CHAPTER 41 AILEEN
CHAPTER 41
AILEEN
There were more nurses in the infirmary when we arrived the following morning. Most of those nurses stood near the curtained bed that most likely inhabited Tansy, but others were tending to Isora and Zoey.
Both of whom were awake.
Before Ragnor could stop me, I rushed toward their beds, relief washing over me. “Thank fuck.”
Isora turned to look at me, far healthier than before, with her eyes burning bright again. “Aileen!” she called happily.
I hugged her, sagging against her. “I missed you,” I said, my chest expanding. It was the first time I’d admitted that to anyone, but Isora wasn’t just someone. In the brief period of time that I’d known her, she became a precious friend.
She hugged me back, laughing weakly. “I missed you too.”
Pulling back from her, I scanned her face, so glad to see that vitality had returned to her cheeks. “You’re doing all right?” I asked quietly, searching her eyes.
Smiling, she nodded. “I am,” she said softly before looking behind me. “And I guess I need to thank you both for it.”
I felt Ragnor coming to a stop next to me. “Don’t thank me,” he now said to my friend. “Thank Aileen. She’s the one who insisted on saving you.”
Isora’s smile remained as she bowed her head to Ragnor. “But it wouldn’t have happened without your help, my Lord. So please accept my thanks.”
Ragnor’s face was impassive, as it usually was in public, but I could see his eyes softening. “Then you’re very much welcome.”
“The same goes for me.”
My eyes went to Zoey, who was sitting in the bed next to Isora’s. She, too, seemed far better than before; even her freckles were back. “I would like to thank you for helping me,” she said, her eyes meeting mine before she glanced at Ragnor. “I would also like to talk to you, my Lord, about my current situation.”
Isora nodded, her smile disappearing. “Same goes for me, my Lord.”
Ragnor grabbed a chair and sat down, looking at them. “You have three options,” he said, causing Isora and Zoey to sit straight, determination etched in their faces. “You can choose to go back to your respective Leagues, you can choose to be Leagueless, or you can join my League.”
Isora’s and Zoey’s eyes widened at exactly the same time—it was almost comical. “We can join the Rayne League?” Isora asked, disbelief in her voice. “What about Lord Atalon and Renaldi, then?”
“This is where the catch is,” Ragnor said with a dark look. “Atalon has declared war against the Rayne League. If you join my League, know that you’ll make an adversary of your former Lords.”
Isora and Zoey exchanged wide-eyed looks before Zoey returned her gaze to Ragnor and said, “Pardon me, my Lord, but I couldn’t give a flying fuck if Renaldi sees me as an enemy.” A dark, ruthless expression appeared on Zoey’s face that made me do a double take. “I would like to join the Rayne League. I believe I will be an asset not just in the war to come but after that too.”
Isora’s eyes shone with the same sentiment as she nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can to earn my place here,” she said resolutely. “A war against Atalon? Right up my alley.”
Ragnor stared at the two determined women for a few silent moments before he turned his gaze to me. “Your friends are bloodthirsty,” he informed me.
I gave him a grin. “Aren’t these the best kind of friends?”
Even though his face remained as still as a sphinx’s, his eyes sparkled in mirth before he returned his attention to Isora and Zoey. “Then welcome—and welcome back—to the Rayne League, Isora Elios and Zoey Rittman.”
As if they planned it before, the two bowed as much as they could, being seated in bed, and said, “Thank you, my Lord.”
Ragnor rose to his feet then. “Let’s go,” he told me, motioning toward the curtained bed.
Standing up as well, I gave Isora and Zoey a smile and said, “I’ll talk to you later,” before I left their beds and headed to the end of the large infirmary.
The first nurse who saw us was the one from yesterday—Leah. She strode toward Ragnor, her eyes narrowed. “She can’t accept any visits, my Lord,” she said, giving me a pointed, filthy look. “Not after yesterday.”
Ragnor’s jaw ticked. “Did she have another episode?”
Leah pursed her lips. “Yes,” she said, eyes angry. “A few hours ago. She woke up screaming she was on fire. We needed to bind her to bed so she wouldn’t hurt herself.”
Terrible guilt crawled into my stomach.
“Is she awake now?” Ragnor asked, face grim.
Shaking her head, she turned to look at me. “Whatever you want with her can wait until she’s awake and in her right mind. Seeing you might trigger her.”
I had to agree with Leah on this one. I didn’t want to cause more distress to Tansy than I already did in my stupid past. “Ragnor,” I said quietly, tugging at Ragnor’s hand. Leah’s eyes broadened in shock. “Let’s go.”
Ragnor glanced at me and nodded before turning back to Leah. “Write me daily reports about her from now on.”
“Will do,” Leah said; then, with a pointed look at me, she said, “My Lord.”
Ignoring her, I walked out of the infirmary with Ragnor, feeling all kinds of emotions. Relief that Isora and Zoey were all right. Remorse and shame when it came to Tansy’s situation. Yet also smugness at the fact Ragnor was mine.
It seemed like forever since the last time I saw these purple skies over the wilted field of grass.
Groggily, I pulled myself up to my feet and looked around until I saw a figure drawing closer. Her sandy-colored hair was bound in a braid, and she was wearing different clothes than she was before; instead of casual pants and a tee, she wore a black, skinny, full-body suit along with knee-high boots. In her hands she held what seemed like a pole but with a blade on one end.
Eliza came to a stop before me, her open right eye glaring at me, which made me confused. “I thought you told me you won’t come here anymore.”
“Your boyfriend left me no choice,” she said in a dark, lower voice lacking its usual light cynicism. “When you wake up, tell him his time is up.”
Her words made me glare right back at her. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Natalia Aileen Zoheir-Henderson, Child of Kahil,” she suddenly said, making me freeze. “As a level-two threat to the Realm of the Living, you demonstrated powers that allude to you becoming a large-scale catastrophe; consider this a warning.”
She took a step closer, raising her pole and aiming its bladed end toward me. “Under any circumstances, never again attempt to resurrect the Morrow Gods,” she said coldly, her gaze not leaving my face. “Nor ever again visit Esheer or seek the Jinn. Failure to comply with these restrictions will lead to your demise.”
“Wait,” I said, mind racing. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“We’ve been waiting for you, the last Child of Kahil.”
Wode had said that before, back at the Jinni villa. He’d told me that back then, as if he thought I’d know what he meant. As if everything I’d ever learned about the Children of Kahil, the Morrow Gods, and the stories in the Tefat weren’t just part of some bullshit religion but were the actual truth.
Suddenly, she lowered her weapon, and her gaze softened, becoming sadder. “Please, Aileen,” she said quietly, as though she’d suddenly returned to herself. “Ragnor won’t be able to save you if you make me kill you.”
A strong breeze suddenly blew over us, and only when it stopped did I see Eliza was gone, leaving me alone in the wilted field.