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Hurried footsteps echo through the quiet cavern, and Zephyr and Lorian sprint into the room. They stop dead in their tracks as their terror-filled eyes take in the sight of me. Zephyr catches the movement, turning to see Scarlet and Smee. Smee hasn’t even moved... She’s not bound. She’s just stuck—as if he placed her in some form of trance—clutching the dreamcatcher as Scarlet suffers. Zephyr drops to his knees, checking Scarlet over as Lorian rushes toward me.
“Hang on,” Lorian says, his hands glowing as they swirl in front of my chest. The pain disappears, allowing me to breathe a little easier. He grips the sword, pulling it free. He yells for Zephyr over his shoulder.
“Let me get her free.” There’s a snapping sound as threads of rope break. “She’s alright. It’s just the bond.”
Zephyr lands on his knees next to me, tearing away my shirt so he can see the wound. They bend me forward so he can feel where the sword exited. “Gods... You got lucky. He’s still breathing. I don’t feel anything that would suggest it got his lungs and it was too low to pierce his heart. None of his ribs are broken, but it doesn’t mean they’re not fractured. Can you take a deep breath?” Zephyr’s brown eyes meet mine as he pokes and prods.
“No...” I shake my head slightly.
“But you can speak,” he says matter-of-factly, pressing fingers down my neck, feeling for something there. The man has stitched me back together far too many times. I’ve learned not to ask questions and just let him work. “I don’t think the sword hit anything important, but he needs to be closed up sooner rather than later. If air gets in the chest cavity, we’re in a lot more trouble.”
Lorian nods and his magic twists through me. Warmth floods through the wound, like the blade is still there, being heated by a flame. “Sorry, but it’s going to scar.”
I chuckle, wincing as Zephyr slides out of the way, allowing Scarlet to take his place. She grips my hand, tears running down her face. Her eyes are swollen and rimmed in red. I’d give anything to kiss it away.
“Told you I’m hard to kill,” I breathe, my voice shaking as Lorian magics the wound closed.
On the plus side, having a millennium-old druid as a friend has its perks. His magic stores are expansive, having been stretched with time and practice. Where Scarlet had to use half her soul to heal me, he’ll barely put a dent in his.
Tingles erupt through me as I bite back the pain, seeing Scarlet cringe as she experiences it with me. “I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have had you finish the bond. I could’ve spared you all of this.”
“Shhh. I’m not worried about me right now,” she says, smoothing back my hair. I can feel the sweat beading on my brow, and I stare up at her hazel eyes as if they can give me strength.
“I love you,” I squeeze out, gripping her hand tighter.
She bends to kiss my forehead, wrapping her other hand around the both of ours. “I love you too.”
42
Hook
BythetimeLorianis finished, I’m almost as good as new. He can’t heal everything—no magic can—but for the most part it just feels like a bad bone bruise. Zephyr has been trying to get through to Smee, but she won’t even look up at us or acknowledge our presence.
Something is wrong.
Lorian sits back with a labored breath and Zephyr lets out a sigh and comes toward us. I’m not sure what to do... That’s my baby sister, and she’s made some mistakes—mistakes that will haunt her—but she’s all I have left of my family. I’ve practically raised the girl, even though we’re only six years apart.
“I’m not sure what’s wrong with her.” Zephyr tosses his hands up.
It’s only now that I notice how many streaked red lines pepper his skin and clothes. It’s blowback from swinging a sword. Maybe he is more capable of taking care of himself than I previously thought. His hands, though, are coated from prodding at me, but for him, that’s just another day in our life.
“Let me look. If they used magic, the spells should’ve died with the witches—assuming whoever cast it is here.” Lorian groans as he pushes to his feet and crosses the open cavern to crouch in front of Smee. Placing his hands on her temples, he closes his eyes. An aura surrounds his hands, bright and shimmery. It’s sort of beautiful if you can get past why he’s doing it.
When the light fades away, his somber eyes glance at us. “She’s not in there... That’s why. Mentally she’s gone. Her body remains and breathes and lives, but her mind is somewhere else.”
“What about the dream catcher?” Scarlet says, gripping my hand a bit tighter. “She’s been holding it, just like that, since they brought me here.”
“It’s possible...” Lorian takes it from Smee’s hands, examining the threads. “If she is, and I try to pull her out, Nelvin will come too. The Crocodile trapped his soul in this, but if she’s in there, she’s at least had time to say goodbye.”
“And if we don’t? If we do nothing?” I ask, feeling the tear slip down my cheek and drip onto my arm. I hate this... We tried everything and I might still lose her.
“If we do nothing, this will only hold them for so long. Considering how long it’s been since Nelvin died, maybe a couple more hours,” Lorian puts it back in Smee’s hands, standing up and pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Until the moons... It’s linked to the moons. The Crocodile demanded I be here before the moons block the hell flame. My guess is he put her in there so he could torment me without her changing her mind or escaping. She’s with Nelvin. He knew if she saw him again, she’d never change her mind and not go through with his plan. I’d mean giving Nelvin up and letting him move on.”
Lorian shakes his head, taking a few steps closer to us. “No. If he’s in there when the spell ends, his soul would shatter. There is no moving on. Either way, if he’s going to be reborn, he’s got to come out.”
“I guess that means we’re chancing it then,” Zephyr says, propping his hands on his hips. “A few more hours together isn’t worth Smee and Nelvin no longer existing, in body or in spirit. Her mind will return, right? Or will she be in limbo?”
