“Then we do it together. Your insight is essential to both our medical response and our defense planning. But I need you functional, not collapsed.”
She holds my gaze a beat longer than necessary. Then nods once and turns back to her patients.
Chapter 4
Lyanna
Hours blur together. I move between patients, hands betraying the exhaustion I’m trying to hide.
“Try the elderflower infusion again,” I instruct Harper. “And check if Elysia’s lunar water treatment had any effect on Gabriel.”
Nothing works for more than an hour. Every healing attempt meets the same resistance—Faelan’s signature corrupting our efforts from the inside.
“Her temperature’s rising again,” I mutter, moving to Dane’s bed. Same pattern, same resistance to treatment. Across the room, Elysia and Isla work over the bonded couples, their hands glowing with fae energy that seems to dissipate before itpenetrates the corruption. Nyxiana continues her angel healing on Ben, but I can sense her frustration at the lack of response.
My hands shake as I try another approach on Dane, summoning healing energy laced with purification magic—techniques I learned at Lachlan’s healing compound after I first came to the earth realm. The copper scent intensifies, almost mockingly.
“Lyanna.” Harper’s voice cuts through my concentration. She places a hand on my arm, and I realize I’ve been staring blankly at Dane for several minutes. “You’ve been at this for hours, and your energy is erratic.”
I glance past her and notice she’s positioned herself where she can see Ben’s bed. She’s been doing that all day—finding reasons to be near him, checking his readings more often than strictly necessary. She probably doesn’t even realize she’s doing it.
“I’m fine,” I say automatically, though we both know it’s a lie.
Harper shakes her head. “No, you’re not. Your hands are trembling, and that last healing attempt actually made Dane’s fever spike.” She keeps her voice low, but I feel Nyxiana’s attention shift toward us. “This disease is still processing, but your discovery about Faelan is affecting your focus.”
I want to deny it, but she’s right. Every time I close my eyes, I see that shadow pulse beneath Nova’s heartbeat. Faelan’s signature, unmistakable and deliberate.
“We need you clear-headed,” Harper continues, her voice gentle but firm. “Either refocus or step back for a moment. The team needs to develop a systematic approach, and your insight is crucial—but only if you can separate your fear from your healing.”
I look around at our five-healer team working desperately to save the pack, and realize my emotional turmoil isn’t just affecting me—it’s undermining our collective efforts against a contamination deliberately targeting everything we love.
Taking a deep breath and focusing on the healing crystal in my hand, I force my mind to empty of everything except the infection’s pattern. Harper is right. Emotion is my enemy right now, and Faelan’s signature is tangling with my healing work.
“Let’s establish a clear protocol,” I say, setting the crystal down. “We need a systematic approach rather than individual techniques.”
Elysia moves to join us, her ash-blonde hair tucked behind her ears. “I’ve been tracking energy fluctuations during treatment. Every time we push healing into them, the contamination absorbs it—feeds on it, almost. That’s why our efforts keep making things worse instead of better.”
I look at the team around me. We’ve been working together since Elysia and Isla arrived via portal, but our efforts have been scattered.
“Nyxiana,” I say, “can your angel purification help stabilize the magical channels?”
She nods, her violet eyes focused. “Yes. My white flame disrupts corruption patterns without harming the host. But it only buys us hours before the illness reestablishes itself.”
“What if we combine approaches?” I suggest, focusing on the problem rather than my fear. “Harper, what combinations have shown the most stability so far?”
Harper flips through her notes, all business now. “Elysia’s fae cleansing followed immediately by Nyxiana’s purification flame has given us the longest periods of stability—approximately three hours before fever returns.”
I move to Nova’s bedside, channeling healing energy into specific pathways rather than flooding her system. “Let’s create rotating teams. Two healers per patient, alternating techniques on a strict schedule.”
“I’ll coordinate the rotation,” Harper says, already sketching out a chart. “Staggered treatments might help us maintain constant pressure on the disease.”
Isla kneels beside Kieran, her hands glowing with soft light. “When we separated bonded pairs for individual treatment, symptoms worsened within minutes. Treating them together buys us more time.”
“Confirmed,” Elysia agrees, looking up from Gabriel and Amara. “I’m seeing the same pattern.”
I nod, making mental adjustments to our approach. “Harper, make sure bonded pairs are always treated by the same healing team at the same time.”
As we continue refining our protocol, Harper pauses in her documentation, a frown forming between her brows.
