like it before in my life.”
“White?” I asked, my head pulsating slightly.
“Your entire eyes turned white, and you started speaking in the old language,” Soran shuddered, glancing over at Tarek who had a strange look on his face.
“I don’t speak any language except this one and a little bit of Spanish,” I mumbled sleepily.
“Trust me, you speak the old language,” Soran assured me. “How do you feel?
“Like hell,” I muttered, closing my eyes again. “Like I want to sleep for a hundred years.”
“Prince Soran, perhaps we should move Analia to her room. I can carry her. You’re supposed to be meeting with the king in the War Room. You need to report to him what happened,” Tarek stated, staring down at me, then back to Soran.
“Are you sure? I can take her, Tarek,” Soran started, but Tarek held up his hand to stop him.
“My prince, I’ll care for the princess. You go meet with your father. I’ll ensure she makes it to her room safely.”
Soran gave him a curt nod and bent down, kissing me lightly on the forehead.
“I’ll come and check on you the moment I can,” he assured me fiercely. “Tarek will care for you until I get things sorted out and let mother and father know what’s happening.”
I nodded tiredly. I tried to keep my eyes open as Soran left the room.
Tarek bent down and scooped me into his arms again. I rested my head against his chest, far too exhausted to put in the effort to fight him.
“If you need anything, please come get me,” Gregor said as Tarek carried me to the door.
“Of course,” Tarek answered.
We left Gregor’s study quickly, and I rested comfortably in Tarek’s arms.
“You had us scared to death,” Tarek commented as he took the stairs swiftly.
I didn’t say anything as we walked the long halls to my chambers. He opened the door easily and brought me to my bed where he laid me gently onto it.
“I was worried about you,” Tarek said softy, bringing the blankets up to my chin and sitting down beside me. “You were fine and then you weren’t. Your eyes turned white as snow, and you began speaking in the old language. You were shaking, and you hit your head when you fell. Then you stopped breathing. I-I thought you died.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled sleepily, struggling to keep my eyes open.
“Don’t be,” he whispered, pushing my hair off my face with an uncharacteristic tenderness. “As long as you’re OK now.”
“I must have hit my head pretty hard.” The words tumbled clumsily out of my mouth.
“Why?” he asked, concern thick in his voice.
“Because I must be dreaming. You’re not being a jerk to me.”
Tarek chuckled softly and tucked the blanket tightly around me.
“Go to sleep, Princess. I’ll wait here until Soran returns.”
“M’kay,” I said groggily. “Jus’ don’ kill me in my sleep.”
“You have my word,” he replied, his voice thick and barely audible.
He dabbed my forehead with a cool cloth as I slipped off into a peaceful sleep, the world black instead of blinding white.
Chapter 23
I woke sometime late the next afternoon, feeling groggy but way better than I had the night before. I had a calm night with no weird dreams, and that was a relief. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and sucked in a deep breath.
The girl I used to be tried to reason with my mind, telling me stress caused whatever the hell happened yesterday. Deep down I knew it was more than that. I was the Oracle, a Seer. Obviously, I was doing what I was supposed to do and Seeing.
What had I seen, though? What was Zaros up to?
“Analia.” Soran knocked softly on my door and pushed it open. “You’re awake.”
“Hey,” I greeted him hoarsely.
“Are you feeling well?”
“Definitely better than yesterday,” I answered, forcing a smile.
“I’m glad to hear that.” He sat on the bed beside me. “You had me worried sick. What happened?”
“I-I don’t know. One minute I was standing there, and the next I was somewhere else, seeing things I didn’t understand.”
“What did you see?” Soran pressed, concerned.
“Zaros. He was performing some kind of ritual with men in cloaks. I-I think they were bringing someone back to life.” I chewed my lip thoughtfully, pushing down the fear within me at who it could be. “And then, all these images rushed at me. I couldn’t capture them all. Some were clearer than others.”
Soran breathed out deeply, his blue eyes focused on me, prompting me to continue.
“I-I saw Calix. He was standing