Chapter 8

“I will handle this myself!” With that, he vanished. Within 20 seconds, everything was normal.

“The young man has such power. I haven’t felt anything like that since...,” the eldest said.

“Yes,” said Azel. “He has the power like him, but can he control it?”

Tom was sitting at his dining room table, trying to think of a way to rescue Frilly. Damn it! Everything he came up with failed, got him or her killed, or got many magical beings killed. Sighing, the only plan he saw that had any chance of working was the original one he had come up with in the first place. Lying down, he fell asleep within moments. Damn it, he was so tired he hadn’t even noticed that he had pushed himself that hard. Unfortunately, with sleep came dreams. Even those provided no solace. He hadn’t seen the woman with the golden hair all week. Floating in a mist, this dream seemed to be as unrestful as the others. Hearing a sound, Tom turned, and there she was!

“I have waited to see you all week,” Tom said.

The woman shook her head yes and looked down, almost seeming to be afraid to look at him.

“I know you can’t speak, but can we converse before you disappear again?” Tom asked, hoping she would. Again, she nodded yes, as Tom gently caressed her face.

Again, he felt her pain. She felt as if she were imprisoned. She rubbed her face on his hand. Oh god, her skin was so soft. Forgetting for a moment, he started trying to pull the pain from her. For a moment, maybe two seconds, he felt her pain slip away. Then she was rapidly moving back from him.

“Oh my god! I am so sorry. I forgot to ask. Your pain—your pain is as bad as mine,” Tom apologized, watching her hovering nearby. “Did I hurt you?”

Smiling, she shook her head no. Tom felt a tingling warmth again moving up his feet, past his ankles, slowly creeping upward.

“Myria, will we ever meet?” Tom asked.

She shook her head yes. Tom could feel it now moving up his calves.

“Are you ok? Do you need help? Is that why you came to me?” Tom asked.

Myria shook her head no with a finger up, yes with two fingers held up, yes and no holding up three fingers.

“Can you tell me where you are?” Tom was starting to get frustrated.

The word Malamon appeared between them.

“What? Malamon has you? I’ll kill him to free you!” Tom shouted.

Shaking her head no, a worried look on her face, the words not yet appeared, grow stronger. Tom was befuddled. The tingling now above his knees, almost to his lower thighs. Strangely, Tom felt calmer than he ever had in his life.

“How can I? I refuse to let the council train me. The spirit of my talisman was taken by Malamon. She and you are the only ones I trust. I don’t know how to train without her. I think that’s why he took her.”

Myria looked at Tom with love and smiled again, the tingling warmth growing slightly faster, now to his waist. Tom’s thinking was actually clearing. Tom started to see plans and ways to get to Malamon, but they weren’t complete. Reaching out, Tom held Myria like a magical anchor when he felt her being pulled away. The tingling was past his waist, just at his navel. Damn it, she was healing him! It had to be. When she had before, only the little bit he found, he had a lot more control, but not enough. He had to give her the chance to finish. Reaching the bottom of his ribs, he saw a few of the plans completed. Many were only three-quarters, but they were more than he had before. Hanging on to her with a magical tether was starting to tax him, and he could feel her starting to weaken also. Midway up his ribs, the tears were starting to fall from his eyes. “Myria, I can’t hold you. I am so sorry.” Quickly, she was drawn away, and Tom was too weak to follow.