“Yes, yes I’m fine,” she assured the woman, “Just tired is all.” She smiled weakly, but already her thoughts were headed in a different direction. Thinking of Amelia had reminded her that it had been a few days since she had visited either the older woman, or Natalya and Alina, and Layna flushed guiltily. In retrospect, concentrating so hard on their escapades into the city had allowed to her forget the horrors that were happening to her friends.
Amelia, being one of the first to have been infected, had progressed almost to the stage of her eyes filling with blood. She may have only days left. The pustules that covered her body were a source of constant agony, and fear could be seen plainly written on her face. Layna could hardly stand to see her in the state. But she knew her friend needed her. She steeled her courage and told Gryffon where she was off to. Though he offered to come along, she shook her head, it wasn’t necessary, and he had things he needed to attend to before he could sleep as well. She didn’t want to delay him from accomplishing these.
She entered the make-shift infirmary slowly, looking around at all of the people being housed there. There were at least twice as many as when she had visited only a few days ago. She sucked in her breath. Most were only in the beginning stages, showing symptoms similar to a common winter chill, having started taking the chokeroot soon enough to stave off the disease the longest.
There were many, however, showing the later signs, and Layna knew that there were even more now housed below in the dungeons who had progressed past holding onto any humanity. She found Amelia quickly, isolated in the back corner and strapped to the cot she was on. She sat quickly by her side and took the woman’s hand gently.
Amelia jerked at the sudden touch, a guttural growl escaping her lips before she swallowed it down. Layna tried to stop herself from jumping backwards in alarm, and succeeded in only tensing a bit, but holding firm to the woman’s hand.
“Sorry, child,” the woman said, her voice scratchy and harsh. “You surprised me.”
Layna just shook her head, denying the need for any apology. “How are you feeling?”
“To be quite frank, my dear, I feel like hell,” she coughed out. Layna could see she was fighting back tears of pain and she clenched and unclenched her hands a few times. After a moment, she whispered so softly that Layna could barely hear, “It’s getting harder and harder to remember who I am,” she admitted, “I feel as though there is a beast inside me, fighting to get out. But I know that as soon as it does, I will be no more. And I’ll live out the rest of my days rotting in the dungeon below.”
“I would never let that happen,” Layna said fiercely, squeezing her hand tightly.
Amelia turned her head to look her square in the eyes. Layna could see a tiny fleck of red forming in the corner and the more she stared at it, the bigger it seemed to get. “I know you won’t,” the woman said, “that’s why I want you to promise me that the moment I turn into one of those, those,” she paused and swallowed, unable to get the word out, “those Bricrui, I want you to swear to me that you’ll put me out of my misery. I don’t want to wallow in the dungeons waiting for a cure that would never help me anyway. I know you don’t just kill them because they were people, but I don’t want to die like that, I can’t. Please promise me.” She stared at Layna intently, willing her to accept her request.
Layna was appalled at the thought, but could not deny the argument behind it. Finally, when Amelia’s demands did not relent, she nodded. “I promise.”
“Thank you,” Amelia whispered hoarsely, and collapsed back on the bed, exhausted by their brief exchange. Until the cursed disease took over their entire bodies and turned them into the Bricrui, the death-bringers, it took its toll on them like any other disease. Wasting them away to nothing until it was almost as if it took the very life from them, then making them rise again to do its evil bidding. Or perhaps they were just so far gone at that point that they ignored the protests of its body.
Layna shook her head to clear it of the unwanted thoughts. She glanced around instead for Natalya and Alina. Natalya, the saint that she was, not only had volunteered to take care of the ill, but had also offered up herself as a caretaker for Phoenix. Though Layna always made sure that at least one of the mages was also present during the time she took her, it was a much-needed help. Most of Phoenix’s regular care-takers were currently here in the infirmary, and there was enough rumors going around that those closest to Phoenix had gotten sick first to make others more wary about volunteering for the job.
She spotted them in the center of the room, spoon-feeding broth to one of the infirm, and she strolled over to them. She stifled a yawn and she approached, smiling in greeting.
“Your Majesty,” both girls greeted her in unison, curtsying prettily even though she had told them time and time again that such an action was not necessary.
“How are you holding up?” she asked, looking from one to the other, and addressing the question to them both.
“We’re fine,” Natalya insisted, and Alina nodded her head. Layna reached out and put her wrist against Alina’s forehead. It was warm, but not alarmingly so. The chokeroot seemed to have worked very well on her. The mages had told her and Gryffon that resistance to the curse was directly proportionate to the amount of talent a person had, which was why she and Gryffon hadn’t yet gotten any symptoms, despite their contact with Phoenix. So it made sense that Alina, with her also impressive talent, would be faring well. That was good news.
She smiled again, more genuinely, glad for life’s small favors. Her expression darkened, however, as she posed her next question. “And Amelia? Is she in pain all the time?”
Neither girl answered her right off, both looking anywhere but at her. Finally, Natalya spoke up. “She is in pain, but the healers have been giving her things to dull it. It had been working until this morning when she refused to take it anymore. She said it made it harder to hold onto reality.”
Layna sighed and nodded. She closed her eyes for just a moment, and almost fell as she immediately nodded off. Only Natalya’s steadying grip on her arm kept her from tumbling into the poor sick person on the bed in front of her, and the girl looked at her with apprehension.
“You’d better get some rest yourself, Your Majesty, you look like you’ve been awake for days.”
Layna did not protest, excusing herself and walking through the sea of the infirm in a haze. Knowing they wouldn’t answer, she sent a silent prayer to the Three, the dragon beings who had shared her mind not long ago. After they had helped Layna and Gryffon to destroy Nuko, they had left their world, leaving it up to them to make their own choices. Now, more than ever, Layna fervently wished she could will them back.
Please, please don’t let this curse spread through the land…
CHAPTER 12
As they journeyed back to the Dena’ina lands, where Katya had already once almost been in possession of the stone, she kept waiting for the Dena’ina leader to approach her. Just as he had the rest of their trek, however, he remained stoically reticent on the subject of the Dena’ina stone. Finally, as the Dena’ina lands came into view across the plains, Katya trotted to catch up with him.
“Will there be some sort of task that we need to perform once again?” she asked bluntly, wanting to know how long the last leg of their journey might take. Layna’s last communication with her had been rather frantic, and Katya was just as eager as she to see an end to the curse.
The Dena’ina leader glanced over his shoulder at her, a smile playing on his lips. “No,” he shook his head, “the stone is yours. Our powerstone helped to keep the marked safe, but in our travels through the tribes, I believe you have already done that.”
“I did?” she asked, surprised, “How did I do that?”
“Not only are you one of the marked yourself, along with Petra on this trip, doing a great honorable deed, but you have also pointed out the errors of the tribes in allowing their blind hatred to guide their actions. You have forced them to open t
heir eyes.”
“Oh.”
“Furthermore,” he continued, “You have given us the means to cleanse are lands from the chaotic magic, to tame it to our uses. This knowledge will be invaluable. The rest we can figure out.” He paused and eyed her shrewdly. “You have no idea what kind of impact you have had on my people, do you?”
“It wasn’t just me,” Katya demurred, but anything else she had to say was cut off by shouting as they came into view of the Dena’ina. She braced herself for more bad news.
She was surprised, then, when she heard what it was they were shouting. “Katya has come back! She’s here!”
“Why are they shouting my name?” she asked the Dena’ina leader, but it was Hunter who answered her.
“Because of all you’ve done, my love, don’t you see?”
Katya was glad when a man rushed forward, not towards her, but to Petra, embracing her and swinging her around in a circle. This must be her husband.
“Petra, I missed you so much!” he exclaimed, kissing her passionately on her bird-like mouth. Katya watched with interest, wondering just how that was comfortable, but somehow they made it work. Others rushed forward and embraced her, or patted her on the back, all offering thanks and congratulations on her part of their quest. Katya was warmed to see her friend shining brightly under the praise, finally able to see that she deserved it.
“So, about the stone…” Katya turned to the Dena’ina leader who smiled at her obligingly.
“Of course, you are eager to complete the mission,” he said, but he didn’t move. He seemed almost hesitant to give it to her now that they were here.
“Have you changed your mind?” she asked him, waiting for him to contradict his earlier statement and decide that maybe there was something after all that she needed to do first.
“No,” he shook his head quickly, “no, I was just thinking. Let’s retrieve it now.”
“Lead on,” Katya waved a hand in front of her indicating that she would follow him. She had gotten through the maze of a path meant to keep intruders out once before, but she would much rather simply have him lead her through it.
The hike up the mesa was significantly shorter than the previous journey she had made to the stone’s resting place, but it was still quite a climb. They all paused to catch their breath at the top, staring into the cordoned off area which held the stone, now back in its circle of power holding it.
Katya refrained from moving closer, knowing that the worm-beast would rise from the ground if someone set foot in the square. She waited until the Dena’ina leader was ready, growing ever more impatient as he sat on a nearby rock, taking deep breaths.
Finally, he stood and made his way into the square, and the wall of power around it immediately sprang to life. Katya took a step forward worriedly, surely this frail old man was no match for the beast, but the Dena’ina around her showed no signs of concern, and with the wall between them, there was little she could do anyway.
After a few tense minutes, the wall retreated back into the earth, and the Dena’ina leader came strolling forward serenely, holding out the stone to her.
He came to stand before her, still holding it out. “Take it, it’s yours,” he said. Something tingled on the back of her neck. The way he said the words made her want to do anything other than take the stone. She creased her brow at him, but he simply shoved the stone closer to her in response.
She took it, reluctantly now, and gazed down on it. The last piece of the completed powerstone which would break the curse. She took a deep breath and reached into her bag to retrieve the mirror to tell Layna and Gryffon the good news. Despite the overwhelming happiness she should feel at this moment, knowing that they finally had the means to overcome the curse upon them, the Dena’ina’s tone gave her pause.
She shook her head to clear it of the thoughts of doom, just as the mirror shimmered, and she smiled at Gryffon and Layna whose faces appeared on it. No doubt he was just trying to remind her of the immense power that the stone would now hold, and not to use it frivolously.
“We did it!” she told them, “We have the last stone. I’ll put them together now and transport it to you so you can break the curse.”
“Thank the Gods,” Layna breathed, the relief written so plainly on her face that Katya felt for her, the stress that she must have been under to make her relief of its end so profound.
Katya handed the mirror to Hunter who angled it towards her so that the two of them could witness the final stone sealing itself in place. She held the piece up to the rest of the stones, already melded together, and just as it had with each of the others, it sucked itself into the missing place. It glowed brightly, the edges seeming to melt the stone into a single piece, and the completed stone rose out of her hands.
She took a step back in surprise. That hadn’t happened with any of the other additions. It twirled around in the air, still shining with the brilliant white light, and casting beams of light out, swirling around it.
Gasps rang out from the crowd watching, and Hunter shifted the mirror so that Layna and Gryffon could get a better view.
“What’s happening?” Layna asked, worry creeping into her voice.
“I don’t know,” Katya answered, not taking her eyes from the spinning stone.
It was rising higher now, and all of a sudden, the light retreated and a strange blackish fog started pouring out from within the stone. All those around it moved to get out of its way, but there was too much. The dense smoky haze filled the ground, swirling around their feet. It roiled past them, cascading down the sides of the mesa and out onto the plains below, picking up speed as it flowed outwards. Clouds followed its progress in the sky, forming threatening thunderheads above. The stone suddenly pulsed for a moment, then stopped its movement, falling back towards the earth.
Katya moved forward and caught it expertly as it fell, and quickly tossed it back and forth from hand to hand as its heat burned her skin. It had shrunken down to the size of her fist, and the magic inside swirled around a few moments more, before finally becoming serene. The fog had stopped emanating from within, and the last traces of it blew off with the wind. The thunderclouds held their ground, but so far had not yet unleashed any storm.
Katya glanced over to the mirror where Layna and Gryffon were watching the proceedings intently.
“What was that?” Layna asked fearfully.
“I don’t know,” Katya replied, her eyes searching the horizon for some clue as to what effect the mysterious fog had on the land. “We better get the stone to you so you can cure yourselves quickly.”
Gryffon nodded vigorously. “It won’t be a moment too soon.”
Katya held the stone out before her and used the magic of the communication spell as a pathway for the transport spell to follow. After a few moments of concentration, the stone popped out of existence in her hand and both Layna and Gryffon looked downwards in unison. It must have arrived.
Layna bent out of view and when she straightened, she had the stone, holding it out in front of her. She examined it closely, her brow furrowed. After a moment, she looked back up at Katya. “Thank you for everything,” she said.
Katya just nodded. She hoped it would be enough.
*
Layna broke contact with Katya and she and Gryffon hurried to the nursery where Phoenix was being cared for by Natalya and Alina, and one of the mages. On their way, they had one of their aides go and gather the rest of the mages who had been working on finding the solution to the curse.
The two young girls in the nursery greeted them warmly, though Alina was starting to show signs of feeling ill. She had a bit of a redness about her face, as though she were permanently flushed, and her eyes drooped the tiniest bit.
Layna took Phoenix into her arms, giving her a kiss and a suffocating hug, and smiled at the sisters. “We have it,” she announced to them, and was rewarded by huge grins from both girls. Natalya turned to Alina and hugged her as well.
Mome
nts later, the mages came rushing excitedly into the room.
“You have it?” one asked, searching the room for the stone.
Layna held it up for them to see.
“That’s it?” another commented, surprised by the unimposing rock, but quickly caught himself. “We should get started.”
Layna put Phoenix down and she and Gryffon arranged themselves in the beginning of a circle around her, but noticed that none of the mages were following suit. In fact, several of them were not staring at the ground and shuffling their feet uncomfortably.
She felt a lump rise in her throat. “What’s wrong?”
The mage who had been acting as the liaison between herself and the group working to break the curse spoke up. “We don’t think that simply breaking the curse on Phoenix will be enough,” he told them.
“What do you mean,” asked Gryffon, the dangerous edge in his voice sneaking in.
“I mean that it would cure Phoenix and stop her from spreading the cursed disease further, but it would not reverse the spell on anyone else.”
“So what is the solution?” Gryffon pressed, “Since you did not see fit to mention this to us previously, I assume you already have an answer?”
“We do,” the man sighed, “But it is not ideal. We will need to essentially put a new spell on her which will negate the effects of the current curse, but use the same mode of transportation to spread to the others. We believe we can also make it so that the spell accelerates the new reverse-curse so that people should begin to feel the effects of it reversing right away.” He met Layna’s eye. “You could ride Phoenix out into the city and as people came into contact with her, or even near her, they would be cured.”
She did not need the implications of this spelled out for her. Having Phoenix’s presence cause a mass healing would also reverse any ill effects that any rumors saying she caused it may have had.
Light the Reign (The Forgotten: Book 3) Page 16
