i focused again on my waning magic, forcing my mind away from the pain and agony, away from the violent thrashing and away from the deafening scream of the wind. i let the electricity surge through me completely, calling on the very depth of my magic, letting it loose on the tornado without apology.

the colors flashed brighter and faster, working their way through the color wheel in rapid succession. again, i forced my magic out of me, sending the energy outside the eye of the storm and to the very recesses of the source of the wind.

the flashing colors began to take a more distinctive hue and the royal blue i had come to associate with my shade of magic became more prominent. i let out more magic, wondering when i would run out completely and the glossy blue stayed longer.

as the blue hues increased in the color cycle, the heat lessened and the sound diminished. the winds continued to speed up, however, and i knew i wouldn't be able to hang on much longer before i lost all control completely.

with the release of more magic and a longer stay of blue, the winds did what i considered playing dirty, they took my weakened, helpless body and threw me into a crumbling pillar, finishing the job time had started. rocks and rubble fell all around and on top of me as i was thrown through the center of the pillar and forced out the other side. i laid there with a broken body wishing the wind would finish me; this was too much.

there was silence for a moment before the cyclone reached through the wreckage, pulling me and the broken stone into its spiraling circle of hell again. this time the rocks trapped in the tornado continued to batter my broken body and i did not have the magic to fight the hateful wind and heal my body at the same time.

i released more magic believing i could win, believing i would be the victor. i had nothing else to hold on to. i centered myself, pulling the electricity with all of the force i had left and letting go, unleashing every last ounce of energy. the air was stained in my royal blue, the wind no longer a rainbow but a solid force of my signature color. all at once, in one final effort to slay me, the cyclone threw me violently into the stone wall and i slid down to the cool cave floor, the blue light glistening off of every single thing in the cave, washing over me, reaching to my soul and infecting me with the color.

i lifted my head, afraid of what i had done and the color itself robbed me of breath. i had hit my head hard against the rock wall of the cave and as i laid there unable to breath, blood pooling around me, i slipped into unconsciousness believing i had breathed my last breath.

eden. eden!

i woke slowly, my head throbbing and a mouth that felt like sandpaper. a gentle, soft breeze lifted my hair around me in a careful way as if it was the one trying to wake me.

oh god. eden! please, i can't get in. please tell me you're still alive. i recognized avalon's voice in that it sounded like him but i had never heard him so afraid.

i opened my eyes, and reality started to make its way back. i was lying on the cave floor, broken, in pain, and filthy, but i was alive. i was somehow alive.

the once-dangerous, spiteful wind was gentle and soft now, moving around me in a careful way as if apologizing. i sat up slowly, very slowly, working on finding my equilibrium and touching my fingers to my bloodied head. they came away sticky and stained crimson and i sent my magic quickly to heal the painful gash that went from my temple to back of the head.

eden! avalon screamed inside my head and i sent the magic quickly there too, to save my pounding head from splitting open again.

i'm here. i'm fine. avalon, i'm ok. i breathed a sigh of relief, exhaling slowly and letting tears fall down my dirt stained cheeks.

oh, thank god. oh, thank god. avalon repeated and i had never been more thankful to have him back inside my head.

the cool breeze played with the bottom of my torn and bloodied sari, lifting it off the ground and back down again. the colored air was now permanently blue and held a connection with me that i felt deep inside my soul.

i tested my intuition, willing the wind to go where i wanted it to; it obeyed, floating around the destroyed pillar before picking up some rubble and tossing it to the side like i commanded. i stood in awe for a few seconds before trying it again with bigger rocks. i controlled this wind. whatever happened before i lost consciousness or after, i now was connected to this act of nature on a magical level.

are you getting this? i asked, disbelieving to avalon, who grunted in response. is this normal? i questioned, wondering if this was what the eternal walk was like for everybody.

avalon was on his cell phone in seconds before answering my question, going back and forth with amory in a series of questions and answers, retelling the details of what had happened as soon as i had entered the cave and eventually what color my magic turned the breeze.

amory wants to see if you can change the color of the wind. avalon relayed to me and i tested the boundaries of my control.

at first i just thought about a different color but when nothing happened i released my magic into the wind and that worked. the blue turned from royal to navy to black and then to a vibrant yellow just to test what i was capable of.

avalon, having full access to what i was doing now, was back on the phone with amory giving him every detail and answering what little questions the now speechless amory had.

he wants you to change the color to orange, like angelica's and turn up the velocity of the wind a little bit and finish your walk. amory says now that you can control the color you can prove to lucan that you're nobody special. do not let him see the blue, keep it orange and only a little violent. he says it shouldn't be able to pick you up off the floor, but it should be difficult to walk and you should be sweating. it should be a little bit hot, too. avalon instructed word for word what i already heard amory say to avalon the first time. but i listened anyway, making sure i didn't miss anything.

i did as i was told; increasing the speed and strength of the wind, turning the blue to orange and making myself sweat with the help of magic. i had really had enough of the licking flames; i didn't need to recreate that sensation when magic would still produce the desired effect.

the rest of the walk through the cave felt relatively short after the mayhem from the first part and when natural light finally filled another cave mouth i practically ran to it, forgetting that lucan was watching somewhere.

once back in the humid jungle and the breeze floating in a waning pool at my feet i fell to the ground and began to cry. i wasn't really emotional about almost dying. that had felt like sweet release at the time, but i was traumatized. i had never been physically assaulted on purpose from nature and i hoped to never be again.

"eden, are you all right?" kiran was there, kneeling next to me and pulling me to him. i let him hold me, the tears continuing to fall with no end in sight. "what happened in there?" he asked, brushing my matted and bloodied hair out of my face. "where did all of this blood come from?"

he pulled his hand up to his face before turning his attention fully on me. i didn't know what to say or what to tell him. i couldn't be honest with him here and his father close by, but i had no strength to lie, to make something up. i just wanted to go home.

"it's ok," he held me closely to him after realizing i was not going to explain the chain of events inside the cave. "it's going to be ok. let's get you back to the palace and clean you up. all right?"

i nodded my head and let him help me stand up. the gentle breeze was still at my feet, wrapping the orange air around my legs and breathing on me in a sweet, refreshing way.

kiran looked down, noticing the strange phenomenon and gave me an alarmed expression. i sent the command with magic that the wind should return to the cave, but before obeying, the breeze left my feet in a gentle whirlwind encompassing me entirely, the feeling was far from unpleasant and i stood their wrapped in colorful air, breathing in the wind that i was apparently on good terms with now.

after a few moments the wind was back inside the cave with a gush of power and a whooshing sound. i stared after it, not entirely sure i understood anything that just happened or if i really wanted to. all i could think about now was that ivory bathtub and menthol water. the rest would come later, the ability to understand. until then i just needed a bath.

chapter twenty-three

i stepped out of the tub feeling infinitely better. i soaked long enough that my fingers and toes were wrinkled but i didn't care. the thick water had been the perfect remedy to my frazzled nerves and beaten body.

magic healed the burns and bruises covering my body and the gash in my head. my hair was definitely singed but not beyond repair. i fixed the frayed ends with magic and hoped i could cover the rest of the damage with what was left of the healthy hair. standing in front of the vanity mirror in my white cotton towel i looked back to normal, like i hadn't just walked out of the seventh circle of hell.

my inside was a different matter. i communicated with avalon on the way back to the palace assuring him i was all right. he, of course, knew better, but it was enough that i was healthy and that kiran was there.

as much as he hated kiran, having him around was a hopeful sign lucan wouldn't be trying to abduct me yet. and avalon was thankful for that.

i was thankful for kiran too. i hadn't expected to see him in india or until i got home. he held me the whole way back to the palace, the elephant ride feeling much safer wrapped in his arms and he was very unwilling to leave me alone, even to get bathed and dressed. however, i was very unwilling to let him witness all of that.

i walked over to the carry-on suitcase i had yet to open on this trip and pulled out a floor length, white skirt and black tank top, that i thought could pass off as appropriate in the palace; although it wasn't nearly as elegant as the embellished saris i noticed all of the palace servants wore.

i dressed quickly and put product in my hair without bothering to blow dry it. the cool, wetness of my long hair felt good against my hot skin, and i knew that the humidity of the jungle would destroy any chance of relaxed curls anyway. a little bit of eyeliner and mascara and then i decided to leave the room in search of kiran. i didn't want to be alone anymore.

i didn't have to search far; he was waiting in the hallway when i exited the bedroom. he smiled at me, an expression of relief flooding his face and leaned back against the cold marble wall as if finally allowing himself to breath.

"i'm fine. really," i assured him, answering his unspoken questions.

"i can see that," he smiled, a twinkle in his eyes and his signature smirk rising to the surface. "we can't be.... i mean, here.... eden, what i'm trying to say is that here i am very much betrothed...." he looked down at the floor, not able to keep eye contact with me.

"i understand," i replied plainly and understood the warning not to touch him familiarly or speak to him possessively.

"all right. ok," he ran his fingers through his tussled blonde waves, smiling at me again. "i have business in the village, would you like to come?"

"is it ok if i come?" i asked, leaning back against the opposite side of the hallway, hands firmly behind my back as if they would betray me and reach out for kiran without permission.

"yes, yes of course," he said quickly. "this is the best kind of business," he turned on his heel and started walking quickly with purpose.