Chapter 44
Thealina
“And I just… drink it?”
I nod.
‘It makes communication much easier. Tastes of camomile. Rafe and I used it plenty of times.’
His sceptical expression makes me giggle… or at least I try to.
“Bottoms up,” he says, lifting the vial to his lips, taking a sip.
‘Can you hear me?’
“Holy fuck shit.” His eyes go wide, wider than I’ve ever seen anyone achieve.
‘Great. Let’s get down to it then.’
“Woah, woah, woah, let’s take a second to breathe, Thea.”
‘We don’t have a second, Sam. We need to discuss this now, before it’s too late.’
“Defiant little thing aren’t you.”
‘I’m not little, I’m older than you technically.’
“Right. Ok,” he sighs. “Hit me with it.”
‘Wonderful.’
We sit at his run-down kitchen table; I watch as he snacks on some cubes of cheese and slices of apple. My stomach grumbles, but I don’t eat in front of him, though I told him about my tongue.
‘The letter said it happens on the second night of battle. You were transporting supplies to the south flank where the rebellion ambushed the soldiers. All died, including you, except for Maxim Stow, because you put his injured body on the back of a cart. As the horses rode away, you’re hit by an Ice Wielder.
It knocked you off the cart, but the horses kept going, taking Maxim back to the camp. ’
I’m aware I dumped a load of heavy shit on top of him, but I need him to know every detail, so it can be changed.
Sam puts his head in his hands, scrubbing his face with his palms and groans.
“Thea,” he groans again. “Max is my friend. How can I leave him.”
Silence is my friend right now, I need him to figure this out himself, otherwise I’m pushing a man to choose between his life or his friend. And if Sam is anything like Rafe, then Sam won’t choose himself.
But what if I got him to choose between Maxim and Rafe.
‘You’d choose a friend over your brother?’
It was low. I know it was. I don’t need his gaped mouth to convince me any further.
‘I’m sorry, that wasn’t appropriate.’
“No. It wasn’t.”
‘I’m sorry I’ve put you in this position coming back to your time and warning you.’
“I get why, Thea. But, fuck, the weight on my shoulders now is just…”
‘Heavy.’
He paces back and forth, running his hand through his hair.
‘Rafe said you were an Echo,’ I say into his mind, sensing a need to divert his waring thoughts.
“Yeah. Been a while since I travelled though. Our ol’ papi’s Taka reserves, secret reserves, ran out.”
‘What do Echoes do?’
Sam takes his seat once more, the colour still not returning to his face. “I can travel into any echo, left by any person. Great for history and knowledge, but risky.”
‘Risky?’
“Yeah, if an echo hasn’t been severed by a Severent or anchored, then I can change events within that echo and potentially change the current timeline, I also risk rippling the fabric of time.”
‘Anchor?’
“Anchors set things in time, unable to be changed.”
‘So, Severents, Echoes, Anchors, and Jumpers.’
“That’s right. I’ve heard stories of travel companions being in teams of four once upon a time. One of each ability to ensure strength and survival.”
‘We’re compatible.’ I trace my patterned palm. Sam looks at his too, a beautiful swirling constellation of Pisces.
“We are indeed.”
‘I’m a Jumper. Rafe’s a Severent and you’re an Echo. Does that mean we could be compatible with an Anchor who’s out there somewhere?’
He bobs his head, eyes staring into the empty space before him.
“Most likely. Though not many of us is left. I don’t think.”
‘So much to learn.’
His chuckle lifts the dead weight in my stomach, reigniting the beating of my heart.
“It’s a complex subject. Lots of tomes have been lost or destroyed.”
He’s silent for a long while, so I leave him with his thoughts, deciding to munch on some cheese whilst his attention is elsewhere.
The flavour of this cheese is mild, too mild, and with barely any tongue left, a lot of flavours are dull.
Unless its super spicy, sickly sweet, and incredibly salty, food is bland now, and eating is a chore.
But I keep hearing Rafe’s voice. I need to eat for my health.
Strength. And, gods, am I going to need it.
“What if I could do both.”
Sam’s question jolts me, keeping the hand that holds my apple slice in mid-air. I throw it back on the platter.
‘That sounds a lot like playing with death.’
“Think about it. Now I know how and when, I choose a different course, save Max and come back to Rafe.”
‘I won’t pretend to know everything, so spell out for me what you plan to do?’
Sam laughs, deep and hearty with a gaze so devious goosebumps erupt along my flesh. “I’m gonna break his leg.”
‘Say what now?’
“Think about it. With a broken leg, he can’t be deployed. Therefore…’
‘There’s no Maxim on the front to save.’
“Exactly,” he grins, throwing a cube of cheese in the air and catching it in his mouth.
The thought of Sam hurting someone in that way threatens the little cheese I hold in my stomach.
‘A little barbaric breaking his leg, no?’
He laughs again, rubbing his jaw. “Says the teeny brawler smashing jugs over patrons’ heads.”
‘I was protecting an asset.’
“Look, what’s more barbaric… breaking his leg or leaving him to die?”
‘Good point.’
“There, look at that, all is well with the world.” He fists the air, sinking further into his chair and I can’t help but smile.
Yes, Sam, all does appear to be well… except…
‘Sam…’
“Hm…”
‘Can you make sure Rafe doesn’t forget about me?’
“What?”
I take a deep breath, settling my nerves. ‘When I go back to stop what happened to me, he and I lose our memories of each other, but you’ll have this memory, I think. Can you make Rafe remember? Visit our echo and tell him all about me?’
“Oh, Thea…’ he says, scooching closer. “Are you heartsick for my brother?”
A gush of air escapes his lungs when I thump his ribs. His gaze takes all of me in, his eyes softening as he tilts his head to the side.
“Yeah. Of course I will.”
He grips my trembling hand and squeezes it. My smile is small but appreciative.
“Right,” he says, jumping up from his seat holding out a palm. “Hop it, poppit.”
‘Where we going?’
I take his hand, trailing after him to his front door.
“We’re going to go break some bones.”
A loud knock sounds on the other side of the door. Both me and Sam jerk back.
‘Expecting someone?’
“Fuck. Hide!”
‘What?’
“Hide Thea, it’s Rafe!”
My heart punches my throat, my stomach bottoms out, and anxiety swims through my veins.
“Bed. Under the covers.”
‘That’s the worst hiding place. He’ll see.’
“Yes, but as long as you hide your face, I’ll tell him I took a lover tonight.”
‘Oh, gods, no.’
“It’ll be awkward, sure, but he’ll be outta here quicker than you can blink.”
“Chuck?” Rafe calls from corridor and a breath gets lodged in my throat.
‘Shit.’
Clothing flies above my head as Sam strips down to his white undershorts. ‘Wrong. So terribly wrong.’
“Gee, thanks.”
I slam my eyes shut, searching for the bed until large hands grip my waist, hauling me on the mattress and covers me in blankets. I pant, there’s barely any air under here, but the pads of Sam’s bare feet move across the floor, unbolting the door and releases a heavy breath.
“You turning all co-dependant on me, Rafe? Was gonna swing by tomorrow.”
“I just can’t get enough of you. No, you left your coat… what’s that?”
“A woman, dear brother, a woman. A beautiful one at that. You should try and get one sometime.”
‘Stop teasing him!’
‘No, shan’t, it’s too easy.’
“Wanna share this one? You’d love her.”
‘You’re evil. And sick.’
“Don’t forget to put salve on that contagious rash you have. Bye, Samuel.”
“Be over in the morning,” Sam chuckles into the corridor before shutting the door and re-bolting it.
There’s a heavy sigh and a thud against wood. I turf the blankets off, gasping for cooler air and see Sam with his forehead resting against the wood.
“See. Gone in a blink,” he grins. “And there is no contagious rash! You good?”
I nod; laughter barricaded behind my tight lips.
“Then let’s get to it, partner. We gots some bones to snap.”
I smile—a grim smile, but a smile, nonetheless. Because for the first time in a long time, it feels as though not only do I have a friend, but I might actually be successful in something. Something as significant as saving a life and sparing the man I’ve fallen for decades of guilt and pain.
Of loneliness. Doesn’t take a scholar to see Rafe’s loneliness.