Alix remembered that no one but her, Ben and Shay knew about the small wooden box she had found at Stonehenge. So, they gave Natalie a brief explanation of where Alix got the box and what it contained. Then they told her about what Alix learned about the bird.
“I was wondering how a simple pearl could save Shay, but I should know that nothing is simple when it comes to you,” Natalie said smiling at Alix. “It’s wonderful that you’ve finally come up with a solution. Are you sure it’s going to work?”
“No, but I’m never sure anything is going to work until I try it,” Alix admitted. “Everything I do is trial and error.”
“I have faith in you,” Natalie told her. “If you think this is the answer then it probably is.”
Alix’s stomach took that opportunity to growl. Ben chuckled, and Alix just shrugged.
“I told you I was hungry.”
“Did you find us some food mom?” Ben asked.
“Yes. Celia is arranging for dinner to be brought in,” Natalie told them. “Does she know about this?”
“No, just the two of us and you,” Alix said.
“I was thinking we might want to keep this to ourselves,” Natalie said.
“Why?” Ben asked.
“I think that the fewer Nykara that know about how Alix can do things the safer she will be. We know the Grynn can turn our people evil. While we don’t want that to happen to anyone it would be very bad if it happened to someone who knows more about Alix.”
“Good thinking mom. So, what do we do now?”
“First we feed Alix,” Natalie said smiling. “Then we test your theory on eliminating the Grynn disease.”
“How can I do that without anyone seeing or knowing what I’m doing?” Alix asked.
“The goal is not to hide what you’re doing but how you’re doing it. When you were healing Shay all it looked like was that you were using magic to heal her. Only Ben, Tami and I were there when you discovered what the pearl could do. If anyone asks what you’re holding you just tell them they’re good luck charms. Don’t forget Alix that you’re the only one who can see the Power Stone for what it really is. And the other two things just look like small trinkets.”
Alix thought about what Natalie was saying. It was probably a good idea to keep her circle small and close. She didn’t want the Grynn to use anyone against her.
“Okay, I think you’re right Natalie. Good thing you’re here,” Alix said smiling at her.
“How long until the food gets here?” Ben asked.
“I’m not sure but I don’t think too long. I told Celia Alix needed to eat to keep up her strength. Why?”
“I was wondering if we should tell Celia that we have an idea to try.”
“Yes, I think we should tell her. They’ve been working around the clock trying to solve this mystery,” Natalie said.
“I’ll go find her,” Ben said and left the room. A few minutes later he was back with Celia following him.
“Is everything alright in here?” she asked.
“Yes,” Alix answered. “We just wanted you to know that I might have found a way to get rid of the of Grynn virus.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, completely.”
“But how?” Celia asked doubtfully.
“It’s in my magic. As the Chosen One, I have abilities that no other Nykara possess. Once I learned what we were dealing with it was just a matter of time before I figured out how to use my magic to help. Now, remember, I’m not a hundred percent sure if this will work until I try it.”
“Oh Alix, this is tremendous news. What do you need from me?”
“I think we’re going to have to go back to that spot in town where we were before. This is going to work best if I can be at the center of the problem. And I really need to eat before I try this. It’s going to take all of my strength and energy to make this happen.”
“Of course. I’ll go check on where dinner is,” Celia said and left the break room.
Alix, Ben, and Natalie sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. When Kris entered the room, Alix knew something was wrong.
“What’s happened Kris?” she asked.
“The Grynn definitely know they are trapped. I’ve been out on patrol and saw several Grynn run into the barrier. I’m afraid things are going to get worse around here very shortly.”
“Crap,” Alix said. “We’re going to have to go back to the center spot on the map. Can we get there safely?”
“Why do we need to go there? The safest place for you is back at the safe house.”
Alix filled him in on what they’d learned. Kris started pacing the room. Alix assumed he was thinking. They let him be. Finally, he was ready to talk.
“Alright, here’s what we’re going to do. It’s going to have to be like back at the diner when the Grynn were following you. Sonya will be the decoy and you’re going to have to be camouflaged. I understand that you have to do this but we’re going to take every precaution necessary. If any of these Grynn have half a brain they’ll know you’re here and they’ll be looking for you.”
“Okay,” Alix said. She trusted Kris when it came to her safety. “Celia has arranged dinner, I really need to eat. And I guess we need to wait for Sonya, so what do we do until then?”
“Alix,” Ben said, “I think you should try out what the bird can do before we test it on such a large scale.”
“How can I do that?” she asked him.
“I was thinking that if you go to another room and try to make something happen in here, you’d at least have a better understanding of what it felt like.”
“That’s a good idea, Ben. I knew we were keeping you around for more than your looks,” Alix said without blushing.
Ben burst out laughing. “I think Shay’s rubbing off on you.”
“Probably,” Alix agreed. “What do you think I should try?”
“Surprise me,” he told her with a smile.
“Okay, you asked for it,” Alix said and left the room.
She decided to go to the room where Shay had been. Not sure what she wanted to create she thought about it for a few minutes until she had an idea. She set the little bird on her tattoo and concentrated on what she wanted to happen. She felt her magic enter the other room and let it fill every corner. After a minute or so she pulled the energy back to her and went back to the break room to see the result.
Alix heard Ben and Natalie even before she entered the room. It made her smile. The sight that greeted her made her smile even harder. It looked like a jungle in the break room. There were bright colored tropical flowers, deep green plants with thick leaves and vines hanging from the ceiling.
“This is even better than I thought it was going to be,” Alix said.
“But how did you even make this happen?” Ben asked. “I mean we’re not even outside so there’s no dirt.”
“I don’t know, I just thought about it and it happened,” Alix said shrugging her shoulders.
Ben smiled at her and shook his head. “Even after all this time, you continue to surprise me.”
Celia walked into the break room with their dinner and stopped dead. “What happened in here?” she asked.
“I was practicing using my magic somewhere I can’t see. I’ll get rid of it.”
“Oh, well this certainly is impressive. Dinner is here.”
Alix quickly made all the plants disappear.
“That was as impressive as seeing them all grow in the first place,” Natalie told her.
Now that the table was a table again, they sat down to eat. Alix wasn’t sure what it was, but it tasted good, so she ate everything in front of her. Just as she was finishing her phone let her know she had a text.
Shay: Hey, we’re home. Thank you for saving me.
Alix: No thanks needed. I still feel responsible for it happening. And besides, my life would be really boring without you.
Shay: You know that’s true! Lol.
&nb
sp; Alix: Please get some rest. Hopefully, I’ll see you soon.
Shay: Don’t forget to check in with me often.
Alix: I won’t. Love you, Shay.
Shay: Love you too. Stay safe.
By the time everyone was finished eating Sonya had returned. Kris filled her in on the plan and everyone prepared to leave the building. They had no idea what to expect in terms of the Grynn. Best case scenario they would get there and back with no interference. Worst case scenario, well Alix didn’t want to think about that.
They loaded up in the two SUV’s. Alix made herself invisible and crawled into the back of the SUV. Ben, Natalie, Kris, and Rick got in the SUV with Celia driving. Sonya and the Warriors went in the second SUV as the decoy. They drove off, each going a different direction. Celia drove towards the place they needed, but she didn’t go directly there. They kept a constant watch for Grynn or anything else that could stop them.
Alix remained hidden for about ten minutes until they decided they weren’t being followed. About thirty minutes later they were back at the public restroom. Kris checked to make sure it was empty, and they went in. Kris and Rick remained outside to ensure their safety.
Alix knew she only had a limited amount of time before the Grynn figured out what was happening. She dug the Power Stone, the pearl and little metal bird out of her pocket. Just before she started Ben leaned in and whispered to her. “You’ve got this Alix.” She nodded and curled her fingers around the three small objects. She focused her concentration and started forming the energy in her mind.
She pictured her magic rising above her and spreading out like water. As it spread it destroyed the “virus”. It was a slow process and she didn’t want to miss a single particle of the Grynn’s evil magic. When her magic encountered a person, who’d become infected she would concentrate on them until their body was free of the evil.
Alix continued to picture her magic flowing out over the city. It was her entire focus at the moment. She was trusting the others to keep everything safe for her.
The magic flowed and flowed out of her. She wondered how long she’d been standing in that one spot as her feet were beginning to get sore. But she would stand there as long as it took to stop the Grynn from killing people.
Alix could feel the Grynn magic getting less and less but there was still a lot out there. It was in every nook and cranny of the city. Finding the tiny pieces in the air was turning out to be much more difficult than she thought. But no matter how difficult it was, or how hard it might get there was no way she was giving up. People’s lives depended on her and she took that very seriously.
Finally, Alix felt when the last minuscule piece of Grynn magic in the air was destroyed. She pulled her energy back and stuffed the items she’d used back in her pocket. She turned, wanting to see Ben when everything went black.
Chapter 27
Alix was walking down a narrow street. There were no cars or people to be seen. She looked to each side and all the stores had broken windows or they were boarded up. She walked by one place in particular that looked familiar. She studied the outside of the shop and gasped when she realized it was Lyla’s Café. This was Main Street in Sunset Creek. But what had happened to it? Lyla’s windows were broken, the inside was trashed, and there was a thick layer of dirt and dust on everything. It looked like something catastrophic caused this. She continued to walk down the street searching for any signs of life. The thing that was getting to her the most was the silence. There was no sound except her feet hitting the street. She walked up and down Main Street, searching for anyone or anything she knew. But only encountered destruction everywhere she looked.
Then she heard a sound behind her. She turned around but didn’t see anything, so she walked in that direction. But then the sound came again, and it was behind her again. She spun around to see François stand a few feet away from her.
“We meet again Ashley,” he said to her.
“What do you want?” she asked, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice.
“I want you to join us,” he said, like this was the most normal thing in the world.
“I will never join you,” she said defiantly.
“Then your friends will die.”
The next thing Alix knew Ben and Shay were suddenly in front of François. She tried to reach for them, but something was stopping her, she couldn’t move. She tried and tried to move but with no luck.
François just laughed at her. “You should know by now you are no match for me Ashely. I will always beat you. You may have set us back in Paris, but we will forever be superior to you.”
With that statement, he snapped his fingers and both Ben and Shay fell to the ground and turned blue. Alix knew they were dead.
“Noooooo!” she screamed, fell to her knees and started sobbing.
François stepped over the unmoving bodies of her friends and got in her face. “You will never defeat the mighty power of the Grynn,” he said and started walking away.
Alix reached out with her magic to stop him but found that all of her power was gone. François disappeared, and she crawled to her friends. She’d managed to stop her tears long enough to try and attack François, but they started all over again when she looked at Ben and Shay. She shook them hoping she was wrong. She felt for a pulse but there wasn’t one.
“This can’t be true!” she wailed in her grief. “You can’t leave me, I need you both. Please wake up. Please wake up. Please!”
“Alix wake up!” Ben yelled.
She felt her body being shaken as she heard his voice.
“Ben,” she practically yelled. She grabbed him with both arms and pulled him into a tight hug. “Ben, you’re alive. I was so scared.”
“Alix, whatever happened it was just a dream,” he told her.
“But you died, François killed you,” she said.
“I’m right here Alix and I’m okay.”
“Shay was there too, you were both dead.”
“She’s just fine. I talked to her just a few minutes ago. She called to check on you,” he told her.
It was only then that she realized she was lying in a bed in an unfamiliar room.
“Where am I? What happened?”
“We’re in the safe house outside of Rio de Janeiro. After you finished destroying the Grynn virus you reached out for me then collapsed to the floor. I carried you to the SUV and we raced to get you here. Celia had a Healer friend of hers meet us here and check you out. We had no idea what had happened to you. You were still breathing but not responding at all. I was scared that the Grynn virus had found its way inside you. But luckily Celia’s friend told us that you were only suffering from exhaustion and not something serious. All you needed was some rest. You’ve been sleeping for almost twenty hours.”
“Oh my God, twenty hours! Is the virus gone? What about the Grynn? What’s been happening?” she asked in a rush.
“Slow down Alix,” Ben said smiling at her. “I’ll tell you everything.”
It was then that she realized she had been asleep for twenty hours. She must look terrible and she really wanted to brush her teeth.
“Okay, but first I’m going to need a few minutes. Where’s my bag?”
“It’s right here,” Ben said pointing to the end of the bed.
Alix started to stand up and almost fell over. She was dizzy and weak. Ben caught her and helped her sit back down.
“What’s wrong with me?” she asked.
“It’s been over twenty-four hours since you ate or drank anything. You used a tremendous amount of energy and haven’t been able to replace it. Let me get your bag for you.”
Ben got her suitcase and set it next to her. She got out her toiletries bag and tried to stand up again. She was a little more successful, but Ben still had to grab her.
“This is so embarrassing, but can you please help me walk to the bathroom,” Alix asked him, her face turning red.
“Of course I can and it’s nothing to be embarra
ssed about. I’m here for you, no matter what you need.”
Ben put his arm around her waist to steady her and her arm automatically went around his shoulders. Despite the situation, she had to admire the feel of him under her arm.
“Do you work out that I don’t know about?” Alix blurted out. Making her face burn even more.
Ben laughed at the question. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Well, you said you carried me to the SUV and you’re supporting almost all of me right now and you feel strong in your shoulders.” It was like she’d lost her brain to mouth filter. Whatever she was thinking was just popping out. “I’m sorry, you can just ignore me.”
“Don’t worry about it, Alix. One of my favorite things about you is that I’m never sure what you’re going to say. But to answer your question, no I don’t work out, so you didn’t miss that part. Now that I think about it, I’m stronger than I used to be. I wonder if it has something to do with being your Protector.”
Alix didn’t know what to say to that. They were both still learning about their magic in their own ways.
“Here we are,” Ben said when they reached the bathroom. “Do you think you’ll need help in there?”
“No,” Alix said just a little too loudly and blushed even harder.
Ben laughed. “I meant mom could help you, not me.”
“Oh, um … maybe.”
“I’ll go get her but first I’m going to sit you down.” Ben helped her sit on the edge of the tub then left the bathroom, closing the door on his way out.
Alix hated feeling helpless but just getting to the bathroom helped her feel better, so she decided to see what she could do. It was a small bathroom, so everything was nice and close to each other. She used the sink to help her stand up and felt a bit steadier than she did last time. She took her hands off the sink and didn’t fall down. Progress. She brushed her teeth without having to hang onto anything. There was a knock at the door.
“Alix?” It was Natalie. “Everything okay in there?”
“Yeah,” she answered. “I think I’m going to have a shower. Do you think you can bring me some clothes?”
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