by Ioana Visan
“What did you do?” Rafe asked Alise. “I saw your handprint on the monster. How did you do it?”
“I don’t know.” She gasped, fighting to fill her lungs with air. The black vines constricted her chest, making breathing difficult. “I did the same thing I did before. It would have worked on a smaller monster, but this one is too big, and I don’t have enough power left. I can’t destroy it. It’s up to you now…”
Rafe nodded pensively. “But how do you do it?” He turned to Vale. “Could she have a different approach, or is it something in her nature that allows her to do that?”
“Both?” Vale said.
“Both… Could be.” Rafe narrowed his eyes at her. “But that doesn’t help me. I still don’t know how to kill that thing.”
“We can try blasting it again,” Vale said. “Aim in the same spot perhaps?”
“No.” Rafe shook his head. “We tried it once, and it failed. But what she did worked. We need a repeat of that, but on a bigger scale…” His voice trailed off.
“You heard her. She can’t do it,” Vale said. “You know she can’t.”
“Yes, but maybe if I can figure out how she does it, we can replicate the effect.” Rafe took Alise by the arm. “Come. You’ll have to show me again.” He led her towards the stairs.
“Rafe, it’s too dangerous!” Vale yelled after them. “We need to go down, not up.”
“We’ll be careful. You stay there and fix that hand. You might need it later!”
Alise let Rafe drag her away and whatever Vale muttered behind them got lost in the wind. At the top of the stairs, they had to wait. The cloud monster needed to infiltrate the walls first and, therefore, advanced slower on the inside of the building.
“Okay. Do your thing and then run back to Vale,” Rafe told her, holding her hand up, ready to meet the monster. “Do you understand?”
She nodded. Her hand itched where his skin touched her. “What are you going to do?”
“I want to see if I can do any damage to the portion you touched.”
It sounded reasonable enough, so Alise gave him another small nod. Her hand trembled in anticipation, but Rafe kept it steady. When the cloud was only millimeters away, he pressed her palm against it. An instant later, he released her, and she ran away as instructed. She heard the hiss of the blast, and saw a flash of light but nothing else.
She had barely reached the floor Vale was on when Rafe’s victorious shout caught up with her. “It cracked! There’s a hole big enough put your fist through.” He grimaced and smirked in answer to the looks he received when he returned to them, apparently unaware that his hands were bleeding. “No, I didn’t put my fist through it. I’m not an idiot.”
Alise rolled a shoulder. “I didn’t say anything.” Her hand was bleeding, too.
“Let’s go!” Rafe urged them. “I saw an open hall a few stories below. We’ll regroup there. Move!” The excitement in his voice had a hint of hope that hadn’t been there before.
The floor he had mentioned was indeed at the bottom of an opening three-stories high. When they got there, Rafe hurried to scan all corners, checking for points of entrance. The cloud monster hadn’t caught up with them yet, but the windows were darkening. It would get in any moment now.
Alise leaned against a pillar, her vision blurring more and more. She closed her eyes for a second and inhaled deeply. The air rasped along her throat and felt as if it was filled with dust. Her lungs rebelled, and she coughed. The black vines squeezed her wrists tighter.
“Don’t give up on me yet,” Rafe said, resting a hand on her shoulder.
The grip of the vines relaxed some.
“Did you find out how she does it?” Vale asked.
“Yes. Sort of.” He sighed. “I can recognize it, but I can’t replicate it. It must be species specific. It can’t be learned.”
“Then there’s no use.”
“Unless…,” Rafe said and looked pointedly at Vale. “It can’t be learned, but the ability can be transferred. It can be done.”
“You can’t be serious.” Vale stared at him, eyes wide open.
“What—what are you talking about?” Alise stammered, rubbing her forehead, trying to focus. None of the conversation made sense to her, and the shortness of breath and overall dizziness were not helping with her fuzziness.
Vale hesitated before answering, his gaze stuck on Rafe. “He’s talking about a heart transplant.”
“You want my heart?” She was more curious than horrified. Everyone seemed to want a piece of her lately.
“No.” Rafe’s voice softened. “I’m talking about switching our hearts.”
Alise blinked, finding herself speechless. The idea was too contrived for words.
“If we switch our hearts, I’ll be able to kill the monster. We can fight it together. There’ll be enough magic in my heart to keep you grounded and able to use it. Then we’ll all have a chance.” A sea of emotions passed over Rafe’s face. “But it’s your call. I won’t force you.”
Alise gazed at him like she couldn’t understand the words coming out of his mouth. She shook her head and waited for her vision to clear. “A switch? Really? Will it work?”
“It’s a myth!” Vale opened both arms wide and leaned his head forward as if talking to idiots.
“So is the one that says Fairies can’t survive without wings, and Mermaid’s bites are supposed to be deadly,” Rafe said in a calm voice. “Look at her…” He gestured in Alise’s direction.
She was still alive … for the moment.
“Yes, look at her,” Vale said. “She might not survive the procedure.”
“You told me I should have put her down long ago,” Rafe replied. “You said I was cruel and selfish. I’m not now…”
“No, you’re being foolish,” Vale muttered, but Rafe ignored the comment.
“If she doesn’t make it, she’ll be spared the ordeal, but if she survives…” He paused, but didn’t elaborate. “My heart’s stronger. It will help her get through the worst.”
“Her heart is full of poison,” Vale said. “It will kill you.”
“And if the poison hasn’t reached the heart yet? Will you help me then?” Rafe asked. “I can’t do it alone. I can cut both of us and possibly switch the hearts, but I won’t have enough strength left to heal us both, and that has to be done fast if we want to survive. So, will you help me?”
Vale’s lips turned into a bitter straight line, devoid of color.
“Stop. Both of you,” Alise said, tired of their bickering. “You said it was my decision.” She stared at them, and they gazed back. She made an effort to find her words and explain what she felt. “I can’t be a Fairy without my wings, and you won’t let me be human… Whatever happens, happens. Just do it.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
They lay on their backs on the granite-tiled floor, an arm’s length away from each other, Vale kneeling between them. He held the blade ready while they unbuttoned their shirts. Above them, the cloud monster had covered the ceiling and was slowly filling the hall. Rafe took one last look at the upcoming threat, and discarding it from his mind, he turned his attention to Vale. “Ready.”
Alise nodded.
Vale drew in a breath. He gripped the handle of the blade and his muscles spasmed along his arm, but his hand didn’t hesitate when he cut into Rafe’s chest. Blood spilled then stopped pouring out of the open wound as the Guardian’s healing abilities kicked in.
Rafe gritted his teeth, barely holding back a groan. He clenched the healing stone in his fist, struggling to resist the impulse to use it. He had been badly hurt before, but it had never come by one of their own blades. The pain was excruciating. Every muscle in his body tensed, and the air left his lungs with a whoosh.
He turned his head to the right. Alise was staring at the ceiling, doing her best not to look at the approaching blade. The tense jaw and gaze fixed on something that wasn’t there told Rafe she had to be reminiscing about the time her wi
ngs had been cut off. He wished he could have spared her from this new ordeal. He had considered knocking her out, but a head trauma took longer to heal, and they needed her awake. They didn’t have time for that.
“Close your eyes,” Vale said.
Alise screamed. It only lasted a second, and then her body relaxed beside him. She had passed out, for which Rafe was grateful.
Vale dug inside her, and Rafe wished he’d hurry. The cloud monster had conquered one more floor.
“The heart is free of poison,” Vale said.
Rafe inhaled deeply and prepared for the hardest part. Vale’s blade cut inside his chest, separating his heart from the rest of the organs and pulling it out. The pain was nothing compared to being aware of every cell in the heart screaming to be put back where they belonged. He could still feel his heart pulsing in Vale’s hand when he moved it away.
Bent over Alise’s body, Vale repeated the procedure with a little more care, still holding Rafe’s heart in his hand. He pulled the heart out and frowned at what he saw inside the cavity.
“Would you … hurry?” Rafe grunted. Blood bubbled over the edges of the wide wound. He might be a Guardian, but he still needed a heart to survive.
Vale hesitated, holding one heart in each hand. “They’re growing back.”
“What?”
“Her wings… They’re growing back.”
Rafe struggled to grasp the concept, even if only in theory, but his consciousness was slipping away, along with his heart. He shook his head to sober up. “Just do it.” They’d deal with the consequences later.
“Right.” Vale went back to work. He tossed the Fairy’s heart into the opening in Rafe’s chest then took his time gently inserting the larger heart inside Alise’s, correctly setting it in place with the help of the healing stone.
Rafe groaned, feeling the smaller organ twist and turn inside his heaving chest as it fought to realign with the veins and arteries that fused back together. He used his healing stone to seal the wound while Vale was busy attending to Alise. He couldn’t help but feel amazed when he felt the heart flutter then settle to beating in a steady rhythm. It was her heart.
“I don’t think it’s working,” Vale said.
“What?” Rafe dropped the healing stone.
“The heart is not beating.” Vale frowned at her. “Maybe it’s not a match.”
“Mine’s working. Hers should be, too,” Rafe said.
“We’re not the same. We’re built to take a lot, but she’s been through too much already.” Vale shook his head, about to give up. “Maybe the poison interferes—”
“We’re made to fight all kinds of poison. The heart should still be able to do that.” Rafe propped himself on an elbow and, wincing, turned to the side. “Come on, sweetheart. Don’t give up on me.” He placed his hand on top of Alise’s chest. There was some blood, but no sign of the scar. “The heart is still good. I can feel it.” The part of him that was now in her reacted to the proximity of his hand, giving out a faint buzz, but not enough.
He pushed the fear out of his mind and tried to focus harder. He could do this. It was his heart. It should respond to him, listen to him. He sent a small blast. Light flared above and below his palm. Alise’s body shook once before going back to being motionless. Inside, the heart gave a faint beat, like the flap of a wing, then remained quiet.
Rafe swore under his breath. It was his heart! It would make her live. And it could take more than her frail body. He sent a full blast this time, making her body arch as if shocked, and a thrill of fear went through her smaller heart, which was now in his body.
Alise gasped, and her eyes snapped open.
“It’s all right.” Rafe smiled with all the tenderness he could muster given the difficult situation. “You’re back.” His hand kept moving lightly over the sensitive skin, enjoying the faint thumping coming from inside her. She groaned, and he laughed. “You’re welcome.” When he followed her line of sight, he realized she wasn’t groaning at him but at the dark cloud above them. Only about a meter or so separated it from Vale’s head.
Rafe pulled himself up and rolled onto his knees, happy to discover the small heart didn’t succumb to the pressure. In time, it would grow and fill the void left by his own. Vale helped Alise get up.
“Only blasts, okay?” Rafe said. “The blades don’t work. Wait for us to turn it solid and then crack it,” he told Vale.
The waiting was torture. They couldn’t reach it from their position and direct contact was mandatory. Rafe could have gotten up to full height and done the job faster, leaving them all more time to flee if it didn’t work, but he had a feeling he couldn’t stand up for long by himself. Alise couldn’t, either. They both needed a bit of time to recover.
“Ready?” Rafe looked down at Alise.
She finished pulling her top back in place and straightened her back.
Rafe took her hand in his, and they blasted the monster. Instead of radiating from his hand, the magic first traveled along his arm, constricting his veins, and then flew out freely. The cloud turned rigid under their palms, and the portion that solidified slowly spread, but the monster continued to come towards them, pressing them down with its mass, which became heavier and heavier the more they fought against it.
“It’s not working!” Vale’s voice came out strained from the tons of rock pressing down on him.
“Just wait.” Rafe grunted, pushed into the ground by the unrelenting monster. This had to work. And his heart would hold. It had to.
Beside him, Alise whimpered and, losing her balance, fell onto her back. The entire building protested, floorboards groaning and walls shaking under the monster’s crushing weight.
“Now!” Rafe roared.
He repeatedly blasted the mountain that compressed his chest and burned his skin. Vale joined in with his own blasts. Cracks appeared from underneath their palms. Their blasts dug deeper into the cloud monster until they could see through the cracks. Another fight was going on in there. A shadow moved. The monster was also being attacked from within.
Two blasts later, Rafe said, “I’m out!” He pulled out his blade and slammed it against the monster over and over again. The cracks expanded a fraction.
Luckily, Vale had more magic left. His blasts echoed like thunder in the limited space and lit up the monster, going deep inside and straight to its core. The monster shook and split wide open. Big portions broke off and fell on them, crushing everything on the way.
Rafe held his breath and counted the seconds. The foreign matter wouldn’t dissipate until the monster died, and he worried for Alise. He couldn’t see her under all that debris. He couldn’t see Vale, either, but he was a little farther away. There was one more distant blast. He hoped it wasn’t going to take much longer; otherwise, they were finished. He already felt like the monster had not only crushed him, but gone right through him. He reached out blindly, but couldn’t find Alise. She must have moved away.
He was wondering if he was going to die there when an ocean of sand collapsed over him. Rafe coughed and fought his way to the surface. A breeze helped by taking the sand away.
“Wow, that was close…,” he said in a somewhat amused tone, relieved to still be alive. “Is the world still out there?”
While Vale went to check, Rafe searched for Alise. When he found her, her eyes were closed, but her chest was rising and falling evenly, and her heart beat in a steady rhythm. He smiled and brushed the hair off her face.
“Yep, still there, looking mostly normal,” Vale said. “Cassie might not be for long, though. There’s a vortex forming above the place we left her.”
“We better go save her then,” Rafe said more cheerfully than he felt. He cradled Alise in his arms and lifted her up with great care.
“How is she?” Vale came closer.
“She’s still breathing.” That was enough for Rafe. He pulled her around so Vale couldn’t get to her, and he stumbled towards the stairs.
Chapter Fi
fty
The sun had crossed the horizon and heated the air again. There was no wind, no breeze. Nothing moved, except for the purple vortex that pulsed above the ground. Time seemed to have stopped everywhere else.
Alise stirred in Rafe’s arms when he arrived on the border of the lake’s basin. He set her down on the concrete, murmuring, “It’s all right. You’re safe.”
Vale jumped over the edge to get Cassie from the bottom of the enclosure. The girl didn’t move when he laid her down next to Alise.
“I wonder who will drop in through that.” Rafe nodded at the vortex.
“The pattern is the same as the one we found at Gorem’s house.” Even the colors were identical, a thousand shades of purple that swirled as if alive. Vale shrugged. “Must be his.”
“Gorem can’t open portals, but his Wizard can.” Rafe smirked. “Want to bet which one will show up first?”
The vortex stirred, purple flames extending and licking the air, spitting out a man dressed in a blue tunic. Fabian. He landed on his hands and knees but was quick to jump to his feet, raising his arms to defend himself or attack. Or both.
Holding onto Rafe’s arm, Alise stood up, staggered, and moved behind him. Cassie whimpered on the ground, eyes rolling in her head. Part of Rafe noticed she’d become sensitive to the presence of the magic, but his focus remained on the Wizard and the blades in his own hands. Vale had his blades out, too.
Another man stumbled out of the vortex behind Fabian. The brown coat and receding hairline was nothing out of ordinary, just like in the portrait they had been shown before starting after him. Gorem. His plain, brown eyes landed on Alise, and a smile stretched across his lips, but he held back, waiting.
Pulsing light enveloped Fabian’s hands.
“No!” Rafe yelled, but Vale had already launched himself at the Wizard.
Fabian shot him down with one blinding blast. Then he turned towards Rafe and aimed his magic at him.
Lightning shot through Rafe, frying his nerves and sending spikes of pain everywhere, but when it ended, he was still standing. Behind him, Alise gasped and collapsed to her knees. He didn’t have time to check on her, though. His heart was still beating, so she would be all right if they survived the confrontation. He was all alone, fighting in an environment unfriendly to magic users after he’d used part of his magic defeating the cloud monster.
