Sloppy. No wonder the man hadn’t advanced far in rank. Koranel sent this new information to the Myern, but Fenere wasn’t done.
“I don’t know why Korel let that Seelie lord put some kind of trap in his blood. You think he actually made the mage drink it? I wasn’t going to stick around to find out, but I feel bad for the mage if he did.”
Koranel barely noted the end of Fenere’s words, too caught up by the beginning. A trap in the blood? That didn’t sound good.
“You think feeding the mage blood was some kind of trick?” Koranel asked carefully, trying to gain more information without showing too much interest.
The chains rattled with Fenere’s shrug. “I don’t know for sure how it works. Korel thought it would take longer for anyone to notice the trap that way, but he didn’t give me details. I didn’t want to know. Sounds too much like gross Felshreh stuff.”
Koranel sent the new information to Lord Lyrnis, but he needn’t have bothered connecting telepathically. Only moments passed before Fenere called out for the guards, claiming that Koranel had confessed to having more knowledge of the attack. Koranel continued his act, moaning and pleading with the guards who carried him out, all the way until the cell doors closed.
Let Fenere feel a moment’s triumph—his downfall would surely come soon enough.
Maddy paced around the spacious living room, only the view outside the windows making it clear that their guest suite was suspended in a tree. She’d never been afraid of heights, but she found herself giving those windows wide berth on each pass. Unlike Fen, of course, who was leaning against the edge of the open door leading to the balcony, his back to the view. He was too busy watching her.
“What’s the deal?” he asked.
Anna frowned over her shoulder at him. “She wants to be helping Lial, idiot.”
Fen huffed. “I get that, but… Elven plague. We don’t even know if we already have it.”
“Exactly,” Maddy said. “We’re staying away for safety, but we might be infected already. So why not help?”
Fen pushed away from the railing and strode back into the room, closing the outer door behind him. “If this shit circles back to Kien… Dammit, I suppose I should try to find out, even if it doesn’t make sense. It might not be related to the stuff we found in the Seelie queen. We haven’t had a chance to talk to Lial about how the virus worked with Korel.”
“Then let’s go.” Maddy halted in the center of the room, her gaze going from Fen to Anna. “Unless you both want to stay here? I can help alone. It’s just…Lial said Caeleth has a fever. What do elves know about treating that sort of thing? He might be way more experienced at energy healing, but not with this. Especially since he said healing magic makes it worse.”
Anna stood, a determined glint in her eyes. “I’m with you. How about I grab a pitcher of water and make sure it’s purified? We can use water and a washcloth to cool him down since they probably don’t have fever-reducing medicine.”
“I’m probably going to be useless, but I’ll go, too.” Fen smiled wryly. “Better than being bored, right?”
Relief lightened Maddy’s steps as they crossed toward the front door. It was scary to head into danger, but everything within her told her it was the right decision. Hadn’t Ralan told Lial that Caeleth needed to be guarded? They’d kept him safe from another physical attack, but perhaps that hadn’t been what the prince meant. There was no way she was going to sit on the sidelines and watch disaster unfold. Not when she could help.
Lynia tapped her finger against the notebook. “I think bloodborne makes the most sense.”
For a moment, Lial’s brows lowered as though he would argue, but he read the passage she indicated without a word. Then he gave a hesitant shrug. “Perhaps. I am always careful to cleanse blood from my hands, and I have no cuts or scrapes where a virus might enter. But how did Morenial become ill?”
“He rode atop Kezari while they carried Korel to Oria, correct?” When he nodded again, she smiled grimly. “That could be it. She would have been covered in blood, and some might have blown on the wind.”
Lial’s sudden pallor stood out against the red of his hair like parchment dipped in blood. An unfortunate comparison that had her hiding a wince. “Blown on the wind? It’s a good thing Oria is under containment. We’ll have to check anyone who might have been in range. Perhaps even downwind.”
No need to hide the wince this time. “I didn’t consider that.”
“Let me contact Lyr.”
While Lial did that, Lynia scrawled a few notes about their conclusions into her notebook. This situation could be bad, but if this virus tracked with the ones in the human textbooks, it could have been far worse. Bloodborne wasn’t airborne, which meant that being in the same room as someone infected wouldn’t transmit it. They would only need to isolate the ill and do their best to find a treatment.
But one thing bothered her—if it was bloodborne, how had Bleyiak spread the disease through Abuiarn? Actually, it was a good question no matter how it was transmitted. Was it somehow related to the magic of the place? Bleyiak was said to have been from Galare, and the fae there had to bind with the location’s energy in order to use it. What had Cora said? That a Galaren might be able to inject a spell into the core of a planet’s energy?
What else could they do with such a link?
On a whim, Lynia reached out to Cora. Though she sensed a moment’s confusion, the other woman answered quickly enough. “Is something wrong? Ralan and Eri are here, so I know they are well.”
Hmm. If this conversation was important, Ralan hadn’t seen fit to tell his bonded. “I’ve discovered that Bleyiak was said to be from Galare. You may not wish to tell me this, of course, but I’m wondering…Are there spells that join a linked Galaren by blood to a place?”
“Blood?” Cora asked, shock and repulsion in her voice.
“We believe that’s how this virus is transmitted, but I don’t understand how that could have been the case on Abuiarn,” Lynia said. “When we last spoke, you mentioned that a Galaren could fracture or inject spells into the energy field of the place where they were linked, correct? Now I’m wondering if that spell might have involved tainted blood. Any ideas?”
“That’s…” Cora paused. “I don’t know. How could he have had a blood link to everyone? That passage you read before…it sounded more like a surge of magic into anyone who was connected to Abuiarn’s energy. Shove a spell or a power blast through. Activate something else.”
Activate. The word sparked in Lynia’s brain like a mage globe springing to life, and she was a couple of lines into her notes before she realized that she hadn’t disconnected from Cora. But it made sense now. Bleyiak hadn’t sent the poison into the populace through the fracture—he’d activated it, just as Lial’s healing magic had triggered the virus in Korel. He must have found a way to see them infected.
“Sorry, Cora.”
A pause, followed by a hint of amusement. “No problem. And Ralan says good job.”
Normally, Lynia might have paused over a compliment like that from a seer, but she merely sent her thanks and disconnected. She had to tell Lial about this. But when she glanced his way, his eyes were distant as though he still spoke with Lyr. Had something else happened?
Just as she was beginning to worry, Lial blinked a couple of times before meeting her gaze. “Well. Lyr had Koranel get information from Fenere. It seems Korel slipped up behind Fenere and fed Caeleth infected blood while he was pinned by the rockfall. That’s probably why it took so long to show up. Korel’s body was inundated with the virus, but it needed to establish itself in Caeleth. It had to work through his digestive system before crossing into the bloodstream.”
“And why it reached the wound in his stomach, perhaps?”
Lial inclined his head. “Possibly so. You were right, as much as I hate the truth. It’s a good thing I was too distracted to do a healing session on Caeleth last night. The virus is reproducing very slowly in t
he absence of a healer’s magic.”
The door opened, and Elan slipped in, worry lining the young healer’s face. Those lines deepened when Lial jerked to his feet. Poor Elan. Under other circumstances, Lynia would have slipped from the room to avoid witnessing the chiding sure to come, but she didn’t want to leave in case the potion showed signs of curing early.
“Elan,” Lial said. “Why didn’t you alert me to Caeleth’s increased temperature?”
The other healer frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”
She gave the young man a sympathetic look as Lial gestured for him to follow to the bed, but she otherwise focused on her work as Lial pointed out the varied signs of the mage’s illness. Really, the poor healer hadn’t done much worse than the rest of them. Most of this was a mystery to their people, after all.
“Don’t be too tough on him,” Lynia sent.
“I will not be. However, fevers are an irregularity he must learn to note despite their rarity. This cannot go without correction.”
“I’ll simply say this.” She smiled down at her notebook for the annoyance she was about to cause. “None of us have done perfectly in this, including you. I didn’t consider his increased warmth to be a problem, either.”
Lial didn’t respond, but she noticed that his tone softened. Little did Elan know how much he owed her.
As the two began to make note of symptoms and discuss options, Lynia observed the potion. It had turned from purple to more of a violet color, which meant it was nearing completion. According to the recipe, the potion would be a blue violet when finished, and there would be no alteration in color no matter which angle she looked. She tilted her head, changing the way the light streamed through the flask, and the liquid shifted a deeper blue. Still not done. She sighed and returned to her notes.
She’d forgotten to ask Lial what had happened with Lord Naomh during treatment, a hole she needed to fill. If the Sidhe lord hadn’t worsened with energy use, then it might be a different illness entirely. She grimaced at the very thought. The absolute last thing they needed was an extra disease floating around.
It could be another strain of the same thing, but there was no connection between the two that she was aware of. Naomh had grown sick after Meren’s attack. What link could Korel have to that? Her hand tightened around her pen. There were missing facts here, and if there was one thing she hated, it was research she hadn’t managed to gather yet.
A sudden commotion erupted across the room. Lynia turned toward the source of the thudding sound, and her heart slammed at the sight of Caeleth thrashing in the bed. Cursing, Lial bent to steady the man, Elan reaching to grab the mage’s other arm. Lynia stood, thinking to help, but then she hesitated. What did she know about a situation like this?
As she considered her options, the door opened, and Maddy, Anna, and Fen all slipped through. Lynia’s eyebrows rose. “I thought you were told to stay away.”
“Fen has made me a terrible listener,” Maddy quipped.
“I imagine so,” Lynia said, though she suspected Fen had merely heightened the woman’s natural inclinations. “But I’m afraid you’ve come in at a bad time.”
Maddy looked over at the bed, and her eyes went wide. Without a word, she grabbed a pitcher and stack of fabric from Anna and darted across the room. What was she doing? Lynia peered after her, but her actions didn’t become much clearer as she dipped a square of cloth into the water and began to brush it across Caeleth’s forehead.
“Damn, he’s burning up,” Maddy said. “We have to get this fever down.”
“You are not supposed to be here,” Lial growled. “If you haven’t been infected already, you’re at risk of such now.”
Maddy shrugged. “Yeah, well. The guy’s having a seizure from his high temperature. Elves aren’t exactly known for their skill with fever reduction, so I thought you might need help. Looks like I was right.”
“Point taken.”
Lynia gestured toward the workbench, and Fen and Anna followed her without a word. Out of reflex, she checked the potion, and the bright, blue-violet hue made her gasp. Forgetting the others, she bent down, tilting her head to see if the color changed. It didn’t.
It was ready.
She pulled out a container of vials and a wooden holder and shoved a basket of stoppers into Fen’s hands. “Close them after I pour. Anna can place them in the holder.”
He might have nodded, but she wasn’t concerned with whether he was happy with the task. He and Anna were available, and she needed to get this done. Lynia didn’t know what would happen if the potion was left on the curing station, nor had she learned how to adjust the spells controlling the distilling device. Though a delay might not hurt, they didn’t have another ten marks to wait for another batch if she was wrong. Caeleth needed help now.
Determined, Lynia lifted the flask and started to pour.
Standing in the private alcove in his bedroom, Lyr settled his hand gently against Eradisel. Instantly, her peace filled him until his knotted shoulders eased and his heartbeat slowed to normal. Dawn had brought more problems than expected as many had awakened to the shield blocking them inside Braelyn’s lands. If he’d thought he’d had a deluge of panicked questions in the first few marks after the shield’s activation, he’d been mistaken.
He had to announce what was happening, and he needed the sacred tree’s power to do it.
After so many years communing with the tree, Lyr only needed to send an image of what he wanted before he received her assent. He closed his eyes and connected to the deepest level of the estate’s shield, the one that showed where every person was located. Then with Eradisel’s help, he expanded outward to the greater land shields until he could find every person under his command.
His body shuddered with the effort, but he pushed his exhaustion aside and opened a light mental connection. As swiftly and clearly as he could, Lyr explained the situation, though the surges of fear strained his concentration. He couldn’t blame them. Disease was an unknown enemy here, and they were trapped inside with it.
“We cannot risk carrying this outside of these lands,” Lyr sent. “Though few are known to have been infected at all. I know this is a difficult and frightening event, but I am relying on you to protect the rest of Moranaia from calamity. Remain in your homes and know that you will be cared for. Above all, obey the commands of Lial and any other healers in this regard. I will coordinate aid under the guidance of his expertise.”
As soon as Lyr ended the link, he slumped into the seat he kept in the alcove. Though his hand fell from Eradisel’s trunk, her energy continued to flow through him, along with wordless encouragement. He did his best to send his thanks, but with telepathy being far from his strongest gift, his head ached beneath the strain of communicating mentally once more.
He wanted to fling himself across the bed and sleep, but that wasn’t an option. Not even the briefest nap. With an exhausted huff, Lyr pushed himself to his feet. There were many terrified people under his command, a responsibility too heavy to allow his own ease. If that message hadn’t sufficed, he would be in his study, ready to help as needed.
Of course, he didn’t expect that need to find him in the form of Kai shoving his bedroom door open with a bang. “Caolte contacted me. He said you weren’t at your mirror.”
Lyr groaned. “Not good, I’m guessing?”
“No.” Kai ran his fingers through his hair, panic twisting his face. “Naomh has grown worse, but it’s more than that.”
“More?”
Kai’s nostrils flared. “Now Caolte’s sick.”
Miaran.
Chapter 36
Lial couldn’t relax even after Caeleth’s seizure stopped. The fever still raged, and there was no guarantee his body wouldn’t react again at any moment. They had to find a way to lower the mage’s temperature. Quickly, Lial searched his memories for what he’d learned on the condition, though it would be little. There were a few rare occasions where gut ba
cteria made it into the bloodstream and caused a fever before the patient was healed. The only other parallel was what happened sometimes after childbirth or a pregnancy loss.
In usual circumstances, he would simply go in with his magic and heal the cause, erasing the increased temperature with it. Currently not an option. Maddy’s technique of wiping cool water across the man’s head and chest appeared to help. But for how long? Until the virus was gone, the fever would only return.
He tugged the blanket off, leaving only a sheet covering Caeleth’s lower body. Then he connected with the cooling spell on the room and lowered the temperature slightly. Too much would be a shock to the man’s body—that much Lial knew. But something else teased at his memory, close enough to be frustrating but not to clarify.
“Do you have herbs for this?” Maddy asked. “Fever-reducing medicine?”
Ah! Lial smiled as Maddy’s question shoved the errant memory forward. Women took a special potion after miscarriage or birth that prevented complications. Many pregnant women kept a dose on hand in case there wasn’t a healer nearby. And one of those herbs prevented fever.
“Tobahn,” Lynia said.
Lial lifted his brows. “Yes. I was just recalling that very one.”
“It was on Bleyiak’s import list, so I looked it up.” Lynia lifted a vial, but it wasn’t from his baskets. “I have the new potion complete, if you want to try it on Caeleth. I’ll hunt for a distillation of tobahn while you consider it.”
Solace Page 36