Her wrath sounded beautiful. What a lovely, morbid song.
“I can feel his soul separating from his body! He’s dying!” Marcus cried as Rishi gave a mournful noise. “We have to hurry!”
“Charlie, hold on. I’m going to heal you,” Ez said. He moved over me, but my lips cracked as I forced a protest.
“Oberi… first,” I managed to choke out.
Ez knew I wasn’t one to fight with, not even now. “Keep his soul here,” he ordered Marcus.
I barely heard it. I was beginning to float away, losing sensation of all pain before drifting toward some kind of light. An overwhelming peace came over my soul, until I found myself completely at ease. All the agony was gone, replaced by the notion of overwhelming, unconditional love. The forest faded away, taking me somewhere far off.
We’re waiting, Charlie. You did so well. It’s all right. Ava’s safe. You can come with me now.
That was my grandfather’s voice. I knew it better than the sound of my own heart beating. I went to run toward it, ready to let go and be free.
The sense of peace was yanked away as I felt myself being slammed back into my body, causing me to gasp. All the pain came rushing back, ramming into me again. I realized it was my own fucking soul, smashing into the hunk of flesh that was my husk. I was on the edge of death. My spirit was trying to separate from my body, while Marcus’ magic fought to keep it in place.
Every time he pushed my soul back into my corpse, the sounds of battle grew louder around me, before fading again. I thought I heard Danny and Kallie shouting at one another while they came to Eddie’s aid, but I couldn’t be sure.
I was already dead. I just wanted Marcus to let me go, because this wasn’t fair. I missed my grandfather. I wanted to be with him.
Charlie, you need to hold on, or we’ll both go! Oberi’s voice broke through my agony. Ez had healed him enough to bring him back from the brink of unconsciousness, but once I passed on, he would, too. Which meant the last thing he did needed to count more than anything.
Take her. I couldn’t find my lips, so I spoke to Oberi telepathically. Get her out of here before you’re forced to die, too.
Charlie. Oberi whimpered, knowing I was at my end.
I managed to hold on to a singular thought, a final last plea to Oberi. I held us together because I didn't stop trying. I’ll hold us together until the second I die.
Ava was still close by. Through the haze, I felt her trying to pull herself through the dirt to reach her bow. Blood splattered as she yanked it into her grasp, and I heard her hiss, “Oberi. Get me on your back.”
Relief. She was leaving. That was all I wanted.
The sounds of battle faded, and my limbs went numb. I felt nothing but the throbbing ache in my back that pierced like hundreds of glass shards with every breath. Deuce’s beating had been so brutal it’d taken every ounce of strength from me… and now, it would claim my spirit.
Someone spoke, and though I was sure they were right next to me, they sounded miles away. “Quickly! He can’t survive much longer.”
Hands landed on me, and the warm sensation of healing magic blossomed outward. The velvety nose of a large creature touched the top of my head, and healing magic tingled down my body. That had to be Tahoma, Ez’s deer Familiar. I tried to lift my head, but I couldn’t manage even the simplest of movements.
“Hang in there,” Ez insisted. “These gashes are deep. This is going to take a minute.”
“You weren’t… supposed to be here,” I rasped.
“Me and a bunch of other doctors heard you were going into battle. We came to heal people.”
“Thank the gods,” Marcus added. “If Ez weren’t here, you’d be a goner.”
“Keep his spirit in place,” Ez ordered. “I’m not done.”
As Ez and Marcus worked together, my soul began to stabilize in my body once again. I could feel my muscles responding to Ez’s power, and they wove themselves back together, along with the gashes on my skin. I’d lost so much blood I wasn’t sure I’d be able to move without a transfusion, but something in Ez’s Anichi magic must’ve caused my body to generate new blood at a rapid speed, because I could feel my pulse growing stronger.
The details of the battle began to come back in clearer detail. I heard Kallie scream, “Danny, I can’t move! Do something!”
“For fuck’s sake, I can’t move either! What do you want me to do?” Danny cried. “He’s not responding to my compulsion!”
That distracted Ez, and his hands left my body. “That’s all I can do. My magic’s exhausted.”
“You saved his life,” Marcus breathed. “I don’t have to hold his soul in anymore. He’ll make it.”
