Page 82 of Faerie Marked

Every inch of me hurt but I didn’t protest, teetering on the edge of consciousness. When I couldn’t walk, she lifted me easily and turned, carrying me off. I lay cradled in her arms, trying to see but everything blurred again. I rested there, nearly blind, each step sending a jolt of pain through my ravaged body. But I didn’t cry out as she whisked me inside the castle straight to her office.

“Stay with me,” she repeated.

“I’ll try.”

Was that my voice? It didn’t sound like me.

I lost myself to the pain. Was I awake? Asleep? The last thing I remembered was Julie’s concerned expression before I passed out entirely.

* * *

“Using the crystal against Roman was a stroke of genius on your part,” Julie told me later, once the blood had been cleaned, my wound dressed, and my newly re-broken arm reset again. “I swear, you continue to surprise me. How did you know it would disrupt his magic enough to release the glamour enchantment?”

I struggled to sit up by myself but when it proved impossible, I let Nurse Julie help me into a seated position. “I didn’t know. It was the only thing available to me. I didn’t have a choice.”

“Well, it worked. It weakened him just enough so Detective Wilson was able to stop him.”

I shook my head and winced. “Wait… You mean I didn’t kill him? With the quartz, I mean.”

“No, honey, you didn’t. Detective Wilson shot Roman. And just in time, too.”

My head still spun but at least I didn’t have Roman’s death on my conscience. “He meant to kill me.”

“And almost succeeded, judging by the damage, but you did good, kiddo. Unfortunately, touching the quartz negated your potion spell. Here’s another vial for you.” She reached into her drawer and withdrew a potion for me to take. “You really do go through these like candy. We are going to have to work on it. Now go get some rest. We’ll meet again tomorrow. I can teach you how to whip up your own batch. And I know this is a needless warning, but don’t touch another quartz crystal again. I’ll have to tell your divination professor to provide you with an obsidian ball if you want to do any more scrying. Marsh keeps a few in her office.”

“Thanks.” I offered her a weak smile and swallowed the potion. “I owe you.”

“No, sweetheart. You owe me nothing.”

We were interrupted by the clearing of a throat and Nurse Julie and I turned to the doorway in tandem.

“I hope you’re lucid enough for me to come in and ask you a few questions, Miss Alderidge.” Detective Wilson looked softer than normal, as though someone had shaken him out and smoothed away the rough edges.

I gave him the same smile I had given Nurse Julie seconds earlier. “Sure. Let’s get this over with,” I told him. Better now than later.

Nurse Julie made a perfunctory protest about how I’d been through enough and needed rest, but she stood and offered up her swiveling stool to the detective anyway. He thanked her with an inclination of his head but didn’t sit.

“I wanted to let you know. Roman did not survive the gunshot wound. Your secret will go no further than those in this room,” he told me softly. “We will keep your true nature hidden.”

Roman had been my friend, or so I’d thought. We’d spent countless hours together talking and laughing. Now he was dead. I tried to search inside myself and find the remorseI knew I should feel. Somehow, I found nothing beyond a cold edge of satisfaction. The situation was finally wrapped.

“Too bad two students had to die before he was stopped.”

Detective Wilson grimaced. “It’s unfortunate, yes. But at least we stopped him before he could commit a third murder.”

“Are you going to tell the headmaster about me?” I wanted to know.

Detective Wilson scoffed, turning his head away to give me a view of his strong profile. “Your headmaster is a prejudiced piece of crap. It would go against everything I believe in to reveal your secret to him. So nah, little girl. I’m going to be cheering you on from the sidelines. Continue to kick serious ass and get your Faerie citizenship so you can get the hell out of here.”

I held my hand out for him to shake, his callused fingers wrapping around my much smaller ones. “It’s a deal.”

* * *

After I was sewn up and bandaged and sent on my way, I met Melia outside of the office. When I looked over at her hastily covered sniffle, her eyes were wet and tears trailed down her cheeks.

“Meli, what’s the matter?”

“Oh my God, Tavi. Just…just—” And she stopped, hugging me to her chest as only Melia could. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

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