Page 121 of The Demon's Spell

“I know, right?” Talia agreed. “That, or a ballad. I’ve been trying to get him to sing one forever, but as soon as I start the first few chords, he won’t even go near the song. Says it’s not him.”

“But he has a great voice. Put it together with your lyrics, and I’m sure it’d be great.” Lucas turned around, noticing me for the first time. A smile spread across his face when he saw me. “Nad, it’s good to see you up. Here, drink something.”

Lucas shoved the water bottle in my direction, and I took a small sip.

“It’s okay,” he encouraged. “There’s a spring nearby. There’s enough for everyone.”

I was relieved to hear that, so I didn’t hold back. I chugged the rest of the water. I was really hungry, but I didn’t say anything and hoped the water would help fill me up.

“We found some berries, too,” Talia said, gesturing to a big leaf with a pile of blueberries atop it.

“Don’t eat too many,” Cooper warned. “I lived off those for a few days when I came here, but that might’ve been the thing that killed me. Too many blueberries are not nice to the gut.”

“I’ll start with just a few,” I said, popping a couple in my mouth. Sweet juice burst across my tongue, but I ate slowly, trying to make them last.

Lucas grabbed for a few, and I noticed his hands shaking. “You need to sleep,” I told him.

“I’m fine—” he started.

“You haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours,” I said. “Talia and I have this covered. I love you too much to watch you pass out from exhaustion.”

Lucas sighed. “All right, but wake me up if you find the Wand.”

“We will,” I promised, though at the rate this was going, I figured we had another day or two before we retrieved it.

Lucas went to lie down on the moss bed, while I ate up the rest of the berries and offered to pick more. Talia continued tending the fire, and I went off on my own. I found the spring on my way to the berry patch and used the water to clean up, then gathered a fresh batch of blueberries. When I returned, Grant and Miles were awake, and Miles was feeding more dead leaves into our tiny fire. He winced slightly every time he moved, and I worried his arthritis was flaring.

“You all right, Miles?” I asked.

“Great,” he said. I was certain he was lying, but he was insistent.

“Berries?” I asked.

“Oh, those look fantastic!” Grant sat down to get to work on his insulin. As he started munching on berries, he conjured the rest of his food. There were a few granola bars, some candy, a long beef stick, and a large bag of trail mix.

He spread them out and spoke with a full mouth. “This is all I’ve got.”

“At least it’s something,” I said. “You really came prepared.”

Grant shrugged. “I have to be.”

As the day wore on into evening, I became more and more hopeful that the Wand was within reach. We each took turns tending the fire. Miles and Cooper cracked jokes to pass the time, and for a few hours, I felt like I could forget we were trapped at all. By the time the full moon began to rise, I could sense the magic of the Wand growing stronger. We were getting close, though it still seemed so far away. We were only halfway through to the center.

Lucas woke shortly after sunset and joined us at the site of the tree. Grant forced him to eat berries and a few handfuls of trail mix. We were already running low on food, and I worried how much would be left before we made it out of here.

“I’ll take the night shift,” Lucas offered.

I gave him a kiss, then returned to the moss bed to get some sleep. The day had been long, and though we were making progress burning through the tree, it seemed to be taking forever. I tossed and turned all night, not able to get comfortable. I kept hoping Lucas would come and wake us to tell us he’d found the Wand.

But I woke up the next morning with no such news.

The hole had burned wider, but not by much. I spent the day helping tend the fire and gathering the last of the berries I could find. My stomach dropped when I realized we’d picked the bushes clean. It wouldn’t be long until we ran out of food completely.

Night fell once again, marking our third night inside the stairwell. We’d entered Thursday evening, which made this Saturday night. I was acutely aware that I’d missed my Friday dialysis session, but I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want anyone worrying about me.

My last dialysis session was Wednesday evening. I always went two days without dialysis over the weekend, so I could handle it this long, but I’d be on my next treatment by now. I didn’t know how much longer my body could take it. I was really tired, and it didn’t help that we weren’t getting enough food or sleep.

Talia tended the fire, while we listened to Cooper and Miles tell stories. Lucas whittled at a stick with his pocketknife to keep his hands busy. Grant conjured Talia’s music box and fiddled with it. I was starting to think the thing was beyond repair, but Grant looked like he needed something to do. Above us, Fortune Fairies glowed different colors, performing a beautiful lights display against the dark sky.

---