Tobias
Bash looked haggard as he answered Eva’s door, his stubble was overgrown and the circles under his eyes matched the shadows that swirled within them. His clothes were rumpled as though he had slept in them, though from his drawn expression, it hadn’t been for very long.
“Is she—”
“Still breathing,” Marin whispered from where she stood by Eva’s bedside. My sister’s eyes were closed, her hair lovingly spread out against her pillow. Marin’s hand rested on her forehead, a steady trickle of green light streaming from her fingertips to Eva’s temples.
I reared back, my heart lodging in my throat. “Was that ever an issue?”
“Yes.” Bash’s voice cracked on the word. “She took a turn for the worst last night.”
Light crackled at my fingertips. I clasped my hands together, letting the latent energy snuff out against my skin.
The burn of my magic barely registered as I fixated on the gentle rise and fall of Eva’s chest. There was a roaring in my ears, my entire body trembling with barely controlled fury at the thought that I had almost lost her and hadn’t even known it.
My father was murdered before I even realized his last words were a goodbye.
He had gone to hold Aviel off to give us time to flee, taking on the False King and his fire wielders without hesitation.
Sometimes, in my darkest moments, I wondered how exactly it happened.
If Aviel had stolen my father’s darkness first, or if they had simply burned him alive.
I couldn’t do anything but watch when my mother sacrificed herself for us. All I could do was beg her to come with me before she forced me through the mirror with the same light as my own. I could still hear her final scream before Aviel killed her, too.
But I had made my mother a promise that night as the flames burned our house down around us: that I would keep my sister safe.
I wouldn’t lose Eva too.
Quinn looked as furious as I felt as she snapped, “And you didn’t tell me?”
“It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle,” Marin said sharply. "Especially now that I have other healers helping me. We need you focused. Nothing else matters more than you finding a cure.”
Quinn’s shoulders tensed, blinking hard as worry clouded her features, and I felt my magic rise again in response. I swiftly shoved it back down, letting my light die in the dark prison of my mind.
“I told the healers Queen Sariyah sent to rest while she’s stable,” Marin said, crossing her arms as if preparing to defend her decisions. “Ondine and Esme are both well trained. They both studied at the Enclave.”
Quinn sighed heavily. “I was hoping to talk with them. We need to take a visit to—”
A soft knock on the door interrupted her mid-sentence.
I swiftly crossed the room, to find Rivan and Yael looking travelworn and exhausted in the hall.
They both wore lightweight linen tunics and pants and smelled faintly of salt—like they had spent time at the sea.
Reinforced, hardened leather covered their shoulders and chests, though neither looked any worse for wear.
They didn’t have Silvius in custody, that much was obvious.
Shadows exploded from Bash’s hands, lacing around his arms like a curl of a whip as he demanded, “Did you find him?”
Yael grimaced. “We saw Silvius yesterday not far from Queen Sariyah’s castle. We’re here to get reinforcements now that we’ve confirmed he’s there.”
My voice was dangerously soft. “You found him, and you lost him?”
“Our rangers got waylaid.” Yael sounded strained, her shoulders rigid. “By the time we dispersed the crowd, Silvius disappeared.”
“We questioned some of those who were with him without any luck,” Rivan said cagily. Even he seemed off, his normally unflappable composure rattled.
There was something they weren’t saying. Something they probably felt they were protecting us from.
I crossed my arms. “Was the crowd helping him?”
Rivan and Yael exchanged a pointed glance. Bash’s bloodshot eyes narrowed at them in a wordless order.
Yael let out a deep sigh, her shoulders slumping.
“There’s been some unrest since the news of Eva’s illness got out.
We couldn’t hide it: too many people knew about the bonding ceremony not to speculate on why it was delayed.
Some of the crowd was…” She paused, looking faintly nauseous.
“…celebrating. Aviel’s supporters, the ones that hid in plain sight…
they were shouting that the magic of the land turned on Eva since she stole their so-called ‘True King’s’ crown. ”
My magic flared, the burn so sudden I flinched.
“There were plenty of people protesting on our side too,” Rivan quickly added. “This was just a small but vocal minority. Fighting broke out. That’s why Silvius was able to get away.”
I wanted to scream. If I had been there…
You would’ve what? A cruel voice mocked. Cowered under the weight of the open sky and ran to find shelter?
“We’ll find him,” Rivan said with a confidence I wished I possessed. “And then force him to make a cure.” Rivan looked at Quinn. “Unless you figured out an alternative?”
Quinn’s face fell, guilt flashing across her features.
Bristling, I stepped in front of her, squaring my shoulders like I could shield her from it. “Quinn’s doing everything she can to find a cure. Which is why when you return to Mayim, we’re going with you.”
I expected an argument. Instead, Rivan simply nodded. The exhaustion was plain on his face, worry etched into every line. If I were a better person, I might have figured out something to say to comfort him, but I was barely holding it together myself.
Rivan looked over my shoulder at Quinn, letting out a heavy sigh. “If that’s what’s best for Eva, you won’t get an argument from me. But you need to be careful who you tell that you’re experimenting with her blood, especially with Silvius in the same city.”
Quinn gave a quick dip of her head to accept his apology. I jerked to attention as she gestured between us, explaining. “We need help if we’re going to figure this out quickly and the Enclave’s the best place to get it.”
We, she said. Like I had any right to be included when this was all her genius.
“I already wrote ahead to let Dolion know of our plan,” Quinn continued, moving beside me. “He’s caught up on our work so far, and has discussed it with Queen Sariyah, so I don’t expect an issue. I’ll make sure it’s a closed lab—just the three of us.”
“The healers at the Enclave are the best in the realm.” Marin said it like she was trying to reassure herself, the mix of hope and fear in her voice almost painful.
“Their hospital is second to none, and their research wards are full of everything you should need. Hopefully their resources can assist you with—” Marin cut herself off with a yawn.
Yael’s gaze flicked over to Marin, then her eyes narrowed. With a few quick steps she crossed the room, one hand sliding to the nape of Marin’s neck and directing her gaze up with a firm tug. “You're draining yourself. You need to rest too, my love.”
Marin might have ensured her team was resting, but it was obvious she hadn’t heeded her own advice. She stubbornly shook her head before tiredly laying it against her anima’s arm. “I’m needed right here.”
“Marin.” Yael rubbed her hand down Marin’s back. “I know better than to argue with you, but…”
“Then don’t,” Marin interrupted, her smile sliding from her face. “You have enough to worry about considering you’re essentially running two kingdoms right now.”
Rivan strode up beside them, crossing his arms across his chest. “Take an hour to close your eyes, Marin. I’ll keep Eva steady until we depart. Tobias and Quinn will need the time to pack up anyway.”
Marin’s hesitated but she nodded, waiting for Rivan’s hands to slide into place above Eva's temples before she slowly released her magic. Her shoulders dropped, eyes closing as the faint green of Rivan’s power replaced hers.
Its color was more gray than Marin’s, like the stones I knew Rivan favored.
“My turn to help save you,” Rivan murmured to Eva, a sad smile on his lips. “Not that we’ll ever be even.”
Bash’s elbows dug into the mattress as he took Eva’s opposite hand, bowing his head as if silently praying to any gods who might be listening. I wanted to scream at him to wipe that defeated look from his face—not when there was a chance my sister could feel his despair.
Quinn solemn voice broke the silence. “Can you still feel her?”
“Faintly,” Bash replied. “I know I should try to sleep, to find her in my dreams. Last night, I could feel the battle raging within her…her confusion and her terror at what’s happening to her and the realization that she’s slowly losing her mind.
It’s like her spirit is withering right in front of me, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. ”
His throat bobbed, his shadow-dark eyes glassy with unshed tears.
“You don’t have to leave her to sleep,” Quinn coaxed. “There’s plenty of room on that bed for you to lay down and rest while still holding her hand.”
She was just as drained as Bash was—likely more so with the amount of magic she was using—and here she was offering him strength and empathy. It left me humbled.
Rivan nodded encouragingly and promised, “I’ll wake you if there’s any change.”
Bash looked between us but didn’t budge from Eva’s side.
“I need to be doing…something,” Bash said hoarsely. “I can’t just sleep while she’s hurting and in pain and…” His hands trembled so hard that Eva’s started to too. “She needs me, and I can’t help her.”
Quinn shook her head. “You’re exactly where you need to be. Keep trying to reach her through your bond. Even if she doesn’t know you, she can feel your soul—and deep down, she recognizes what you are to her. We’ll keep her breathing until we have a way to save her.”
Bash nodded, looking numb as he brushed a tangled strand of hair behind Eva’s ear.
Animas rarely survived the death of the other. I hated myself for even thinking it.