13. Chapter 13 #2
Ranger X glanced at me thoughtfully. “Maybe instead of focusing on repairing the wards, you could focus on healing the island? The less dead lands there are, the less surface area the spirits have access to.”
“It’s a good thought,” I said. “But I’ve only had success in healing small patches of land at a time.
I have no idea how I could possibly extrapolate that to heal such a vast area, and so quickly.
It takes a lot out of me, and frankly, I haven’t mastered healing even small patches.
It wouldn’t be enough to make a difference, I’m afraid. ”
Ranger X hesitated, then asked, “Do you think there’s a chance it could be more effective now that you’ve opened the connection to your ancestors?”
“It’s possible,” I said, “and I’ll give it my best shot, but I don’t think we should count on it as a solution.”
“The spirits are here,” Ranger X agreed reluctantly, “so we’ll need something effective now. The snow hasn’t stopped falling. Winter is still here. And if they solve the flesh-weaving issue, then the dead lands won’t be an issue at all as they’ll have access to the island as a whole.”
“I don’t understand why it’s still winter,” I said. “I’m back. I felt it, you all felt it. I can feel my connection to The Isle locked back in place, so I don’t understand.”
“Maybe it’s because it’s not your wards controlling the island,” Ranger X said.
“If Dr. Lewis was able to reinstate the curse, isn’t it possible that could be messing with your connection to the wards?
Or maybe, it’s because even the island can sense what’s coming.
The Darkest Lord’s arrival is imminent.”
“Probably all of the above,” I murmured.
“What are you thinking about Dr. Lewis’s wards?” Ranger X asked. “Is there a way to counteract what he’s done?”
“He’s already opened the veil between our realms,” I said.
“It’s too late to just”—I mimed zipping something closed—“seal it back up. And if the curse has been made active again, it will need to be destroyed again. Let’s assume he was successful, which also means it’s very likely the areas of dead lands are growing. ”
“Which means,” Ranger X said, “the amount of surface area allotted to the spirits is will expand, and we don’t know how quickly.”
“I don’t know how to stop the progression of the curse this time.
Last time, the answer was to destroy the wards, but this time that’s not an option.
The wards are mine, but he’s twisted them.
There’s nothing to destroy without completely obliterating everything, which would not be helpful. Trust me.”
“Can you set new ones?” Ranger Z asked. “ Then destroy the old ones?”
I gave a soft smile. “I’ll do my best, but if I knew how, I’d have already done it.”
“Give Alessia a little break,” Lily said. “She’s been conscious for, like, four minutes.”
“If it’s all right with everyone,” I said, “I’d like to return to the castle. I need to review my Fae manuscripts and take a moment to process everything that’s happened. I know we don’t have the luxury of time, but I do need a moment to just think.”
“I’ll go with her,” Silas said. “I’ll take Ranger Z as well, so she can communicate with the Ranger team.”
Ranger X nodded. “We’ll split the rest of us up and combat the spirits appearing on the island.
It’s a stopgap, but hopefully it’ll buy you some time until you come up with the best next steps.
We’ll also communicate with the islanders to make sure they’re staying on healthy ground, especially as the curse progresses. ”
“Please, also ask anyone who can leave to do so immediately,” I said. “Nobody should be forced to live through what happens next. I won’t stop people from staying, but I most certainly won’t stop them from leaving.”
“We’ll get the word out,” Lily said. She pulled me in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Take care of yourself.”
We parted ways, unsure of when or how or under what circumstances we’d next see one another. Then Silas and I returned to The Forest, huddling together as we forged our way against the snowstorm, a storm that was growing angrier by the minute.
Billowy white flakes whipped at us with a vengeance.
We trudged through the snow, not even remotely dressed for winter weather.
I wasn’t even sure there was a heavy parka anywhere on the island.
There were probably spells we could’ve used to protect ourselves and keep warm, but I was too tired to worry about that.
Plus, something about the nippy, biting wind cut at me with a sharpness that felt real and grounding, like the pain of the cold sharpened my senses and cleared my mind.
I pulled up the hood of my cloak after walking at some length.
Silas put an arm around me as we approached the castle.
In some places the drifts were almost knee-deep.
When we reached edge of the river, I glanced down, noting the edges were starting to freeze.
The spirits hovered over the surface, impervious to the cold.
I paused, tense. As far as I could tell, they hadn’t moved. They were waiting: tense, at the ready. Waiting for what?
“They must be waiting on a signal of some sort,” Silas said. “I imagine the Darkest Lord has a plan. He’s posturing now, preparing something, letting us know he will be here soon.”
“The flesh-weaving,” I said. “Is it a physical thing, or is it a spell? Can he activate it from the underworld?”
Silas shook his head. “I really don’t know. I don’t think it’s ever been successfully done. At this point, I’d have to guess it was a spell that needed to be completed. The spell using the fishermen’s blood. Once it’s complete, I imagine…it will simply go into effect.”
I shivered. “We should get inside before they become solid.”
Even the words tasted foul. To imagine these monsters turning solid—spirits manipulated by the whims of a power-hungry magical scientist—was terrifying.
It had seemed to me in my journey through the underworld these spirits didn’t have much of a soul left…
not after spending years or decades or centuries under the Darkest Lord’s rule. They had nothing to lose.