Chapter 34
New Pharia City
What used to be Santa Fe, New Mexico
Brir
It took a few days to get back to the city. Artemis was healing like before, a little faster than a human but not as fast as someone from my world. They had beaten him badly. I was extremely thankful for that elixir of Arya’s blood that Elex had given me. He wasn’t in as much pain.
Artemis shivered violently when we made it through the shield surrounding New Pharia. The chill of the raw power washed over our skin as if we were walking through a waterfall. That wet sensation lingered for a few minutes until our skin warmed back up. Arya's mark burned the back of my hand.
Two Rizugae trotted up to us, though neither said anything as they inspected us. Artemis was shocked as he looked at the towering creatures.
Arya rode up on Wraith’s back. She took one look at Artemis and ordered us to the healer so Elix could work on him.
“Holy shit, she looks like a queen riding that thing,” Artemis whispered to me. I saw Arya grin and heard the huffing laugh of one of the Rizuga.
Arya tapped her hand on Wraith’s side, signaling a turn. The Rizuga gave the group a hard look before he took a step and turned. Arya and the Rizugae led the way towards the city.
“Are those…” Artemis started to ask, looking at the creatures in awe, and I knew that his love for animals was going to drive him to ask questions. “Are those the Rizugae Soren was talking about?”
“They are,” I told him quietly in his ear, holding him tight.
Artemis went breathless as he looked at the giant catlike creatures Soren had told him all about. Another was at the hill that we passed over. This one was an orange tabby-looking Rizuga. Its scales were layered in a striped pattern. It raised its scaly head, turning intelligent eyes on us.
I let Artemis enjoy the city and watch the people. Different species wandered the streets, and children ran around.
Arya stopped in front of the medical center. I watched as she flipped her leg over the back of the Rizuga, Wraith’s paw coming up for her to step on before he lowered her to the ground like the princess she was.
She might be a cold-hearted killer who had a beast inside of her that liked to eat her enemies at the molecular level, but she also was a person who would do anything to protect her people. I knew how much she kept buried inside, and there wasn't a single person in this world that she would ever open up to—not me, not Merrick, not Leonovus, not any of us.
Arya walked over to Dune and placed her hand on his flank. She was one of the few people who could touch the beast without getting bitten.
“Artemis, I'm Arya. I’m going to help you down, then we will walk right into the clinic and get Elex to work on you,'' Arya said, leaving him no room for argument. I was thankful, probably for the first time, to be in New Pharia. Elex and Peter were the best healers I knew. They would take care of my Savase.
Artemis took her outstretched hand. I held on to him under his arms as she helped him down. His jaw clenched from pain as we maneuvered him off of Dune. Merrick was there in seconds to help steady him, and Arya and Merrick helped Artemis walk to the door as I followed close behind.
Nidra was crossing the street at a jog. “I’ve got the Lepots. I will take them to the pasture,” she said, reaching one of her four hands out for Dune's reins.
“Thank you,” I told her but paused briefly, eyeing Dune’s saddlebags.
“I will take care of it,” Nidra said firmly, waving me away. “I will put your things in your apartment.”
With that handled, I hurried through the clinic's doors, which Soren was holding open. Leonovus stood in the main hall. He pointed in the direction that they must have taken Artemis, so I followed his directions. As soon as I entered the room, I saw Merrick helping Artemis onto a bed.
Arya was leaning against the far wall. Worry etched over her features as she scanned Artemis’s body. She knew just how much Artemis meant to me. She had seen my memories.
Peter opened the door, looked at Artemis, and paled a little.
“Elex is on his way,” Peter said to Arya before turning and jogging down the hall.
Arya nodded, her eyes never leaving Artemis. I moved to stand beside her, my gaze mirroring hers. The room was filled with tension and an underlying sense of urgency, making the air heavy.
“Brir,” Artemis’s voice jolted me from my thoughts. It was barely a whisper. He looked so nervous. I wish I could go through this for him.
Arya came over and started inspecting Artemis’s scales. She gently traced her fingers over the missing claws. Artemis let out a pained hiss, causing Arya and I to wince in sympathy.
“Did the humans do this to you?” she asked as she unwound the bandages. Elex rounded the door into the room and stopped suddenly in the door frame, eyeing Artemis.
“I thought he was human,” Artemis told her. “Turns out my torturer was just like me.”
“Your Savase is extremely strong, Brir,” she muttered to me, her eyes straying over the other wounds on Artemis’s body. Most had scabbed over.
“This man pulled out your claws?” Elex asked. The concern in his voice and the horror in his eyes made my stomach uneasy. His scales darkened around his neck, the green going murky as he walked towards the bed.
Artemis nodded his head up at Elex. Most humans didn’t know what to make of the healer with his more reptilian facial features.
“Brir, this man is dead, yes?”
“Yeah,” I responded, clenching my fists at my side. Elex’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked back at me. He opened his mouth to say something but found himself silenced by the intensity of my gaze. “It took all three of us to bring him down. He wasn’t right.”
The memory of Orion’s head exploding when I plunged the sword into his chest provoked a shudder down my spine. A sense of disgust yet satisfaction mingled within me. He deserved no less for what he'd done to Artemis.
“Would it be okay if I looked at your memories?” Arya asked from the side of his bed as she took Artemis’s hand. He didn’t know exactly what to make of the more petite woman. He had spent a long time fretting that people wouldn’t like him and finding him repulsive, but Arya was holding his hand here. “I need to see what happened to you.”
Artemis hesitated, his gaze darting from Arya to me.
“No, Arya,” I said, moving towards her. “That can't happen right now.”
More people were filling the room. Peter pushed a cart of medical supplies inside, and several nurses started setting up.
Arya's eyes met mine, a faint glimmer of stubborn defiance flashing.
“You can see my memories?” Artemis asked her as he nervously looked around at the people hanging IV bags and laying different things on a table across the room.
"I can," Arya confirmed gently, her crystal purple eyes softening with understanding. "Brir, he needs our help. We need to know what happened."
"I know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "But not like this."
“It would be best for Arya to do that while I work on his body. The healing will be very uncomfortable,” Elex interjected, glancing briefly at Arya before focusing back on Artemis. His calm, steady demeanor was a sharp contrast to the chaos of the bustling room. He put a hand on Artemis's shoulder. “May I please give you something to help you relax?” Artemis tensed like a coiled spring at the mention of drugs.
“No drugs,” Artemis said, even as Peter loaded several syringes. I only knew what a few of them held.
Elex gave a gentle sigh, understanding in his dark eyes. "Understandable, given the circumstances. But what we're about to do won't be easy, Artemis." He slipped his hand away, looking over at me. I was both grateful and resentful of the vote of confidence. “But I worry about your body going into shock without it. Humans are not meant to heal this fast. Please, I really would be concerned for your safety.”
“Trust us, please, Artemis,” Arya murmured, her hand still interlaced with his. “We would never do anything to harm you intentionally. I would never let anyone. You are Brir’s Savase. He is like my brother. That makes you family. I would never let anyone hurt my family.”
Artemis turned to look at Arya, his blue eyes softening as they met her light purple ones. He was silent for a long moment, his gaze shifting from Arya to me and then back again.
The fear on Artemis's face was heartbreaking. I took his other hand. I knew how painful what he was about to go through could be. I didn’t want him to have to go through that pain. He was right. We shouldn’t be able to heal like this. Not even the species from my world. Bones were meant to regrow slowly so they didn’t cause pain. Elex would be doing it in hours. It was going to be excruciating. My tail flicked nervously, and I remembered how much it had hurt for him to fix it.
“Please, I will be right here the whole time.” I told him, “I don't think I can watch you in pain.”
Artemis held my gaze for a moment longer before finally relenting, his face softening as he looked back at Elex. "Alright," he said before those scared blue eyes returned to mine. “But you won't leave?”
"Never," I vowed, tightening my grip on Artemis's hand. "I will be right here with you."
Elex nodded approval and turned to prepare the drugs. Meanwhile, Arya retreated to a safer distance, her purple eyes filled with concern.
Peter had snuck in next to Arya as he gently dropped the supplies on the bed.
“I may not know you, but I promise my husband is the best healer. You're in great hands. I'm going to start an IV and get some fluids in you because you're going to need them. Then I'm going to give you some excellent pain meds.” Peter's reassuring voice eased some of the tension in the room, his words carrying the weight of genuine care. Artemis gave a slight nod, still holding my hand tightly.
As Peter approached with the IV, Artemis's grip on my hand tightened. It was clear that he was terrified. I could feel it, a vibrant undercurrent of fear emanating from him. The feeling was so intense, so palpable that I felt as if I were drowning in it for a moment, engulfed in his terror. But I tightened my grip on his hand, a silent promise that I wasn't going anywhere.
Peter's hands were steady as he inserted the IV, his movements meticulous and precise. Artemis flinched and squeezed my hand even tighter as the needle pricked his skin. He was trying to mask his pain, but I could see it in his eyes, feel it in the tremors running through his body. "Hang in there," I whispered, gently stroking the back of his hand with my thumb, hoping to offer some small comfort.
Artemis hissed through his teeth. I squeezed his hand. Peter moved quickly as he set the bag of fluids on the hook and drew the pain meds into the syringe.
“Just a little sting, and then you’ll start to feel better, promise,” Peter assured as he readied the syringe.
Artemis's eyes were glued to the needle, his lips pressed into a hard line. His pick-up in breath was barely noticeable, but I felt it through our intertwined fingers.
"Stay with me, Artemis," I implored, noting the pallor of his skin and the way his eyes had begun to glaze over.
“I’m sorry,” Artemis whispered to me. “It’s the memories of the doctors.”
Just as Peter was about to administer the medication, Artemis yanked his hand away. His eyes were wide and wild, his chest heaving with terrified breaths. Peter paused, waiting patiently with a syringe in hand. I tightened my grip on Artemis's free hand.
"Remember where we are," I urged him. “These people will never hurt you.” Slowly, I gathered Artemis into my arms, pulling him onto my lap. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly. “I’ve got you. I won’t let anything happen to you.” I looked over his head and nodded to Peter.
“Okay, Artemis, I'm going to push the pain meds now slowly,” Peter said gently, slowly twisting the needle from the syringe before adjusting the line that ran into his arm.
Artemis nodded a tiny, jerky movement. His body was rigid in my arms, the muscles beneath his skin tense and coiled like a spring ready to burst. I held him as still as I could, murmuring soft, calming words into his ear as Peter carefully inserted the medication into the line.
Everyone in the room watched. I could feel the burn of their eyes on us.
As the medicine slowly coursed through his veins, Artemis's body visibly relaxed in my arms, and his rigid muscles finally eased. A soft sigh escaped his lips, replacing his once ragged breathing with slow, steady ones.
A few people moved forward to help us get Artemis back on the bed, but fear coursed through me now that Artemis was in such a weak state. I pulled my lips back and snarled at them, my eyes flashing. I felt my threads light up, heat running through my body. The room glowed a light blue for a second.
“Calm down, brother,” Arya said, moving forward and helping me lay Artemis back on the bed. There was a lazy smile on his lips. His eyes were half open as his head rolled back and forth on the pillow.
I sighed at the sight, grateful for the assurance that Artemis’s pain was lessened. His chest rose and fell evenly, a calming rhythm that helped dissipate the residual anxiety in my chest. Arya stepped back, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder before returning to her seat silently.
Then, all eyes turned to Elex, expectedly. I watched as Elex took a deep breath, his eyes closing in concentration, and raised his hands, hovering inches over Artemis's body. I could feel the heat start to roll through Elex’s body, and then that power was rolling down his arms. Waves of heat seemed to sizzle and crack.
Elex's face was a mask of intense concentration as he drew upon his deep power reserves. His fingers unfolded now and extended tentatively toward Artemis, trembling slightly beneath the weight of the energy coursing through them.
The room went silent. The air around us became thick and heavy, crackling with the transmitted force of his power. Artemis's body vibrated slightly as Elex worked his magic.
Artemis cried out, face contorting. I watched the bruises start to fade from my butterfly’s face. The wounds didn’t magically vanish. Elex could only speed up the healing process.
Artemis muscles in his arms started shaking, and I felt his claws growing back. The tips started to pinch the back of my hand.
A loud crack broke the silence, and Artemis cried out as a bone I didn't know was broken popped and resituated itself. Then another. I watched as his chest reshaped. Artemis had been in so much pain that he couldn't tell me what hurt.
“Peter, more meds,” Elex said roughly with strain as he continued to heal Artemis.
His skin flushed, and new bruises started to form as the bones realigned, then faded again. Peter pushed more drugs into Artemis’s IV. His body relaxed again.
“Arya, when Peter is done, I need his memories. I am fixing his body, but I need to know what he has been through,” Elex told Arya, his eyes never opening.
Arya slit her wrist. Purple blood poured down her hand and dripped down her fingers. I made no motion to stop her this time as she placed her hand on Artemis's face.
“Is there a problem?” Arya asked as she readied herself.
"No, but something’s not right,” Elex told her. His voice was strained under the weight of his labors. He glanced at Artemis, whose eyes were still closed, though a deeply furrowed brow indicated he was not entirely out of pain.
“Is he okay?” I asked in a trembling voice.
“His body is healing,” Elex replied gravely. "There is so much trauma. Some corners are too dark to peer into."
I felt a cold chill run down my spine.
My gaze turned back to Arya just as the blood entered Artemis’s eyes, the lines of purple liquid connecting her to him. Artemis was so relaxed that his body and mind wouldn't feel the invasion.
“Arya, what did you do?” Elex asked while the power radiating from him intensified.
Arya didn't reply at once, her face turning stormy. Her hand remained firmly in place on Artemis's face, the purple blood trickling down his cheek.
"I did nothing!" Arya retorted, her voice echoing off the stark white walls of the healing room. Her eyes, now shining violet with the intensity of her power, met Elex's stormy gaze. "I just opened the doors to his mind. "Elex," she said, trembling. “Something’s not right.”
“What's going on?” I asked, the heat pouring out of the Elex, causing sweat to form on my body.
“Elex, I'm in, but something is wrong,” Arya said. “I'm going to push it faster.”
I saw Artemis's now green blood traveling up the lines of her blood, tainting it. I jumped to my feet but knew I couldn’t touch it.
"Arya, stop!" Elex commanded, his tone edged with an unusual sense of urgency. But Arya, caught in the throes of her operation, didn't seem to hear him.
“Arya,” I said her name to warn her. “Your blood.”
Her eyes flickered back to the mixing of fluids pushing up her arms. The fluid traveled up her body, following the path she had created.
“I know, I feel it,” she answered, her face tight. “I'm almost there.”
I watched her push more of her blood out of her wounds, pouring more of her energy into what she was doing. I didn't know how to help.
“Arya!” Elex cried out as, for a third time, the heat of his energy racked up. I looked down at Artemis as his scales climbed his arms. His newly healed tail was growing its spikes back and starting to thrash. I finally let go of Artemis’s hand and moved to the end of the bed, grabbing the appendage with both hands so his tail didn’t hurt anyone.
With one final effort, Arya pushed harder, pouring the last of her strength into Artemis. A loud gasp filled the room, and then an eerie silence descended upon it. A quick glance confirmed their fears—Artemis's body had become rigid, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling above.
I felt the raw power coursing through Elex's body as his hands hovered above Artemis, straining to heal the last remnants of his damaged physique. Arya's blood continued to pour from her wrist, connecting her to Artemis on a deeper level. Green blood was still flowing through the purple lines.
"Arya, what's happening?" I asked, my voice quivering with fear.
"I'm almost there," she replied, her voice tense. "Elex, brace yourself."
Elex nodded in response, his hands trembling slightly as he gripped Artemis's once scale-like skin, which now glimmered with shades of bright green. The air grew more intense as the silence was pierced by the rhythmic beating of Arya's magic and the surging energy from Elex.
Elex’s energy crackled, and the blood traveling up Arya’s arms started to bubble with hissing pops, blistering her flesh. The moment it touched her eyes, a green light exploded into the room, tossing Arya back.
Her body slammed into the wall. The blood that had connected them snapped away. Elex slumped to the floor. Peter rushed to his husband's side.
Arya slid down the wall, the impact leaving a streak of blood behind her. I darted over to her, my heart pounding in my chest. Her body was limp, and her eyes were shut tight, her face twisted in pain. Gently shaking her, I called out her name. Arya groaned, and her eyes cracked open.
"Brir?" she murmured, voice weak and raspy. "Is he...?"
"Artemis is fine," I admitted, my gaze darting back to the bed where Artemis lay. He was still and pale, and even the shimmering green radiating from his body seemed to have dimmed. He looked whole, healed, and completely healthy. Green shimmering blood dripped from his clawed fingers onto the ground. His face was peaceful, and his chest rose and fell evenly. “I think he is sleeping,” I said.
“Elex,” Peter cried, dropping to his knees beside him.
“I'm okay, my love,” Elex said, lifting one shaking hand to touch Peter's cheek. “Just tired. Arya?”
Arya stood on shaking legs. Arya's body had punched a hole into the wall.
"I'm here," Arya replied, her voice just above a whisper. She stared at Artemis's prone form on the bed, her eyes a mixture of worry and exhaustion.
Bracing herself against the wall, she staggered towards Artemis. I watched as Elex's head drooped onto Peter's shoulder in relief.
“Are you okay?” I said down to her.
Arya breathed heavily, still in shock from what had just happened. "I... I'm not quite sure. My power... it seemed to have backfired." She rubbed her arm, looking down at the now-empty wound where her blood had once flowed.
I reached out to help her stand. Concern etched into my features. "What happened? What did you see when you were connected to Artemis?"
She winced, her eyes still dark with the residual power. "I saw... fragments. It was like his blood was fighting me against his will. Something was fighting against me.”
A chilled silence fell over the room, only broken by the occasional whimper of Peter cradling Elex and the harsh panting from Arya.
Peter helped Elex reach his feet, supporting him as they approached us.
“Could you make out anything?” Elex asked, his voice rough like he had been walking through a desert without water. It almost made me cringe.
As they spoke, Peter injected more pain meds into Artemis's IV, ensuring that he remained comfortable as his body continued to heal.
“He was sick,” Arya said, moving over to Artemis's side, grabbing a rag, and wiping the blood off his face. “I saw his pain. He wasn't lying. He joined the military to find his sister, who he believed was still alive. I think she is, too. I saw her. She was sick like him.”
“I promised him we would come to New Pharia to talk to you about going to look for her,” I told her, walking over and taking Artemis’s hand again.
“Elex…” I started but trailed off. “Is he healed?” I asked instead.
“He is fine, Brir,” Elex said. “More than fine. He will wake up in a few hours, and you will see. But I need to go sit down. Peter, help them, please.” Elex limped to a chair before collapsing into it. His head lolled on his shoulders, eyes already shutting.
Elex looked pale. He had used too much energy healing Artemis. I turned to Peter. "You need to get Elex to bed. He needs rest. Arya and I can look after Artemis."
Peter nodded wordlessly, placing his husband’s arm over his shoulder and helping him from the chair even as Elex protested.
Artemis lay in the bed, healthier than I had ever seen him. The lines of his body were perfect. The scales now just reached the top of his biceps. Tail pristine. Arya slowly turned to him. The spines on Artemis's back stabbed through the bed, but I watched as they retreated into his body until just the nubs of bone were present.
The sight was captivating, captivating in a way that made us all forget our exhaustion for a moment.
Arya watched with a soft, glowing look in her eyes, full of tender and fierce affection. I saw her swallow hard as she traced the path of the retreating spines with one hand.
“I’ve never seen anything like him,” she admitted.
“The man who hurt him was just like this. All of his parts grew out of his skin,” I told her.
“I know. I saw it,” she told me. You have the apartment here, Brir. You should take Artemis home.” She moved toward the door. “In a few days, I will call the meeting when my brain doesn't feel like it's been through a meat grinder, and we can move forward with our next move.”
I didn't argue as I held Artemis and followed Arya. The apartment she had given me was in the same building as hers, right next to the medical center and smack dab in the city's center. It kept her close to the people.
When we exited the clinic, Merrick and Soren were leaning against the wall talking, but they stood up when they saw us.
“Is he okay?” Soren asked.
“He will be,” I told the pair. “I'm taking him to the apartment.”
“Good. Nidra took Dune to hunt with the other Lepots in the fields,” Merrick said. “I put your bags in your apartment for her so she could deal with all the Lepots.”
“Arya, you okay?” Soren asked, looking past him at Arya, who was behind him. “You look like shit.”
“I’m peachy,” she said, but then added, “I might puke.”
Arya turned to vomit into a trash can nearby. Soren and Merrick rushed over to her side. I didn’t stop to check on her. She would be fine with them. I wanted to get Artemis into bed so I left them behind.
After pushing the door to the apartment building open with my shoulder, I entered the elevator.
Looking down at the sleeping man in my arms, I held him tighter. I thanked the fates again for bringing him back to me.
Once inside the elevator, the silence was punctuated only by the gentle hum of its mechanism. I watched the light blink from floor to floor, counting each one as we ascended towards our destination.
Artemis remained silent and serene throughout, his rhythmic breathing serving as a comforting soundtrack amidst the mechanical hum. His chest would rise and fall in sync with the pulsating rhythm of the elevator, an odd form of serenity amidst the turmoil that had become our existence. I tried to imprint this moment in my memory, cherishing every second.
Upon reaching our floor, I carefully maneuvered Artemis out of the lift, his softly snoring form adding a hint of normalcy to the otherwise surreal situation. It was strange having him so still, so quiet, tucked safely in my arms after everything that had happened.
The apartment's door creaked open, revealing a small but well-appointed space. The carpeted floors were clean, and I knew Arya had tidied the apartment before we had arrived so I wouldn’t have to. I carried Artemis towards the bedroom.
The dim glow from the bedside lamp cast a soft light across the room. I laid Artemis gently on the bed, careful not to wake him.
His peaceful face looked even paler under the lamplight, swept with shadows that made him seem fragile. Tendrils of dark green-black hair fell across his closed eyes, his long lashes dark against his pale skin, and his lips parted ever so slightly, a soft sigh escaping them as I settled him down.
Carefully, I moved to brush the wayward strands from his face, tucking them behind an ear with an almost reverent touch. I had missed this, missed him. The warmth of his skin, the slow rise and fall of his chest, the quiet calmness that surrounded him as he slept.
Unable to resist, I leaned in, kissing his forehead softly. His skin was cool under my lips, but I could feel the steady beat of life beneath it. His eyelashes fluttered slightly at the contact, but he remained asleep.
I stood and was about to let go of his hand when a sudden tightness gripped me. Artemis's fingers had curled around my own in a feeble grasp, holding me in place.
“Don’t leave me,” Artemis whispered, his eyes open just a fraction.
I sat back on the bed's edge before curling up on the mattress, tucking him against my body.
“I won’t,” I whispered back. His fingers tightened briefly around mine, a ghost of a promise squeezed between our intertwined hands. After a moment, his grip slackened, and his breathing evened out again. I pulled the blanket at the bottom of the bed over both of us, allowing the soft fabric to soothe my rigid nerves. “I love you, my butterfly. I will never let you go again,” I promised the man in my arms before kissing the top of his head again, closing my eyes, and letting sleep pull me under.