“I had Demi and Sawyer standing by in case we needed help. Their … friend … is special. She’s a healer. It’s a lot to explain but you have to trust me. I’ve seen her do this before.”
All I could do was nod. Luka took Liv from me as if he were pulling a ragdoll from my arms; her neck flopped to the side.
No.
“Hurry!” We bolted from the store, unaware of our surroundings or where Ruby or any of the others were. I no longer had a beating heart and yet it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. Luka was holding my entire world, my sister, my best friend. We’d raised each other; she was family, she was everything. An uncontrollable sob ripped from my chest as we crossed the road and Luka looked over at me. “Have faith.”
My weeping stopped immediately and chills broke out on my arms. He was right, I couldn’t unravel now. Liv was a good soul. I needed to have faith she wasn’t going to die on me. Not now. Not so young andnotat the hands of Maz.
We reached the other side of the street and I looked around desperately for the familiar face of Demi.
“Where…?” I stopped when the door to the van right beside us swung open and then Demi was there.
“Get in here.” She indicated her head into the van as Sawyer stepped out to make room.
“I’ll go help the women and children get on the bus,” Sawyer told Luka.
I grabbed Liv from Luka’s arms and told him to follow Sawyer.
“You sure?” he asked with a worried glance.
“Yes. Go,” I snapped, and then leapt into the open door, wasting no time. It slid shut behind me with a snap and I looked around.
The van was completely gutted in the back except for a mattress and some open potato chip bags. A young girl with short-cropped, mousy brown hair sat cross-legged on the mattress, and looked up at me with big blue eyes.
“Aspen, this is Astra. Our Paladin priestess.” Demi moved back to give me room to fully look at the girl, and for her to see me as well.
Her gaze fell on to Liv in my arms and she smiled, full of joy and innocence. “Oh, she has so much light,” Astra said.
Tears streamed down my face as I fell to my knees and laid Liv before her.
“Can you save her?” I begged. “Please.”
She looked at Liv’s black lips, the black veins that crawled up her neck, and then reached out and pulled one of her eyelids up.
Black.
I sobbed.
“Soul transfer. Whoever did this is trying to stay alive by using Liv’s body,” Astra said.
Soul. Transfer.
What. The. Frick. Was. That?
Maz was still alive? Inside of Liv? Is that what she was saying?
“Can you help her? I’ll do anything!” I begged again.
Astra held out her hands. “Pray with me?”
My best friend was infected with Maz’s black soul and she wanted me to pray? I took in a deep breath, even though I didn’t even need oxygen, and nodded.
God was the only one that could save her now. I wasn’t sure if she was even still breathing.
“Father…” Astra looked up at the roof of the van, smiling. “There is so much light left in her. If you would have her be saved, then please use me as an instrument of your healing.” She bowed her head and I just stared at her in awe. She was all of sixteen or seventeen, and so sure of herself and her faith. It was incredible.
A gasp tore from my throat when blue shimmery magic started to fall from the ceiling of the van and onto Astra. She let go of my hands and raised hers up to catch the magic. I stumbled backward as she then laid her hands on Liv and the blue mist coated my best friend like a second skin.
