Page 185 of Crown of Briars
Just when I thought I would topple off her back, she angled herself to the left. Gravity brought me back down. She leveled out, wings stretched wide, and my stomach settled.
In a few moments, we had crossed the Noxen Forest. A horrified gasp escaped me at the sight that greeted us.
What had once been a bustling village was nothing more than a heap of rubble. Smashed buildings. Leveled forests. Cracked concrete. With the shadow storm gone, I could now see it all in terrible clarity. Tree branches and debris stretched on for miles, mingled with the broken remains of the buildings that had once stood here.
Tears stung my eyes, but as I surveyed the devastation, I realized it made a strange spiral shape. Rings of ash stretched wider and wider, expanding from the center outward as if marking where the storm had spread.
And in the center of the circles lay a motionless figure, her eyes closed and her chestnut hair fanned out behind her.
“Sybelle!” I roared. My body was desperate to get to Sybelle, to hold her in my arms once again.
Azure arced wide, then landed a few feet away from where Sybelle lay. I climbed off the dragon’s back within seconds and rushed to my wife’s side.
Even before I reached her, I knew she wasn’t breathing.
I sensed Tislora’s crow form landing behind me, and she shifted to her fae form.
“Lor!” I bellowed as I crouched beside Sybelle, cradling her against my chest. Her face was smeared with dirt and bruises. Bloody cuts and scrapes lined her neck and arms. It looked like the storm had completely battered her. “Lor, can you—can you do something?” I lifted Sybelle’s body, bringing my ear to her chest.
There it was. The faintest of heartbeats.
But Tislora did not move.
I glared at her over my shoulder. “What are you doing? Help her!”
Her face paled, and she shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, Varius. But… she is too far gone.”
“She isnot gone,” I growled.
“No, she is not,”Azure agreed.“I can still sense her. Her fae blood is keeping her alive. But she is fading. You must do something, Fae King.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I hissed, my eyes burning as I stared at Sybelle. There had to be something.SomethingI could do to bring her back.
If Sybelle were here, what would she say?
Books,I thought at once. Sybelle would consult all the books in the library, searching for a method of healing. Ancient rituals, archaic spells, healing stones…
Stones.Stones!
I turned to Azure, whose somber gaze was fixed on Sybelle. Those magnificent blue eyes were moist with unshed tears. “Isthere a gemstone that Sybelle used? Something that could bring someone back from the brink of death?”
Azure blinked slowly, as if reluctant to tear her gaze away from her beloved human. After a moment, she said,“Yes. The moonstone. It would be in her pouch. I believe she had it somewhere on her person.”
With shaking hands, I fumbled with her bodice and skirts, searching for hidden pockets. There was nothing but her jeweled dagger strapped to her thigh. Gritting my teeth, I gingerly pressed my hand to her chest, then faltered. Therewassomething lumpy there.
Cringing at this invasion of her privacy, I tugged on the neckline of her dress, peering down to see if anything was hidden there.
Yes. There was a small blue pouch tucked between her breasts. “Only you, Sybelle,” I muttered in annoyance, trying to tenderly extract the pouch without fondling her. In ordinary circumstances, this would have felt highly inappropriate, never mind that I was her husband. She was unconscious—dying, even.
She would forgive me for this. In fact, I had no doubt she would tease me mercilessly for it later. I looked forward to it. Just the idea of that smirk on her lips made my heart lift.
She’ll be all right,I told myself.She will rise and taunt you, and youwillsee that smile again. You will see the way her eyes shine with curiosity and wonder. She will not die today.
When the pouch slid free, I tugged on the strings and overturned the contents on the ground. “Which one is it?” I asked, my gaze roving over the stones. They were of varying shades and colors, and I had no idea what a moonstone looked like.
“It is white and orb-like.”
I found it nestled between two blue gems. As soon as my fingers wrapped around it, my blood hummed with awareness. Igasped, then dropped the stone. The humming stopped, and my body instantly felt cold.
