Solace

by Bethany Adams

  “Okay,” Maddy began a few minutes later, “I know Lial wanted me to describe all of this with notations, but I’m not sure that’s necessary. I mean, we can do that, but a quick description before…whatever is going to happen in an hour would probably be best.”

  Lynia grabbed a blank piece of paper from the table and slid it beside her notebook. “Good idea.”

  “The center of the virus has DNA or RNA. I don’t think it matters which for Lial’s purposes.” Maddy ran her finger along a diagram as she spoke. “It’s basically the building block of life. The genetic code that defines what something is. That will be coated by a kind of protein. Then there might be another layer of fat and protein called an envelope on top of that.”

  Though she didn’t entirely comprehend, Lynia was able to understand more of the illustration. There was a good chance all of it would make sense to Lial since part of his gift was examining the inner workings of the body. She wrote down the description, then used her magic to copy the picture onto the paper.

  “I wonder…” Lynia bit her lip. “It’s a risk to disrupt Lial if he has started, but this description might be useful for what he’s doing now. He can try to identify these structures in the sample he’s examining.”

  Maddy nodded. “Fen’s not up here yet, so they’re probably still separating the blood. Why don’t you run that down, and I’ll start working on something more detailed?”

  Standing, Lynia gathered up the paper and rushed to the stairs. But her steps slowed as she descended, and at the base of the spiral, she halted entirely. To her left, Caeleth slept peacefully in his bed, and across the room to her right, Lial and Fen leaned over the worktable, a rack of tiny vials between them. She couldn’t see the magic shielding their half of the room from the rest of the tower, but she could sense it, a low hum that tingled against her skin.

  Hesitantly, Lynia sent her thoughts outward, hoping she could still connect with Lial through the shield. He angled his body slightly and glanced her way, his brow furrowing. But he answered.

  “Lyni?”

  She waved the paper. “We have a simplified explanation that might help.”

  “Hold it,” Lial said to Fen before striding over to the invisible barrier and slipping through.

  Her earlier worry returned, magnified by the exhaustion she could see in his eyes before he masked it. She would spare him from it if she could. “I was hoping this information might save you time during your experiment. We’re going to write out something more detailed, and if we’re lucky, we’ll find more on how to destroy this if it turns out to be a virus. But this is a start. Maybe this will help you determine that for certain.”

  “Thank you.” His lips tipped up as he took the paper. “If I hadn’t just handled tainted blood, I would kiss you. Not until I check myself for contagion, though.”

  She surprised herself by chuckling. “Of course. I would expect nothing else.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  Under different circumstances, she might have poked her finger against his regally lifted brow. “Not at all. Now…if we can’t kiss, I suppose we should get back to work. For the good of the world and such.”

  “Alas,” Lial said, lifting the paper. “Thank you again, love. Anything will help.”

  As had happened earlier, a flush of pleasure went through her at the endearment. He was free with the sentiment this evening, and she found that she enjoyed it. But she couldn’t bring herself to repeat it until she was certain of the depth of her feelings. Lial didn’t appear to expect her to speak in kind, for he returned to his work with a smile. Maybe he hadn’t even noticed what he’d said.

  Answers on that would have to wait, though. She had research to do.

  Aris shivered so hard his upturned knees cracked against his forehead until he rested his arm between them. Cold wrapped around him from the icy ground below, rising to meet the chill in his heart. He’d defeated the memories, but he felt empty after the battle. Even his energy reserves were low due to the blast he’d released.

  There was one good thing about the last part—the pool of Korel’s blood had lost the sickly darkness that caused his stomach to roil. He’d used a precious bit of his energy to scan, but while there were broken fragments of something…off, the foul taste of perverted magic was gone. Another quick check revealed that even the remaining pieces were dissolving into nature.

  At least something was going right.

  He rocked his head against his forearm, savoring some hint of sensation. I never should have come on this mission. Months ago, Tynan had warned him that recovery took time and that mind healing was a tricky thing, unpredictable and never entirely complete. Doing this now, while Kezari was already restless, had been a terrible mistake. It had no doubt made her edgy enough to act hastily.

  And she wanted to go hunt for other dragons on Earth. Earth, of all places. His heart thrummed at the challenge and adventure of it, but tonight’s events shoveled doubt atop the eagerness in a heaping pile—much like the dung left by the giant bersen who hunted in the Maedi Mountains. What if he lost control on another planet?

  Aris sensed Kezari’s arrival before he heard her wingbeats, but he didn’t glance up. Not even when her magic flared with her shift to elven form. “Don’t touch me,” he sent.

  A shock of hurt. Then, “Why?”

  “You must have blood on you. It’s tainted.”

  Warmth surrounded him as she approached. “I cleansed my body with magic.”

  He jerked upright at that. Kezari stood in front of him, no sign of the attack on her thin dress. “Where? When?” he asked aloud.

  “As I shifted.” Her brows drew together. “Scan me if you must.”

  “I’ll need energy.”

  The ring of metal filled the air as he pulled his sword, followed by the hiss of the blade’s power. There was little within him to meet it this time, but it gave him enough magic to search Kezari and the surrounding area for sickness. She was fine. Unfortunately, the place where she had landed bore the dark energy he’d already come to loathe.

  As he stood, prepared to drain himself further to heal the land where the blood had fallen, a wave of power nearly knocked him from his feet. Overhead, the sky lit to an alarming shade of green. Kezari frowned up at the sky, and a scowl twisted her lips.

  “They put a shield over the area. I’ll have to coast us low, or we’ll be walking.”

  Aris frowned. “They?”

  “It matches the energy of the shielding on Braelyn.” Kezari’s head tilted. “Curious. Something must have happened if Lyr sealed the region in like this.”

  He nearly laughed at that. Did he want to know what else had occurred aside from their failure of a mission? At this point, he didn’t have the energy for that level of mirth. He needed to purge the dark magic and return to the others, if Kezari could fly them. Who knew when they’d make it back if she couldn’t?

  Lial took a deep breath to steady himself and lowered the tiny glass stem into a vial of the Seelie queen’s blood. He would have to act fast to capture one of those little flakes without taking anything else, and he would have to be careful not to touch the tip of the thin pipette against the vial before he transferred it into the one with his own blood. The slightest mistake could contaminate the sample.

  His magic glowed blue through the glass stem, tinging the blood purple. Carefully, he dipped the tip into the liquid and used his magic to gather one of the specks. Or tried to. His first few attempts were not ideal, the dark flecks fleeing like same-sided magnets. But he was patient, and soon he’d managed to pry one free and transfer it to the other vial.

  With a quick twist, he sealed the first sample with a cork. Then he eased his magic away from the glass stem, allowing the potential virus to float free. If he’d been expecting something to happen immediately, he would have been disappointed. Whatever force prevented the particle from dissolving appeared to keep it inert in his blood.

  Fascinating.

  Wh
at was the activation point? Something had to trigger it to cause illness. Frowning, Lial probed the fleck with his magic, tentatively at first. Power wrapped the darkness so tightly he couldn’t discern the details of what hid beneath. If he had any hope of discovering its inner workings, he would have to crack through the spell containing it.

  After a quick check of the shield protecting him from magical rebound, Lial pushed more healing magic around the tiny mass. It…hummed. But not audibly. The vibration trembled through his magic, growing in force until his teeth clenched, but he didn’t relent. Instead, he increased his power, mimicking the way the energy in the body would intensify to eradicate foreign bacteria.

  It didn’t work the way he expected.

  Oh, the outer shell of magic cracked and dissolved, revealing what was inside, but when the potential virus clarified to his inner sight, it wasn’t entirely organic. As Lynia’s note had mentioned, there was an outer casing—one made of more than fat and protein. There was magic woven into the mix, shielding the inner core of inai, the builders of life. DNA, human healers apparently called it, though how they’d found a way to see it without magic, he couldn’t divine.

  In truth, Lial hesitated to use the word inai. This truly was a virus, and there was no life in those. Nothing built. This was a parasite that used living cells to reproduce, leaving destruction in its wake. But it didn’t latch onto any of the cells in the blood sample. Did it need to feast on the cells inside organs and tissue?

  He shifted his focus to the blood’s response. Magical beings had distinct immune systems, and Moranaian elves were particularly attuned to eliminating harmful bacteria. Their bodies detected viral invaders, but the primary response was to increase energy at the point of invasion, even if the elf in question was low on magic. That response was so strong he didn’t know any healers who’d had time to study viruses.

  With the blood in the vial shielded from his energy, the cells inside couldn’t muster that type of response, so Lial added extra energy himself. Rather than dissolving, the outer layer of the virus absorbed the magic. Then it latched onto one of the helper cells and began to replicate.

  What in Arneen?

  Lial experimented with decreasing and increasing energy levels, observing the virus’s response. This was different than the illness that had afflicted Fen, though the magic had a similar flavor. Had Kien been experimenting with this after poisoning Earth’s energy fields, or was this alteration the Sidhe lord Meren’s work? Probably the latter, since this sample had come from the Seelie queen.

  Flooding Fen with healing energy had eliminated his mystery illness. Would this virus be destroyed if Lial increased the magic to higher levels? Certainly worth trying, but it would be the last experiment he could do if it worked. He didn’t have time to take another speck from the other vial and free the virus from the spell encapsulating it. So he lessened the energy again, curious to see how low magic could go before replication ceased. The inai certainly appeared to flounder with less energy. How far could he take it?

  Lial had just risked removing his energy from the sample completely when Ralan’s voice broke through. “Lyr is about to contact you. Answer promptly.”

  Honestly, had Ralan thought he wouldn’t answer when there was a possible emergency? “I would not—”

  But of course, his annoying cousin was gone.

  Only a breath later, Lyr’s mind nudged against his, requesting mental speech. “Yes?” Lial sent sharply.

  “Clechtan, Lial. I would ask what’s fouled your mood if I had time. But I don’t. You’re needed at the healer’s tower at Oria.”

  Before the last sentence was complete, Lial had already started checking the seals on the blood samples and securing them in a magically locked chest. “What happened?”

  “According to Morenial, Aris nearly lost control, and Kezari swooped down on Korel, injuring him before they could get information.” Lyr hesitated. “Aris said something about Korel’s blood being tainted, but the healer at Oria is attempting to save him anyway. She needs additional help.”

  “You contacted Tynan?” Lial asked.

  “The head priest gave Tynan leave to come, no limits. He should arrive as soon as he is finished with his current patient.”

  Before he left, Lial rushed over to check Caeleth—which reminded him. “Put extra guards on this tower,” he sent to Lyr. “Ralan said we could have trouble from Caeleth’s family if he is not guarded, as more harm might befall him.”

  “Of course. Is Laiala still there?”

  “Upstairs with Maddy. I assume she’ll return to the library.”

  “Probably so. Be careful of the ice on your way over,” Lyr added. “And hurry.”

  Lial gave his assent and then cut off the link. A quick scan of Caeleth’s injury revealed no concerns, so Lial reinforced the sleeping spell before heading for the stairs. So much had changed in the brief time since he’d been called away for Naomh. Everything had shifted between him and Lynia, and Lyr’s message or not, Lial wouldn’t neglect to apprise her of the situation this time.

  Even by himself, he was no longer alone.

  Chapter 28

  As the door closed downstairs, Lynia gathered up her notes. “While Lial heads to Oria, I’m going back to the library. With any luck, we’ll have more books from the Citadel. I have to find the link I’m currently missing.”

  Maddy placed a marker in the textbook and closed it with a thud. “Maybe the historical information won’t be necessary now that Lial has figured out what the illness is. There’s probably a magical way to break a virus, and if anyone can figure it out from the information in this book, it’s Lial. His ability to delve into the body is crazy strong, and we’ve already given him knowledge on the virus’s structure.”

  “No.” It was tempting to concede that point and cease searching, but Lynia never had been the type to give up on difficult-to-find facts. “Meli’s runes pointed us toward Abuiarn and Rrelen for a reason. Considering the emphasis Ralan placed on my help, it’s imprudent to neglect such clues.”

  “You’re right.” Maddy stood, and her hand knocked the book against the ring Lynia had noticed the other day. Smiling, the younger woman lifted the delicate metal band. “Fen was right. This is pretty. He’s really hoping Lial will let him…”

  When Maddy’s voice trailed off, Lynia frowned. “Let him what?”

  “Ah. Play with placing an enchantment on the stone,” she answered, setting the ring carefully in the center of the table. “Fen has started learning new techniques from my father.”

  Lynia couldn’t dismiss the odd look on the young woman’s face. “Is there something I should know about the ring?”

  “Of course not. At least, I don’t think so. I only know what Fen told me,” Maddy said, her words tumbling out quickly. “He said it was a random gift from a patient. Fen thought Lial should repurpose it since he’s not a girl. Lial, that is. Not that Fen is a girl, either.”

  A gift from a patient. Lynia smiled, relieved despite herself. Notwithstanding Maddy’s strange demeanor, the explanation had the reassuring feel of truth. She was well aware that Lial wouldn’t have slept with her if he’d been in a relationship with someone else, but neither insecurity nor doubt befriended logic.

  “Let’s go,” Lynia said. “Perhaps on the way, you can tell me why you’re so nervous about a piece of jewelry.”

  With a wince, Maddy gathered the textbook against her chest and started toward the staircase. “It’s not a long story. I was worried you would be upset about a woman’s ring on your boyfriend’s table. Sort of awkward.”

  “Boyfriend,” Lynia said, testing the word. It was technically part of her mental English dictionary, but it was such a strange term. “Is it unusual for human women to have male friends outside of romantic relationships?”

  Maddy’s chuckle trailed up the stairs, but her answer didn’t come until they’d both reached the bottom. “It depends on the culture, I guess, but that gets complicated. I don’
t think it’s that odd for people in my area.”

  “What would you call a boy who is only a friend if the most logical term is taken?”

  Maddy smiled. “Just ‘friend.’”

  “I see.” Lynia didn’t, exactly, but it wasn’t her language to criticize. “Do you need to check on Caeleth before we go back to the library?”

  The younger woman’s gaze shifted to the bed, and she pursed her lips in thought. “Lial didn’t ask me to. I don’t want to mess up any spells he might have placed.”

  Lynia nodded. “I’ll summon Elan to stay with him. I don’t care if Lial doesn’t like it.”

  “When it comes to dealing with Lial, you certainly have advantages I don’t,” Maddy said with another laugh.

  “Perhaps if I annoy him, I’ll be able to distract him again.” Lynia kept her voice so mild, it took a moment for Maddy’s eyes to widen. “It worked well this afternoon.”

  Maddy sucked in a breath. “I knew it!”

  Lynia merely smiled. “Come on. Work never waits for gossip.”

  “They don’t have to be mutually exclusive, either,” the other woman muttered.

  But she didn’t protest when Lynia marched toward the door.

  Lial hadn’t been sure what he might find when he entered the healer’s tower at Oria, but he definitely hadn’t expected to see Alerielle, the ancient healer, kneeling beside a bench in the cramped entry room sewing a gash in Korel’s side. Why hadn’t she moved her patient to a more secure location? Fortunately, no one else was there except for Morenial, though he had to wedge himself between the bench and the corner to fit.

  “Forgive my interference,” Lial began, “But don’t you have a storage room in the basement that would be a better place to treat someone infected with an unknown illness? We need to get him away from any possible contact with others in case he has the virus I just discovered.”