Page 104 of A Baron of Bonds
I huffed, folding my arms at my chest. “You know I have the power to do it. You know that with Cosensian Magic and some more training, we can clear the Blight completely.”
He turned to the door and shut it, leaning back against its frame, his own arms crossed at his chest. “What I know is that both times you’ve used that spell, your hair has lost its color. What Iknowis that both times you’ve used that spell, you couldn’t let go of it even as it grew beyond a weight you could carry.”
“I candothis, Rev. I was brought to Felgren to do this.”
“You were brought here todie.”
The last word seemed to resonate through the room like a promise never fulfilled by the man who still continued to haunt our lives.
“I’m sorry, Karus, I?—”
I held up a hand. “No, you’re right. What you said is true. But I refuse to believe that’s the only way. It can’t be the only outcome to destroying all of the Blight. I won’t let it be.”
He rubbed his face with his hands, pulling them through his black waves. “Let’s go. We both are badly in need of a bath. I’ll explain this”—he gestured to the laboratorium, destroyed as it was—“after we’ve cleaned ourselves up.”
I nodded, my arms still crossed as he opened the door. I stepped out into the hall, breathing cool air, and he followed, locking it behind him.
“You didn’t lock it before you left the last time?” I asked, headed down the hall.
“No one comes down here except Pompeii to—” He frowned and looked back at the door.
“What is it?”
He opened the lock and barreled inside. I followed, peeking around the door to see him pulling open a basket on a small table near the shelves.
Sighing he replaced the lid, finding the contents empty. “The towels. Pompeii must have come here to clean the towels I used with the last pieces of Blight. The one that evolved into that…thing.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Then you think…” I started.
“Yes,” he continued for me, “Pompeii’s sickness comes from the Blight.”
My bare feetpadded across the cold stone floor. I paced back and forth before the fire in our rooms, hardly able to even appreciate being back in them.
Our bath was hot and waiting, just how Rev liked it.
I had stripped down to my undergarments, having thrown my dress into the massive fireplace, watching the ruined fabric flare and burn down to nothing.
If what we guessed was true, we couldn’t risk others becoming infected. We’d chosen to isolate ourselves here after Rev retrieved the towels from Pompeii’s room.
I rubbed my temples, thinking of all that could go wrong. Rev had been exposed for weeks now, so it was unlikely he would be affected. But Talon and Ilyenna had been in Pompeii’s rooms.
What if they caught this blight infection as well?
What if it killed its host?
Maybe we were wrong. Maybe he fell ill from something else, but just as Rev had confirmed himself, I’d never seen Pompeii sick in the time I knew him. And the bruising at his chest looked eerily similar to the black hands of those inflicted with the Black Fever.
Rev stepped through the doorway, and I stopped my pacing. He held a bag in his arms, shirtless and with ill-fitting trousers that were far too small and emerald green, like Pompeii’s livery. I concluded he had shed his clothing, stuffing it into a bag to reduce exposure as he walked through the Fortress.
Closing the door, he strode quickly to the fireplace, tossing the bag into the fire where it burst into flames, and smoke began to enter the room. He erected a wall of blue power around the fireplace to keep us from the fumes and turned to me. “Pompeii is still sleeping. He should be out for another few hours. I’ve informed the staff and the channelers. Talon and Ilyenna are isolating in Ilyenna’s room as well.” He exhaled heavily. “I just hope we’re overreacting. Maybe it’s nothing.”
I shook my head. “You heard his rasp. You saw the dark bruise on his chest—Rev, what if this is something new? What if what I grew in Viridis can infect us all?”
“Then we’ll find a way to stop it. We won’t let it take him or anyone.”
Tears welled in my eyes.
This was supposed to be a happy time.
