Chapter 24 #2
I tried to keep busy. I ran the dishwasher with a half-load, folded laundry, and straightened the pile of paperwork on the counter more times than I could count. Even when I told myself to leave him alone, I’d circle back to stand just out of sight and listen.
Zaden moved through the house with a different rhythm.
He spent most of the afternoon outside, chopping wood or pacing the back garden.
Every so often, he’d come in, look at Bryce, then look at me with eyebrows raised.
Once, he sat with Bryce for a fifteen-minute stretch, humming a jazz line so quietly I only noticed it when it went silent.
The afternoon crawled toward evening. At five-thirty, my mom’s car eased down the drive, headlights flicking over the porch. I opened the door before she could knock.
Eleanor looked drawn but determined. She carried a canvas tote full of gear. Crystals, tiny vials, a packet of bundled sage. Aurelia appeared behind her, looking breezier than usual, but her focus sharpened the moment she got through the door.
Aurelia set her bag on the table and scanned the living room. "Where’s our patient?"
"His bedroom," I said. My nerves crackled like static.
The three of us filed down the hallway. At the threshold, Aurelia paused. "No shoes past here."
I kicked mine off and walked in.
Bryce lay still, cocooned on his side, the comforter bunched halfway off the bed. The low light made the room look smaller, the walls closing in. I smoothed his hair off his face and whispered, "We’re here, bud. Just relax."
He didn’t answer, but his breathing eased a little.
Eleanor went straight to work. She laid out a circle of smoky quartz and clear crystals on the quilt, spacing each piece with precision. Aurelia opened a velvet pouch, scattering a handful of dried lavender at the four corners. The smell was sweet and sharp.
Aurelia took up a post at the head of the bed, palms flat on the wood. "I’ll stabilize the field," she said. "You draw."
My mother nodded, lips thinning in determination.
I stepped back, out of the circle, and tried not to breathe too loudly.
Eleanor pressed two fingers to Bryce’s temples.
She closed her eyes, muttering a string of words that didn’t sound like any language I knew.
The air in the room changed, heavy, charged.
Thin strands of blue-white light unfurled from under my mother’s fingers, spinning up in delicate ribbons.
She coaxed them outward, gathering each line of magic and directing it toward a glass bowl set in the center of the quilt.
The bowl began to glow, first faint, then stronger, until it shone like a pool of moonlight.
Bryce gave a twitch, eyelids fluttering, but Aurelia’s hands pressed down, and a low hum filled the room. It was barely audible, but enough to steady the air.
Eleanor kept going, drawing more of the light, funneling every drop into the waiting bowl. Sweat beaded on her forehead. The muscles in her neck stood out, but her hands never shook.
I stared at Bryce’s face, waiting for a wince or a groan. Instead, his features smoothed out, the pain lines gone. His mouth relaxed into its soft, sleep-heavy shape, and he exhaled, a long, relieved sigh.
Aurelia exhaled, too. "That’s enough. Don’t want to completely empty his reserves."
Eleanor eased her grip and let the energy threads dissipate. The glow faded from the bowl, and the only light left was the evening sun leaking orange through the blinds.
Bryce slept, peaceful for the first time in days.
Aurelia stood, stretching her shoulders. She jerked her chin toward the kitchen. "Let’s go."
Zaden met us by the fridge, arms folded, jaw flexing. He didn’t say anything, but every muscle was tight as a rope.
Aurelia got to the point. "He’s stable for tonight. The headaches should be gone by morning, but we’ll want to repeat the siphoning every day for at least a week."
I nodded, but the fear didn’t leave.
Aurelia’s gaze flicked from me to Zaden, then back.
"And as for Vivienne, don’t worry. She’s not a threat.
She wouldn’t hurt a child, ever. She’s just fascinated.
Wants to document, understand. That’s her curse and her gift.
I mean, I get it. I'm curious, too, and honestly can't wait to see what that kiddo can do. "
Zaden grunted, unconvinced. His jaw worked, but he didn’t argue.
Eleanor sipped a glass of water and said nothing.
I stared at the kitchen table. "You think this is just magical overload?" I asked. "Or is it something worse?"
Aurelia didn’t hesitate. "It’s just power surging into a vessel that isn’t ready. Time and patience will fix it. You’re not alone, Krystal."
That should have helped.
Instead, I kept seeing Bryce in the nurse’s chair, hands locked over his skull, already learning what it meant to be the kid who didn’t fit.
Aurelia packed up the crystals and promised to check in tomorrow.
Eleanor squeezed my arm on the way out. "I'm so sorry," she said, then slipped out the door with a tired smile.
When the house finally fell quiet, I stood in the hallway, watching the slant of light through Bryce’s open door.
He slept, easy as breathing, the sheets tangled around him and his wolf plush clutched to his chest.
I didn’t move. Not for a long time.