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Graceson held out his arms. “What can I say, I'm blessed by the gods.”
“Well, that doesn’t look good.” Suzetta stepped closer examining my best friend. “Daethian? I’m Suzetta, the healer. I just want to take a look at you and make sure you’re doing okay.”
“I know who you are, you idiot.” Daethian pressed his face between the bars, pulling from either side.
“So, you’re semi-lucid, a good sign. I’m just going to place one hand on you, okay? Just to test your vitals.”
“Don't you dare touch me.”
“Come on, friend, won’t you just...” Graceson stepped up to the door. In a flash, he grabbed Daethian’s shirt and held him against the bars, “Listen to the lovely lady.”
The black around Daethian flared. His eyes narrowed to thin slits as he glared, his chest rising and falling in panting breaths. Daethian was moments away from foaming at the mouth.
“Suzetta, be a dear and sedate the man,” Graceson purred.
Suzetta carefully laid a hand on Daethian’s exposed neck. Daethian’s eyes glazed over as he fought to keep them open. Between long blinks, brown began to return to his eyes and the black magic around him drew back into him. I swear his eyes ticked up to mine and he held my gaze for the briefest of moments before his body sagged against the bars and floor. Graceson let go of his shirt, letting his body thud to the ground.
“Okay, I’ll take a better look at him now.” Suzetta snaked her hands through the bars and gripped Daethian’s open hand. Pink was returning to his flesh, the sickening gray color finally becoming a healthier tone. Her eyebrows furrowed. She closed her eyes in concentration and after a moment pursed her lips.
Graceson poked Daethian’s body with his boot. Satisfied that he was out, he turned to look at me. “Don’t tell your future hubby about this. You might find yourself friendless.”
“Dace wouldn’t hurt him,” I mumbled. I could hardly take my eyes off of Daethian’s face. He was looking better; he was looking like himself again. But was his mind his again?
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Fae are awfully possessive, and Dace has all but put a mating claim on you.”
“Can we not talk about that right now? I’ve already got a lot on my mind.”
“Mum’s the word, sweetheart.” He smiled sadly. If he talked too much longer I was going to break at the thought of what had happened to Daethian in my absence. I was selfish, and because of that something bad had happened to my friend.
Suzetta leaned away from Daethian, sitting back on her heels. Her ponytail of dirty blonde hair brushed against her back. “Well, good news or bad news first?”
“Good news,” I snapped.
“He isn’t physically sick. Which, now that I’m saying it, doesn’t sound like good news so much.” Suzetta chewed on her lip between sentences. “Bad news is, I don’t know what it is. It’s bad, I can tell you that. My magic just bounces off of whatever it is that has settled in his mind.”
“What does that mean?” I rasped. Graceson took a step closer, but I waved him off. “Do you think he is actually possessed by a Havala demon?”
Those were old wives’ tales, stories of religious fanatics. While my belief was that my magic was gifted from Mother Nature, I had yet to fully embrace the idea of the dark side of the creation of the world. Could they even be real?
“I’ve never heard of a possession ever actually happening in my lifetime. But the sad point is that I don’t know how to help him, Ryker. I’m sorry.”
“There has to be something we can do. We can’t just let whatever this is keep tormenting him like this.”
“I can do some research, but it just isn’t something my magic recognized,” Suzetta offered, quietly, glancing up at Graceson. He rocked on his heels, watching our nervous exchange.
“But you’ll find an answer, right?” Tension built in my chest, making my voice squeaky and shrill.
“I can’t promise you that, truthfully.”
“Damn your honesty,” Graceson whispered.
“But what do we do if we can’t find anything? Is he just supposed to live down here now? In a cage? Like an animal? He just earned his freedom.” My hands shook at my sides. Graceson took another step toward me. His warm hands gripped my shoulders and he made me face him.
“Look, I’ll make a trip back to the Acture Court. I’ll take Randsin back with me because gods know he needs to get out of that damn room. King Windre knows a lot of odd information; he owns a lot of weird old books. I’ll do what I can. We will fix him.”
Suzetta shot him a warning glare. “Your lies will do her no good.”
“Okay,” was all I could manage.
