Galen could feel the blade in his chest, becoming more aware of it as he staggered down the hallway, out of the burning building. The others in the garden were standing by Rob. “Get away from him!” Galen lurched towards them “Get away.” He made it to Rob. They stood back unsure of him.
Broken-nose guy started coming towards him. “You stopped it, I can’t let you…” The man stopped suddenly, a look of surprise on his face, then he fell forward, sliding off Bobby’s sword.
Galen was falling, finally.
His father caught him. “Galen?”
“Took you long enough, Dad,” he said, feeling his father’s arms around him, holding him. “Rob?”
“He’s here,” Bobby’s voice answered. “Oh gods.”
“What?” his father said.
“I…my gods,” Bobby said again. “Parry…” Bobby’s voice was anguished.
“Is Rob okay?” Galen asked, relaxing. His head dropped against his father’s chest. He could hear Parry’s heartbeat, he tried to focus on it, tried to draw a little of the healing from his father. “Dad?”
“Bobby?” His father shifted, Galen cried out in pain. “Can you move him?”
“Yeah, Parry, sure.” Galen could hear Bobby moving, he heard Rob whimper.
“Don’t hurt him,” Galen said, it was getting hard to speak. “Is he okay?” Galen was aware of his brother the instant they laid Rob beside him. He reached a hand out, and put it on his brother’s chest. Felt the heartbeat, felt the chest rise with a breath. “He’s alive,” he whispered, then he felt something that terrified him. “No, Rob. Heal him, Dad,” Galen said desperately, afraid of what he had felt in his brother.
“Galen, hang on.” A hand brushed whatever was in his chest. “We have to pull it out. Galen? You still there?” his father asked.
“Yeah, Dad, sorry though, not much longer I think.” He let the darkness in a little.
“Go ahead, Bobby,” Parry said. There was a tug against his chest and then the blade was torn from him, the passage pulling at him like the thing’s claws digging through his chest. “Dad, no, you promised,” Galen said as he felt the warmth from his father’s hands beginning to heal the wounds on his body.
“Rob is…” There were tears in Parry’s voice. “You did good, Galen.”
“Thanks, Dad.” The darkness crept in further. He was trying to hang on. His hand was lying on his brother, he tried to let the light flow into Rob.
“No, Galen!” His father’s voice was desperate.
“Dad? What’s wrong?” Galen struggled against the healing, trying to block his father.
“Not this time, Galen,” his father said sternly. “Not now.” And suddenly, like a light being turned off, the world was gone.
Chapter Sixteen
“He’d never done that before. I didn’t know he could,” Galen said, looking at Rob.
“Dad didn’t want you to try and heal me, Galen. He knew.”
“Knew? Rob?” He tried to sit up again, Rob’s hand held him in place. “I’m okay,” he grumbled.
“Are we going to cover the ‘you know I can tell you’re not’ thing again?” Rob said with an sardonic smile.
“Of course he’s not,” Mike growled. While Galen had been speaking the doctor had produced a stethoscope and was pressing it on Galen’s chest. Galen tried to bat it away. “Stop that,” Mike said, smacking his hand.
“Rob?” Galen asked.
“You know what I see.”
“What?” Mike snapped.
“Rob’s like Bobby, Mike,” Galen said patiently, watching his brother.
Mike peered over at Rob. “Like Bobby?” He smiled suddenly. “Tell me then.”
Rob swallowed and looked at Galen, asking permission. “Maybe it will get him off our back,” Galen said, frowning at Mike.
“I’m your doctor.”
“Fine. Go ahead, Rob.”
“He has a spot,” Rob said.
“A spot?” Mike asked, peering at Galen.
“Where the blade went in and where…It’s the old wound,” Rob continued. Mike tugged at Galen’s shirt again, pulling it up to reveal the old scar. Galen was watching their faces, they both turned paper-white at the same time. “My gods, Galen,” Rob breathed. Mike opened his mouth and closed it again, swallowing convulsively.
“Rob?”
“It’s…I…”
“What the hell is that?” Mike said, looking from Galen to Rob.
Galen could feel something wet on his chest, the air from the fan had cooled it enough for him to notice. “Am I bleeding?” he asked curiously. Mike swallowed again and then bolted for the bathroom. “Something I said?” Galen asked with a smile, trying to ease the lines of worry on his brother’s face, trying to stop the near panic he could sense flowing off of Rob in huge waves. Rhiannon got up and walked to the hall closet, coming back with a towel. She carefully folded it and laid it on Galen’s chest. “I am bleeding?” Galen met Rob’s eyes.
“Black blood,” Mike said, coming out of the bathroom. “You’re bleeding black blood and…” He stopped himself as he pulled a cup from the cabinet.
“They can see me now, where I rest near your heart. Thanks to what your brother did, they can see me a little now,” the voice was back, whispering to him again.
“What Rob did?” Galen addressed the voice aloud, Rob looked at him.
“What?” Mike said, coming back to look at Galen again.
“Galen?” Rob put his hand on top the towel. Warmth flowed out from the touch, silencing the voice. “Is it talking to you?”
“It was,” Galen said. “How?”
“How what?” Mike was annoyed.
“He…it’s like the healing, feels a little different, but he shouldn’t be able to do that at all,” Galen said, looking from the doctor to his brother.
“He put you out earlier,” Mike said.
“Yeah, all Keepers can do that, like we can all…” Galen stopped himself as he saw a spasm of pain cross his brother’s face. “But this is different. Rob?”
“I…uh…” Rob smiled sadly. “It happened then, I think. Something snapped in me during the ritual. Then later at the hospital, before…” He paused. “I heard Dad and Bobby talking, about the Legacy and about us. And I heard…”
“What?” Galen said gently.
“It was in me, then. That’s why Dad wouldn’t let you heal me, that’s why he couldn’t heal me.”
“Parry could heal anybody,” Mike said defensively. “You’re both here, he must have healed you.”
“No. Dad healed Galen, there was no hope for me. It had…”
“What?” Mike said.
“It had invaded me during the ritual. It was in me, I had a wound a lot like the one Galen has now, only the thing had done it with its hands. It wouldn’t let Dad heal me. It wanted me to die…”
Past
Ten Years Before
Day Nine-Rob
The antiseptic smell of a hospital or doctor’s office crept into his awareness. There was a soft hissing sound that seemed to be connected to the gentle breeze against his nostrils. Something was beeping, an irregular beat. Sometimes when the beep paused too long, Rob would feel a spasm of pain and something that sounded like a pleased sigh in his head.
“I can’t heal him, Bobby,” his father’s voice drifted over to him.
“Can’t?”
“There’s something blocking me. When I put my hands down, it pushes me away.”
“It’s what I saw? After the ritual?”
“I think so, I…gods, Bobby, what do we do?”
“Nothing, they can do nothing,” a voice suddenly hissed in Rob’s head. He recognized it—the thing from the clearing, from the ritual in the garden, was speaking to him. “You are mine now, and soon, soon, we will finish what was once begun, child, Emrys. They did well to choose you, though they didn’t know, couldn’t begin to understand what this means to me,” the voice said.
“I don’t know, Parry. Do
you think…? What we suspected? Is it…our boys? Your sons?”
“The Legacy?” his father whispered.
“Could it be? After so long?” the thing’s voice purred.
“Dad?” Rob said, the word came out as a small whimper. “Dad?” he tried again.
“Here,” his father said gently. Rob felt his father’s hand on his forehead. “Can you open your eyes?”
Rob fought the glue that was holding his eyelids closed. He managed to get them open, the light was blindingly bright, he closed them again, aware of tears trickling down his cheeks. Taking a deep breath, he tried again, blinking away the involuntary tears. “Where’s Galen?”
“Yes, where is the other?” the thing said.
“He’s asleep right now, Rob.”
“Dad?” Rob felt panic twist in his chest, the thing laughed at him, Its voice hissing against his heart.
“He’s here, look.” Parry shifted so Rob could see the other bed in the room. His brother was curled on his side, facing Rob, his eyes closed, his face peaceful. Rob could see stripes where flesh and skin had been removed, and the remains of a hole in his chest where a blade had been. The ghost hilt of the blade was still in his brother’s chest. He could also see the shining marks where the wounds had been carefully healed.
“He’s okay?” Rob asked, knowing the answer, but wanting to hear it anyway.
“Not for long,” the voice hissed.
“Your brother’ll be fine, Rob. He should be awake soon.” Parry smiled at him. “If you can sleep a little more, maybe he’ll be awake next time you are.”
“Okay, Dad,” Rob said. His uncle came up on the other side of the bed. “Hi, Uncle Bobby.”
“Hi yourself,” his uncle said gently. Rob smiled.
“Just relax, Rob,” his father said. Parry put his hand back on Rob’s forehead and put his other down on his chest. Rob saw the light flowing to his father’s hands. He also saw it stop before it could enter his body.
“No, he doesn’t get to heal you. No, my Emrys child, you are mine,” the voice laughed.
Rob saw his uncle move a little and he heard something beside him beep. Warmth flowed into him, not from his father’s hands, but up his arm. Drugs, they gave me something to let me sleep. Dad wants me to think it’s him so I won’t be frightened. He started to reach out for his brother, but a pleased sigh from the thing inside him stopped him. “No, you don’t get Galen. No,” he told the thing in his head.
“Not yet, but soon,” it hissed at him.
“Never.” Rob drifted into sleep.
A warm hand was resting on his the next time he drifted to the surface. He’d been having nightmares, he’d known he cried out, and he was sure he heard his brother answer. Rob opened his eyes and looked over. Galen was sitting in the chair beside the bed. “Galen?”
His brother turned from watching the hall. There was a frown on his face, but it smoothed into a smile. “Rob. How do you feel?”
“Tell him, tell him how you feel. Tell him about me, tell him about this,” the voice laughed. Pain suddenly ground into his chest. Someone screamed.
“Rob, it’s okay.” He felt his brother’s other hand on his chest. Warmth flowed up against his head and his body. “No,” Galen said. There was something that felt like a push, almost like Galen had shoved him, then warmth flowed into him.
“Galen?” He wasn’t sure if he said it out loud or not.
“It’s okay,” his brother answered, Galen’s voice clear in his mind.
“You can’t heal him,” the thing hissed. “The child is mine, Emrys.”
“No,” Galen said firmly.
“Wait, wait…” the thing was pleased. “It can’t be. Not just Emrys, but…”
Rob felt a shift in himself, pain was flowing out of him, he somehow knew it was flowing into his brother. “No, Galen.”
“Let me, Rob, please.”
“Galen!” Rob heard his father shout, his brother was wrenched away from him. Rob opened his eyes. Galen was struggling against Parry, trying to get back to Rob. “Galen, no.”
“Let me go, Dad,” Galen’s voice was hard, sharp as a blade. Rob saw a flash, it looked almost like the healing light from his brother and then his father staggered a little.
“Galen?” Parry’s voice was shocked.
“Parry?” Bobby almost shouted.
“Stop him, don’t let him…” Another flash of light and Parry dropped to the floor. Before Galen could get back to Rob, Bobby blocked him.
“Sorry, no, Galen, you can’t.” Before Galen could react Bobby struck out, the punch sending Galen down.
* * * * *
“They stopped me, I’m sorry, Rob,” Galen said, looking at his brother. He could see Mike out of the corner of his eye. The doctor was shaking his head, a stunned expression on his face.
“They were right, Galen,” Rob said.
“Rob?”
“They were right. They should have put you in restraints and sedated you until I was dead.” Rob stood and strode across the room. He stayed with his back to Galen, facing the wall.
“Rob?” Galen repeated. He pushed himself up into a sitting position. The room spun for a minute. Rhiannon put a steadying hand on his elbow. With a deep breath Galen managed to get onto his feet. Black spots danced before his eyes as the maniacal laughter of It increased in volume.
“What’s going on?” Mike said, putting a hand on Galen’s chest. “You shouldn’t be up.”
“It’s okay, Mike.”
“No. Nope. No way,” the doctor said, trying to push Galen back on the couch.
“I had to, Rob…” Galen looked at his brother. Rob still refused to turn around.
“Had to?” Mike demanded. “Had to what?”
“This has something to do with what’s going on now, doesn’t it?” Rhiannon asked.
“Rob.” Galen was still focused on his brother.
“You should have let me die,” Rob grated out.
“I heard Dad and Uncle Bobby…”
“I did too.” Rob turned back to him. “I did too, Galen. They thought…I think they suspected…If they’d let me die…”
“They…We…Oh, gods…” Galen took a deep breath as the scar twisted. He could feel the cold black liquid oozing slowly down his chest. “If I hadn’t…We both would…”
“You don’t know that, Galen.” Rob’s voice was harsh.
“I do, Rob.”
“Dad and Uncle Bobby…”
“It wasn’t in them, Rob, you know the truth, you have to,” Galen was pleading, begging his brother to forgive him.
“Galen?” Rob said with a frown on his face. He was moving towards Galen when the room suddenly twisted around Galen, wrenching him sideways and down. Rob caught him and eased him onto the couch.
“It told me, Rob.”
“Galen…”
“When I…It told me, it’s why…” Galen said.
“Why what?” Mike’s shout caused them both to turn towards the doctor.
“I had to, Rob. Please…It told me, and once I knew, I had to…”
“Galen, I’m going to kill you in a minute,” Mike growled.
“That’s what we’re talking about, Mike,” Rob said, his voice grim.
“What?” Mike was surprised.
“It killed him,” Rob said, meeting Galen’s eyes.
“No, Rob, it didn’t kill me. I had to kill it.”
Past
Ten Years Before
Day Nine-Galen
“What happened?” Bobby’s voice drifted into Galen’s awareness.
“I’m not sure, Bobby, I think he somehow used the healing,” Parry’s voice was shaky.
“Is it true, then?” Bobby said, awe and fear in his voice. “Our boys. Parry…”
“I know. How do we tell Galen?”
“Parry,” Bobby paused.
“What is it?” When Bobby didn’t answer, Galen heard his father’s voice take on a desperate note. “What?”
&n
bsp; “When Rob dies, Parry, we’re going to lose Galen.”
“What? No, they haven’t gone through the Ritual of Swords, they’ve hardly trained together, they aren’t bonded yet.”
“No they’re not…but these boys…I don’t think it matters.” Bobby paused. “And the healer…Galen…You know.”
“Yes.” His father’s voice was strained.
“The thing…if it’s what…if this is the Legacy, Parry, Galen will die.”
“Both of them? No, Bobby, no.”
“It needs the healer, too. If it were the other way around we might be able to protect Rob, but…Galen’s tied to him too closely already, and it would come close for Rob. I…Gods, Parry.” Bobby’s voice cracked. “If you could heal Rob...”
“I can’t, Bobby.”
“I know, it almost killed you.”
“I have no idea how Galen managed even what he did.” Parry sighed. “How do we kill it?”
“The vessel has to die, but if this is the Legacy, when Rob dies and Galen…It Becomes.”
“There’s nothing we can do?” Parry said, anguished.
“No, it’s in both of them, Parry. That blade—it left a trace in Galen, and as long as it’s in both of them, there’s nothing we can do. Rob dies, Galen dies.”
Galen opened his eyes. His father and uncle were standing by Rob’s bed. Bobby had his arm around Parry’s shoulders. “Dad?”
They turned to face him, Parry brushing tears off his face. “Galen.”
“How’s Rob?” Galen sat up. “Did I help?”
Parry nodded. “He’s sleeping, Galen. You did help.”
“Thank the gods,” Galen closed his eyes for a minute. “I’ll do a little more…”
“No, absolutely not,” Bobby said.
“Or you’ll hit me again? Nice left, by the way,” Galen said, looking at his uncle.
“Sorry about that.” Bobby smiled sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure grabbing you was a good idea.”
“Probably not,” Galen said, smiling back. “Sorry, Dad. I’m not sure what happened, I just needed to get to Rob.”
“I know.” Parry laid his hand on Galen’s arm.
“I’m okay, Dad, except for the black eye.”
The Legacy: A Custodes Noctis Book Page 21
