster. "It had better be you you're less excitable than your friend."
"Lady no!" Cygnus protested. "I too am a physician. Would you force me to miss such a miracle? It isn't fair to
exclude only me, out of everyone in this chamber."
Aurian sighed. "Oh, very well." She looked at Yazour. "If our physician here utters a single sound, I want you to cut
his throat."
Yazour, grinning evilly as he slipped a long, keen dagger from his belt, looked as though he would be only too happy
to oblige, and the protest that Raven had been about to make died abruptly on her lips.
As the Mage began to work, there was complete silence in the chamber. Afterward, Raven had few clear recollections
of the Healing, but what stood out ever afterward in her memory was the sudden, shocking cessation of pain as Aurian
laid a gentle touch upon her wings. In the absence of the agony that had been her constant torment, the winged girl
was bathed in a warm, floating wave of euphoria, her body gloriously relaxed as though it suddenly had become
weightless. Nothing in her life had ever felt so wonderful. Drowsily, she let her mind float free, barely feeling the
lingering tingling glow as the Mage's hands passed over the shattered wings, and the force of Aurian's magic sank [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]