“What other explanation is there?”
I thought about it for several moments. There really was no other answer. There was no denying it now. Hawthorne and I were connected. We were quiet for a long while before I managed to ask my next question.
“Where’s Noah now?” I said quietly.
Jack scowled, “He left early this morning. Gone travelling again. I’m not sure if he remembers what happened last night. It was probably all a bad dream for him. All I know is he won’t be back for several weeks if this trip is anything like his previous ones.”
“Good.” I mumbled.
Jack stroked my hand, and I was aware, once again, of how warm his skin felt in comparison to mine.
“So how did you get me back here?”
Jack nodded in Hawthorne’s direction, “He carried you.”
“You carried me?” I shot at Hawthorne who looked at me reproachfully, as though daring me to question his strength, “How did he carry me all the way to my room without being seen?”
Jack grinned, “Oh please. I know my way around this manor better than anyone.” He waved it aside, “There’s always another route to take apart from the obvious ones.”
“Humph.” I relaxed against my pillows and felt very drowsy again, though apparently I’d slept through the entire night.
“What about my jobs this morning?” I asked Jack. The light streaming in through my window suggested that it was at least midday.
“Someone else is taking care of it for today.” Jack explained, “I told Charles that you had fallen ill last night, and needed taking care of. Everything is fine.”
“Thanks.” I sighed.
“Tired?” Jack prompted.
“Yeah, weird.”
“Not at all, I drugged your water.”
“What? Jack!”
He laughed, “It's okay. Just some sleeping draught. Get some rest.” He brushed my fringe from my eyes, his warm hands making contact with my cool face. This worried me, but I assumed it was a result of the shock I had suffered. I let my eyes close and I was taken by sleep instantly. The only thing I felt after that was Hawthorn repositioning himself next to my bed once again, standing guard over me. I guessed the whole animal ‘sixth sense’ might actually be true.
When I woke it was dark in my room. I squinted but I couldn’t see anything. I shivered and held my blankets closer to me.
“Ava?” A voice whispered through the pressing black.
“Jack?” I asked, “Where are you?”
I heard footsteps coming towards me from the opposite side of my room. Jack had been sitting in the corner, waiting for me to wake up to see how I was.
“What are you doing?” I whispered. I wasn’t even sure why I was being so quiet, “Where’s Hawthorne?”
“I took him back to the stables.” Jack told me, “I didn’t want to leave you alone. It’s not nice waking up alone and scared.”
“Thank you.” I half smiled, sitting up now.
“How are you feeling?” Jack said coming and sitting on the edge of my bed. I could see his outline now from the faint glow of the moonlight streaming through my little window.
“Much better.” I admitted, “Though I still feel a bit cold.”
Jack leaned forwards and pressed the back of his hand to my forehead, “Well, I don’t know what to tell you except your temperature is exactly right for a normal Mage.”
“But-”
“I know, you’re no normal Mage.” He chuckled, “You’re used to a searing body temperature that keeps you warm. Don’t worry, I’m sure you will be back to normal soon enough.”
“I hope so … I don’t like feeling like this.” I shivered.
“Welcome to my world.”
“No thanks.” I smirked.
Jack sighed and fell into thought. I also had a lot on my mind. There was something I had been meaning to ask Jack, but I didn’t know whether it was an appropriate topic.
“Jack,” I began cautiously, “If you hate Noah Forsythe so much … why do you work here?”
Jack bowed his head; it seemed he had been expecting this.
“When my father disappeared, I was left all alone. I had no one. I was going to be sent to the orphanage in the city. I probably would have grown up there too. Most people in Frost Arch are too poor to adopt children.”
“It sounds awful.”
“However, Charles proposed to Master Sebastian that the manor … purchase me, give me somewhere to live and have me do household work until I was a qualified healer. They paid me a pittance whilst I was underage. When I turned sixteen I became a qualified healer. I was going to leave then, perhaps start my own Healing trade – but the manor wished me to stay, gave me a pay rise. Very convenient having a live-in Healer … So I stayed, against all better judgement. I’ve hated Noah for eight years for blaming my father over Madeline’s death. Like there was anything he could do … it wasn’t his fault.”
I entwined my hand with Jack’s comfortingly, “Of course. It wasn’t his fault.”