Claire clung to what was left of Sol’s shirt as her eyes pleaded with me. “Titus. Please.”
Right. I didn’t know what she wanted out of that heap, but it clearly meant something to her. And if she didn’t want to dismantle the ball herself, it was because she didn’t trust her own control.
Cracking my knuckles, I prepared myself for the task ahead. In my current state, I was going to have trouble doing this without making something explode. But I’d do it for Claire and for whomever she protected inside the bundle of earth.
Deep breaths.
Sweat broke out over my forehead as I concentrated.
Slowly now...
I crafted my flame into a thin rope that I sent through the air with as much precision as I could manage. It landed on top of the nest like a saw, which I used to cut through the top layer.
Then the second.
As well as the third.
Until finally a ghostly hand fell free of the opening. Working around that, I slid the fire wide, carefully lancing the side.
And a corpse-like body fell out.
Claire caught the woman whose bones protruded from every angle and hugged her to her chest. “Help me,” she said, looking at Exos. “Helpher.”
He jumped into the crater Sol had created and scooped her into his arms, his eyes running over the ghastly remains. “She’s energy-starved. Weak. It’s going to take a lot of work, but we’re not too late.”
Cyrus knelt beside the hole to take Ophelia—or who I assumed was Ophelia, as it was hard to tell with her decrepit form—into his arms.
Sol lifted Claire out of the cavern while Exos climbed out himself.
And the Earth Fae hoisted himself onto land. “How are my people?” he demanded, looking at me.
“Recovering,” I said. “Cyrus said the plague is gone.”
“Not a plague,” Claire cut in. “Elana. She was using dark magic to siphon their energy.”
“Why?” Exos demanded, his focus on Ophelia and not Claire. But his question was on point, as always.
“She went on about being an abomination, said the Council would kill her if they knew about her birthright. She said they’ll kill me, too, when they realize how powerful I am.” She swallowed on that last bit, then shook her head. “I think she was trying to recruit me.”
Cyrus and Exos shared a long look.
Then the Spirit King glanced at me, Vox, and Sol. “Cyrus, Claire, and I have a lot of work to do. Ophelia is hanging on by a thread after whatever Elana did to her. I need you to check on the other fae throughout the Academy, make sure they are all okay. Because that power surge I just felt? It was fueled by the fae on these grounds.”
I nodded. “Whatever you need. We’re on it.”
“Good.” He glanced at Claire. “Let’s go back to the Spirit Quad. It’ll be a quiet, safe place for us to begin the energy transfusion. But I need you to be very careful, Claire. No more source visits without me.”
“She shouldn’t even be able to do that,” Cyrus muttered at his side.
“A conversation for another day, brother,” Exos returned, already walking. “Let’s go.”
Sol seemed to think twice, his desire to snatch Claire written all over his face, but he drew a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “I’ll be on Earth Quad.”
“And I’ll check Water and Air Quad,” Vox said.
“That leaves me with Fire Quad.” I took off at a run toward the chaos, unsure of how to truly help but determined to find a way.
Tufts of earth had overturned every which way, leaving scars across the ground on my jog to Fire Quad. Weakened fae staggered and held their heads as if dazed, while others screamed for answers.
