16. Sixteen

Sixteen

Willow

“Her soul is still strong,” Aria whispers beside me, pulling me out of zoning out.

I feel like I’ve been staring through this glass pane for days, when it’s only been a couple of hours. The longest, most dreadful hours of my entire life. No amount of physical torture comes close to this level of mental and emotional suffering.

I give Aria a very unconvincing tight smile and squeeze her hand back before moving away from the glass and turning back toward the table we have set up in the hall.

Scattered across its surface is every piece of information the academy, the palace, and Gaster possess on Mystara Hollow and the nonmagical realm.

While Jamie, Draken, and a few select healers work in there on Oakly, pumping her full of magic, the rest of us are out here, reading everything we possibly can to figure out a way out of this for her.

When we first arrived, Aurora had already called in the best of the best and had this secluded room ready to go for her .

Unfortunately for one of the healers, he made the grave mistake of forgetting his bedside manners. He said that even if we could save her, she’d be brain dead from how hot her body was. Before anyone could interfere, San and Ry attacked.

I still don’t know or care if he’s woken up yet.

None of the other healers have dared utter a negative word.

When Keeper and Draken arrived back with the ingredients and purpose of the infection, Gaster, Neil, Theo, and Aurora jumped into action, collecting everything they could get their hands on in breathtaking time. Since then, we’ve been at this table.

Searching for what feels like impossible answers.

This is the first time I’ve ever seen San’s gift in true action. It goes far beyond the realm of just reading and retaining information. He can speed through the pages in the blink of an eye. It takes him around six minutes to devour an entire book and I’m pretty sure by this point he’s read everything on the table twice.

“Come see me, young one. Take a break.”

I release a shuddering breath and close my eyes. Tanith’s ability to soothe my dragon with gentle words is astonishing, but my fear, anxiety, and fight not to give up resist the comforting feeling.

“I can’t. We’re running out of time.”

“And your mind is running in overdrive. If you do not give it a break, it’ll never find what it’s seeking.”

Sighing, I bow my head and blink away the water collecting in my eyes. She’s right. My mind hasn’t stopped since…well, since I laid eyes on Jamie lying on the ground outside our ward and Nikoli’s petrified eyes told me all I needed to know.

It’s been running a mile a minute at every turn since then, but now, all I find is dead ends. I can’t find a way out of this for her. And I simply can’t accept that. I won’t survive without her.

“Tanith wants to see me. I’ll be back in a minute,” I mumble to no one in particular, but my voice still draws everyone’s attention .

“I’ll walk you, child. Maybe some fresh air and conversation with Tanith will spark something for me,” Gaster volunteers. I give him a tight smile and lace my arm through his when he offers me his elbow.

We walk in strained silence through the healing wing and out the doors to where Tanith is sitting with her head tilted toward the sun.

I almost forgot it was daylight still.

The darkened windows in the healing wing obscure the sun and heat, keeping the area cool and dimly lit. Comfortable, I guess for the patients in there.

To me, though, in this moment, it just makes it feel cold, empty.

Hopeless.

“The two of you feel drained. Be one with your realm for a moment. Take in the magic,” Tanith says softly as we approach her silently.

“Thank you, Tanith,” Gaster says respectfully as he bows to her, but I can’t even muster up that much.

The warm rays that are heating up my chilled skin make my throat close, and another wave of tears gathers together. I don’t think I should be out here enjoying the sun and the natural heat while my best friend is inside, internally burning.

Gaster doesn’t give me much of an option, though, as he grips my elbow and pulls me down to the ground beside him.

“My lord has shared what all you’ve learned, and I believe I understand, but maybe one of you should spell it out for me. See if there’s something we’re missing.”

“Gaster,” I croak out.

As he relays the information to Tanith, I close my eyes and tilt my head to the sun, mimicking her and begging it to give me an answer.

Besides Jamie, Draken, and the healers working away at pumping their magic into Oakly nonstop, plus Elementra only knows the number of healing vials, the only other solution we’ve tried is giving her the Poison of Essence cure. We hoped that maybe, even though she’d only been given a drop of the poison, the cure would help do something.

It didn’t.

She’s still just as hot and on the cusp of death as she was without it .

“Let us assume the best as we speak,” Tanith says with full conviction. “The Poison of Essence cure stopped the flow of the poison in her blood. Draken, her Nexus member, and other healers are feeding her magic, which is keeping the Aconight plant at bay. So that leaves this disease from the nonmagical realm. What do we know of it?”

I grit my teeth painfully. This question has already come up and all eyes turned to me for an answer. A fucking answer I didn’t have because I didn’t have to worry about sicknesses of that degree in the nonmagical realm.

My illnesses were physical injuries. My nose never even ran unless it was bloody, or I’d been crying. I know very minimally about what people truly suffer in the nonmagical realm.

What I do know is about the flu shot, colds, breast and ovarian cancer, and birth controls because of the posters in the doctor’s office that I read a million times when I was getting my IUD implanted. Other than that, Franklin had doctors come to the estate. For obvious reasons.

I’d hear people at school talking about deadly things. Heart attacks, strokes, cancer, but it’s not like anyone was giving me breakdowns of what any of it meant.

“Only what Darstein said. I didn’t have to face these things during my time there, nor did I ever have to learn about it. I never even met anyone who mentioned it,” I bite out.

“Do you remember Stephanie? From kindergarten?”

CC’s voice causes Gaster to flinch and Tanith to growl low at the sudden invasion. My mental block was down and open to both of them so we could communicate. I didn’t expect him to come through. Seeing as I’ve been fucking begging and crying for his directions all day.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Do you seriously expect me to remember kindergarten? Especially at a time like this?” I ask harshly.

“Calm yourself, Adored. The one who speaks is wise beyond our comprehension. If he wants you to think back to this time, you should do so. Do not give him undeserved wrath.”

“He’s my other Guardria, Tanith. I’ve been begging for his guidance all day. Years actually.”

“And now he is giving it to you. I know the frustrations you feel, young one. I’ve lived in the shoes you are now filling for many, many years. It is much easier to take our anger out on those we love, but you must repress that desire now. This is the one you’ve told me of. He is doing all he can, when he can. Take his guidance,” she says so softly, it douses my inferno, and I swallow down the lump in my throat.

“I’m sorry,” I breathe.

“As am I, filia mea.”

Gaster laces his fingers with mine and pats my hand warmly as I blow out a breath and wipe the tears soaking my face. I use his resolve and confidence to ground me. I feel like I’m seconds away from shaking so violently, I’ll vibrate myself into the earth below me.

“I don’t think I remember kindergarten. That was…that was the year it all started,” I say quietly.

“Follow Tanith’s lead,” CC says.

“Tanith…”

“To go that far back, young one, you must at least recall a time you were that young. Something that sparks that time frame,” she says.

A small whimper passes my lips as the first thing to come to mind is that forsaken grave Franklin put me in. I quickly wash it away and replace it with meeting CC. His presence washes over me and blankets me in the love he feels for me and I hold onto it for dear life.

“I remember a time.”

“Good, now think intently about that time. What were you doing? For me, it would be learning to fly, getting my claws off the ground, controlling my wings. Dragons learn to fly between the life span of six to eight years. By ten, we are allowed to fly with our flight.”

What was I doing? Other than getting my blood drained.

I started at the all-girls school.

Magnolia Prep.

Suddenly, flashes of times long ago start playing across my mind and the navy, white, and black plaid uniforms spring to my mind. The etiquette classes. The pageants. The nurse’s office.

“Good, filia mea. Think of Stephanie. ”

Stephanie. Stephanie…

“Willow, if you won’t tell us the truth about how you injured your arm, we will just have to inform your father again.”

“I’ve already told you. His friend’s needle caused the bruise,” I cry.

Mrs. Smith, the school nurse, shakes her head disappointedly at me before turning on her heel and walking away. With the stupid tie hanging down my shirt, I wipe away my angry tears and cross my arms.

“Sit right here, Stephanie. Your mommy will be here in a minute,” Mrs. Smith says, far nicer to the girl who sits in the chair beside me.

She doesn’t look hurt to me.

“Are you okay?” she asks softly, tapping me on my shoulder.

“Fine.” I sniffle, turning so she doesn’t see me crying.

“I heard what you said about the needle. My doctor has to stick needles in me too. My daddy holds me sometimes when it happens.”

My wide eyes turn to her in shock, and I look over her for the same bruises I have. I don’t see any, but she obviously didn’t make the mistake of taking her jacket off.

“Your daddy takes your blood too?” I ask.

“Oh…no. I have to get blood,” she says quietly as she looks down at her hands and picks at her fingernails.

“Get blood? Like they put it in you?” I ask with a disgusted look on my face.

“Yeah. My mommy and daddy said it would make me feel better.”

“You’re sick?”

“I guess so.” She sighs sadly before carrying on. “At least I can get sick. Then I can’t get better. I thought I was better because Dr. B told my mommy I could come to school now and play with other girls, but I threw up at recess a few minutes ago and now she’s coming to get me.”

“So you’ll have to get blood put in you again?” I ask, completely fascinated.

“Maybe. I got ice cream afterwards last time,” she says with a small smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

“Maybe that’s why my father takes my blood. So I can help you feel better,” I say happily .

“Willow.” My father’s voice barks from the doorway, and I straighten in my seat as cold fear slithers across my body.

His frown smooths into an easy smile as Mrs. Smith comes to stand beside him with her arms crossed over her chest. I shrink in on myself as they both glare at me and I know I’m in trouble.

“Come. Tell your friend goodbye,” my father orders.

“Bye. I hope you feel better.”

I slowly rise from the chair and slink my way toward my father. Before leaving the nurse’s office, I peer back over my shoulder and wave at Stephanie.

I come out of the memory gasping, desperately trying to get air into my lungs. Watching that through my adult eyes, I easily see that Stephanie was sick. Her pale skin, the whites surrounding her eyes were tinted yellow, and she was so thin, fragile. I don’t remember ever seeing her at school again, but then again, I got in so much trouble that day, I didn’t make many friends after that. I kept to myself and made sure to keep my jacket on.

“I’m so sorry that’s what you experienced, young one,” Tanith says gently, and when I cast my eyes to her and Gaster, I realize I broadcasted that to them both.

“Don’t be. It’s okay.”

Gaster clears his throat and squeezes my hand tightly before saying, “From what I just gathered, that child was ill, and her illness required the blood of others to help her because her body couldn’t do it on its own. That’s how Darstein described the disease.”

Hope, the fickle and misleading emotion, floods my system as I put a death grip on his hand. We have blood in plenty of supply.

“Okay, so we give her some blood. That’ll fix it,” I say excitedly, trying to push myself to my feet, but Gaster holds me down.

“Hold on, Adored. Let’s work it all out again. So we know that the blood will help with the nonmagical disease. The cure will help with the poison. But what did the Mystarians do to fix the Aconight problem?” Tanith asks.

Silence.

I have no clue, and neither does Gaster. There was no information in anything we found in our archives that even alluded to the issue in their realm. This spread happened after the portals closed .

“They burned it,” CC says quietly.

Despite the fire that burns through me, my body suddenly feels like I’ve been dunked in an ice bath. The way he said it makes the hairs along my arms and the back of my neck stand on ends. Tanith’s awareness tickles its way across my skin and I know what she’s going to say.

“Adored…”

“No. It could kill her,” I say, shaking my head furiously.

“What could kill her?” Gaster asks, confused.

“Like I had to do for Keeper and burn the cord from inside his neck. Tanith is going to suggest I burn the Aconight plant out of her blood. But it’s not that simple or straightforward. With Keeper, I had something to pinpoint and command my flame through. This is spreading throughout her entire body. It’s everywhere. I’d have to boil her blood. No. Think of something else,” I command frantically.

“The time has come, filia mea,” CC says softly and I sob as I feel his presence leave me again.

“No, please don’t leave me. Please give me another way.” I cry, begging for another solution, but one never comes.

The buzzing of Gaster’s communicator forces him to withdraw his hand from mine and I grab fistfuls of grass in my hands to keep myself from exploding.

“We’ll be there in a second,” he says after not saying anything else rather just listening to the one-sided conversation. “They need us up there. There’re only a few minutes left until we hit the six-hour mark. The palace healers are trying to convince the Mercie Nexus to let go. Aurora is ready to kick them all out, but Jamie needs help.”

The sadness in his tone pulls another drenched sob from my chest and I can’t hold in the scream any longer. I let it pour from me as I push up on my knees and rock back and forth. All around me, it feels like the walls are closing in. I’m seconds from suffocating under the pressure of it.

I can’t lose her.

“Then do what you must, young one. You have all the tools at your disposal now. Use them. The flame, the blood, the cure. Your father-in-law. Her Nexus, your own. Find a solution to the problem in front of you with everything you have. You are a dragon, a Primary, a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, an Awaiting Matriarch, a Guardian, and an Adored. There is nothing you cannot do,” Tanith says gently but firmly.

My tear-soaked, violet eyes snap open and meet her glittering gold ones. They’re so full of conviction, it nearly steals the little bit of air I’m able to suck into my lungs.

Crawling over to her, I cup her snout in my hands and lay my forehead to hers. The power beneath her scales flutters across my body, and my dragon unfurls her wings and tilts her head up. Ready.

“I can do this.”

“You can do this, young one.”

Nodding, I stand up, wipe my face, then basically snatch Gaster off the ground and drag him along with me. Determination spreads throughout my body as I try to put the multiple pieces of what must happen together in my mind.

“What is the plan, Willow?”

“I’m still working on that,” I say, blowing out my breath. “We’re going to work it out with everyone. I’m going to need their help.”

The two of us race through the healing wing and the second we hit the floor Oakly’s on, I hear her men yelling, and the tension rolling in waves down this hall hits me straight in the gut.

They’re seconds from losing their shit and my men, my brother, his brothers, Aria, Aurora, my Patera-Nexus, and Keeper are all standing with them.

“This is unethical and inhumane. You all should allow the girl to pass. Be here with her and spend your last few moments together in peace. I will not stand to allow myself or my team to continue working on someone who is clearly gone, and you all just don’t want to accept that,” the head healer says sternly, staring down at the small army of my family.

“Then get the fuck out,” I say calmly as I push my way into the overcrowded room.

“Excuse—”

“I didn’t stutter. Get the fuck out. Your help is no longer needed,” I say, dismissing the asshole who’s clearly already given up on my sister .

“You have no auth—”

“My daughter has all the authority she needs, but if that isn’t enough for you, then hear it from me. Get the fuck out,” Aurora says dangerously low, sending the room into silence.

Except for me.

I laugh. Because obviously I’ve lost my mind, and I have no other choice but to laugh or I’ll crumble.

“Willow, I need extra hands. It’s rapidly taking over. I…I can’t do it on my own,” Jamie says as sweat drips into his eyes, but he doesn’t dare remove his hands.

“You’re not going to do it alone. We’re about to heal her right now, but I need everyone’s help with working this out of my mind,” I say as I come to stand beside my sister.

“What have you got, trouble?” Ry asks, choked, and I can’t bring myself to look at him, so instead, I squeeze Oakly’s hand.

“Multiple things have to happen all at once. I have to burn the Aconight plant out of her blood. Even though we’ve already given her a Poison of Essence cure, I think she’ll need another. She needs to receive blood as the infected bits of hers are going to be burned away. And all of you need to be touching her. She needs her connection to her Nexus. Jamie, she’ll still need your magic and Draken’s. She should probably be kept cool as well. I’m going to be…burning her from the inside out. I just don’t know the order in which this should all happen.”

The room falls eerily silent as they all stare at me. Hope and pure desperation pierce my soul, and I finally look up at my brothers born from bonds. They’re each staring at me like I’ve just given them the winning numbers to the royal chance and their surefire belief in me has my heart swelling.

“Okay, everyone, get in positions. Jamie, stay where you are. Draken, move up by her head so you can feed her directly and Jamie. Ry, San, Nikoli, opposite side of Willow. Princess, get where you need to be. Keeper, you need to manipulate the blood transfer. Who’s giving the blood?” Corentin asks, fully taking over organizing everything to perfection .

“Willow should. Her blood is the strongest and I will add some of my own as well to give her a boost in lifeforce,” Keeper easily agrees, coming to stand beside me.

“Good. Next, Tillman ground Willow, keep her thoughts clear. I’ll keep my air circulating around Oakly to keep her cool.”

“I’ll add my water. It’s her element as well and she’ll need to be hydrated,” Caspian says, stepping out of the cover of darkness, and my eyes fill with tears once again when they lock on his.

All I can muster is a mouthed thank you and I suck down a sob ready to escape me when I feel his shadows circle my wrist.

“Willow, start out soft and slow. Build up as you go and as Jamie pushes his magic into her. The rest of you, keep skin to skin contact no matter what. Keeper, you’ll be able to tell when the transfer needs to begin?” Corentin asks.

“I will. Adored, I will slice your wrist and Oakly’s, if that’s okay?”

“Do whatever you need to.”

“Okay, princess, begin. You got this,” Corentin says firmly and I nod to him before seeking out each of Oakly’s men.

The look in their watery gazes speaks a thousand words.

One way or another, they’re going to be with her. It’s decided by more than their own love for her. Their souls have spoken. If this doesn’t work and we lose her, we lose them as well. They’ve accepted that and they’re okay with it. They’ve made peace with it.

I haven’t.

I don’t believe the five of them realize what they mean to us.

That’s the weird thing about grief. It’s a selfish emotion.

I know as well as anyone in this room, the space Elementra would have ready for any of us in the beyond is just as magical, just as perfect as this physical plane she’s created, yet we aren’t willing to let them go there. We don’t want to be here without them.

I’ll be selfish enough for all of us to admit that.

I’m not losing any of them.

“We’re going to heal her. I’m not going to lose any of you today. ”

“We know, Willy,” all four say as one, and a mixture of a sob and a snort escapes me.

“Go on, trouble. Bring my firecracker back,” Ry commands as a lone tear finally drips from his eye and I nod.

“Come on, Oak. You heard your most bossy of men. You’re in so much trouble with him.”

Leaning down, I lay a kiss to her nose and rub my hands down her arm while simultaneously encouraging her to fight and apologizing for what I’m about to do to her. This is going to be so painful. I know it without a shadow of a doubt, but it’s what must be done.

My flame slowly travels through my veins, and I squeeze my eyes shut tight as they pierce through her skin. Her nerve endings cause her body to twitch and the agonizing gasps I hear from her men make my heart thud wildly, but I can’t risk peeling my lids open to check anything for myself.

Heavy hands lay on my shoulders, though the weight feels like feathers, and suddenly, the sounds become mere whispers in the wind. There’re no thoughts. There’re no fears.

There’s nothing but Oakly.

Draken’s magic washes over the room and forces me to take a deep breath from the abrupt fullness I feel. I use the extra boost just given to me and push a little harder. The heat that’s coming through my palms is a mixture of her fever and my flame, and a bead of sweat travels its way down my neck until a cool breeze stops its path.

The multitude of emotions filtering through the room tramples my chest, but I can’t shift my focus enough to block it out.

I embrace it.

I allow the heightened sense and feelings of everyone in this room and the hall bolster my resolve, then I shove it out.

I push. And push. And push harder.

The heat intensifies to unmeasurable heights and the multiple groans from around the room ring loudly in my ears, but I don’t relent. I don’t pull it back because even though I know my flame is blazing, it won’t truly hurt anyone in here .

Other than Oakly. She will be the only one who may be burned beyond repair if I’m not careful.

The hisses that are falling from the lips of Ry, San, Jamie, and Nikoli suddenly morph into agonizing screams, and it takes me a moment to realize my throat is roaring right along with theirs.

Heart-wrenching pain engulfs me as I feel the threads that keep Oakly’s soul stitched to mine begin to unravel.

“What’s happening?” My brother’s concerned voice filters through my mind, but I can’t answer him.

“Their souls are splitting apart,” Aria quietly whispers, but I hear it.

Loud and clear.

“No!” I scream as I hold Oakly’s arm tighter.

“Willow, you have to stop. It’s killing her. It’s too much.”

My eyes snap open and collide with San’s. His face is set firm, although his lip trembles. He nods in retaliation to the insistent shaking of my head, but I refuse. I’m not letting her go.

My frantic gaze searches each of their eyes. There’s a war raging in each of them that I understand down to the depths of my soul. Part of us is fighting tooth and nail right now, not willing to let her go. The other side, the one that doesn’t want to surface just yet, believes this is the end of the line.

“I can’t. I need her. She’s my sister,” I cry, begging them to keep pushing, keep trying.

I whip my head to Oakly and force my mind into hers. There’s no consciousness on the other side, but still I plead.

“Oakly, fight. Do you hear me? Fight with all you have. Fight for the love that’s out here waiting for your hazel eyes to snap open. Fight for your Nexus, who will wage literal war for you, then turn around and hand feed you pastries because they’re your favorites. They’re going to love you forever, Oak. Here, in this realm. Fight for the want to prove yourself as the best archivist to walk the realm. No doubt Gaster will train you to the point you surpass him, and he’ll be none the prouder.

“Fight for me. Please. Fight for us. Fight for the future we’re going to have together. Fight for our bonding ceremonies. Fight for our adventures. Our girl days. Our gossip sessions. Our trainings. The children we’ll have in two hundred years that are going to give us hell. Please fight.”

Another excruciating bellow falls from my lips as another strand slips undone between our souls. The thread of our connection is growing thinner by the second and I know any moment now, our bond will break, then be made whole again.

But she won’t physically be here with me anymore.

“I swear by all the fucking power within me, Oakly Mercie, if you leave me, I’ll crawl to the fucking beyond and drag you back out here by your beautiful purple hair. Don’t keep fucking tempting me,” I scream as my emotions become an overwhelming concoction of grief and anger.

Power surges through the room, causing Jamie to take a desperate, harsh inhale that echoes through the space so piercingly it penetrates the heartbreak overriding all my senses.

“Don’t you stop now, Willow. Her body is sucking my magic dry. Draken,” Jamie grunts painfully.

My dragon man’s power pulses through the room and it springs everyone into action.

Wind, water, and a mountain of certainty coats not only my body but Oakly’s, and when Keeper turns my wrist outward to drag his razor-sharp nail down my wrist, I nod at him encouragingly.

When he does the same to Oakly, his smooth accent floats around the room and I gasp as I feel my blood pulling from my veins. It’s the same sensation as when I’d be drained, but there’s no pain, no needles, and no tubing. Just a direct transfer of my life essence to hers.

Drag after drag of my blood pours into Oakly to the point my head begins to swim, but the strong arms that wrap themselves around my waist hold me up and I hold onto my determination for dear life.

I watch through blurry eyes as Keeper lifts his wrist to his mouth and punctures the vein until his cobalt blood streams down his chin. As the two lifeforces merge, a river of purple blood flows into the cut on Oakly’s wrist and Jamie takes a deep breath.

“Gaster,” Corentin commands .

Gaster hurriedly makes his way through the sea of us and gently opens Oakly’s jaw. The pure white liquid miracle of the Poison of Essence travels through her lips and the room falls deadly silent as we wait.

Watch.

Tillman’s chest catches me as everything that makes Oakly explodes out of her and sends all of us skittering backward. Her water, her gift, her magic swarm her body protectively. Healing it back whole.

Her purple hair fans out around her and the shine that always makes it look like it’s brushed with glitter shimmers from her roots until it touches her ends. Her pale skin slowly starts to gain back its sun-kissed glow, and when her finger twitches, me as well as her entire Nexus jump back to her sides.

My lungs beg for me to breathe, but I can’t.

There’s no air left for me when Oakly inhales what feels like a never-ending gasp.

Brown, green, and gold flares to life as her eyes snap open, glowing with the overwhelming amount of power coursing through her. For a moment in time, she just stares up at the brightly lit ceiling before blinking them in rapid succession. When her gaze turns to her Nexus, they pounce.

Wrapping her up in their hands, they hug, kiss, cover her until I can barely see her through their massive bodies. Their words of praise and love to her have me covering my mouth to hold in my sobs of relief, but that doesn’t stop my body.

My knees finally give out on me and I crumble to the floor in a heap as I hold on to the side of her bed for support. My men instantly surround me, holding me close.

I cry even harder when I feel a fingernail tickle the top of my hand and I immediately turn my palm, lacing our fingers together.

“Willy.”