Page 107 of A Fate of Blood and Magic
Fae had died today.Childrenhad died today. Even more were going to die. All because of people like me.
I meant what I’d told Elias. I didn’t want him seeking any kind of vengeance against the fae who’d harmed me. If striking me had helped them in any way, I’d welcome far worse.
With Alastor guiding us out, we left the destruction behind. It felt like I was leaving a piece of myself as well.
Another explosion shook the ground as a wave of black and gray smoke swarmed toward us. Within seconds, Alastor grabbed me and held my head against his chest to protect me from the incoming smoke. It was similar to the smoke from earlier, seeming to glide over our skin as if it searched for a way in.
Unable to put up a protective shield, I held my breath, not wanting to feel that tightness in my chest from earlier when I had taken in a lungful of smoke.
The smoke was thick and hot, and even though I kept my eyes closed and my face against Alastor, it made my eyes water and my nostrils and throat burn. Beside me, someone coughed this horrible, hacking sound that was followed by a breathless wheeze.
My heart lurched, and my anxiety spiked as I listened to the raspy bark of that horrible cough. I sensed Alastor’s magic stir to aid whoever still gasped for breath.
A long time passed, too long, while we waited for the smoke to clear. Once it did, I saw that Donnie and Nate had tried to also shield Ryenne from the smoke. While Nate had his nose pressed to the top of her head, Donnie covered his mouth and nose with his shirt. His nostrils flared when he dropped his shirt to cough.
Alastor’s head jerked up, his attention narrowing in the direction of the explosion as Donnie spit on the snow-covered ground. The explosion hadn’t been far but somewhere along the main street of Reignom.
Acid rose when I thought of the castle, where Queen Renee and Grace and her kids were. Grandma Richter had also gone back to look after Elias’s mom once it was safe for us to leave my home. Had the explosion come from there, where several fae still recovered in the bedrooms? Had it been the school or where the shops and townhomes lined the streets?
“We need to get to my village now,” Alastor said.
From his inner pocket of magic, he pulled out two shirts. He gave one to Ryenne and tied the other over my face to cover my nose and mouth. With Nate’s help, Ryenne did the same. When Alastor pressed a hand to my back, I followed him toward his village.
We only made it a few steps when Donnie’s coughing made him stop. I settled beside him when he leaned over to vomit. The next breath he took came out as a wheeze. He coughed again, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to draw in another breath.
Alastor laid a hand on Donnie’s shoulder, his magic flickering as it swam through my friend. I ran a hand over Donnie’s back while I gripped Alastor with my other hand to send him my magic. Alastor’s magic flared with renewed strength, and Donnie’s wheezing subsided after a few minutes.
Although still out of breath, he nodded. “Let’s go,” he said between shallow breaths.
“We should wait until?—”
“He’s right,” Alastor said. “We need to go.”
Again, Alastor stared toward the smoke and fire that flamed over the roofs of Reignom’s main street.
While I kept one hand on Donnie’s back, I reached the other to hold his hand, which felt far too cold against my palm. He squeezed once before he lurched to move forward. We kept a slow pace, stopping whenever Donnie bent over to cough or catch his breath.
I'd never seen him so distressed in all the years I’d known Donnie. It wasn’t just the pale pallor of his face or the sweat that built above his brows. More, it was Donnie himself. He was always in control of himself and as much of his surroundings as possible.
But this . . . Donnie couldn’t control this, and it terrified me.
When another frenzy of coughs took him, he bent over with spit dribbling from his mouth.
Again, Alastor gripped his shoulder while I moved to hold Alastor’s hand so he could absorb more of my magic. Donnie gripped his chest while I continued rubbing his back.
He looked up at me, his eyes wide and pupils dilated. I pulled the shirt Alastor had tied around my face down to offer my friend a small smile.
“It’s okay,” I said softly. “You’re okay. You’re going to be okay.”
He shook his head, drawing his attention to Ryenne before he peered back at me.
“Go,” he said, pushing out the single word with a wheeze. He coughed again. “Leave.”
I scoffed and tried my best to give him a playful smile. “As if Ry or I are going to leave you.”
He shook his head again, this time trying to push me away while his head dropped forward. I looked back at Ryenne who stared at us with terror. When I tried to signal for her to come, to maybe help calm him, she shook her head. Nate kissed her forehead and whispered something in her ear. She shook her head again, this time with tears streaming down her uncovered face.
“We’re here with you,” I told Donnie. “You’re gonna be okay.”
