Van took his and Brux’s hands in hers and said a prayer to the light for Pernilla and Thyra’s souls to make it back home, to the Creator.
Once they reached The Obelus, Van discovered the crew had been busy making repairs to the ship.
“We kept a constant watch for your return,” Ferox said.
“I knew you’d come back to me,” Brux said, as he attended to her ankle.
“How long was I gone?” Van asked.
“Two days,” Brux said.
A troubled look clouded Ferox’s face. “We have less than a week until the Alignment ends.”
Van grinned. “Oh, I’m not worried.”
She filled them in on her encounter with the weird children, the ever-changing maze, meeting with Thalassa, and her confrontation with the Quasher.
“The Quasher?” Brux gasped. “For the love of the light!”
“It was Thalassa,” Ferox correctly guessed. “Disguised as the Quasher as part of your test.”
Van left out whether she had retrieved the Cup and they didn’t ask. She thought it wise to find out if Ferox was concerned with her safety or simply interested in her retrieval of the item.
She also didn’t tell them she had found the Coin again, or that she had checked the seal. Van needed to observe the current situation before revealing too much.
Brux, she one hundred percent trusted.
Ferox, well, the thought of him made her insides shiver with excitement. Her gut told her to trust him. But to protect her people, she needed to be double sure of his genuine interest in her and not harboring an ulterior motive. He was Balish after all.
They both seemed relieved to see Van alive, neither pressed her about the bulge in her jacket, that might or might not be the Cup of Life.
After Van’s ankle had been treated, she asked to see Paley.
“I’ll take her,” Brux said before Ferox could open his mouth.
“I’ll go check on the repairs,” Ferox muttered as he walked away.
Brux reached for the doorknob to Paley’s cabin and paused.
“Prepare yourself,” he said grimly. “It’s not pretty.” He slowly opened the door. “Just take a peek, for now.”
Light from a single porthole filtered into the cabin. Van heard Paley before her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. Her stomach churned with dread.
Sounds came from Paley like those from a wild animal—guttural growls. Spittle sprayed into the strip of light filtering through the porthole. Paley strained and writhed against the ropes binding her to the bed.
“We set her off by entering the room.” Brux backed out, nudging Van to do the same.
“She’s in worse shape than I imagined.” Van stared wide-eyed at Brux.
“The illness hasn’t killed her yet.” Brux rubbed his chin with his forefinger. “I think the colloidal silver helped with that.”
“But…she’s a demon,” Van said, perplexed.
“Not a demon. But, she is possessed by some kind of darkness.”
“What’s the difference?”
Brux sighed. The circles under his eyes suddenly looked more prominent. “I don’t know.”
“I think I do.” Van remembered what she had learned during Thalassa’s test. “The colloidal silver helped keep the illness from killing her, but Paley allowed the darkness in.”
“Are you able to cure her?”
It was Brux’s way of asking Van if she had retrieved the Cup.
“Let’s go to the galley. You can grab something to eat,” he said. “If you feel like it, you can tell me the rest of what happened.” He flashed Van a lopsided smile.
Van grinned back. Brux knew her so well, he could tell she intentionally left out significant parts of what she encountered while they were separated. He seemed pleased that she didn’t share her entire experience with Ferox.
They went below deck. Brux slopped some goo into a bowl for Van.
“Oatmeal?” Van asked.
“Yeah. Let’s go with that.”
Van dug in. It was some kind of flavorless grain. She figured they were short on supplies and Van didn’t really care what it was, she needed food to regain her strength, especially after discovering she hadn’t eaten in two days. Although time in the Water Elemental’s lagoon probably didn’t flow on the same clock as the Living World.
“Oh good.” Ferox popped into to the galley to check on Van. “You’re eating something. You need food to regain your strength.”
That’s exactly what I thought. Van’s heart whirled. They seemed to be so connected.
Ferox’s skin glistened with sweat and dirt from helping with the ship’s repairs. His grimy, white t-shirt stretched tightly over his chest, leaving little to the imagination. Van couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. Suddenly, she lost interest in eating.
All three sat at the rectangular table that was fastened to the floor to keep it from smashing around during rough weather.
The unspoken question about the Cup lingered heavily in the air.
Ferox broke the silence. “I’m sorry about Paley.”
Van reached into her jacket pocket while Ferox continued talking.
“I’m hoping we’ll be able to treat her when we get ashore. Maybe Madame Vang—”
Van placed the Cup of Life on the table, stopping him short.
Brux and Ferox remained speechless while they waited for Van to finish fumbling around with her pockets.
She tossed the Coin of Creation onto the kitchen table next to the Cup.
Brux grimaced.
Van knew he was worried about exposing both Items of Creation to Ferox.
Ferox raised his eyebrows. “I saw the Coin slide over the side, along with you. I’m amazed that you found both items. How?”
Van told them her story filling in the blanks this time, including the baby alligator and Zurial’s warning about not being gluttonous about using the Cup.
“So now we check the seal,” Ferox said.
“No,” Brux said. “We use the Cup to save Daisy.”
“Mending the seal will help save thousands of people from getting sick,” Ferox growled.
“My sister needs help,” Brux said through gritted teeth. He rose from his seat.
Ferox did the same. “The seal is in this area. We can’t head back to shore now.”
“I don’t care what you—”
“Stop!” Van slammed her hands on the table. “Calm down.” She motioned for them to sit.
Brux and Ferox took their seats, still red-faced and throwing death glances at each other.
“I’ve already checked the second seal.” Van’s eyes darted over their faces. The tight muscles in their cheeks were replaced by wide-eyes and slackened jaws. “One of the properties of the Cup is giving the holder the ability to breathe underwater.”
“What? How?” Brux asked.
“Well, it is the Cup of Life,” Ferox said. “You needed oxygen to breathe at that moment.”
“Right.” Van had made the same connection. She loved how in sync she was with Ferox. “The Coin led me to the seal. Thalassa’s lagoon rested at the bottom of the Bottomless Sea. But then I went farther down, all the way to the floor of a cenote. I saw the seal. I’m sure there’s no crack.”
“Thalassa was the guardian of the seal, too?” Brux asked.
Ferox grimaced at Brux, clearly implying Brux didn’t get the meaning of an intact seal.
“I don’t think so,” Van said. “All I know is that I couldn’t have checked the seal without using the Cup to breathe. And to get the Cup, I had to go through Thalassa.”
“Back to the seal.” Ferox turned to Van. “If it’s not broken, then how did the demon illness get here?”
Brux also stared at Van. “Are you sure about the seal?”
“Of course I’m sure,” Van snapped. “No cracks, no breaks, no dents, no damage. Positive.”
“Van,” Brux said. “If you had the Cup the whole time you’ve been back, why haven’t you cure
d Paley yet?”
“Incorrect use?” Ferox asked.
Van shook her head. “Madame Vang told us that to make the orange liquid—the healing potion—the Cup has to be placed under a full moon—” Van stopped. The solution hit her in that instant. “I’ve got it.”
“Got what?” Brux said.
Van snatched the Cup off the table and dashed out of the galley.
She burst into Paley’s room, not worried about upsetting her friend, who went berserk upon setting eyes on Van.
As the Anchoress, she could to connect to the moon to amplify her magical power. Some legends claimed she carried a piece of the moon inside her. Van was willing to bet on this truth—or, at least, that she had a strong enough connection to the moon to make the healing spell work.
Van’s idea involved her standing-in as the full moon. If she could pull this off, it would give her the power to create the orange liquid.
Paley spit and growled like the beast of darkness that possessed her.
Van used her intuition to guide her. As she held the Cup in both hands, she felt Brux and Ferox’s presence at the door, watching, monitoring, making sure to keep Van safe. She loved them for it. Just as she loved her ancestors, Paley, and the light of the moon. She felt herself lock into her power.
The Cup filled with orange-colored potion.
Van took a step toward Paley.
“Wait,” Ferox said.
“Hold up,” Brux said, at the same time.
“We’ll hold her down while you pour the liquid into her mouth.” Ferox dashed to Paley’s bedside.
“That’s what I was going to say,” Brux muttered.
Paley struggled against her bindings and whipped her head back and forth.
“Careful she doesn’t bite you.” Brux moved toward the bed.
“Why? Is that a thing?” Van wearily stared at her best friend.
Brux shrugged.
“Probably don’t want to find out,” Ferox said. “I’ll hold her arms. Brux, you hold her head.”
As Van slowly poured the healing liquid into Paley’s snapping mouth, she thought back to Thalassa’s test with the Quasher. The whole time Van had the power within herself to create more orange liquid, to save both herself and Wiglaf. But didn’t know it. Although, Van’s potion wouldn’t have given her protection from the Quasher or immortality.
Paley stopped struggling as Van finished pouring the liquid down her throat.
Brux and Ferox relaxed their grip.
“Does anyone else on board need healing?” Van asked.
The rest of the day Van healed everyone on board while the crew finished the final repairs.
Van asked Brux if he wanted a sip.
He shook his head. “Zurial warned you about over-using the healing potion.” He looked as if he wanted to ask her something else, but held his tongue.
“I haven’t taken a sip if that’s what you want to know. Neither has Ferox.”
“Good.” His shoulders visibly relaxed. “I think you should put the Cup away.”
“The Cup only heals the physical body, not the soul,” Van said.
“Is that why you didn’t drink from it?”
Van shrugged. “Maybe that advice has a deeper meaning, something we don’t yet understand.”
“Your soul is pure,” Brux said. “You proved that when you chose to save Wiglaf over yourself and then faced your worst nightmare, the Quasher.”
She glanced at Wiglaf who was sunning himself on a nearby crate on deck.
“Death,” Van corrected him. “Turns out, death was my biggest issue. The Quasher exacerbated that fear.”
“Your actions proved that you’ve healed your soul,” Brux persisted. “That’s how you passed the Elemental’s test. That’s why you don’t feel the need to drink from the Cup. That’s your reward.”
Van had received a far greater reward than the Cup—alleviation from the guilt of Solana’s death, and the sadness about her mother and father’s deaths. This gift came to Van after she accepted there is no death, only continuity of the soul. Thalassa’s lessons also taught her that integrating her feelings made her a stronger warrior.
Van smiled. “This little guy.” She scooped up Wiglaf from the crate and cuddled with him. “He’s the best reward.”
Wiglaf snuggled against Van’s chest.
Brux smiled. “Yeah, him too.”
“And the Cup and the Coin.” Ferox joined them.
Brux looked annoyed at Ferox for interrupting his moment with Van.
“Hate to be a downer,” Ferox said. “But we still need to talk about the demon illness. If it’s not coming from a crack in the seal like Uxa thought, then where’s it coming from?”
“Illness or no illness. Demons can’t get into this world on their own,” Van said.
“But they’re here. The Escalation to Dishora has begun,” Brux said.
Van glanced at Ferox. “Or Solmor.”
Ferox smiled back at her, appreciatively.
“Closed seal…demon illness…Dishora,” Brux said thinking out loud. “The only other way for demons to get here is by human intervention. Maybe the illness entered the same way—someone brought it here.”
“My sister’s dark master could have released the plague at the same time Solana brought its demons into the Living World,” Ferox said. “The demons negative essence still lingers. Maybe it accumulated and formed the illness.”
“Even in death, that girl is still a virus.” Van shook her head and then thought of how her harsh words might hurt Ferox. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay,” Ferox said. “I understand.”
“Bringing a sickness here is a brilliant plan,” Brux said to Van. “The master demon created the illness to make sure you went for the next Item of Creation—the Cup. And as a bonus, if you failed to get the Cup, once people turned into demons, it would have a demon army.”
“Wait,” Van said. “If Solana’s demons carried the illness here, why is the disease still spreading and getting stronger? The demons are gone. For the illness to stay and thrive in this world, something has to feed its negative vibration.”
“Van’s right,” Ferox said. “Light is self-sustaining, but darkness has to have a source to grow. Someone or something is sustaining the illness. We need to find the origin.”
“Another concern,” Brux said. “How’re we going to treat all the thousands that are infected? Time is running out before we have a demon army on our hands.” His eyes met Van’s. “You can’t go around the world treating each person one by one.”
“No worries,” Van said. “Zurial gave me an idea during one of her memory engrams.”
“What idea?” Brux asked.
“I’ll put the cure in the water supply.”
Chapter 55
Ferox commanded The Obelus to set sail for Cortica.
During the trip back, Paley recovered. Except for a residual headache.
“Where are my contacts?” Paley asked, chewing on her cuticles. “I need a new color.”
Van breathed a sigh of relief. Her friend was back to her usual, non-possessed self.
Once they docked and were back on dry land, Van, Brux, and Paley dashed to the Wharf Lizard. Ferox stayed on the dock to make sure everyone on the crew was taken care of financially, and the ship would get the rest of its needed repairs.
In the suite, Kopius sat in the same spot where they’d left him watching over Daisy. Although, now he looked more sallow and even thinner. Wiglaf joined the menagerie of animals who had also sustained their vigil by Daisy’s bedside.
Brux dashed over to his sister. “How’s she doing?”
Kopius kept his gaze on Daisy. “Same.” He had the look of someone not taking care of himself, too worried over the health of someone he loved to be bothered.
Daisy rested on the couch, her hands folded over her stomach, fresh bouquet of flowers in her hands, looking serene and beautiful not a hair out of place as if she had been
preserved in time. She lay so motionless, Van couldn’t even see her breathing.
“She’s still alive?” Van asked.
Kopius gave a weak nod.
Van took out the Cup.
“I’m glad Ferox didn’t take that from you,” Paley said.
“The day’s not over yet,” Brux said, his shoulders tense.
Van held the Cup between her palms and connected to her magical powers as Anchoress. The Cup filled with orange liquid.
Van went to Daisy, to give her the life-saving fluid, but Daisy’s mouth was closed.
Brux, already strained, shifted his body. He seemed hesitant to touch his sister like he was afraid of hurting her.
Kopius snapped to action and leaped from his chair. “I got it.” He stood over Daisy and used his fingers to open her jaw.
Van carefully poured the liquid into Daisy’s mouth, a little bit at a time so not to choke her.
Brux seemed to be holding his breath and appeared so taut that Van thought he might break into a million pieces when Paley put a comforting arm around him.
The Cup emptied.
Kopius gently closed Daisy’s jaw.
They waited.
Daisy’s eyes moved under her eyelids. Then her lips parted, and she let out a sigh.
Brux seemed to crumble. His whole body trembled as tears streaked down his cheeks.
Kopius clasped her hand. “Daisy.”
She opened her eyes. “Hi.”
The animals hooted, bobbed, howled, squeaked, and twittered in delight.
“Hi,” Paley replied.
Daisy’s eyes darted to each of them. “Why are you all standing over me? What’s wrong?” She sat up.
“Whoa.” Brux placed a supporting hand on his sister’s back. “Take it easy.”
Kopius continued to grip Daisy’s hand as if he might never let go.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Van asked.
“I was here.” Daisy’s eyes scanned the suite. “I was taking a bath. I used a bar of soap from that basket on the table by the door…what happened?”
Brux told Daisy about the poisoned soap intended for Van. Then they filled in both Daisy and Kopius about their adventures on the high seas, including Van’s retrieval of the Cup of Life, and Pernilla and Thyra’s deaths.
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