Page 12 of Saving Destiny

Bren’s voice had held sadness and anger when he’d relayed that every timeline in which one of my guardians attempted to destroy the magic source resulted in their death. The same ending occurred if either of them attacked Walthers. Avery hadn’t argued against my instructions, but Garrett had almost ignored my warning. He’d been about to shift and enter the building regardless of what I said. The second I addedBren said soto my argument, he’d relented, and I make a mental note to remember the useful trick. This won’t be the last argument I have with the stubborn shifter who’s unused to taking orders.

Garrett told me that Walthers pressed a button on the tablet the second before Kodi’s leash faded, and his words triggered an alarm in my mind. The memory of the electronic collar I’d worn around my neck when I’d been imprisoned echoed the unnatural finding. Who is creating technology with the ability to manipulate magic? Are they using a supernatural source to power the electronics?

Most supernaturals can use advanced technology without issues. Mages with an affinity for lightning-related energy are the only ones who usually suffer adverse effects. Of course, most of my information is second-hand and gleaned from magicless news broadcasts and magazine articles. As far as I know, however, there are limits to how advanced technologies, especially appliances that utilize smart chips, interact with magic. Walthers’ tablet and my collar appeared to merge the opposing forces.

“Gah,” I groan with frustration. “There’s too much we don’t know! And Kodi isn’t waking up!” My tone borders on a pitiful whine. So much has happened today, and it isn’t over yet.

The gargoyle's gaze remains on Kodi’s prone body. I’ve never seen him unconscious before. The strange moment I woke up next to him was the only time he’d appeared to be sleeping. This is different from that, though. He appears fragile, and his energy is more translucent than usual. If I look closely, I might see the ground through his body, so I don’t. The ability to look through him seems like a death knell … or after-death knell. The leash is gone, but Walthers managed to drain some of his energy before we stopped the transfer.

How do we bring awareness to an unconscious ghost? Every minute they spend beyond the library’s protection makes my guardians more vulnerable.

“Try waking him up.” Bren offers in a light tone as his thumb sweeps across my knuckles .

I scrunch my nose and try to ignore the shiver his unintentionally sensual touch provokes. “How? Should I go out there?”

“No!” The command bursts from him like a scream. I flinch backward and risk peeking at him. The fear twisting his features surprises me, and he breathes in shakily before continuing in a more level tone. “No. You can’t go out there. Just speak into his mind like you did with Avery and Garrett. He might be able to hear you, like someone in a coma. If he can drag himself onto the library steps, he’ll be safe.”

I shrug at the suggestion; it’s worth trying, and it’s the only option we’ve come up with.

“Kodi?”I direct my mental voice toward the ghost. It’s remarkably easy if I focus on the thread that binds him to the library. His is duller than either Avery’s or Garrett’s, but I ignore that for the moment.

When the gargoyle’s vision reveals nothing, not even a nose or finger twitch, I raise my mental voice.“Kodi! Wake up, you ghostly dork! You can’t leave me yet. There’s so much we need to do! We have to find and destroy the bastard who hurt your sister. Remember that moment of solidity? When I touched you? I know it will happen again. We also haven’t finished the series we were reading at the orphanage. There’s still one more book, and I know the author will finish it one day. If you leave me, you’ll never know what happens to the dragons. Jon is still alive and Bran is going to be King. I know he will be, even if he’s in a wheelchair like me. He’ll make a great king. I know you were really upset about the Khaleesi dying, but Arya and Sansa are still alive.”

My mental ramble continues as I review the books that I read to him after everyone else in the orphanage went to sleep. They weren’t my usual fare. I prefer happier endings, less violence, and gentler sex scenes, but Kodi loved them. I’d read every word in every huge book to him. I swore he’d have cried if he were able to when the mother of dragons died. He’d pouted for days as if mourning a real girlfriend. The last book hadn’t been released, so we’d made up the ending. It was a much happier conclusion than the author would probably write. When Kodi insisted on bringing the Khaleesi back to life as a dragon, I’d thrown a pillow at his ghostly form. He’d accused me of being jealous, and he might have been right. Who doesn't want to be a mother to a couple dragons? Our enemies wouldn't stand a chance.

I continue to talk randomly about other books I’d read to him before I lapse into memories we share from the orphanage. I almost laugh aloud when I recall the story about the two teenage boys who’d snuck into my room in the middle of the night. Kodi had scared the literal piss out of them, and they’d run away screaming. They’d had horrible intentions, but they never bothered me again. After that horrifying ordeal, I’d started wedging something under the doorknob to make up for the lack of a lock. If Kodi hadn’t been there ….

My mental stream-of-consciousness thinking turns into a ragged sob.“I don’t care what you were forced to do when you were a kid, boo. You were trying to save your sister and your dad hurt you just as much as he hurt me. If it hadn’t been you, they would have found someone else – someone who didn’t show me any compassion, read to me when I was lonely, or offer me encouragement when I wanted to give up. You saved me years before you pulled me out of that dungeon. Your kindness and friendship kept me fighting. Don’t you see? You saved the library and me. Without you, there wouldn’t be a sphinx and our enemies would have the library. I’d also be dead and magicless. I can’t imagine a life without you.”

A tear slides down my cheek even though my eyes are screwed shut. I ignore it.“Get up off your lazy, ghostly ass and come home!”I scream. I might fail to direct the command only to Kodi because Bren jolts. The mistake is worth it, though, because the gargoyle’s vision shows Kodi’s twitchy response. His eyes flutter open with a dazed expression, and he nearly bolts away with alarm when he sees the massive beast looming over him. Luckily, Avery occupies his other side and can explain the situation. I can’t hear their words, but Kodi rises and stumbles toward the library steps.

I dash away the tears trailing down my cheek and disentangle myself from Bren. Avery and Kodi walk through the front doors just as I reach them, and joy fills my chest at seeing both of them.

Kodi hesitates, still half-transparent. I expect him to offer a sarcastic comment, but he says nothing. Instead, he turns away from me and disappears through the wall that leads to the apartments. I sense his dull energy settling into the bedroom the library created for him, even though he doesn’t need a bed for sleeping or a dresser for holding clothes. He can be alone there, though, and that’s what he seeks.

Confusion and sadness fill me while I stare after him. I barely notice when Avery crouches in front of me. “He’s still struggling, Zosia,” the vampire says softly. “Walthers drained a substantial amount of his energy, and he needs time to recover. He’s safe now.”

I sigh. It’s not what I want. I want his irritating personality to return, and I want to forgive him for the past in person again. Instead, I focus on the guardian in front of me. Strands of hair have loosened from his braid, and he abandoned his suit jacket when he left the library. The changes appear more obvious because I’ve never seen him anything but composed. Otherwise, he doesn’t look any different from when he left with Garrett. The time he spent standing over Kodi gave his fangs a chance to retreat. I’m about to breathe another sigh, this one relieved, when a spot of red on his white shirt makes my breath catch.

“Are you hurt?” I snatch his hand and pull his arm toward me without asking. It’s rude, but his lip twitches with amusement instead of anger. His dress shirt is torn and a large sliver of wood is embedded in the skin of his inner arm. The wound isn’t life-threatening, but the splinter needs to come out. My focus is on the wound, and I might not have noticed Garrett stomping through the front doors if he wasn’t so loud.

“We need to remove this,” I murmur, belatedly realizing that I’ve rested the vampire’s arm on my thigh. It’s the second time today I’ve allowed a virtual stranger to touch my legs. Can the vampire tell how mangled and crooked my bones are through the fat and muscle surrounding them? The thought makes me ill, but I resist the urge to push him away. This is something I can do to take my mind off of Kodi and feel less helpless.

“Gilly?” Although I raise my voice, there’s no need. The little goblin could probably hear me if I whispered. When she pops into view holding a first aid kit, I whisper my gratitude to the library. If only fixing Kodi’s regret and pain were as easy as this.

“Unfortunately, the ghost’s wound can’t be treated with this simple kit,”the library whispers into my mind.

“I know that,”I snap. My mental tone is harsh, and I immediately regret taking my frustration out on her. I believe it might be the most Sage has talked to me outside of the heart cave. She doesn't reply to my mental apology.

Inhaling deeply, I refocus and locate the medical tweezers in the well-stocked kit while Avery shifts from crouching to kneeling. I wince at the discomfort I’m causing his knees, but it seems silly to relocate now.

Looking at Garrett, I clear my throat and speak. “I owe both of you my gratitude. Thank you for helping Kodi.”

The shifter is pacing back and forth with a thunderous expression. He’s already reassured himself that Bren recovered from his episode. It was the first thing he did when he entered the library.

I can’t help but notice that the younger brother appears worse than when I left him minutes ago and less healthy than yesterday. His complexion is drawn, and his eyes look glazed. Is he having more visions? Did something new happen to change the future? What if we’ve screwed everything up again? Is it possible that every choice in every timeline ends dreadfully?

“That thing needs to be destroyed, and so does Walthers,” Garrett growls. “I need to go back.”

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