I spent fourteen days in the infirmary before Chiron said I was fit enough to go back to my dorm and to resume my training. Fourteen days of extreme boredom and bland, unappetizing food. I was only allowed visitors for a few hours in the day, and I was thankful for the snacks my friends snuck in for me.
The first three days I spent lying in bed, unable to move much. I’d been mostly sedated during that time while Chiron tried to heal the scars networking across most of my body from the lightning. Pain had been my constant companion during those days. After that I’d been able to sit up, talk, eat, and accept visitors.
The first time Jasmine saw me with my brand new lightning scar, she cried. Georgina was a little bit more reserved, but not by much. Ren told me I looked badass. And Lucian, when he snuck in after hours, told me how beautiful I was.
I also received visits from Demeter; she brought me some books to read, and one time Hephaistos popped his head in, grunted at me, checked my hands to make sure they weren’t too badly damaged and I could still work with fire, and then left just as quickly.
During the down time, I tried to get as much sleep as I could, as I was beyond exhausted, and my entire body ached. But it proved hard, especially since most times when I closed my eyes, I kept seeing the pile of rubble that used to be my cottage and hearing the voice of the police officer saying he’d found a body. Not being active gave me too much time to think. Too much time to cry.
By the time I went back to class, I was completely empty of tears.
My first class back was elemental. When I walked into the training facility, there were a lot of stares at my newly acquired, full-body network of scars and whispers behind hands. But to my surprise, there were also some high fives, even from a few people I was not expecting.
Diego approached me, a bit sheepishly, to my delight. “Hey Melany, I just want to say that what you did with that lightning was freaking hardcore.”
“Thank you, Diego.”
He held out his hand to me and I shook it. “And I dig your scar.”
When he returned to his group at the water tank, I caught Lucian’s gaze, and I wondered if he had a little chat with his friend. He gave me a sly grin, and I returned it, with my heart fluttering a little bit extra.
“No time for making goo goo eyes, girl.” I jumped back as Hephaistos poked me in the gut with the iron tongs. “It’s your turn to make some fire balls; you’re behind in the class.”
I opened my mouth to say, “Hey, I was in the infirmary for fourteen days.” But he shook his head. “I don’t want to hear any of your excuses.”
“Fine.” I walked up to the main fire pit where the flames flickered up five feet in the air.
I lifted my hands, hesitant to spread them out toward the fire. Sometimes, they still hurt when I used them too much. Chiron had given me salve for them, and they were healing, but every now and then I got a sharp pain.
Taking in a deep breath, I opened my hands and thrust them toward the fire pit. The flames instantly danced toward me, as if they were greeting me. Saying hello, welcome back. I smiled and coaxed the flames to me, until tendrils actually wrapped around my fingers.
Jasmine and Georgina, who were nearby watching, gasped in surprise as I gathered the fire into my hands. I moved them around, caressing the flames, molding them into the shape I wanted. I kept at it until I had a sphere of fire between my palms about the size of a basketball. I looked at Hephaistos over the glowing red ball.
I saw his lips twitch up into a smile, but then he immediately turned away and frowned at something someone else was doing. I couldn’t win with him.
Pleased with the result of my firecraft, I bounced the ball in my hands, wishing I could toss it at something. Or someone. The prime target was glaring at me from across the facility. Revana was never going to be happy until I was either expelled or dead. I wanted to ask her, “Wasn’t my torture enough for you?” Obviously it wasn’t, as she still hate-stared at me like I’d stolen something from her.
My gaze then landed on Lucian. Bingo. We have a winner.
I didn’t steal him, as he was a person and not a possession, but I was sure he wasn’t her boyfriend. During one of his secret visits to the infirmary, I had asked him about Revana, and why he hung out with her. He’d told me because he didn’t know better. But now he did. That had made me grin like a love-struck fool.
When we were switching stations to work with shadows, Lucian’s group and mine passed each other. Lucian grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the group.
“I was going to mention this before, and I probably should have, but I didn’t want to bring it up so soon after…”
“Go on. You got me curious now.”
“When you were going through your trial and the lightning was wrapping around you, I saw… well, I think I saw a shadow protecting you. Putting some kind of barrier between you and the lightning.”
I frowned. “You think Erebus protected me in some way?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just telling you what I saw.” He ran his hand down my arm, then he returned to his group, and I went to mine.
Erebus materialized in front of us. Today, he wore a top hat and carried a silver-tipped, black cane to go with his gothic look.
“Welcome back, Melany.” He gave a little bow.
I pressed my lips together in a facsimile of a smile. I wasn’t sure if he was being sincere or patronizing. He had that arrogant air about him.
“Today, we are going to learn how to manipulate the shadows, to control them, not to just be able to camouflage inside them.”
He held out his right hand, and after a few seconds, tendrils of darkness coiled around his fingers, then he circled his hand in front of him, and the black smoke made a loop in the air. Then he flicked his hand toward me, and that smoke loop wrapped around my wrist. Erebus flicked his hand backwards, and I was tugged forward by my arm. He’d lassoed me with a rope of shadow.
Everyone laughed as I stumbled forward.
Erebus closed his hand, and the shadow rope vanished, releasing me. “Get into pairs and practice. First, make the shadow rope, then try to catch your partner with it.” Since we were only a mere foot apart, he turned to me. “You can be my partner, Melany, since the group is uneven.”
I almost let out a disgruntled groan but kept it bottled inside. I glanced over at Jasmine and Georgina. They both gave me concerned looks and I shrugged. Nothing I could do about it.
I faced off with Erebus. He gave me a creepy smile as I lifted my hand and moved it through the permanent shadows swirling around us. Within seconds, I was able to manipulate the darkness through my fingers, making a circle in the air.
Erebus nodded. “Not bad. You take to the shadows easily, I think.”
Throwing it was a whole other matter. Every time I flung my hand forward, the smoke rope dissipated, and I had to start all over again.
Under Erebus’s eagle eye, I created the smoke rope again, and this time when I threw it, I was able to get it around his arm. I almost threw a fist into the air. Instead, I yanked on the rope and moved Erebus forward.
He smiled and tapped his cane on the floor; we were completely cloaked in darkness, and he was only a couple of inches away. He grabbed my arm hard.
“Who saved you?”
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“During the trial. I saw the shadows shroud you. Without them, you would have certainly died.”
I tried to pull away from him, but his grip was solid. His fingers dug into my flesh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But I did. Lucian had mentioned the same thing. He had insinuated Erebus had been the one to save me, but obviously that wasn’t the case. So who had?
“You’re being protected, that much is obvious.” His hand tightened around my arm. “But understand this, Melany Richmond, that kind of protection comes with a cost.”