with the children—” I start vaguely, but he cuts me off with a shake of his head.
“That route of escape will only work for a short time. They will soon realise people are all going to a certain place at a certain time. Even if they don’t work out how people are escaping, they will figure out how to stop it, making it impossible to get around without being watched or followed.” I hadn’t thought that far ahead, and he’s right. We’ll only be able to do it a couple of times before it becomes too difficult.
“Then we need to make it count.” I mean every word I say, even though it scares me. Grayson isn’t here to save me anymore, and there’s a real possibility that I could die.
“Break the spell.” Vaeril holds his arm out to me, and I look at his remaining cuff.
“Oh.” Although I offered to break the spell and for him to go without me, I hadn’t thought he would actually do it. My chest tightens and a feeling of disappointment fills me as I glance away, staring at the items on his workstation.
“Not so I can leave.” His voice sounds angry, like he’s frustrated that I would think he’d leave without me. Raising my head, I look back at him and see his fists are clenched and his body is trembling slightly. Is that because of the cuff? Is he feeling the effects of not working, or is it for another reason? “If you get into any trouble, I need to be able to access my abilities so I can find you.”
I pause, surprised at his explanation. He would do that? Essentially come and rescue me if I needed it? I finally meet his eyes and I know the answer. Yes, he would. I don’t know why he would risk his life to save me when he could just escape and save himself. We’re not friends, but then again, I wouldn’t call him my enemy, not anymore. So what does that make us?
“How would you know if I was in trouble?”
He just continues to stare at me, his gaze unwavering. I need to know if he can feel this bond between us as clearly as I can. He says I can reach out and touch his spirit, his soul, but does that mean he can feel me like I can feel him?
“I would know.”
Not the answer I was looking for, but it hints that I could be right, that he feels this connection as much as I do. I should ask him, but after how shifty he became after the spirit thing, I don’t want to make him angry. I did say I would drop it and not ask again, after all.
“Okay, can I see the cuff?” I push up from the ground, leaving the scrubbing brush behind, and take a few small steps to close the distance between us, holding out my hand expectantly. I want to examine it. The previous cuff hurt, and I want to see if there’s a better way of removing this one without the same effects as last time.
“You’re going to do it now?” He sounds surprised, as if he hadn’t truly expected me to remove it. Shrugging, I leave my arm outstretched and he finally places his hand in mine. I lift his arm and twist it so I can inspect the cuff without touching it.
“I don’t see why not. Things are getting worse in the castle, and I don’t know when we’re going to have to leave.” My voice sounds calm as I continue to look at the strange, stone-like material circling his wrist. “It doesn’t make sense to leave it on.”
Vaeril stays silent for a few seconds, pulling his gaze from me and running his hand over his tools like he can’t be away from them without being in pain. Surprise runs through me, I thought he would be desperate to get those cuffs off, to be able to use his powers again. To be free. He told me he wanted me to break the spell, but now he’s hesitating?
“Is it going to exhaust you like last time?” His question is quiet, but I can hear the seriousness behind his words. He really sounds like he cares how it will affect me. “You would be vulnerable.”
My heart throbs. When did we get to the point where we cared about the other person? Maybe care isn’t the right word, but we’ve gone from hate to indifference