Page 47 of Eldritch
Damn it.
“Nothing?” Zevander asked from the doorway, and all I could summon was a solemn shake of my head. Perhaps I really had just imagined her speaking my name.
“Where is this mass you spoke of? The one with black veins.”
Any other occasion, and I’d have concerned myself with Aleysia’s dignity. Instead, I lifted her tattered gown just high enough to reveal the branching veins and tumorous lump across her torso.
“It does look somewhat similar, doesn’t it? Bit more coarse, though.” He knelt at the edge of the bed, examining it closer without touching. “It isn’t possible that she could’ve been exposed to sablefyre and survived.”
“And you’re certain the scar on your face was the result of sablefyre?”
“Of course not. I was an infant when it appeared. I only know what I was told. My father sought out every mage across all of Aethyria, in an attempt to determine its cause.”
“And did he confirm a link to sablefyre?”
Sighing, he twisted toward me. “Confessing that I’d been subjected to the Emberforge ritual would’ve been cause for execution. Including my own. No, he never confirmed.”
“Then, it is possible that they are the same cause.”
“I suppose anything is possible.” He nodded toward Aleysia’s wound as he stood. “Though, hers seems to be far more advanced.”
I lowered Aleysia’s shirt and tucked her back beneath the blankets. “It’s a curious observation. She doesn’t appear to be infected like the other creatures we’ve seen. This has to be the root of her unconsciousness. You said vivicantem keeps yours from growing. Would it work on Aleysia, as well?”
“You’re asking questions I don’t have the answer to. You’re the first mortal I’ve ever known, and even you happen to have Aethyrian roots.”
A thought sprang to mind. “These fits you’ve suffered. Do you slip into Caligorya? I just wondered, if you do share the same affliction, perhaps Aleysia might be …” My words trailed off as he shook his head.
“Caligorya requires blood magic. It’s a subconscious use of magic that also requires vivicantem. I suppose the only upside to being low on vivicantem…I can’t easily slip into Caligorya.”
I looked back to Aleysia. “Days, we’ve been here without attack from those creatures. Perhaps both of us should venture to Moros’s. I don’t like the idea of leaving her, but two of us searching for those stones would be faster than one. And if the vivicantem helps her wake, gets rid of the infection, it would be worth the risk.”
“I’d certainly feel better having you at my side, rather than leaving you here alone.”
“So long as you don’t bring an axe with you.” The moment I’d said the words, even as light-hearted as intended, his browslowered, making me regret them. “You didn’t hurt me,” I offered, before he could say the thoughts churning in his head.
“What concerns me is that I failed to recognize you immediately.”
“That concerns me, as well.” The torment in his eyes lured me to my feet, and I reached for his hand, drawing his attention back to me. “Which is why it’s imperative that we find the vivicantem you need. We’ll give Aleysia one more day to wake. If she doesn’t, we’ll leave at the next first light.” Half-smiling, I placed a hand to his cheek. “These fits are temporary. We’ll find the vivicantem you need, and you’ll be better.”
Zevander’s brow twitched. “I’ll see what I can hunt in the meantime.” When he pulled away, I gripped his arm tighter.
“I’m not leaving you, either, Zevander. Whatever this is that you’re suffering, I’m with you.”
Lips tight, he nodded again and lifted my hand to kiss it. The usual furrow of his brow deepened, and he slowly lowered my hand away from his face.
I followed the path of his gaze to the floor, where a strange marking just slightly beneath the bed had me frowning, too. Carved into the wood were deep black grooves, like claw marks from an animal.
Lowering to his knees, he ghosted his finger across one of the jagged grooves. “I saw marks like those the night before last, in the crawlspace. Thought it might’ve been some strange, mortal variety of animal.” A black substance clung to his skin, and as he wiped it onto the bed covers, I caught sight of something dark on Aleysia’s fingers too.
Brows pulled even tighter, I lifted her hand to see the black substance beneath her fingernails. A chill whispered across the back of my neck, and I tossed her hand onto the bed. “It’s under her fingernails. She did this?”
He lifted Aleysia’s hand, examining her fingertips. “It would seem, except…imagine what your own fingers would look like, had you left those scratches in the wood.” He was right. Her fingertips should’ve been bloodied and skinned, her nails broken from the pressure. “I’ve locked the door each night, but I suggest we bind her to the bed, as well.” The turmoil churning in my head must’ve been clear on my face, because he added, “A safety precaution.”
“I understand. If it’s her, I would hate to imagine what she might do to herself.”
“And if it’s not her, we may need to consider finding shelter somewhere else. Perhaps in town.”
Given that we didn’t know the state of things in town, the thought of that sent a ripple of distress through me. Even so, I nodded.
