Suspended on Blackened Wings
an excerpt

Mirik woke up slowly, feeling a little more relaxed after a good night’s sleep. He opened his eyes slowly, expecting to see Aéladan sleeping next to him, but no one was there. Suddenly he sat bolt upright in a panic. Where could she have gone? Had she been kidnapped? He hurried through getting dressed in some new clothes and was just about to race out the door when it opened, revealing a soaking and short haired Aéladan.
“Where were you?” he asked, his voice high in alarm.
“My hair is wet. Really Mirik, you need to learn to pay attention. I was just out bathing, doing a job that you should have done so that I would heal faster!”
“Heal faster! You were supposed to be asleep until later today, possibly even into the evening! You healed in plenty of time…” but the protest died in his throat. Aéladan was trembling slightly, and he noticed she was barely holding herself up.
“You shouldn’t have gotten up so quickly. Your body isn’t done healing itself yet,” said a quiet voice from behind her.
Aéladan whirled around and saw the same Jeraph that had healed her last night standing directly behind her. However, the quick movement was too much, and she started to fall. Mirik caught her just before she hit the floor. Her small bundle of dirty clothes dropped out of her hands and fell with a soft thunk onto the dirt floor. Suddenly she felt drained, as though someone had sapped all of her energy.
“What’s…happening…to me…?”
“You’re probably still feeling the effects of the poison. Right, Kaedin?” Mirik looked to him for confirmation.
“Yes…th-that could be one…reason.” Kaedin couldn’t understand why he was stuttering again. It was her eyes piercing him all over again…
Aéladan tried to push away from Mirik, but only got about a step away before she collapsed again. This time it was Kaedin that caught her, and she felt a small jolt as his hand brushed by her bare shoulder.
“You s-should probably…ah…get some sleep…” He couldn’t look directly into her eyes.
“I’ll take her,” Mirik volunteered, holding out a hand for her.
“R-right, of course.” Kaedin handed her over only too willingly, wishing to get away from those dark brown pools that seemed to see right through him.
“I can walk myself,” Aéladan protested weakly, but she took Mirik’s hand and allowed him to lead her back into the dim light of the shack.
After getting her settled, Mirik went back out to talk to Kaedin.
“How long will she be like this?”
“I’m not entirely sure. If she was able to stand on her own for a little while, and also give herself a haircut before collapsing, I think maybe she’ll be all right by tomorrow.”
Mirik winced. “She told me it was because I didn’t wash it for her earlier, and that was why she didn’t heal very quickly.”
Kaedin gave a nervous laugh. He was still slightly shaken by his encounter with Aéladan “That is a possible reason. It is better to have clean conditions so that someone can heal faster. She seems to be doing just fine on her own, though.”
“You’re not stammering anymore,” Mirik noticed.
“I’m not…what?” Kaedin could feel his face turn bright red.
Mirik gave him a knowing smile. “You like her, don’t you?”
“No, it’s not that!” he protested vehemently. “It’s just that…her eyes seem…I don’t know…”
“You two were staring at each other for a while before either of you said anything.”
Kaedin turned a darker shade of scarlet. “We were not! Besides, isn’t she your…you know…”
“My lover?” Mirik asked bluntly, failing to hide a smile. “No, she’s not. She’s like an older sister to me. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks now.”
“Oh…” Kaedin turned away, but the tips of his ears were bright red. “I’d better…get back to work…”
“Of course, don’t let me keep you from your duties. I can introduce you formally next time, if you wish. I don’t think she remembers your name, even though I’ve told her already. She did seem to recognize you, though.” Mirik was grinning mischievously.