"We must tell the others and get everyone to the estate until we have a better idea of what's going on," Mamó decided. "They'll be safe as long as they’re here."
We nodded in agreement.
"Shamus, send some Pixies to Faery—Kerry and Megan would be best—with a message that we must arrange safe passage for Tressa to return home."
I sucked in a startled breath. I couldn't imagine returning to my old life.
"Mamó, do you really think that's necessary?" I did my best to control the panic in my voice.
"I'm sorry, a leanbh, but there is no other choice."
"Mamó, please. I don't want to go. You heard Shamus: I'm safe here."
She shook her head.
"The Otherworld is the only place we can be sure you'll be safe. Your uncle will see to it."
I looked at Alexander, willing him to demand that I stay.
"Xander?" I whispered. He brushed my cheek with the back of his fingers.
"I need you to be safe."
"Don't worry, lass. He can go with you," Mamó said.
My neck flushed with embarrassment. She made me feel like a silly schoolgirl. Despite my embarrassment, knowing he could go with me lessened my misery.
"Alexander, I need you to run an errand for me," Mamó continued.
"You're sending him off the estate?" I asked, distressed.
"I want him to get cuttings from the herb garden while Shamus speaks to the Pixies. He'll be back before you know it. Besides, you need to sleep. Curl up on my bed and I'll have Jenny bring up some food for you," Mamó instructed. "You need to get your strength back."
Alexander lingered after Mamó and Shamus left the room. I clung to his hand, hesitant to let him go though I had no logical reason to object.
"Please don't go," I asked anyway.
"It'll be okay. You sleep now, and feel better," he said. "I'll be back before you know it."
Alexander woke me with a kiss several hours later. He knelt on the floor beside the bed, his face eye-level with mine.
"Wake-up, Sleeping Beauty," he said.
I stretched my arms over my head and smiled, However, I was still tired. I wasn't ready to be awake. I patted the bed next to me and said, "Why don't you come curl up with me?"
He shook his head and laughed. "I've come to get you for dinner. Your cousins tell me they have a distraction planned for us this evening," he said. "Come, they're waiting on us. The girls want to put an end to this ugly day by entertaining us."
His obvious affection for my cousins made me smile. He seemed to think of them as little sisters, which pleased me. They were my particular favorites when it came to my family—after Mamó, of course.
As soon as we finished our meal, Keelin and Rosheen pulled everyone into the Manor's long, open foyer.
"Roe and I thought, since we have to spend the evening in, we could spend it entertaining each other. You know, do a little show," Keelin explained.
"Holly, we want you to just relax and enjoy," Rosheen said. She settled Holly into a couch they had set up earlier along the short end of the foyer by the back door.
They had drug several chairs from the living room and placed them around the sofa for the other spectators. My grandmother took one of the chairs next to Holly.
"I'll join Holly," Matt said. "I have no musical talent."
"Truth!" Rosheen called out, grinning at Matt.
Everyone laughed good-naturedly while Matt took the chair on the other side of Holly. Alexander claimed a large, heavily padded chair, and I sat on his lap.
Sophia started the evening with another ballet performance. Connor played music on his flute while she danced, Rosheen accompanying him on the harp. Keelin stood to the side, coaching Sophia through the newly learned steps of the routine.
She was taking her bows when Matt's phone rang.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly before answering. He looked over at Alexander.
"Kendra wants to know if Sophia can come for a sleep over tonight," Matt asked.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Sophia chanted.
Alexander was shaking his head when Mamó said, "Let the child go. There is no reason to be concerned for her."
Matt arranged for Kendra to pick up Sophia. Then he volunteered to get her ready for her visit.
After the two of them had gone, Keelin did a real performance for us. Her technique was masterful, her connection to the music primal.
I performed next, singing an ancient song about a king who had fallen for a simple maiden. Rosheen accompanied me as I sang. Her harp added the perfect melancholy sound to the sad story.
"Where is Gil?" Mamó asked when the song ended. "We should have you sing together as you did when you were children."
"Mamó, we haven't sung together in thirty years," I said, startled by the request. I hadn't thought about those times in many years. "Anyway, Gil isn't here."
"I believe that boy is truly avoiding me," Órlaith said to herself.
"I'm right here," Gil said, coming into the foyer with a dirty dinner plate in hand.
His voice, coming out of nowhere, made me jump. Where had he come from? How long had he been there in the shadows? I glanced over at Alexander, who raised his eyebrows, his face mirroring my questions from across the room.
"I missed dinner, as usual, so I was watching the show while I ate," Gilleagán said as he hastily set down his dirty plate and placed his flatware and napkin on top. Then he joined Rosheen and me on our pseudo stage. "Let's not disappoint our audience, Tress," he said. "What shall we sing?"
I smiled warmly at him. Singing together after all these years was an unexpected surprise. We had great fun as children performing for our family and our parents’ friends. Our grandmother in particular was our biggest supporter.
We agreed on a song about a bird lost on the wind, a song I remembered with fondness from my childhood, but this performance didn’t feel the same. In fact, it felt significantly different. An inexplicable tension rolled off Gilleagán as we sang. My grandmother scrutinized us, thin-lipped, eyes narrowed. Not the joyful expression I had expected.
When we finished, Mamó got up from the soft chair with great effort. "A leanaí, thank you all for entertaining me this evening. I enjoyed it very much. But it is time for me to say goodnight."
Everyone watched her leave with puzzlement. It was such a strange, abrupt exit.
"That was a lie," Rosheen whispered.
We were quiet until Keelin spoke up, breaking the brooding silence.
"Don't let this spoil the mood," Keelin said with forced cheerfulness. "Let's dance! That will be fun."
She blasted a local pop music radio station and we three girls danced. It was the perfect remedy. My mood lifted with each twist of my hips as I moved to the beat of the music. Alexander must have recognized the great effect the dancing was having on me; with very little persuasion, he consented to join me.
Gilleagán brooded for a while, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Eventually the twins goaded him into joining us.
Two or three songs after Gil joined the party, Alexander began to cough. He excused himself to go to the kitchen for a glass of water. A minute later, Shamus pulled me off the dance floor.
"What is it, Shamus?" I asked, breathless from the exertion.
"You had better come with me."
He led me to the kitchen where Alexander sat on a stool, coughing into a napkin splattered with blood.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Matt found us in the kitchen after sending Sophia off with his sister. As soon as he walked in, Shamus and I shouted at him to stay away.
Fae Fever wasn't contagious to other humans once it had passed a certain phase. But, Alexander was in the earliest stages, which meant that others might contract it by touching his skin or through his perspiration.
I yelled to Matt to send in one of the fae. Connor must have been nearby; I heard Matt talking to him in the hallway. He came into the kitchen at Matt's insistence,
looking with distaste at the blood soaked rag in Alexander's hand.
"Connor, I need to get Alexander to my house and away from everyone here." I worked to control my panic but my voice shook.
"You want my help?" he asked, blanching at the idea.
"I need you to let everyone know what's happening. Then get Holly and Matt out of here."
Connor looked much more comfortable with this request. He hurried out of the room.
Between the two of us, Shamus and I got Alexander to my house and into my bed. While I pulled off his shoes and loosened his clothes, Shamus grabbed a towel from the bathroom. He handed it to Alexander as a new coughing fit brought up more blood.
I ran down the stairs to the kitchen. Staring at my pantry, I fought the numbness surrounding my brain to focus on a plan. I rubbed my forehead with a shaky hand. I hadn't yet properly recuperated my strength from the incident with the hiker earlier in the day. Would I be able to help Alexander? I breathed carefully, afraid that even that simple action would overwhelm me.
There was no real treatment for Fae Fever. It wasn't even a real illness; it was a spell cast to kill.
When could it have happened? It had to have been when he went to the herb garden. He must have stepped off the estate; perhaps he misjudged the edge of the garden?
I swallowed, pushing down the bile rising in my throat. Anger broke through the numbness: Anger at Mamó for sending him there. Anger at him for leaving, despite my request that he not go. Anger at whoever it was who had done this to him.
I scanned the shelves of the pantry for the third time. Few people survived this, and nothing in this closet would change that reality. I closed my eyes and took several deep, calming breaths.
The best I could do was to treat his symptoms as they arose. An illness hex could only last for so long before it dissipated. If I could keep his body going until the hex released its hold on him, he would be able to get healthy again.
"What do you need here?" Shamus' voice shook me out of my stupor. I opened my eyes to find him standing next to me, peering into the pantry. "I'll take it up for you."
His words jolted me into action. I pulled everything off the shelves that might be remotely helpful, filling a basket until it overflowed. I grabbed clean towels and ran ahead of him.
Alexander was in the throes of another coughing spell as I ascended the stairs. The cough sounded like it originated deep in his chest. I could smell the blood.
I handed him a clean towel to replace the bloody one he held in his hand. His muscles convulsed with pain. A ball in my chest ached as I watched him.
When Shamus came into the bedroom with my supplies, I asked him to get me the hot water steamer from the bathroom closet and to boil some water.
"Tressa, what's happening?" Alexander asked when the coughing subsided.
"You have Fae Fever," I said, matter-of-factly. I was determined to keep a calm demeanor so as not to panic him.
He looked at me in horror.
"Bu… but how is that possible?" he sputtered.
"Xander, did you run into anyone out by the herb garden?" I kept my voice casual, not wanting to increase his distress.
"Like who?" His voice was raspy from the violent coughing.
"Perhaps a fae you didn't recognize."
He opened his mouth to answer, but a coughing fit overcame him. He shook his head instead.
Shamus brought in a large pot of water, steam rising off the top. He carried it with his bare hands since Brounies are impervious to hot or cold. He placed it on the nightstand next to the bed before going to get the steamer.
"The first thing we’ll do is ease that cough," I said.
I steeped lavender, eucalyptus and tea tree in the water, a pleasant damp aroma wafting up in the steam. Shamus returned with the steamer, which he had already filled with water. I had him set it up on top of the dresser across from the foot of the bed.
"Thank you, Shamus. I'll take it from here."
"If you need me, I'll be going to wherever Matt and Holly went," he said. "I need to ward the house."
I felt a tinge of guilt; I hadn't even thought of that.
"Thank you, Shamus. Thank you for thinking of them."
He nodded stiffly before hurrying out.
I shut the bedroom door behind him to trap the warm, damp air in the room. Alexander's next attack would certainly be softer, less damaging with the steam there to help, I told myself.
I put a cup of my herbal mixture into the steamer’s water to increase the soothing qualities of the air in the room.
"There was an odd shower."
"What's that?" I asked.
"While I was out—a few drops of rain fell, but the sky was so clear. Could that have been it?"
"Aye, maybe."
I dipped a towel into the pot, letting it soak up the mixture. When it had cooled enough for me to touch it, I squeezed out the excess fluid so it wouldn't drip. Gingerly, I sat next to him and unbuttoned his shirt. He grabbed my hand, stopping my progress.
"Tressa, I can't let you touch me unless you swear you won't hurt yourself."
"Don't be silly. I'll be fine." I tried to pull my hand away, but he wouldn't let it go.
"Tressa, I'm not joking. Don't you dare sacrifice yourself for me. If you did, I could never live with myself."
I struggled against the tears that blurred my vision.
"And how am I supposed to live with myself if you die?" I asked.
"You must live; too many people depend on you. You must take care of Sophia for me."
He coughed again, and it seemed to be gentler this time. I wanted to get back to my ministrations, but he wouldn't release me, even through the painful coughs.
"Tressa, swear that you won't hurt yourself for me."
I nodded reluctantly.
"Okay. I swear."
He let go of my hand, and it seemed like his entire body relaxed. I finished unbuttoning his shirt and opened it wide to expose his chest. I covered it with the hot towel then dipped a second in the pot, wringing it out and laying it on top of the first. I did this once more with a third towel.
I put my hands palms down on either side of his chest, allowing an easy flow for my essence to move into him. A slow and steady pace might be enough to keep us both alive.
The flow of energy kept the towels warm without me needing to reheat them. I whispered a long, ancient invocation I had memorized ages ago. It was a laborious prayer, especially for the healing of mortal illnesses. I didn't know if it would be helpful in this situation, but at the very least it had a calming effect on me.
"Sing for me," Alexander requested in a groggy, sleepy voice.
I continued the invocation without faltering, but I switched to singing it to the tune of a soft, sweet love song from my youth.
When I finished forty-five minutes later, he was asleep. I took the towels off and covered him with extra blankets to keep him warm.
He continued to cough, but the severity had lessened considerably, and he slept through them. The steam in the room had him sweating. His sweat was a putrid, yellowish-green color that I took to be a good sign: I hoped it meant that the impurities inside him were working their way out.
Exhausted, I went down to the kitchen to eat something before I slept. I was determined to be vigilant about keeping my strength up so I could keep feeding my essence over to him. After a quick sandwich, I crawled into bed behind him. It took mere seconds for me to fall asleep.
I jerked awake from another nightmare filled with fire and Deaglan Mór. Alexander stirred and weakly patted my hand; as usual he woke when I did.
The yellowish-green of his sweat soaked my clothes, and my face was flushed where it had been pressed against his shoulder. His clothes clung to his body, drenched with sweat. I placed the back of my hand on his forehead. He burned with fever.
I stopped the steamer and opened the bedroom door to let the air cool. He was so weak I nearly had to drag him to the bathroom. Without bothering to
remove our already wet clothing, I went with him into the shower and let the cold-water rain down on both of us.
I didn't get out of the shower until my teeth were chattering. I toweled off and dressed before getting Alexander into dry clothes. He sat on a chair while I changed the bed linens. Then I tucked him back in the dry bed. He was unsettlingly quiet throughout the entire process.
The fever called for a different preparation. This time I started by mixing a concoction for him to drink. It had several things in it, but it tasted mostly of lemon and cucumber.
He only took a few sips when I brought it to him.
"Xander, you need to drink. You're losing too much fluid."
He took a small amount more with my continued urging, but it still wasn’t enough.
I tried another slow invocation, since the one I did last night had been so effective on his cough. I put many of the same ingredients from the drink into a basin of cool water. Then I took a sponge and systematically swabbed his face, hands, and feet with the cool tonic, singing the invocation and easing my essence into him as I had the previous night. Intermittently, I made him take more sips of the tonic.
This time it didn't help. His fever remained just as high. He had once again perspired through his clothes and through the bed linens with the ugly, yellow-green sweat. In my exhausted state, the thought of getting him into dry clothes and changing the linens again seemed daunting. I had just gotten up to start when Shamus and Mamó arrived.
Relief rushed through me at the sight of them. I was glad to have someone with whom to share my burden. I ran to hug my grandmother, and I would have hugged Shamus too if he hadn't held me off.
Mamó quickly assessed the situation.
"Shamus and I will get him cleaned up. You need to go sleep," she informed me.
"I can't sleep now. I'm the only one here with the gift of healing. I—"
"You must sleep. You need to keep rebuilding your strength, or we will lose him for sure."
Her blunt words shocked me. I nodded and turned to do as she ordered. I stopped at the door.
"You need to get him to take the tonic. He needs to drink as much as possible."
Tressa's Treasures (The King's Jewel Book 1) Page 20
