by Sarra Cannon
The taller of the two men spoke first. “Rhiannon, I’m Evan and this is Aiken. We’re so pleased to finally meet you.”
Though he seemed calm as could be, the slight tension in his voice told her he was at least a little nervous too.
She swallowed hard. “I’d like to say I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, but to be honest, I didn’t know you existed until yesterday. I’m still not convinced I am who you all seem to think I am.” She twisted her hands, then brought them to her sides to keep from fidgeting. “I know you probably have a million questions, but Drake’s in bad shape. I’ve done all I could, but he’s still very sick.”
She turned towards the room. She could curse herself for being a coward later, but right now, she just wanted to be close to Drake.
He was just as she’d left him. Strain showed in the deep lines of his handsome face. Sweat beaded on his skin as he endured his pain in silence.
“How long has he been in this state?” Aiken strode to the bed.
“Since this morning. He was worse a while ago, but I tried to help him as much as I could.” She didn’t tell them what she’d done because she couldn’t even explain it herself.
“You’ve done remarkably well, Rhiannon. I’m surprised he’s still awake at all.” Aiken gave his brother a pointed look before turning to Drake.
“Drake, I have to finish the healing process before we can leave this place. It won’t be pleasant.” He spoke aloud, keeping Rhia involved in the conversation.
“I’m glad for your assistance,” he replied. “Evan, please take Rhia into the other room. There’s no need for her to witness this.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I want to help.” She squared her shoulders and her chin lifted.
“Rhia, please, do this for me. I know what’s to come, and I’d rather you not see it. I assure you, I’ll be much better once this is done.”
The pain in his voice tore at her determination. She didn’t want to stand there wasting time while Aiken could be working on healing him.
“Aiken is the best healer we have. He’ll have this done in no time.”
She paused for a moment to glare at Aiken. “I’ll go, but if you do anything to hurt Drake…” She left the threat hanging in the air as she turned and walked out of the room, ignoring the snort and snicker coming from the men behind her.
Evan joined her shortly after she’d left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. How was she supposed to keep an eye on things if she couldn’t see what was going on in there? Instead, she had to sit there and wait, while Evan stared at her as though she had two heads.
She shifted in her seat. “Just say what you want to say already.”
He cleared his throat. “You look just like her. When Drake told me he’d found you, I thought he was mistaken, but it really is you.” He shook his head. “I’d all but given up hope that this day would come.”
“Listen, I don’t even know if what he says is true. I may resemble your mother but that doesn’t mean anything. I mean, it could all just be a coincidence.”
His smile transformed his face, making him look younger. “You are my sister. There is no doubt in my mind you’re the one we’ve been looking for. Your eyes, your colors, your looks, no there’s no mistake.” His fingers snaked through his sable hair. “I think if you look deep inside yourself, you will see the truth as well.”
“I already told Drake I’ll go to Avalore, and I’m not going to back out now. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up too high.” Tension mounted in the room as waves of heat came at them from behind the closed bedroom door, drawing her attention to it once more.
“If Aiken requires assistance, he will ask.” He moved between her and the door, effectively intercepting her.
She was out of her league and she knew it. If he wanted to stop her from going in, she had no doubt he’d be able to. “Fine.” She didn’t even try to soften the word or to hide her annoyance.
“I can teach you a few things while we wait if you like. Things you’ll need to know before we cross the dark lands.”
Her heart sped up at the prospect. She knew he was trying to distract her, but she might as well do something useful while she waited. “I’d like that.”
“The very first thing you’ll need to master is cloaking. It’s the way we make ourselves invisible to our enemies.”
Her eyes widened as he disappeared.
After a moment, he appeared next to her. She hadn’t heard a sound or a single footstep.
“How did you do that?” The awe in her voice was unmistakable.
“It’s nothing more than an illusion, but very helpful when faced with an enemy.”
“Okay, tell me what to do.” If she was going to Avalore, she may as well learn some of their tricks.
“Close your eyes for a moment and clear your mind. When you’re ready to try it, surround yourself in a thick layer of white light and hold it to you. Every part of you must be covered.” He smiled and disappeared again. “It will absorb and reflect the light and colors around you. You’ll still be there, but no one will be able to see you.”
She took a deep breath as excitement coursed through her veins. “Here goes nothing.” Gathering white energy was the same as collecting healing light. It was done with the mind. She willed it to come, letting it cling like a magnet. “How’s this?”
Her eyes popped open as prickles of unease began to sting her skin. She couldn’t help glancing at the bedroom door again.
“You’ve almost got it. You need to focus and concentrate more. It isn’t quite thick enough and it needs to be pulled closer to your body.”
When Drake had cloaked her, she’d felt like she was covered in a thick, fluffy blanket. It hadn’t restricted movement, but it had enveloped her completely. She pulled the energy closer until the same soothing comfort wrapped around her. “Better?”
“Perfect.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
She got the distinct impression something was going on and he wasn’t telling her.
Pain stabbed through her chest, snatching the breath from her lungs as another blast of heat came from the bedroom. Instinctively, she knew the pain she felt was not her own. After several deep breaths, the pain subsided so she was able to move. She managed two faltering steps before Evan blocked her path to the door.
“What’s going on?”
Feet apart, he stood with his hands out in front of him. “I can’t allow you to go in.”
“What do you mean you can’t allow me? One thing you should know about me is I don’t take orders very well. Now, move aside and let me through.” Rhia took another step forward to move past him.
“Aiken is the best we have, trust me. He’ll not willingly allow anything to happen to Drake.”
“Trust you? I don’t even know you.” The air crackled around her with each breath she took. “Up until yesterday, you weren’t even a blip on my radar.” She turned away, breathing deep, allowing the energy to dissipate before turning to face him again.
“Be that as it may, you’ve done all you could. He needs Aiken now.”
Her eyes didn’t waver as she stared at him for long moments as she contemplated his words before shaking her head and turning away.
Just who did he think he was, anyway? He might be her brother, but it didn’t give him the right to dictate anything to her. The fact that he was right was the only thing keeping her from barging past him. Drake did need Aiken, and she wouldn’t get in the way.
She didn’t try to engage Evan in any more conversation and he seemed happy to stand guard at the door.
She spent the next hour pacing from one end of the long living area to the other. The uncomfortable silence stretched wide between them. She stopped long enough to glance outside through the window into the park stories below. It was empty except for a few people rushing to get out of the rain. A blur of black fur caught her attention as a large dog gave chase to a squirrel, barking at the base of a tree.
Blood rushed in her ears and her heart pounded. “It’s a parasite. I’ve seen it before. I know how to get rid of it.”
“Yes, it’s a parasite.” Aiken’s defeated voice came back to her crystal clear. “And it’s not releasing him. I’m sorry.”
“You already knew and you didn’t bother to mention it? And don’t you apologize, as though he’s already dead.” She knew it was bad, but was he so far gone he’d not make it?
Her shoulders squared, as she lifted her chin, facing Evan again. “I’m going in there even if I have to go through you.”
The way his arms tensed and his stance shifted in preparation for an attack, he knew she meant it.
“I can help him, I know I can.” She took a deep breath, gauging his reaction as she moved forward. “The parasite in him is eating him alive.”
“Rhiannon,” Evan sounded exasperated. “Aiken will-”
She shook she was so angry. “Drake. Is. Dying. The pain tears through me just as it does him, and I won’t let him go without a fight. Now move out of the way.” Energy swarmed to her. “I mean it, get out of my way.” The threat was unmistakable. She didn’t try to hide or contain the sizzling power rushing to her.
He stood with his hands relaxed by his sides. “I’m not going to fight you. If you want in there, then go, but be warned, the scene will be gruesome.”
“Get. Out. Of. My. Way.” The words pushed through clenched teeth. “Men.” What did he think she’d do, pass out? She was the one who’d been looking after Drake up until they’d gotten there, hadn’t she?
She shoved past her brother, rushing into the room, faltering after only two steps.
Chapter 8
The room was bright—too bright. Rain still drizzled, but the clouds had thinned, allowing too much daylight in for what Rhia needed to do. Aiken stood over Drake. His energy, much deeper in color than her own, flooded the injured man.
“Stop. That won’t work with this thing. You can’t go in there and heal like you do for other wounds. It’ll just tear him apart trying to get away from the light.” She rushed to Drake’s side. He was so pale, so still, her breath caught in her throat.
Aiken’s shoulders dropped as he took a deep breath. “Tell me what to do and I’ll do it. You shouldn’t expose yourself to such vile things.” His eyes when they met hers held the same worry that churned in her stomach.
She shook her head. “No time. Close the drapes and light just one or two of the candles. It won’t like the brightness.”
She issued her instructions in a cool, calm voice while inside, her entire being shook. She’d expected it to be bad, but even her wildest imagination hadn’t prepared her. Blood covered Drake’s body. His chest had numerous new, ragged wounds where the worm had come out in an attempt to get away from Aiken’s healing light, only to burrow into him again as it met the light of the room. The once-pristine sheets were crimson. How could one man lose so much blood and still survive?
Her hand trembled as she pushed errant strands of hair from her face, tucking them behind her ear. She took a deep calming breath. If she couldn’t do this, he’d die and she wasn’t letting him go.
“One of you will need to be ready to kill the nasty thing once it comes out. Be quick. If it gets spooked or the light is too bright, it’ll retreat. Make sure it’s all the way out. We don’t want any part of it living inside him.”
Closing her eyes, she drew energy fast, and she didn’t care where it came from. If Evan was the one providing for her, then it was the least he could do after having kept her away from Drake for so long. Deep breaths, in and out, pulled it in closer, surrounding her, bathing her in its warmth. It was strong and masculine, pulsating in the room. Evan had to be the one providing for her. The negativity and frustration of the past few hours slipped away until only the will to help Drake remained.
“Drake, I’m going to do something. It won’t hurt, but you might feel some heat inside. It’s important you don’t try to move.”
He didn’t answer. Deep down, she hadn’t expected he would, but she’d hoped just the same. The only movement she’d seen from him since she’d re-entered the room was the minute movement of his chest with his shallow, irregular breaths.
By the time she was ready to start, the sweet scent of the candles filled the room. She focused her subtle flow of light to enter near his shoulder rather than into his chest.
Guiding the pure light through Drake, she moved it, shaping it to form a pale purple basin within his body. When she was done, brightness surrounded the creature on all sides except toward the wound where she wanted it to exit.
Smooth, gentle energy flowed into him, filling the basin from the outside edges in, giving the worm a smaller, darkened area for it to dwell.
She nearly faltered as she came across each internal organ. Searing heat met her advancing gentle probe. Where she should have met some slight resistance as her light went through his organs, there was nothing to impede her progress. It was as though someone had taken a fiery dagger and stabbed through the muscle and tissue over and over, leaving nothing but a quivering mess in his chest and abdomen. He had to have been in an excruciating amount of pain, yet he’d worried about her comfort.
She breathed deep, taking in the scents of the lavender and lilac, more to soothe her own frayed spirit than the need for more balance to accomplish the task at hand.
“I’m moving it towards the wound on his right side.” She sent the message to both brothers without effort.
“I’m ready.” Evan’s voice rang clearly in her mind, focused and sure.
The painstaking process of closing in on the parasite couldn’t be rushed. One wrong move and it would find another place to dig deeper and do more damage, and Drake couldn’t take any more injury and survive.
Only once she’d filled every part of Drake with light did the stubborn parasite seek to escape the brightness, leaving his body for the darkness in the room, where Evan waited to destroy it.
She didn’t bother to open her eyes to see it was done. She had to trust Evan would take care of it as she filled Drake’s body with warmth.
His internal organs were overwhelmingly damaged. It was beyond amazing he’d survived at all. “How?” Nothing made sense. “How is it that he didn’t die with all those injuries?” She asked both brothers at once.
“He was lucky. And, he sealed as many of his wounds as he could before putting himself to sleep.” Aiken sounded distracted. “By going into a deep sleep, he slowed his heart rate, which in turn kept him from bleeding to death.”
Rhia snorted. “With the amount of blood everywhere, it looks like someone was massacred in here.”
A deep prickle of unease made her shudder, the hair on her arms standing on end.
Oh, come on. Hadn’t they had enough to deal with without adding the threat of Erritrols?
“Could you help me heal him? We’re going to have company soon.” Maybe if they both worked at it, they’d be able to pull it off and get Drake up and moving before the beasts got there.
“You were amazing. You’re going to have to show me what you did.” Aiken didn’t hesitate, jumping in to give her the help she needed.
“Right now we have to get this done, and fast. The beasts are close, and the
vibe they’re sending out is giving me major heebie jeebies.”
“You’re certain?” Evan moved to the window.
The influx of power into Drake’s body skyrocketed as Evan lent his strength to Drake as well.
“His heart is in the most need of repair, then his lungs, but more than anything, he needs energy. I’ll take care of the worst wounds if you can supply that. The rest will have to wait.” Aiken was already repairing damaged tissue as he spoke.
When she opened her eyes, Evan was peering through a small slit between the pulled drapes. “Two Erritrols are in the park. They’re looking towards this building. Too much power is pouring out of the apartment.”
“We only need a few more minutes and he’ll be well enough to travel.” Aiken’s voice was calm and clear.
“I’ve reinforced the shields Drake has surrounding the apartment, but it won’t hold against an Ikabrol. If we’re fortunate, it’ll delay them long enough for us to escape. They’re desperate to keep us from taking her back. They’ll strike on a hunch and hope for a hit. We have to move.” There was no teasing in his voice now.
Two minutes stretched to five. Waves of darkness flooded the room, making the air unclean and difficult for her to breathe. “Can we move?”
“The damage was too extensive. We’re almost-” His strong, sure voice eased some of the tension building in her body.
Evan cut into the conversation. “There is no more time. We must leave. Now. They’re in the building.”
“Call him back. He won’t be at full strength, but he’ll be able to help us.” Aiken gave his instructions, and then stood with his brother facing the door.
“What do you mean, call him back? I don’t understand.”
“He’s been conserving his energy, but you’ll be able to call him back. I could do it, but you wouldn’t like my methods.”
“But… how?” What the hell were they talking about?
“Just get through to him. How doesn’t matter.”
A loud crash sounded close by. Her heart raced, and the men drew darker energies toward them.