“Anything you need,” Natalie told her.
“Is this building protected from the Grynn?” Alix asked Celia.
“Yes.”
“Good. I need the rest of you to come with me. Let’s go.”
The rest of the group got into Celia’s SUV and she started driving. Alix was nervous. She hoped she could do what she was claiming. Ben must have sensed her nervousness because he took her hand and held it. She was glad for the contact, it helped calm her down.
Due to the traffic, it took them about twenty minutes to get to the spot Alix had indicated on the map. Celia found a place to park. They got out of the SUV and waited for Alix to tell them what to do.
She looked around them, it was all buildings. She was hoping for a park or something where she could draw on the power of nature, but she wasn’t so lucky.
“I need a place where we won’t really be noticed. And I’ll really have to concentrate so it’s best if we don’t have any distractions,” she told them.
Everyone had a look at what was close to them.
“Maybe there,” Ben said pointing to a small building about half a block away.
“That’s a public restroom,” Celia said.
“But it’s the only place around here that looks like we can be alone.”
“I don’t care what it is, as long as it can give us the privacy I need,” Alix said.
They walked the short distance to the small building. One of the Warriors went in to make sure it was empty. Alix, Ben, Rick, Kris, Celia, and one Warrior entered the building. The other two Warriors stayed outside to guard them.
Once inside Alix took the Power Stone out of her pocket. Celia started to ask questions, but Ben stopped her. He knew what Alix needed.
Alix pulled Ben aside and whispered so that no one else could hear them. “Last time I did this I didn’t have the Stone and needed the energy from everyone. I’m hoping that the Stone will supply me with enough energy to do this without draining any of you. But just in case be ready to touch me.”
Ben nodded, and they joined the rest of the group.
Alix put the Stone on her tattoo and closed her fingers around it. She visualized creating a huge bubble and spreading it out over the city. When she had a firm grasp on what she wanted to do she released the magic. She felt as the barrier grew and grew until it covered the area she’d seen on the map. Once it was in place, she took even more energy and fortified it thinking the whole time about stopping the Grynn and anything they’d created. She wasn’t sure how many minutes had gone by but she only stopped the magic when she was sure it would stop any Grynn from getting out.
When she finally took the Stone out of her hand she almost fell down. Ben reached out to steady her.
“You okay?” he asked her.
“Yeah, I still haven’t gotten used to the power. It leaves me a little shaky.”
“Were you able to do it?” he asked.
“Yes, at least I hope I did. We won’t know for sure until we find out if the virus stops spreading,” Alix said.
“Are we done here?” Celia asked.
“Yes, is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure,” she replied. “I got a text that I’m needed back at the lab.
“We’d better get going then,” Alix said.
They walked back to the SUV and drove back to the lab. Everyone hurried to get inside.
“What’s going on?” Celia said as one of the people from the lab approached her.
“Something strange is happening with the virus. About thirty minutes ago it started acting strangely,” the man said to her.
“What do you mean strangely?” she asked him.
“You know how quickly it was multiplying,” he said. Celia nodded. “Well, now it’s happening even faster.”
“How much faster?” she asked.
“Roughly twice as fast.”
“Oh my God, this is extremely bad,” Celia said. “We need to check on your friend Alix. We need to determine if the virus is lying dormant in her or not.”
Alix ran to the room where Natalie was sitting with Shay.
“Has anything changed?” Alix asked.
“Not that I can tell,” Natalie told her.
Celia grabbed the thermometer and checked Shay’s forehead again. “Her temperature has gone up but not significantly. That leads me to believe that the virus is still active in her body, just at a much slower rate.”
“How long does she have?” Ben asked.
“There’s no way to know for sure but my guess is less than twenty-four hours.”
Alix’s heart sunk. She couldn’t lose Shay, she just couldn’t.
“I need to get into the lab and do some tests. May I take a sample of Shay’s blood?” Celia asked Alix.
“Yes, of course, do whatever you need to.”
A few minutes later Celia took a small vial of blood from Shay’s arm and suited up for the lab. Alix took Natalie’s chair. She held Shay’s hand and waited for Tami to get there. How was she going to tell her that Shay might not make it?
Chapter 25
Alix wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting with Shay before she heard Tami’s voice. The first thing Alix did when she saw Tami was hug her. Then she told her everything she knew about what was happening. She expected Tami to be sad or scared, but she seemed neither of those things.
“I’m so sorry,” Alix said to her looking down at the floor.
“Alix, look at me,” Tami said. Alix looked up at her. “This is not your fault.”
“But …” Alix started.
“No, don’t even say it. I’ve known you most of your life Alix and I know you’d do anything you could to protect Shay, even before you became the Chosen One. She’s sick because of the Grynn, not because of you. But you might be the only person who can save her. You have it in you to do this Alix, I can feel it.”
“But how Mrs. S? I’m not a scientist, or a virologist or a doctor. I’m just me. I don’t know the first thing about how a virus works or even what they look like.”
“Alix, I think you’re looking at this all wrong,” Tami told her. “Don’t think of it as a virus, but like something that isn’t supposed to be there. You were able to remove the evil energy from Logan because it wasn’t supposed to be there. Why would this be any different?”
Alix smiled for the first time since Shay collapsed. “You’re brilliant Mrs. S.”
“Alix, I think it’s time you started calling me Tami,” she said smiling. “And I’m not brilliant, I just know you and how your mind works. I know you can overwhelm yourself and sometimes just need to be pointed in the right direction.”
Alix hugged her hard. “I’m so glad you’re here. Now, let’s save Shay.”
Alix turned her attention back to Shay. She thought back to Logan and how she’d used her magic to locate the Grynn energy that they put in him. She also knew that Nykara magic didn’t heal humans but since this was basically Grynn magic she hoped what she was about to do worked.
With her hands above Shay’s body, she sent small tendrils of energy into Shay. She began searching for something that wasn’t supposed to be there. Within seconds her magic was hitting thousands of tiny pieces of Grynn magic.
“I found it,” Alix said to the room.
Ben and Natalie had joined them.
“That’s great,” Ben said. “Now what?”
“Um … I’m not sure. Let me think.”
Alix kept her hands where they were and her magic in Shay. She tried destroying one of the microscopic pieces, but it was just too small. If only they were bigger, Alix thought to herself. But that gave her an idea.
She thought if she could get the thousands of pieces of magic to become one, she could remove it from Shay. In her head, she thought about a magnet attracting metal. She sent a little bit more energy into her that looked like a ball about the size of a pea. She willed the minuscule pieces of Grynn magic to go to her small ball of energy. It wasn’t working.
There were just too many.
“Ben,” Alix said, “it isn’t working, I’m not strong enough. Go in my pocket and get out the bag. I’m going to need the Power Stone.” She turned her hand so that her palm was up, ready for the Stone.
Ben did as Alix asked him. In the process of removing the Stone from the bag, the pearl from the box at Stonehenge fell on her tattoo. Then something amazing happened. Alix could feel something from the pearl adding to her magic. At first, she didn’t know what it was, so she concentrated on the new energy. She grinned when she realized what was happening. Somehow the pearl was able to enhance her natural healing abilities. It wasn’t the boost of energy from the Power Stone she needed but magic contained within the pearl.
Alix closed her fingers around the pearl and pushed the magic into Shay. Every time the magic touched one of the pieces of Grynn magic it destroyed it. It was like popping tiny little bubbles of evil.
She didn’t rush the process but instead let the new magic flow naturally through Shay. She would have sat there for a week if that’s what it took. Slowly Alix could feel the Grynn disease leaving Shay’s body. When the very last piece was destroyed Alix breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Alix looked up from Shay and saw that the small room was full of people. Of course, there was Ben and Natalie but everyone else from their group had joined them as well as Celia and a few people she didn’t recognize.
“Celia, please check Shay’s temperature,” Alix said.
Celia ran the thermometer across Shay’s forehead and read what it said. Then she did it again.
“It’s completely normal,” Celia said astonished. “But how is that possible?”
“I was able to destroy all of the virus in her. Only it wasn’t a virus. It’s actually microscopic pieces of Grynn magic disguised as a virus. From what I could tell the magic fights the body at a cellular level, mimicking what a virus would do. That’s why you’ve never seen anything like it because it’s not a disease at all.”
The room was silent. Alix looked back at Shay just as her eyes opened.
“What’s going on?” Shay asked groggily.
“You were sick, but I found a way to make you better. It’s a good thing your mom was here to get my head on straight,” Alix said smiling.
“Sick? Mom? But aren’t we in Brazil?” Shay asked.
“Yes, we are. You got the virus and passed out in the break room. I thought you were going to die so I sent Sonya to go get your mom.”
Tami came to stand beside Alix, so Shay could see her.
“You’re going to be alright honey, thanks to Alix,” her mom told her.
“I still don’t feel very good,” Shay said.
“Your body was full of lots of tiny bits of Grynn magic, so it’ll probably take you a while to feel like your old self again,” Alix told her.
“Grynn magic?” Shay questioned.
Alix filled her in on what had happened since she collapsed.
“Wow,” Shay whispered. “So, what do we do now?”
“You,” Alix said, “are going to go back to Sunset Creek with your mom. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take your body to recover but think of it like having the flu. You need to rest and being around me isn’t restful.”
“She’s right,” Tami said. “We are going to go home, watch lots of movies and eat lots of ice cream.”
“From Lyla’s?”
“Sure honey, whatever you want.”
It was Ben who spoke next. “Okay everyone, the show’s over. Let’s give Shay and Alix a minute alone.”
Alix mouthed “thank you” to Ben. He nodded and made sure everyone left.
“I was so scared,” Alix confessed when they were alone. “I really thought you were going to die.”
“I’m tougher than I look,” Shay said.
“And thank goodness for that. It’s dangerous to be my friend Shay. Look what’s happened because of me. First Logan and now this. I can’t stand it of something else was to happen to you.”
“None of this is your fault, the Grynn are to blame, not you. I won’t give up being your friend or being where you are because of danger. I’m your Lossat and that means you’re stuck with me. The only reason I’m agreeing to go home now is for the ice cream. You know how much I love Lyla’s ice cream.”
Alix knew Shay was trying to make her smile and it worked.
“You have to promise me something though,” Shay said.
“What’s that?” Alix asked.
“You have to keep me updated on what you’re doing, no matter what. Okay?”
“Yes, I can definitely do that.”
Alix helped Shay sit up and gave her a drink of water. She tried to stand up but was a little dizzy.
“How long have I been sick?” Shay asked.
Alix looked at the clock. “About four hours.”
“That’s it? I feel like I haven’t stood up in a week.”
“The Grynn magic in you was very strong. Remember people are dying in five to six hours after being infected. Without the Sleep of Death, I’m not sure you would have made it.”
Alix helped Shay walk out of the room. Ben was waiting and took over from Alix.
“Oh Ben,” Shay said with a smile, “I finally get your strong arms around me.” And started fluttering her eyelashes at him.
Ben started laughing and Alix joined him. At least Shay still had her sense of humor. They helped her to the break room where she could sit down.
“Sonya,” Alix said, “I need you to take Shay and Tami back to Sunset Creek. Please be careful. By now the Grynn know they can’t leave Rio and will be getting dangerous. Shay is one of the most important people to me and nothing can happen to her.”
“Understood,” Sonya said.
Ben and Alix hugged Shay before she left. Alix was happy Shay was okay and going to be away from the danger that surrounded her.
“Let me know when you get home,” Alix said to Shay as they left the building.
“I will. Thank you, Alix and I love you.”
“I love you too Shay. Feel better.”
Alix watched from the door as Sonya helped Shay into the SUV. Shay was safe and going to live. Now all Alix had to figure out was how to save everyone else.
Chapter 26
As Alix walked back to the break room Ben took her hand. She welcomed his warmth and comfort.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“Yes, now that Shay’s better I am.”
“Do you need to rest or anything?”
“No, but I do need to eat. It’s been hours since breakfast and if I don’t keep my energy up, I’m not going to be good for anyone.”
“Okay, I’ll make sure we get some kind of food.”
Alix sat down at the table in the break room.
“I’ll be right back,” Ben told her.
A minute later he was back with a chocolate bar for her.
“Eat this until we can get some real food.”
She smiled at him and unwrapped it. “Thank you,” she said taking a bite.
“My pleasure,” he said. “Mom, do you think you can find a way to get us lunch or, I guess it’s almost dinner time here. Alix needs to eat.”
“Certainly. Let me see what I can do,” Natalie said and left the room.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Ben asked Alix.
“Just trying to figure out how I saved Shay can be used for everyone who is sick. Not only that but how do we get all the bits of magic out of the air. People are dying, and at a faster rate than before. I know the barrier I created caused the magic to increase in speed. I want less people to die, not more.”
“Was this the first time you’ve touched the pearl?” he asked.
“No, I touched it the first time I saw it when I took it out of the box.”
“Is it the first time it’s touched your tattoo?”
Alix thought about that for a minute. When she’d taken the items out of the box, she’d used her
right hand, but only her fingers, and put them in her left hand.
“Yes, none of the items in the box have touched my tattoo before.”
“Maybe we should see what happens when you hold the other two things.”
“Okay, it’s worth a shot.”
Alix got the tiny metal bird and pebble out of the bag. She put the small, white rock on her tattoo and waited. Nothing happened. No new magic, no tingling. It was just a rock in her hand.
“Nothing’s happening,” she told Ben.
“Try the bird.”
She put the rock back in the bag and set the little bird on her tattoo. The instant it touched it something was different. She closed her eyes and blocked out the rest of the room. She knew that this bird somehow affected her magic, but she hadn’t figured it out yet. She let the new feeling flow her body as she tried to understand what was happening. In her mind she saw a bird flying far and fast, but what did that mean for her?
She concentrated on the bird for a few minutes until it finally dawned on her. This tiny metal bird allowed her magic to travel to where she couldn’t see. Normally Nykara magic only worked on what was around you, what you saw with your own eyes, but this was different. She could use this bird to send her magic out to reach places far beyond her. This was how she was going to get rid of the Grynn virus.
Alix opened her eyes and smiled at Ben. She told him what she’d just learned.
“That’s crazy Alix,” he said excitedly. “But it took you over an hour to get rid of just what was in Shay’s body, this will take weeks.”
“No, Ben, don’t forget about the Power Stone. Not only does it increase my natural energy, but I can use it to increase any energy that’s in me. That means I should be able to use the pearl, bird, and Stone to wipe out all of the itty bitty Grynn magic.”
Alix was getting more excited as she talked. She finally had hope that she could contain and eliminate the evil the Grynn were spreading in Rio.
“You two look happy,” Natalie said entering the break room. “What are you up to?”
“Alix figured it out mom. She knows how to get rid of the Grynn virus.”
“Really? That’s great Alix. How?”
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