“If they don’t, then I will.”
It took nearly five minutes for Valik and the lead Elemental to get everyone through the portal. The second Valik let it slam shut, he dropped to his knees. Scarlett and I rushed over to him, both of us helping him to his feet from either side. Beneath the thick layer of sweat bathing his skin and soaking through his Mystic-vibe clothes, his tanned skin had paled.
“I’m fine. Just need to sit.”
I wasn’t experienced enough to be able to instantly tap into other people’s minds yet. With everything happening around us, I couldn’t focus on the cord with Valik to communicate, so I remained quiet.
“You overdid it, dumbass.” Scarlett dropped one of his arms over her shoulder while I did the same with his other.
“I’m sure you’ll be thanking me later,” Valik mumbled under his breath, his eyes barely open.
Nell rushed over to us, stopping long enough to say, “Take him to the Healer’s Hive so he can rest and recharge.” She dashed into the foray of Elementals, seeking out the most injured first.
I carried most of Valik’s dead weight down the path and to the Healer’s Hive. This time, we didn’t have the chance to marvel and take in its beauty. By the time we reached the door, Valik was unconscious.
“Do we know if he can actually die from this?” Scarlett asked breathlessly.
Before I could answer, Valik piped up, “No.” I breathed a sigh of relief as Scarlett and I struggled with getting all three of us through the door. “Worse.”
“Oh, great. No pressure.” Scarlett held the door open with her hip as we shuffled through the threshold. “Although life would be a lot quieter without your bullshit, old man.”
“You’d miss me.” Valik’s eyes remained closed as he grinned. “Admit it.”
Scarlett opened her mouth to retort, but was cut short by a petite, youthful woman who took control of the door and held it open for us. Her snowy hair mirrored my own, and she possessed ageless eyes that seemed to look through us. “Follow me.”
We carried Valik through a maze of hallways and flights of stairs, and by the time we reached the water users’ healing ward, my muscles burned. The healer turned into a room on the left. From the doorway, Scarlett gasped in awe. The room’s entire floor was composed of water, not allowing us to see down into the room below, only wading water that seemed infinite. Somehow, the healer walked right over the top as if she were Jesus himself.
“Lay him on the bed here,” she instructed as she pulled the covers down for Valik. When Scarlett and I didn’t move, she glanced up from fluffing the pillows. Realization dawned on her as she looked down at the floor. “Oh, right. The floor is spelled. You can walk on it without getting wet.”
At that, Scarlett and I carried Valik the few feet standing between us to the bed and laid him in it. Scarlett might as well have dropped him like a sack of shit, while I tried to have a bit more tact about it.
“He’ll be fine,” the healer said, as if this wasn’tthe first time she’d taken care of Valik in this state. “He’ll be back to tormenting us all soon enough.”
“Try to keep him down as long as possible, please?” Scarlett pleaded.
The healer giggled. “I’ll do my best.”
“Thanks. You’re a gem.”
Scarlett grabbed my hand and pulled me from the room. We speed-walked back the way we’d come to the entrance. Other than Chrome and Gray, I’d never met an Elemental, and even then, I hadn’t known they were part-Elemental the entire time I’d interacted with them. So this would be a first for both of us. Curiosity plagued my mind.
As we navigated the Healer’s Hive, we were met with traffic of Mystics and Elementals carrying morbidly injured individuals up to the various floors. I didn’t stop and stare, but I did glimpse what appeared to be black blood oozing from large open gashes.
“Endarkened creatures got them,”I said telepathically to Scarlett.
“You think the Mystics can help them?” Scarlett whispered to me as we kept our pace.
I shrugged.“I really hope so. For all of our sakes. At least there would be hope of survival if we are ever attacked.”
When we pushed out the front door of the Healer’s Hive, the crowded courtyard had dispersed into groups. I searched the Elementals, looking for Royal. The questions tumbling through my mind of how she ended up with them would surely eat me alive.
“You think Gray is with them?” Scarlett muttered, scanning the newcomers. “She’s their leader now, right?”
“I don’t see her. She is supposed to be?—”
“Holy shit.” Scarlett breathed, covering her mouth with her hand. She stood frozen in shock, staring at one person in particular. I followed her line of sight and spotted a bright shock of red hair within the crowd.“Cardinal.”
Scarlett nodded before sprinting toward her brother. She slammed into him, almost tackling him to the stone pathway.
