Chapter 7

Whilst Seth was gone and Edward was cleaning King Emmett's entry wound with water, I set about attempting to find wood to start a fire. With all the rain that had fallen, every bit of wood I came across was damp or rotten. Finally though, I managed to find what drier pieces I could. Gathering them in Edward's cloak I took them back and dropped them near to where Emmett lay. Once lit, I hoped the fire would be able to keep us all warm.

A few minutes after I returned, Seth came back too. Edward nodded as Seth presented the correct plants. Removing a pot from his bag and with my cousin preparing the leaves, Edward ground them down into a green paste using a stone and water. With the paste prepared, he spread it over the king's wound before placing more leaves over the top to seal it.

I continued working on the fire, having discarded Edward's cloak to put over King Emmett and ward off the cold. Using a flat piece of wood I cut a groove into it with a sharp stone and then taking a long stick between my hands, I rubbed the end into the circular groove. Thin tendrils of smoke plumed repeatedly but failed to catch. I rubbed until my hands were raw and darkness was drowning us but still the damp warded off any fire. Finally Seth came over, offering to take over, but before he had a chance Edward murmured unintelligibly and the nest of kindling I had created burst into flame.

Seth turned to him stunned, barely able to comprehend the creation of fire from nothing. Awkward and clearly unsure what to say, he shuffled back over to where Edward was seated beside the king, shaving the ends of a stick into a sharp point with the blade of the knife.

"How does he fare?" Seth asked awkwardly sitting on the other side of the injured monarch.

"Not well. We can only rest here tonight and hope the herbs do well. In the morning we can look for leeches if there is no improvement."

I gasped as I sat down next to Edward. "You think we will need to let his blood?"

"If the herbs cannot draw the toxins of the poison out, then yes. Putting them around the wound will help remove the poisoned blood. I hope that the herbs are enough for now at least." King Emmett's face was ashen in the firelight, his large body so still he seemed almost seemed dead. I had never seen the king so vulnerable and my thoughts drifted back to the castle.

"The Queen and Ladies Alice and Esme must be so worried." I lamented and beside me Edward nodded, silent in his musings.

A short while later he ordered us to rest whilst he took watch initially. It was arranged that Seth would watch in the early hours to allow Edward rest too. I slept fitfully, lying close to my cousin and the fire so we could ward off the cold. After only a couple of hours I stirred awake. I could see Edward's profile next to the fire and found myself watching him as he watched the fire; its flames glittering in his green eyes. Being so close to him as I had been earlier, his scent was so much stronger, and so much more unique than the scent of any man I had come across. His features were much more defined and more perfect than any man. His beauty was ethereal in its handsomeness and seemed to transcend the mortal and again I pondered the tales surrounding this man, Emyrs.

After some time, I rose from my cousin's side and moved to sit next to Edward. He barely moved as I sat beside him, his scent engulfing me instantly and encouraging me to sit closer.

"You should be resting." His voice was husky, whether with sleep depravation or lack of use over the last few hours, I was unsure.

I nodded silently, "I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both." I answered honestly and was rewarded with a crooked smirk.

"Are you warm now?"

"Nearly." I pressed a hand against the still damp sleeve of my ragged, dirty dress. Edward's eyes swept over me, from the wildness of my hair, to the cut of my dress about my torso and down to where my scratched shins and ankles peeked out from the tattered hem of my skirt. With another murmur from Edward, the fire swelled in answer and a shiver rocked its way through my body. I was unsure whether it was because of Edward's perusal or the increase in heat; I leant more towards the former.

"How does a mortal man get such power?" I questioned, trying a different tack on my earlier question, unable to let my curiosity go.

"What power? These are just simple party tricks." He gestured to the fire. His voice was soft, more welcoming than during any of our previous conversations.

"Do not play me for a fool Edward. They might only be party tricks to you, but to everyone else they are a power of the Gods." I continued, taking advantage of his current serenity, until he decided to cut me down more directly.

He merely smiled and I longed to know his thoughts. "I would never play you for a fool, Olwen."

"You just did."

"I did not, what power do you think I have?"

I frowned, "The power to heal, to control the elements, they say you are a great warrior. I don't know…" I sighed confused and feeling the beginning waves of frustration. "You won't tell me."

"What point was there in telling you? You didn't believe me."

"I do now." I paused watching him closely, but his beautiful face was as impassive as a statue. "Are you mortal?"

"Yes." He lingered over the word, his answer clearly incomplete.

I waited but knowing he was closing down on me again, I begged him with a soft, "Please, Emrys."

His gaze snapped to me and I felt like I was pinned by a hawk, "Do not play that card with me, Bella." He nearly snarled, dragging us back to the terms I had forced us to use for each other before and blindsiding me with his sudden temper.

"But you can call me Olwen as you see fit without me knowing why?" I rose frustrated and angry. Edward's eyes flitted to my cousin but he remained peacefully asleep. Turning, I stormed away from the fire and into the woods.

"Bella!" Edward hissed after me, but I kept on going, desperate to get away from the infuriating man, wizard… whatever he was.

I had only gone a few yards from the fire before he appeared in front of me suddenly. Startled I staggered back, my heel catching on a root causing me to fall but Edwards hands snapped out ensnaring my wrists.

As soon as I had my balance, I shoved him away, "No mortal is capable of such speed!" I hissed angrily as he staggered back from the force.

His eyes look more alight than I had seen them this evening. "I am not mortal." He conceded contradicting his earlier words before correcting with a wary, "Not entirely."

"Then what are you?" I hissed again attempting to keep my voice low so as not to disturb my cousin.

"Immortal, undying."

"I do not need to know the definitions of your name, iEmrys./i" I drew out his name advancing to push him again. My emotions were high, the fear of the daytime drawing me into a frustrated anger that he seemed to fuel to effortlessly. Edward grasped my hands before I could push. I glanced at his hands as they restrained me and glared pointedly at him, "Then tell me what you are."

"I am a cambion. I have been many things over the years; a wizard, a war leader…" He ground out, his voice strained and his eyes wary as he watched me as if expecting a common reaction to his confession.

Instead, relieved by his confession, I wilted against him, my forehead resting against the cotton of his shirt. With the exhaustion of the day and the effort required to get one small piece of information from him I gratefully took whatever information about him he would give me.

Edward released my wrists, his arms wrapping about me as he held me in my exhaustion, his lips pressing against the crown of my head. Within his embrace, his scent made my knees feel weak and only made me yearn to be closer to him still. My mind grew hazy with his proximity and my lack of sleep.

"And Olwen?" I asked, softly, sure I was pushing my luck with getting more information from him tonight and too weak to argue when he chuckled and merely replied with, "You just forget everything don't you?"