Equinox (Book One of the Firebird Chronicles) WATTY AWARD HIDDEN GEM WINNER 2015

Chapter Twenty Three: the Dark Angel

'Opal Princess, the scouts have returned.'

I paused from where I knelt on the floor, wringing out a damp cloth for the umpteenth time that day. Placing it back in the bucket, I turned to see light in the doorway, where a young Exchanger stood.

He wore what I now knew to be the lowest ranking clothes; they were shown through the monotone bright green, and few adornments of jewellery on his body. Even so, I considered him to be greater than my rank. I was addressed with reverence here and my protests were ignored. Perhaps they would not treat me with such respect had they known my past as a thief.

And present. What would it be like to Steal an Exchanger's power?

I quickly pushed the thought away. I had decided against abusing my power after meeting the charming Lord Dale.

'Thank you,' I said, regretting that I did not know the boy's name. There weren't that many Exchangers here and I should have known more names by now. When I asked his name, he looked terribly embarrassed.

'Pip, my lady,' came his muffled answer, the tips of his ears pink. I was thankful that he didn't point out that I had probably asked him the very same question a day or so ago.

'Thank you, Pip. I will be there as soon as I change Fabian's towels. Will you let them know?'

I heard the angel boy take his leave.

I picked up the cloth again and gently wrung it out, watching the droplets until them stemmed. Then I turned back to the man I jokingly thought of as my patient, although I had no more skill as a doctor than I did at being the ruler I was supposed to be.

Fabian lay in exactly the same spot he'd been lying in for the last five days, since I had pulled him from the water. He had been moved quickly to one of the healing bays. There was only one Exchanger that had healing skills, and he had assessed Fabian as critical; when the men had undressed him, they said that they had found attack marks all over his torso, arms and legs, deep cuts made by claws, and bite marks still oozing pus.

The healer then explained to me that Angel magic didn't work perfectly. There was no healing cure for Fabian; there was nothing that would turn back time, or reverse the damage that had been done. Luckily, though, the body healed naturally, provided Fabian could survive long enough to heal. And so the healer made an exchange; Fabian's disease process slowed, allowing him time to heal, but it meant that the process took much longer than usual. As such, the injured Angel had not properly awoken in those five days; most of the time, I was at his side, waking to change the cooling cloths or give him the syrupy solution that provided him pain relief.

Fabian was usually delirious or asleep; he would wake and cry out, calling about things that were not there and attempting half conversations that did not take place. When he slept, it was as if his night would never end, but he would sweat and stir fretfully, as if his dreams were full of darkness. I was afraid that if I left him, he would not awaken; after all he had done for me, he did not deserve to fight this battle alone.

After Fabian's immediate health was cared for, the next issue raised was the last message he had given us.

'They know about you.'

His rasping words had plagued me, night and day. I had awakened the Opal city, and within a day, Fabian appeared, wounded and fleeing danger. The Exchangers assured me of our safety; the walls of the compound were magically enchanted so that only those who knew the password to get beyond the gates could enter. Of course, Fabian had been brought in by me, the only other way for a person to enter.

So unless there was a traitor willing to bring the King into our midst, we were supposedly safe.

But that still left me with the question; how had Fabian known where to find us?