Chapter 23 Ban
Dragging my fingertip along Neve’s knuckles, I silently beg her to wake up.
She's lying on her stomach, the back of the dress gone since her fight with her mother.
Over the bare skin, we've placed makeshift bandages that came mostly from Odette’s bag, the network of crossing white gauze not seeming nearly enough for such an injury.
I’m vividly aware of the feel of her spine, the sharp cut of bone compared to the stickiness of blood, and the heavy scent of death in the air. Now that we’ve at least had the chance to bandage the wounds, she’s marginally better. Unfortunately, Odette doesn’t have any more gauze.
Beneath the bandages, my ice pulses against her skin. At first, when Odette came up with the idea, I thought I would have to hold my hand against Neve’s back for the rest of time to keep her bones in place.
"She's ice, like you, Ban. Her magic is as much a part of her as it is you. Maybe you can reset the bones and she'll heal."
So far, it appears to be working. I managed to use my ice to freeze her spine into place with Zarev and the spirit’s assistance.
We hurried here to hide from the abrasive weather and give Neve’s body somewhere to rest, but Zarev could hardly aid me throughout the process.
His shadows did nothing to help except let us shadow hop here, and I was worried the entire time that Neve wouldn’t survive the trip.
Between moving a dying queen and dragging Odette along, we were both wiped out the first night here.
This cave is decent-sized, set against the base of the mountains, but it will only protect us for so long.
Once we were settled, the Icebound spirit disappeared.
He offered a solution but didn’t do much to explain it before departing. I think seeing me and Neve frightened his very soul. The Icebound spirit said their solution to Neve's injuries was more permanent than his. So far, he’s the only Icebound we’ve seen.
I don't know what they mean by that, but for now, the ice seems to be holding her bones together. It's strange because she bleeds red like a living person, but her magic seems to give me enough leeway to keep her away from death. For now.
Staring down at her, I fight the urge to strike the side of the cave. Each time I look at her face, expressionless while she sleeps, guilt rolls through me.
Late. I was a moment too late. If I had responded faster, maybe paired our magic as I did a century ago, she wouldn’t be dangling in death's doorway. The other Icebound spirits would speak with us, according to our mysterious visitor, if she were awake.
I force my gaze away by closing my eyes. Watching Neve is a reminder of how I failed her. I woke her up from a frozen sleep just so her life could spiral back to hell.
Asleep, at least she had no idea what was going on. She was spared from all of this. I've successfully made her life worse.
“Ban.”
It’s been four days. The magic I fused into her body is fragile, and even though I keep checking it repeatedly to ensure the ice holds, I’m worried that at any moment it’s going to crack. Her body won’t survive the trauma a second time.
“Ban.”
Snapping my gaze around, I snarl at Odette.
She’s bundled in my coat and a pair of mittens that Zarev managed to pluck off the streets before we abandoned the capital city.
My scarf winds around her head like a makeshift hood to keep some of the cold out.
It’s the best we could come up with on short notice.
Out of everyone in the cave, Odette’s the only one in danger of freezing to death.
Even though Zarev isn’t a fan of the cold, he’s more or less immune.
As far as Neve goes, the cold seems to help her.
Odette glares over the edge of the scarf, her usually pale skin red across her nose and the tops of her cheeks. I don’t really think she’s built for the cruel weather up here. “Speak to Raymundo.”
“When Neve wakes.”
This time, instead of taking the hint and leaving like she did yesterday, she kicks me in the shin and immediately winces. It seems to hurt her frozen foot more than me, but she thrusts the stone toward me all the same. “No. Now.”
Sighing, I take the seeing stone from her. Neve’s hand remains in mine as I stare down at the stone. “No changes. You?”
Ray peers back at me from the other side of the rock, looking just as haggard as the last time I spoke to him.
Odette has already regaled me with tales of their time in the clouds and updates about Thomas before we ever had to contact poor Ray.
“Rapunzel keeps Tom going. That’s all I can say. But he's running out of time.”
Right, Rapunzel. We could use Rapunzel here. If she’s kept Tom alive this long, surely she could help Neve? I don’t think she’s been cursed, just badly hurt.
How would I get Neve all the way across Mystica to Rapunzel?
My gaze slides to Neve's back again, the ache of guilt lingering like a wound all of its own in my chest. Each time I look at her injury, I see my failure glaring back at me. I could have saved her, I could care for and comfort her spirit while she heals. But there’s been no sign of Neve’s soul since Ronnie ripped her spine out with her magic, and Zarev hasn’t seen any hint of it either.
That’s never happened before, not with someone as powerful as Neve.
Usually, with a catastrophic injury like this, the spirit begins ripping away from the body moments after. Life is fleeting like that.
Not this time. Not with Neve. Her spirit remains out of sight, and neither of us knows what to make of it.
As for Ronnie and the souls who passed in the palace, Zarev looped back to try and take care of them, even digging for answers, but he didn’t find their souls. It’s unsettling, but the least of my problems right now.
“I know you’re not going to listen,” Ray says tiredly, barely snagging my attention. “But you should take the advice of the Icebound and see what they can offer. Zarev says they did something to help?”
“We’re doing what we can,” I snap. “He’s the only one who will speak with us without Neve being awake. It’s a special circumstance. We can't make decisions for her without her having a say. End of discussion.”
I could explain to Ray and Zarev and Odette who he is, but the idea of going into that is exhausting. All my energy needs to go into Neve right now, keeping my eye on her until she wakes.
Odette shoots me a troubled look before she gets in my face again, snatching the stone away. I don’t fight to keep it. She turns it to herself, shooting daggers at me with her gaze. “Don’t mind him. He’s grumpy. Ban hasn’t left her side since we arrived.”
“I told you Ban’s usually grumpy,” Ray grumbles, and the jest falls on deaf ears. Fisting my free hand, I look away from them as she moves across the cave. It’s not the best place to be taking care of the Queen, but for now, it’s safe enough.
At least I don’t have to keep pretending that I want to talk. Until Neve wakes up again, I can’t focus on anything else.
I should have told her about her mother sooner. I thought we were just competing with her internal clock, waiting until she was ready to hear the truth. I never imagined the Mad Queen would make an appearance.
The self-hate hits harder as my other hand clenches over hers. I tried to fix it, Neve. But I ran out of time. How do I apologize when I'm not sure you'll ever hear me again?
“I’ll be here when you wake up,” I mumble, keeping the negativity to myself.
Maybe she can hear me like this, and the self-deprecating bullshit will only work to keep her away.
When I stand to study the bandages again, I acknowledge that nothing’s changed in the past few minutes, as expected.
I still worry that my ice is going to fail. “Promise.”
“She’ll wake up when she’s strong enough.”
I glare at Zarev when my focus shifts away from Neve.
He’s been doing my job the past two days, disappearing to reap souls who are lingering following the destruction of the capital city.
All the souls in the capital and around the palace seem to be missing, but from here, there are a few small villages I’m familiar with.
He’s left silently each day, leaving Odette to read some book while he works and we wait.
Odette has the spellbook, too, the one I gave to Neve along with the needle. It managed to snag in Neve's dress, or what’s left of it, and when we were trying to figure out what to do to save her life, I sort of threw it at the Swan Princess. So, at least she isn't bored.
“We don't know how long that will be,” I reply, my eyes moving to the wound again. Releasing my fisted hand, I flex my fingers and feel the ice against her spine. It's solid when I touch it with my magic, but I can't help reminding myself yet again that it’s ice. One wrong move and it'll break.
Zarev is quiet for a moment, and without having to look, I know he's sharing a glance with Odette. They keep doing that, like they know what the Queen needs more than I do. “He’s supposed to be back today. She seems stable, Ban, but there's been no actual improvement–”
“I know,” I growl in return. Odette is nearby in the small space, still talking to Ray, but I know Zarev can hear me as I drop my voice again. “Have you seen him yet?”
“No. He said if we didn’t see improvement after three days, they would return,” Zarev reminds me carefully. “It’s been nearly four now since he helped us find this place.”
“The Icebound move mostly at night,” I say. “Anytime I saw them in the Frostlands, they were most active with the moon.”
“There’s a blizzard brewing outside, worse than it was this morning,” Zarev grunts. He shifts in my peripheral vision, and I can feel the question burning between us before he asks. “Do you plan to tell us who Andor is?”