Page 32 of Faerie Fate
It didn’t matter if I made it out of this. Not really. And walking was the least of my worries.
Julie gently pried herself out of my death grip and stood, crouching to help me rise too. When I didn’t stumble or fall, she helped herd me toward the stairs. Every step took more effort and concentration than it would have normally.
But I was walking. I was upright. Small wins compared to the absolutely horrendous dizziness splitting me into pieces, churning my stomach and sending bile erupting upward.
Coral and Noren were waiting at the top of the stairs. “That Marsh woman took the kids off to Professor Ian, to get them medical attention,” she said straightaway, tapping her foot. “Everyone else is waiting in the southern parlor.”
“And by everyone you mean…” Julie pressed.
Coral stiffened. “Everyone who matters. Come on.”
Much to my surprise, my cousin stepped up beside me and helped shoulder part of my weight. She stared at me with her usual down the nose disdain.
“Maybe you’re the one who needs to be in the hospital right now,” she said.
“I’ll get there as soon as I’m able,” I replied.
I smiled at Noren, who had to slow down to my molasses pace and kept whining and trying to lick my hands.
“I’m going to be fine,” I lied to him. “Stop worrying about me.”
If direwolves could roll their eyes, then Noren would have, his lips peeling up from his muzzle.
“I swear, Tavi, I think that beast really understands what you’re saying. He’s practically a fae.” Coral sniffed, groaning when I missed my next step.
“The fact that you have an Unseelie direwolf as a pet is astounding,” Julie agreed.
“He’s not a pet,” I corrected, wincing. “More like a mother hen. He’s always worried.” I wrestled with the strong urge to wrap my arms around his neck and never let go.
We regrouped in the parlor, every face sharing an identical expression of concern. Mike. Melia. Bronwen. My cousin and my direwolf. The dynamics threw me off because it was strange to see them all together, and stranger yet to miss Livvy and Laina.
But we’d added Nurse Julie.
“This is too fucking freaky,” Coral muttered, her lips pursed.
My thoughts exactly.
She helped deposit me in a wingback chair and snapped her fingers to light a fire in the grate. The magic blanketed the space with warmth as much as comfort.
Melia lifted a hand and a bubble of silence fell down around us. “There. This way, we’ll be able to talk without anyone interrupting us.”
Or walk into a conversation they weren’t supposed to hear.
“We should put this off,” Mike insisted, leaning forward. He laced his fingers together. “Tavi needs to see a healer as soon as possible.”
“I’ll be fine.” I’d say it, downplay it, as many times as possible.
I leaned back heavily and crossed my legs underneath me. Coral dropped down on a crimson velvet pouf in front of the fire, and Noren crouched in front of me to lean the bulk of his weight to me. If the chair was large enough, I had a feeling he’d have crawled onto my lap.
Julie remained near the door as though she wasn’t sure if her presence was necessary or not, her wings continuing to flutter. She wrapped her arms over her chest.
“Please don’t go,” I called out before she had a chance to move. “Stay.”
If I had another attack or ended up passing out, I’d need her.Die, and Kendrick will die too. The thoughts from the abyss were especially loud and no amount of swallowing or rage or curled knuckles destroyed them. So I shook the thought loose and focused on the others.
Coral stared at Julie with her eyes squinted, taking the nurse’s measure. Melia was the only calm one. Her face gave nothing away. She sat on a loveseat beside Bronwen, composed and poised, her expression serene even if there was chaos in her head.
“What kind of zombie curse is it, Tavi? Do you know the details?” Julie asked.
