Quinn
Iclosed my eyes for a moment, lulled by the sound of Tobias’s heartbeat under my ear and the swaying motion of each step. Everything hurt after being knocked around in that tunnel, the pain in my chest growing worse even as I gave in to my exhaustion.
All I wanted was some sleep and for him to never let me go.
The panic in his voice made me fight to open my eyes. I couldn’t remember ever hearing him sound so frightened.
It was all I could do to cling to consciousness as he broke into a run, his arms almost painfully tight as his footsteps pounded in a frantic rhythm. My chest hurt worse with each jostling movement. I wanted to say something, anything—but I couldn’t speak, could barely breathe.
Then came an order: “Help her.” Not just a plea but a command.
A warm hand touched my collarbone, green light shining through my eyelids. The knot in my chest immediately eased, and a violent cough wracked my body, every hack excruciating. Then came a loud and very concerned, “What the hell happened?”
Tobias’s familiar scent wrapped around me as securely as his arms. His voice shook as he whispered, so quietly it might have been to himself, “Oh gods, sweetheart…I thought I lost you.”
The endearment struck me square in the chest. It wasn’t just the word, but the way he had said it, tinged with affection like it was something he had called me for years.
I strained to open my eyes. We were just outside the Atrium, the sky dark but no longer stormy. Rivan looked down at me, his healing magic still glowing at his fingertips. Yael and Pari lingered just behind him, their expressions etched with concern.
Their presence barely registered. Not as Tobias’s gaze desperately searched my face, the raw, unguarded expression on it leaving me breathless. Fear and pure, unadulterated relief, all tangled with a possessive look in his eyes that made my heart skip concerningly.
“You had water in your lungs,” Rivan said grimly. “Something you might have noticed if you hadn’t completely burned yourself out.” He tilted his head at Tobias. “You’re lucky he got you here when he did.”
“I’m okay,” I said just as a yawn overtook me. “A little waterlogged.”
Tobias stared at me, incredulous. “A little?”
“We’ve been searching for you two,” Yael said breathlessly. “What happened to sending a message?”
Pari let out a scoff. “What happened to not engaging?”
Tobias brushed past them, still holding me as he brought us inside the inner atrium of the Enclave. “We said we would try. In a world of magic, you would think having something dry to write on wouldn’t be an issue. And yet…”
I looked over his shoulder, blearily taking in the watery trail we had left behind us, each of Tobias’s steps marked with its own puddle. A few healers looked at us curiously, probably about to direct us to the hospital wing.
“You can put me down now,” I said tiredly.
He had the audacity to roll his eyes. “We’ve been over this, Sagray. Now, do I need to get the Queen herself to take a look at your lungs or are you certain you’re okay?”
I closed my eyes, letting the dregs of my magic delve into my chest. Whatever water had remained in my lungs was gone now.
“I’m fine, I promise,” I said with a reassuring smile. “Thanks to both of you.”
Rivan folded his arms across his chest. “Do either one of you want to explain why you’re half-drowned?”
“Trust me, it’s much better than the alternative,” I mumbled.
With a sigh, I gave them an abbreviated version of what happened as Tobias carried me to our rooms, though I left out any mention of my blood magic.
Tobias interjected only to clarify the directions to the alleyway and the path we had taken through the tunnels.
“We’ll send our people to the mirror straight away,” Pari said. “We can see if we can figure out the path Silvius used to get into the Enclave and if there are any clues as to where that mirror led.”
Tobias’s fingers dug into my thigh and upper arm at the mention of Silvius’s name. There was something entirely overprotective about the way he held on to me—something I didn’t mind in the least.
“I doubt he’ll be stupid enough to reopen that mirror.” Tobias’s voice was full of self-recrimination at the missed opportunity. “But if there is a way up to the Enclave, it’s worth continuing the search to see who else he’s working with.”
I lifted my hand unthinkingly, stroking the stubble on his cheek. “We did our best. Just because we didn’t find him doesn’t mean this is a defeat. We’re close to curing this even without Silvius’s confession.”
Light warmed his eyes, his expression softening. There was a long pause…and I realized everyone was staring at us. My face heated as my hand fell away.
“Not to add any pressure,” Yael said hesitantly. “But do you have a timeline for when this cure might be ready? Marin hasn’t mentioned any change…but, reading between the lines, she seems worried about the effects of keeping Eva and Bash in that state for too long.”
“We’ll see how the compounds we’re testing do first thing in the morning,” I said, mentally crossing my fingers at least one of them worked. “I’ll send her an update as soon as we do.”
“Quinn’s close,” Tobias added. “If it’s not this round, it will be soon.”
“We’re close,” I corrected him.
He glanced skyward, wearily conceding, “I’m just glad I can feel like I helped somehow.”
I frowned at him. “Are you kidding me, Maris? This wouldn’t have been possible without you.
” I shifted in his arms to better face him.
“You’re the one who found Silvius’s notes after Eva fell ill, and you’ve been there every step of the way since.
You’ve been there every day in the lab assisting me in more ways than I can count.
” Tobias opened his mouth to object, but I wasn’t done.
“You saved me from drowning and from my own self-doubt. We wouldn’t just have a potential cure without you…
I wouldn’t be alive without you.” The words tumbled out, needing to be said.
“You didn’t just help, you idiot. You’re extraordinary. ”
He looked at me askance, his expression unreadable. Then his eyes softened, and a full, real smile lifted his lips—one I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was so heart-stopping that I nearly forgot how to breathe.
I didn’t miss the glance Yael exchanged with Pari as Rivan darted around us to open the door to our shared living space.
With a sigh, I weakly pushed against Tobias’s chest. Tobias seemed as reluctant to let me go as I was to let him, but he lowered me to my feet without further comment.
I hadn’t realized the top buttons of his shirt had been ripped away at some point, leaving a smattering of dark chest hair exposed.
The wet fabric clung to his pectorals beneath my hand.
I forced my eyes away from the tantalizing sight and back up to his face.
His fingers tightened against my waist, making sure I was steady, but he didn’t let go. A smile quirked my lips as I raised an eyebrow in question.
A blush tinged his cheeks as his hand dropped to his side.
“Hopefully the mirror wasn’t washed away,” I muttered as I walked toward my bedroom. I needed the warmest shower possible before I went to sleep. There were scant hours left before the lab opened, and I refused to waste a single second when it came to finding my best friend’s cure.
“Gates are more fragile when they’re closed,” Pari said from behind me. “It’s the only time the glass can be broken. Hopefully the water didn’t get that far, but we’ll know soon enough.”
I faintly remembered reading that somewhere. Usually, the mirror’s magic meant they barely showed sign of wear. It made sense, especially after the Seeing Mirror’s lack of rust after so long entombed in Adronix. I hadn’t considered what conditions would be necessary to break one.
If I had been raised here, these would be facts I would know by rote.
Sometimes it bothered me that I had spent so many years in the mortal realm and missed out on so many formative moments here.
However, considering the medical prowess I earned there was going to save my best friend, I could never regret my upbringing.
Tobias stumbled towards his room, his feet dragging with every step. Hadn’t he been reading about the magic behind the mirror gateways before we left for Morehaven? I wasn’t the only one who had been reintroduced to this realm, or trying to make up for lost time…
“Wait,” I pleaded.
He stopped immediately, pivoting back towards me with a puzzled tilt of his head. The tension in his posture seemed to ease as I came closer.
“I never checked your lungs,” I said, quickly raising my hand. My healing magic felt as sluggish as I did, though my fingertips turned a familiar blue. “Can I?”
Tobias frowned. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
Rivan opened his mouth, likely to volunteer, then shut it as I shot him a glare. Drained or not, I needed to be sure Tobias was safe myself.
He inhaled sharply as my hand flattened against his bare chest. Part of me felt vindicated that he was just as affected as me, the other part was too tired to think about what that meant—not just what we were to each other, but what I wanted us to be.
Instead, I focused on my magic, letting it flow from his trachea into each bronchus, filling both lungs to ensure he hadn’t inhaled any water.
I looked up at him as my magic faded away. His eyes crinkled slightly around the edges, the gold flecks in his irises glistening in the light.
His voice was low as he drawled, “So?”
I blinked up at him, dropping my hand. “You—you’re okay. Nothing to be concerned about.”
Biting my lower lip, I stepped back, swaying slightly. He reached for my hand, tugging me back against him.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You’re not.”
“I’m fine,” I muttered. “Just wiped out. It’s nothing a warm shower and a good night’s sleep can’t fix.”
Pari stepped up next to me, and I nearly started in surprise. I forgot we had an audience.
“I’ll make sure you don’t fall asleep in the shower,” Pari chuckled, taking my arm.
Tobias relinquished his hold, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. With a knowing smile, Pari led me into my room, then closed the door behind us.
“You don’t actually have to stay,” I mumbled as I walked into my bathroom, stripping as I went.
I didn’t care about propriety, especially since nudity was far less scandalous in this realm, and I had no qualms about Pari seeing me naked.
I kicked the soggy, mud-coated garments into a pile.
There was no chance they could be salvaged.
“I figured I would give Tobias the chance to bathe rather than wait outside your door to make sure you made it from the shower to the bed,” Pari said, a smile in her voice as she turned on the shower. “It’s nice seeing him out and about again, despite the circumstances.”
My sigh of relief echoed through the bathroom as I stepped behind the turquoise tinted glass and into the hot shower. I let the water run down my face and chest, thankful for the magic that meant I didn’t have to wait for it to warm up, though my extremities felt like they were burning.
I spent far too long scrubbing myself clean, washing my hair more than once before I rinsed off the suds. By the time I toweled off, Pari had placed a glass of water on my bedside table and laid a simple black nightgown on the bed.
“Thank you,” I said as I slipped it on. “I think I can handle it from here though.”
Pari nodded but stayed where she was. “Actually…I wanted to apologize to you.”
“For what?”
She shifted on her feet, brushing her silver hair behind her ear. I couldn’t remember ever seeing Pari nervous in all the time I had known her—but something was obviously bothering her.
“It’s been different between us, since you told me about your magic.”
Part of me wanted to ask her whose fault that was. A bigger part of me knew the courage it had taken to bring it up. With a deep sigh, I slipped between my seafoam green sheets.
“I understand that there are well-founded fears about blood magic in this realm,” I said softly. “Especially seeing how Eva’s blood was stolen and used against her. I don’t blame you for your concern.”
Pari surveyed me, then rubbed the back of her neck with a sigh. “You’ve only used your magic to help people,” she said at last. “…even when you used it to kill.”
I blinked at her, unsure how to respond. Pari smirked in an echo of her usual self.
“Did you think I didn’t read between the lines?” She looked almost disappointed in me. “You and Tobias were trapped in the tunnel, flood waters rising and no way out. It wasn’t hard to figure out how you killed them.”
“It was the only way.” I sank back into my pillow, suddenly feeling too heavy to stay sitting up. “I haven’t used that power since we were under Adronix. I didn’t want to…but I had to save him.”
Pari sat on the edge of the bed. “Maybe that’s the difference.”
Maybe it was. Maybe my intention mattered more than my methods. Or maybe the actions of a few had irrevocably tainted the image of a rare magic—the true harm not in the power itself but in those who didn’t deserve to wield it.
Pari cleared her throat. “When we get back to Soleara, I’ll see what I can do to help you research more about it—maybe we can even find others who haven’t told anyone about their gifts for fear of being ostracized.
” She got to her feet. “But I wanted to make sure you knew I’m working on my preconceptions, and the prejudice that came with them.
I won’t leave you to figure it out on your own again, my friend. ”
“Thank you,” I said quietly. “I appreciate that more than you know.”
Pari gave me a grateful smile. I returned it fleetingly before it split into a wide yawn.
“I’ll let you get some rest now,” Pari said. “Thank you for being more gracious than I would’ve been in your place.”
She flicked off the lights before closing the door behind her.
I stared at the space where she had stood, wondering if it had really been that easy. If maybe hiding this part of who I was had never been as dire as it seemed.
What would my blood magic be like if I were to train it rather than hide it away? What if I used it—not to control anyone, but to help others, like any other facet of my healing magic?
Maybe the fear of what I was told I would become had kept me from being everything I could be.
Between one breath and the next, I drifted off to sleep.