“We’ve also found a way to imbue you with a replication of theliving warmth.Permanently, Winter. It will be in your full control. No addiction similarities, just a stable constant.”
For the first time, Winter’s eyes brightened. “Really?”
“Yes, son.”
“I… about not telling the family—”
“No justification needed, we get it.”
“Dad, with you able to do that… Rex is being spelled with something similar by Ruxnoth to heal his mind. He’s clear-headed down here and fully cognizant, but it requires constant… Ruxnoth calls them treatments… can you see if there’s a way to help him as well? You saw my notes about the necromancers, right?”
“Yes, I know who is assisting you, those who are trapped, and those who are willing accomplices to Ruxnoth’s madness. I also figured out that it was Rex’s magic that helped you send your research to your mom. We’ll find a way to help him, heal him permanently.”
“Thank you.”
“Winter, your research to eliminate Ruxnoth suggests pulling him into the Valley of the Dead. That can’t be done yet,” Sylas warned him. “His ability to warp magic is a threat to the fabric of the plane. We’ll focus on Sanctus first, then turn our efforts to him afterward.”
“Sure. Understood.”
I frowned. He’d agreed to that rather easily.
I saw Evira and Zayn picking up on it, too—and Ketheron. The others were deep into strategizing the mechanics of this complex operation.
Winter informed us, “I need to bond with the Fuel Core ASAP. I’ve already held him off long past what he’d wanted. He’ll push back soon. Even though I’ve positioned myself as untouchable, the necromancers here aren’t—and neither are any of you.” His eyes flicked to Sylas, and I saw his first acknowledgement of Sylas’ death. It was clear why Winter had been avoiding it until now—it had to be extremely triggering and actually part of the trauma he’d confirmed had infected him.
“Tell us when, and we will make it so, and coordinate accordingly,” Remnant spoke.
“Tomorrow at sundown… if you can. I just have one more thing I need to do tonight before all this goes down.”
“One more thing?” Evira and I asked in unison.
Winter lifted a shoulder. “Just… shore up my focus, that sort of thing, get Ruxnoth moved into place.”
No. He was lying.
The chance to pursue it was lost to all of us in the next moment as the hologram began shuddering, the film sparking erratically also.
“Gotta go. Love you all.” He smiled sadly. “So much.” Then he forced a smile. “See you really soon now.”
I shot out a burst of my citrine magic, and then Evira and Zayn joined me with their own, the three of us attempting to bolster the connection, to hold it here a little while longer. Sylas moved to assist, but then pulled up short, just a moment before the hologram dissipated entirely and its magic was drawn back into the gemstone that glimmered once then settled into its prior state.
“He cut it purposely,” Sylas explained, as to why he’d pulled up short on assisting us. “If I’d pulled with my power, it would’ve hurt him.”
“Cut it, why?” Zayn asked, looking around at everyone. “Why? He said he didn’t want to make the conversation brief.”
“He was upset, trying to hold it together,” Evira soothed, reaching behind me and stroking Zayn’s hair.
Zayn sucked in an unsteady breath. “It won’t be long now.”
No, it wouldn’t.
I saw my own quiet insistence to myself to maintain focus on what had to be done, on the operational aspects, and not… the rest, mirrored around the table, Winter’s family trying to swallow down the emotion of that communication.
It took a few moments, but then we all began to move to prepare for our respective tasks before the operation tomorrow at sundown.
The operation to decimate Sanctus.
To remove a severe threat to us all.
