35. Sybil

Chapter 35

Sybil

T he morning came swiftly after a night of deep sleep. Aramis and I lingered in each other's embrace, reveling in the joy of having a comfortable bed, for once. But when Marcelene came knocking at our door to call us for breakfast, it had been difficult to even step foot out of bed. It felt as if the moment our toes touched the cold stone ground, this beautiful dream would be over.

But alas, our stomachs' increasing grumbling made the choice for us and, wearing the new clothes the witches had kindly gifted us, we walked to the common room. Aramis had just filled his spoon with the most delicious porridge when Cassara came running to us.

"The infirmary! Quick!"

Aramis and I drop everything and run up the twisting stairs and down the long corridor all the way to the room with the many beds. I storm through the door, heart in my throat, only to stop in my tracks.

"Nero!" I cry out, running to his bedside. "Oh, thank the Goddess you're awake."

"Fuck Nero. You're not allowed to die on me, brother." Aramis follows suit and grabs his best friend by the shoulders, peering into his face.

"Nae, only if ye stop yer persistent nagging and move yer ugly mug so I can see yer pretty mate." With a pained expression on his face, he tries to sit up, but his efforts are met with tears and clenched fists. "Oy, it feels like I wrestled with a thorny bush all the way down the dragon's mountain and lost."

"You've lost a good deal of blood and your body is still trying to heal after Axton–"

"Axton!" He growls, fists bunching into the sheets, eyes molten gold with fury. "I'll wring that–"

"Dead. He's dead, but we have the book. The dragon, Tarmyth–it's a long story but you needn't worry about him."

Nero breaks into a coughing fit and I rush to grab the flask from the table. Aramis gently lifts Nero's head, and I pour some of the cool water into his mouth to drink. His parched lips quiver as he takes small sips.

"And Marcelene?" he asks, face twisted in pain. Lemon uncurls his body from the foot of the bed and scampers over to Nero's left hand, licking his palm. "There you are, you little rascal."

"Here, take this. It will help with the pain." I grab a vial from my pocket and hold it up to his lips, pouring the draft down his throat. "She is safe. They are all safe, although Aries and Phoebe are back with the Council."

Nero's brows furrow as he takes us in. The traveling leathers we have on.

"What is going on?" he asks, confusion etching his face.

"I can't read it, no one here can," I admit, pangs of guilt settling heavy in the pit of my stomach.

"Now Sybil, yer a smart lass, I ken you can read," Nero says with a sigh, closing his eyes as he settles back down onto his pillow. His face is pale and drawn tight with pain.

"It's not that I can't read," I say, mopping his forehead with a damp cloth. "It's in a language neither I or Marcelene have ever seen before."

"That sassy feline. Are ye sure she isn't pulling your tail?" The corners of his lips pull up.

"She's not. That's why we came back to the library to find some answers." I smile as the tension begins to ease from his face.

"I'm sure ye will find an answer, Sybil. Yer the smartest unicorn I ken." He chuckles, peeking one rich brown eye open at me.

I can't help but laugh and shake my head. "Nero, I'm the only unicorn shifter you know."

"So, where are we going now?" he asks, and Aramis and I exchange a look.

"Nero, you're in no condition to travel, look at you," Aramis says, but the draken scoffs and lifts the sheets to get out of bed. A white billowing tunic almost reaching his knees is all he is wearing.

"Who says I am nae ready to travel?" Nero's drawls.

"I told them so." Marcelene's voice echoes from the door of the infirmary as she steps in. The two look at each other for a moment, a silence filled with unsaid words stretching between them. Aramis and I look at each other with curiosity. Nero remembers he is wearing the equivalent of a woman's nightgown and rushes back under the covers, red coloring his cheeks as he hides his gaze from the witch.

Marcelene comes closer to Nero's bed but leans on the wall right in front of it, crossing her arms over her chest, but I see the relief in her eyes.

"I've been in worse shape than this, and I turned out just fine. Isn't that right, Aramis?" Nero's words hang in the air, his voice carrying a hint of defiance. Aramis throws his hands up into the air, the sound of his exasperation echoing in the room.

"I have already learned not to fight with a healer." Aramis turns, his movement causing the air to stir around him. He puts an arm behind my back, his touch sending a shiver down my spine. His thumb begins to caress in tantalizing, teasing circles.

I turn to Nero, ignoring Aramis' teasing. "If she says you need more time to heal, Nero?—"

"I can make up my own mind of when I'm fit to travel. Plus, it's not like ye, Marcelene, and yer wee Lemon won't be there to look at my scratches."

Marcelene stiffens, her lips pursed tightly together. She lowers her head and starts fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve, something I have never seen her do.

"I won't be going," she declares firmly. Her words hang in the air, accompanied by a tense silence. The room feels heavy with anticipation.

"What do ye mean, ye won't be going?" He turns abruptly, his eyes narrowing. "Ye've traveled the last few months with us. Why quit now? Tired of my charming personality?" He winks, and Marcelene rolls her eyes.

"The library needs me." Marcelene's voice is filled with determination.

"Oh, well." He pauses, clears his throat and shrugs. "I supposed that makes sense. Can't have this place falling apart. Who knows what knowledge it contains that future generations might need," Nero replies, but I notice a subtle shift in his posture.

"Or what help the three of you may still need," Marcelene replies, turning to me.

"You have a point. We may need help from the library, even with the power to defeat Tricella," I say.

"So," Nero begins talking to Aramis and me. "I am going to repeat this one more time: where are we going?"

Aramis sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, defeated in the face of his best friend's resolve to join this new adventure. "We're going to Nova Esther. We're breaking the treaty and going to Kallistar."