When Anastasia fluttered her eyes open, confusion swept over her. A chandelier hung in the ceiling that emanated soft lights. Tiny orbs of yellow lights floated over her. They touched her skin as if caressing her and then drifted away. She recognized the woodsy, spicy and misty smell that surrounded her. She looked down and found herself tucked beneath comfortable blue silk sheets. She scanned the room, not recollecting how she got there or where she was. The bed she was lying on was massive. Breeze fluttered the blue lacy drapes of the windows bringing in the aroma of lilacs and lavender. Sunrays crept in every time the drapes moved. On her left were huge armoires that were crafted beautifully with dragons and vines. She turned her head to the right and found lavish couches in blue fabric.
She licked her lips. The last thing she remembered was Ileus carrying her on Lovac. She thought she was dreaming and tried to place the images of her dream together but nothing made sense. It seemed like she had just killed Nyles and where Maple was. She wanted her to stay alive, not being able to determine her punishment.
"Anastasia!"
Her lips kicked up at the familiar voice, and she turned to look at the source of the sound. Ileus had opened the door of the room and was now walking towards her. The last time she saw him, he had burst into shadows and his clothes were ragged and wind blown. When he came next to her, the yellow orbs of light shifted away and let him enter the space. He leaned over her face and cupped her face with his hands while staring at her with his golden eyes. His face was clean-shaven and the hair was neatly combed back. He was wearing a white shirt with golden buttons over black pants.
"How are you sweetheart?" he asked in a soft, careful voice.
She blinked her eyes to remove the remnant of her foggy reflections. "I— I am fine," she replied in a hoarse voice. She felt so much better and refreshed than she could ever remember.
"Why are you still so stressed, my dear?" He sat beside her, fixing his gaze in her eyes.
Suddenly she remembered that she had been struck by a spirit and it resulted in a deep wound. There was so much blood that it had soaked her clothes. She pulled her hand out of the silk sheet. The white sleeve of her nightgown fell down and revealed her skin that was now bandaged. "You discovered it?" She tried to lift her face, but there was slight heaviness and she plopped back. Ileus immediately helped her prop up by pulling pillows from the side and putting them behind her. He hugged her tightly. His misty smell enveloped her senses and her head felt lighter.
"Anastasia?" he asked when he sat down beside her again.
She swallowed saliva down her dry throat. Roving her eyes around the room, she asked, "Where are we?"
When there was no answer from him, she turned to look at him and found him staring at her with raised eyebrows. "We are in Norhall Castle, Ixoviya."
Her lips parted. Kingdom of Ixoviya? Daryn and Caleb's castle? "But you— you didn't want to come here?" What made him change his mind?
"Don't you want to know where Maple is?" he asked, amused.
"I do," she nodded.
"I had summoned Haldir. He has taken her to the wizard prison where he will keep her secretly," he said.
"Oh!" Was that nice considering when she would meet her again? "Her wings…"
"Don't worry, she will never heal from her injuries now," he said as a way to allay her fears. "Haldir will make sure," he added.
"How long was I unconscious?" she asked, not wanting to ponder on her cousin anymore than necessary.
His jaw flexed. "You were gone for two days," he said. "The wound on your arm was deep and there were several bruises on your body. Healers of Ixoviya did everything they could to— to take you out of it." His face muscles became hard, as he stared at her with glassy eyes. "I couldn't take chances with you staying back in Yelgra, and so I brought you here. I am sure that the news of Maple's capture has already reached Aed Ruad. He might come or send others."
Gods.
"Maple did say that Aed Ruad will send more," she said in a hoarse voice.
"I know sweetheart." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Before Haldir took her, I had a talk with her, and I had a tough session with her. She has revealed a lot."
She wished she could see the torture Ileus must have given her, but there was something that Maple had said that she wanted to recall. "When I was fighting with Maple, she told me that— that there is something that I should be very afraid of… something related to my birth. I— I could barely hear her…"
Ileus smirked. "She wanted to distract your attention. I highly doubt that she was speaking the truth."
"Why didn't you put her in the dungeons over here?"
"Sedora is just gone and so I have reasons to believe that she must have left her trustworthy people here. Since she was Kar'den's ally, I didn't want to take my chances. There was a possibility that her people might help Maple to escape."
Anastasia's heart tripped at the thought. "You did the right thing, Ileus, but I want to face her sooner than later."
He cupped her cheeks again and pressed a kiss of her forehead. When he moved away, his eyes shone like golden flames. "I won't deny you the chance sweetheart, but you must get well soon first."
Her lips tugged up as she brought her hand to cover his. "What did you do to the spirits?" she asked, even as her mind was trying to recollect what all she saw when she was with the spirits.