Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
Auster waited, teetering on the precipice before she smiled at him and opened to him. Inviting him in. He was beyond concerned that if there was something hiding in his love’s mind, something bringing all those old buried thoughts to the surface, that she might be forced to do something.
Like run from them. Theria was somewhere on the Mountain, and as much as he wanted to believe that the Highest had it in hand, there was something off about the entire thing.
There was no way that a minor, banished goddess should be able to hide from Light, but they had received no word that she had been found.
Autumn’s smile was wavering, fading, and Auster realized that he’d been hesitating at the threshold of her mind, that she was open to whatever chose to take the step that she was open to.
He hurried, crossing from his head to hers and closing the entry point behind him. Her mind was odd, not the bright, solid place he’d seen when he’d helped them strengthen the braid.
It felt odd, as if it were in pieces and those pieces were only held together by her will and the idea that they loved her. It was fear, overlaid with love, like something was pushing at her from beneath.
And then she was there, smiling at him and gesturing to the oddly broken mindscape. “Do you see what I mean? I’m a little broken, but I’m always going to be that way. There’s just something pushing the divisions wider, and I think that’s why I’m having nightmares.”
He reached out and took her hand. “We’ll get a look at it and then we’ll go to the Highest and have them take care of it.”
There was a heave in her mind, and Auster watched Autumn pale and shift the pieces of her mind to hold it down before giving him a false smile. “Whatever it is, it’s getting stronger, and I don’t know how much longer I can hold on .”
“We’ll help,” he took her in his arms, feeling her shake. “Autumn, don’t try to fight alone; we’re here.”
She nodded, closing her eyes and melting into his arms slightly. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Always,” he whispered back. “We’re here, we’ll always be here.”
That heave came again, and before she could move to stop it, a greasy shadow leaked in around the edges of her pieces, whispering with an unfamiliar voice that it was all a lie, that no one was able to love a thing like her.
Auster went to the grease stain hanging in the air and peered at it. Trying to understand what it was. And then it grew claws and swiped at him. Autumn crashed into him, shoving him away from the grease hanging in the air, and Auster had to watch as she took the blow meant for him.
She collapsed, bleeding and gasping with the pain. “I’m alright,” she struggled to her feet before he could get to her. “Auster, are you alright?”
“It didn’t touch me,” he took her into his arms, looking at the free-bleeding wounds. “I’m taking this to the Highest, now.”
“Alright,” Autumn nodded. “That was the first time it’s done that, but those things keep popping up.”
“I’m taking you to the Highest.” He repeated, fading from her head.
But Autumn didn’t come out; her eyes stayed shut, and she stayed locked away in her own mind. That was possibly worse than the thing that tried to hurt him. If she were stuck, if she were at the mercy of those things in her head, he had to get her to the Highest right now.
Auster stammered out an explanation for Boreus before he picked Autumn up and ran, Boreus racing along at his side. They made the Bastion, but there was no one there, just the usual milling crowd that had nothing better to do than try and curry favor.
If they weren’t her, they were at the summit and that was where they were going next.
But instead, they nearly ran headlong into Chaos, who was standing in their path like he’d appeared from nowhere. The broken god looked at Autumn and then up at them. “Fallen,” he said, looking tired and frustrated. “Come.”
He led them back out of the Bastion, but instead of taking them to the Summit, he took them to the spring. “Until we know, until the void speaks, wait here.”
And then he was gone, a sigh hanging in the air.
Auster looked at the place Chaos had been, and then down at the Spring. “Do you think the Song could help?” He turned to look at Boreus.
“I don’t know,” Boreus shook his head. “But I don’t think she can be worse off than she is right now.”
Auster handed her to Boreus and sat at the edge of the spring, singing to the water that they needed the Song, that Autumn was in danger and they needed their friend to help.
The Song popped up above the water, sloshing liquid everywhere, and all over Auster, who hissed as the pure magic burned into his skin. It was out of the spring, and over to Boreus, who was still cradling Autumn.
It sang the question, who else was there? What had they done to her? Why was there poison in her?
“Poison?” Boreus asked, shifting his hold on Autumn to give the Song better access. “What can we do?”
The Song let a shaking fall of silver free, letting the notes fall directly onto Autumn. Who stirred and opened her eyes.
Auster could have cried with the relief pounding through his veins. The wounds she’d been dealt were here, on the outside now, but they were healing, and she smiled up at Boreus.
“Where are we?” She asked faintly.
“At the spring,” Boreus replied. “Chaos brought us here so the Song could help you.”
Autumn turned her head to look at her friend, singing gratitude in a strangely hoarse voice.
“It says there’s poison in you,” Auster said, cupping her cheek. “And Chaos told us to stay here until the void speaks.”
“He has a reason,” Autumn said hesitantly. “There’s always a reason and most of the time he’s right.”
“So we’ll stay here,” Boreus said firmly. “So the Song can help us keep you well. Until the Highest can come for us and Light can heal you.”