A genuine grin curls my lips, for once understanding the feeling that the suicidal man is always chasing; the uncertainty, the thrill. Knowing full well that it’s an unnecessary risk, but wakes you up better than all of the coffee in the world. I had a small taste when falling from the top of that waterfall, but it’s nothing compared to now, when I can feel so much more than I’m accustomed to, like the disconnect I’ve always struggled with finally went up in flames.
“You’re awake.” Cambria’s relief has my head turning, that smile still on my face growing even more at the way she cradles a raccoon like a baby, scratching under its chin. Black, beady eyes gaze up at her lovingly, pawing at the ends of her hair and chewing on it. “How are you feeling?”
All of Atlas’ annoyance drains away as he faces her, scanning her for any sign of injury. “You’re alright.”
Cambria gives him a sympathetic smile, waking up in a similar state as him. “Took a bit, but Loki here got me all patched up.”
Atlas stiffens like it physically hurts him to look at her. Shaking it off, he stomps over. Loki twists in her grasp, hissing at him in warning at the confrontational vibe he’s giving off. Atlas stops, flicking his gaze between both of them until Cambria sets the raccoon down, cooing at him until he settles down. Still, he doesn’t listen to her urging to run off and find the other two changelings, appointing himself her official guard. After recognizing who she was, the magic that fed him identical to that of her parents’ no doubt, Loki’s been glued to her side. Though to his credit, hasn’t tried to tap into her veins for a drink yet.
She crosses the small distance between them, much to Loki’s displeasure, and he grabs her hands to inspect them. “Why the hell did you grab the gun?” he demands, flipping them over to search for the burns that are long since healed.
“Because I’m many things, but a bitch isn’t one of them,” she teases, mirroring her sentiments from when she first woke up after saving us. “And I stood a better chance not having my heart stop than you did.”
He growls, fisting a hand in her hair before crushing his mouth to hers. “Will you stop trying to sacrifice yourself for everyone, damn it?”
Gently, she pushes him back, though leaves her fingers splayed over his chest. “Probably not, so you’re just going to have to quit needing people to save you.”
I scoff. “Says the girl I had to carry halfway to the wasteland.”
Dorian chimes in, taking a seat beside me. “And that I had to haul through the woods before nursing you back to health.”
Cambria flips us both off, smiling. “Like you didn’t enjoy being responsible for sponge baths. Make it seem like a real chore to have your hands all over me, why don’t you?”
Atlas kisses her once more before pulling away, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders. “Why was I the last to come to?” He doesn’t miss the way her eyes quickly dart off to the side, clenching his teeth. “Just tell me.”
She exhales slowly. “The changelings used up a good bit of energy getting my head to stop bleeding. And it wasn’t until I was up and started trying to heal you that they got the message and helped.”
He seems to sag in relief at her words. “That’s it? You made it seem like it was going to be a big deal.”
She catches the ‘I told you so’ face that Dorian and I are both wearing, rolling her eyes. I don’t bother gloating; there’s no need. She was so upset that the changelings put her needs before his, refusing to believe us when we tried to tell her that Atlas would raise hell if they hadn’t and left her to bleed out in favor of healing him first.
“So did you get him to agree?” Dorian asks, hiding his smirk as Atlas’ lips press together into a solid line.
“You planned it?” he demands, looking livid.
We didn’t, but he doesn’t need to know that. Not when it suits all of our best interests to get him as worked up as possible. Dorian just must have been eavesdropping before they made their presence known.
I simply shrug. “Like it wouldn’t be obvious that the person capable of teleporting us would be responsible for getting us to the prison.”
He glares before his eyes widen. “You’re not eventryingto use your abilities, you fucking cheater.”
Cambria picks up Loki and sets him on top of the corpse pile to start working his way through the bodies before Raziel comes back. She and Dorian may have gotten to name two of the changelings, but I insisted on this one. There was just such an...intensity to that one, unlike the others, that I clicked with. Far less carefree and ridiculous and more observant, wary. So I named him after the archangel who guards the secrets of the universe, though admittedly, he’s more of a fallen angel of mystery.
Running my tongue over the inside of my teeth to curb my retort, I close my eyes. With having an official deal binding us, it’s not worth fighting over, lest I end up writhing on the ground in agony before long.
Rather than exhale to center myself, to dig deep and root through the convoluted emotions until I can riddle out how they work, I just focus on everything that’s happened thus far. I allow Victor’s cruel voice to echo through my skull, staking a claim on my brother and condemning me for his fate. I recall the screams of everybody that I love, knowing it’ll be a soundtrack to haunt me for years to come. My muscles twitch, remembering the feeling of shattering Achlys’ defenses. I condense all of it, imagining a flaming arrow, and aim it right at where I know Atlas is still standing silently. Everything I have, everything I am, I push into it, and I don’t even have to open my eyes to know that for once in my life, I’m enough.
Enough to piss someone off, but beggars can’t be choosers.
When I finally risk a look, Atlas is standing in the center of a fairy ring large enough to transport everyone back at my office. His neck is mottled red with his suppressed rage, and though I’m pleased with myself for holding up my end of the bargain, I hate being the cause of someone that I care about being miserable enough to create a torture ring. Because those dark red flowers? No doubt it’s what he meant about it being wrong, needing to soak up his blood as tribute.
“Again.”
He glares at me, but doesn’t object, shutting his eyes and trying to focus. He creates two more rings before he collapses, sweaty and pale. Now that Cambria has a better understanding of what she’s capable of, she places her palms on either side of his face and starts humming softly. She coaxes the color back into his cheeks, not even needing to sing this time.
I glance beside me to Dorian, attempting to gauge his reaction to it all. Cambria, Atlas, and I are all practicing our abilities while he still hasn’t discovered his yet. I have no doubt that he has one; if anyone in this universe deserves something magical to happen to them, it’s Dorian. But it’s got to be hard being caught up in the middle of everything he only ever dared to dream of, only to find himself still on the outside looking in.
Despite the magic flowing through his veins now, he and Atlas are still human. If Cambria practices her abilities more, she has the capabilities to sever that connection and renderallof us completely human again; even me. All of the creatures on Faerie if she so deemed and had enough time.
