Love’s Eternal Fire

Chapter 19: Waking Up

Solaris' POV

I gasped, sitting straight up in bed; at least, I thought it was my bed, but looking around, I was in the hospital. Why the he** was I in the hospital, and why did my neck hurt so badly? Touching the tender spot, I felt a large bandage near my collarbone. What was that from? I threw the covers back to discover I wore black shorts and a white T-shirt. Trying to get out of bed, I felt dizzy and fell back down. There was an IV protruding from my arm, and I pulled it out, throwing it to the side. A machine began to beep loudly, and two nurses, Vesper and Draven, came through the door.

"Solaris, you're awake," Draven said, steadying me as I tried to get to my feet again.

"Yes, and would someone please tell me what I'm doing here?" I asked, trying to shake him off.

"I'll go and get Dr. Lorcan," Vesper said, disappearing back through the door.

"Solaris, please; Dr. Lorcan will explain what happened, but you need to get back in bed," Draven told me, trying to force me back down.

"Look, I'm fine," I tried to tell him, still swaying slightly.

"Please," he asked again.

"Solaris!" a booming voice said, making me stop resisting Draven's hold on me. It wasn't Dr. Lorcan's voice but my father's that filled the room, commanding silence. Draven released me, and I turned to the door to see him entering my room.

"Dad," I responded, sitting on the edge of the bed. It was not by choice, but I was still surprisingly dizzy.

"It's good to see that you're awake," he told me, towering over me and making me feel like a child again.

"What's happening? How long have I been here?" I asked.

"Four days, almost five," he replied.

"Five days!" I exclaimed. "What the he** happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked, looking serious, like this answer held a lot of weight.

"I remember coming to help the other warriors and being in the woods," I told him. "There was someone talking in the woods, and I went to investigate, but after that, it's all black."

“Well, I regret to have to tell you this, but it appears that someone ambushed and attacked you. They injected you with something, and we haven’t been able to figure out what,” he told me somberly. "That's why you have that bandaged. Whatever they used caused a large legion or something, Dr. Lorcan had to remove."

“That happened while I was in the forest?” I asked, making sure I understood him correctly.

“Yes; no one was around when it happened, so we didn’t see who, but we assumed it was a fairy. They have all sorts of potions that can weaken phoenixes,” he told me. “I’m going to have Dr. Lorcan come and evaluate you.” Dr. Lorcan walked in at that moment, looking as frail and old as ever. How he was still the doctor here was beyond me. He should have retired long ago and let someone else have the job.

"Master Solaris," he chirped, standing next to me. "How are we feeling after your ordeal?"

"Fine," I told him. "Ready to go home."

"Well, let's just look and see," he said, putting on his large round glasses that hung from a chain around his neck. I humored Dr. Lorcan and let him do his examination, even though I knew I was fine, apart from waking up a little dizzy. My dad hovered around him, watching each move with his full attention.

"What do you think?" I finally asked him after several minutes of silence.

"It appears you're the picture of health. We can get you out of here now; try not to go into battle alone again. Fairies can be devilishly tricky," he replied.

"It certainly won't happen again," my dad told him. "Thank you, Dr. Lorcan."

"You're very welcome," Dr. Lorcan said, shaking my dad's hand.

"Come, I have a lot to talk with you about," my dad said. He indicated to my shoes near the foot of the bed. I put them on and followed him from the hospital. "This might surprise you, but I've decided not to let Ryse take over the clan."

"What?" I questioned, astonished he would decide such a thing. "When did you decide this?" He was looking at me from the side of his eyes, gauging my reaction.

"The other day, his emotions got the best of him, and I think he will be too quick to jump into unnecessary actions against other people. This clan needs a strong leader who can make the right decisions and keep a calm head while doing it," he replied. "That's why I've chosen you as my successor."

"Me? But I never wanted to lead this clan; that was always Ryse," I said, still in shock.

"That might be, but he should have done a better job learning to control his emotions," my dad added.

"Mabe, he still can. Have you talked with him about all of this?" I wondered.

"I have. He's furious, but he'll get over it. I haven't told you this yet, but I'm sick, and I'm not going to get any better. You're going to be taking over this clan soon." His words hit me hard, like a punch to the stomach, nearly knocking the wind out of me. Even though we weren't as close as I would have liked to be, he was still my father, and hearing he soon wouldn't be around was devastating. Even as a child, you seem to assume your parents will live forever, and that's almost true of phoenixes.

"I'm so sorry," I told him. "There's nothing Dr. Lorcan can do?"

"Unfortunately not, and your mother and I have accepted it. It's my dying wish that I leave this clan in the hands of someone capable," he said. Guilt was seeping into my consciousness now, thinking about how this was his last wish for me. Would it be so bad to take over the clan? I would have to find a mate first, and at that moment, I wasn't sure why I hadn't found them yet. It felt like I knew who my mate was for some reason, but no name or face came to mind.

"Alright," I sighed. "I accept."

"Perfect," he told me, sounding happy and proud. "Your mother and I have been planning a ball for you. We'll invite all the unmated women from all the different clans, and you can take your pick."

"When?" I asked, feeling hollow. I had just said yes to giving up my freedom and taking a position that should have gone to Ryse.

"Next week," he told me, clapping me on the back. "Your mother will be very pleased. Would you like to join us for dinner?"

"That's alright; I think I'd just like to go home and start thinking about being the leader of all these people," I replied. Leaving my dad standing, I started walking, unsure where I was going. I just knew I couldn't sit still; I had to keep moving. Too much information had been dropped on me at once; how was I supposed to process all of this? I had been passed out in the hospital for days; my brother probably hated me; I was taking over this clan and taking a chosen mate, and to top it all off, my father was dying. I knew I needed to talk to someone, so I headed straight for Savion's house. Knocking hard, I waited impatiently for him to reply. No one was there after a minute or two, so I knocked again, but there was still no response.

"Savion, where are you?" I asked via mind link but was met with a vast, empty silence, which had my heart racing. "Savion?"

"Dad, where's Savion?" I asked, hoping he would be able to tell me.

"Oh, I knew there was something I forgot to tell you. Savion didn't make it out of the battle with the fairies when you got hurt," he told me, with no emotion or sympathy in his voice.

"What?! No! He's our best warrior; how could they have killed him?" I questioned, my head reeling.

"I don't know, but they did," he replied.

"This is unbelievable..." I told him.

"Feel free to visit his grave if you don't believe me," he said. Turning, I raced from Savion's house towards our clan crypt in the woods. Skidding to a halt, I flung the heavy marble door open and thundered down the stairs. If he were down here, he would be next to his aunt. Scanning the rows of names, my heart dropped when I saw his, clear as day, written in curvy red letters. Stumbling, my back hit the hard, cold stone, the only thing holding me up. Sliding down the wall, I felt something inside me change. The fairies did this; they killed my best friend and nearly killed me; maybe they were as bad as my father always made them out to be. They, indeed, were more powerful than I ever felt possible.

Blinking back the tears threatening to spill over, anger began to take over. Anger at the fairies for taking away something I cared about. I was also angry with my father for putting me in the position of taking a mate and leading this clan. I knew it had to be done, but he could have taught Ryse better. He wanted to blame it all on my brother, but I knew my father was at fault, too. If he had been a little more caring when we were growing up, maybe Ryse would have turned out differently. Sitting there on the floor of the crypt, I made myself a promise; I promised that I would find the person responsible for Savion's death and make them pay, even if I had to hunt and kill every fairy.