Therion kneels in the grot of the cell and moves to grasp her ankles. I kneel next to her head, taking her too-thin wrists in my hands, pinning them against the grimy earth beneath her.
Rubi pours the elixir into a flask and approaches Nalya with hesitation.
“A flask, Rubi?” Therion asks, incredulous.
“She’s broken my tea cups, so yes, Teddy. A fucking flask,” she bites, though her face is still flushed with emotion.
Rubi passes a small vial of something potent under Nalya’s nose, and it only takes a couple of heartbeats before her eyes spring open. Bloodshot, fierce, and ready for violence. Nalya thrashes against my hands, kicking against Therion’s hold with a force that rivals that of a grown man.
“Hold on!” Rubi yells, as she pulls hard on Nalya’s chin to open her mouth, but Nalya bares her teeth like a wild animal, spittle forming in the corners of her mouth.
With force, Rubi pours the elixir into Nalya’s mouth, narrowly evading her gnashing teeth and manic head movements.
Nalya’s body is strong. Stronger than I thought possible and my grip weakens. I lash out with my shadows, pinning her arms and legs with tendrils of my magic that buy me time to breathe.
Therion eyes me with concern and surprise, as if to saywhat the fuck is happening?
I wish I knew.
“Step back!” Rubi commands, and we move back far enough that we’re out of range. I slowly release my magic, and her limbs go wild. Clawing, gnashing, gripping. Scratching at her own skin, punching at the wall behind her until her knuckles bleed—flesh split and ripped, blood dripping from her hands. Her teeth still bared, ragged clothes hanging from her skeletal frame. She looks…possessed. But behind her wildness, just for a moment, I think I can see…her. A little glimpse into the sister I remember.Her eyes soften, her shoulders drop, her mouth relaxes into neutrality.
And that’s when the crying begins.
“K— Kael?” she asks, uncertain, tentative, scared. It's as if, just for a heartbeat, the cloud lifts from her mind and she sees clearly.
“Nalya?” I ask, disbelieving.
She nods through tear-rimmed eyes, dirt covering every inch of her.
I run to her.How could I not?
I fold her into an embrace, just like I used to when she’d had a nightmare. Only this time, we’re both inside the nightmare, and it feels like we can’t wake up.
She crumbles into me, desperate, hurting, haunted, and my heart cleaves in two.
“Hurry, Kael,” Therion warns, knowing I won’t want to let her go. But he’s right.
“I want to stay like this, Nalya. I do. But I need your help so we can break this spell—get you out of here,” I say, voice pained.
“Wh— Where am I? Why am I here, Kael?” She looks up at my then, cupping my cheek in her hand, pressing her fingers into my stubble, as if analyzing my face. “You grew up,” she observes, and a small smile plays on her lips, though the tears never stop falling. “You’re not a child,” she whispers, voice fractured and hollow, and I can hear the words she didn’t say:and I missed seeing it.
“Little One, I need your help now, so we can be together again. What can you tell me about how to break into Kryntar Castle? How to break the Marked spell?” I say, keeping my voice gentle.
But she just keeps staring into my eyes. “Your eyes are just how I remember,” she says, her voice wistful and distant.“Exactly how they look in my dreams,” she breathes, and her voice cracks on the last word.
“Nalya, please. Help us, so we can save you.” I’m desperate now.
“We’re running out of time, Kael,” Rubi reminds urgently. “You need to get back.”
But I can’t. I can’t leave her.
Nalya squeezes her eyes shut, hissing through her teeth like she’s in pain.
“Kael, move back now!” Therion commands, but I ignore him.
Nalya's eyes fly open, and it looks like she’s fighting against whatever is pulling her under, “Wake him, brother. Wake him and find?—”
She fights against whatever pulls at her—the Mark, the curse, Maldrak, maybe even Morrathys himself. “Find the Shield’s Apprentice,” she grits out. “Wake him!” she begs, voice turning strained and otherworldly.
