Chapter 48: Until one of us Wakes

The connection shattered, and an invisible shockwave blasted through the chamber.

Malachi and Gideon were thrown backwards, and Gideon slammed against the end of his chains with enough force to crack the stone beneath him, and the blue light around him vanished.

Malachi also hit the floor hard, and then rolled to a stop.

Della remained where she had knelt, coughing violently. Every inch of her body burned, and she could barely lift her head.

Across the chamber, Gideon still stood chained and Moonfire still covered him.

Moonfire still covered him.

Malachi pulled up to his feet, confusion settled as he looked toward Gideon,

Gideon looked back, and it looked like they both understood something impossible had just happened.

Neither understood what.

Neither understood how.

But Della somehow, held the power to fuse them back together!

Malachi’s face was a little more burnt than before, his skin heating up and sweating fast. The longer he stayed in this room, the worse it became for him.

"Moonfire!" He called worriedly and rushed over to Della, dragging his weight.

She remained in her position, staring at the floor. She was still bleeding from everywhere, but when she heard his voice and looked up, she could barely see anything. Her vision had gotten worse.

Moonfire particles also contributed to this. That was why she was this weak.

The next thing she knew, Malachi had swept her off her feet and they were both stumbling out of the room. She heard Gideon’s groan behind her, and her chest tightened painfully.

’Don’t worry, Silver’ she whispered in her mind, wishing he could hear her, ’I’ll come back for you, and I’ll free you from that fire and those chains. I promise,’

He groaned again, and that was it.

The Heat around them died off, and she knew they were out of the chambers. Malachi was carrying her in his arms, but just as last time, his strength didn’t last.

The shockwave, and the Moonfire exposure had gotten to him, and it was probably even worse than the last time.

He fell on one knee, breathing raggedly. He kept blinking in and out of focus, and his veins bulged out from pain and suffering.

"Malachi," She cried as she rolled out of his grip, even though he tried to still hold her.

The moment she tried to stand, she was reminded of her ankle again and hit back the sharp pain that sprang up her legs.

"Come, come," She turned around and started to help him on her back again, "Let’s go. Let me help you,"

He muttered something under his breath and tried to push her away, his pride still on the line. He couldn’t imagine allowing anyone carrying him on their back, but his strength was so small that it wasn’t even enough to push her. He had probably just tapped her.

He was falling unconscious.

Della didn’t care if he wanted to be carried or not. She jacked him up with both hands, as far as her strength could carry, probably from all the heavy stone pushing she’s been doing almost every day, and threw him on her back.

His weight came down on her, and her ankle screamed even more. Della cursed under her tongue as she threw his hands around her neck and held him over the legs.

Then, she began dragging herself out of the tunnel. She easily located the metal door from last time and climbed out with him.

Luckily, there were no rogues around.

She looked up and saw the castle a little far away from them. She needed to take him back there and get him treatment without fail.

But she could feel the strength leaving her quickly, just like last time. Her vision kept doubling now and then as she moved, and she would sway like she was about to fall.

Still, she was determined to get him back there.

"Do you always have to follow me?!" She cursed at him again, "You make my life so, so hard!"

He began slipping, and she hauled him up higher up her back again.

"You’re almost as heavy as those rocks I have to carry every day. Lucky I’ve been training for this!"

She might have hauled rocks, but she never hauled it after being exposed to Moonfire particles while bleeding from almost every opening in her body.

Her legs gave out too, and she fell on one knee, breathing hard. No, she couldn’t faint here. She needed to get him back to the castle and get him treated so it wouldn’t end up bad like the last time.

Della forced strength into her legs, her muscles screaming as she tried to stand up.

A strained, small deep voice came from behind, "W... what are you doing?"

She glanced back at his face resting on his back, "You’re awake!"

"Are you—" He paused, catching his breath. He could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness again, "Don’t go back,"

She paused. What did he mean by that?!

"You cannot—they will—" His eyes closed, but his lips moved for the last time, "...blame you,"

Della didn’t move for a moment, and her fingers involuntarily tightened against his legs. Her face turned red from rage, and she cracked out at the man that was barely breathing, "You think I don’t know that? I know it better than you!" She cried, "I know that they’re gonna blame me for what’s happened to you again, and throw me back inside that cell. Hell, they might even throw me straight into the Iron pits!!" Her chest clenched tightly, "But you’re weak, and you’re dying! The only herbs that can save you are in the castle, which means I have to go! I cannot...stay here,"

He didn’t say anything.

Of course he didn’t say anything.

He wasn’t listening anymore.

His head had already gone limp against her shoulder again, his breathing so shallow she almost couldn’t hear it.

"...Malachi?"

Nothing.

She squeezed her eyes shut, "No. No, don’t you dare do this."

With a strained cry, she forced herself upright again.

Her knees trembled violently beneath his weight, but she refused to let him slide off her back.

One step.

Then another.

Each movement sent fresh agony shooting through her twisted ankle. Her shoulder throbbed where the rogue had clawed through flesh, and warm blood continued trickling down her arm. Every breath scraped against her lungs like broken glass.

The castle stood ahead, blurred and distant beneath the moonlight.

Too far.

Far too far.

"...We’re not going to make it." She whispered.

Her eyes darted desperately across the landscape.

There had to be something.

Anything!

Her gaze landed on a rocky outcrop several yards away, and half hidden beneath creeping vines...

She approached it, and relief crashed through her when she saw what it was.

A small, dry cave.

Hope flickered inside her chest, especially when she saw the leaves growing in front of the cave, "If I can’t bring you to the medicine..." She shifted him higher on her back, "...then I’ll bring the medicine to you."

The moment she walked in, her strength gave out, and she practically collapsed, allowing Malachi’s weight to slide carefully from her back onto the stone floor.

He landed gently against the cave wall.

His skin looked so pale and dry. Even his lips had begun losing their colour, while faint blue burns crawled beneath the surface of his arms where the Moonfire had eaten into him.

Plus, his breathing was now frighteningly slow.

"Stay with me..." She whispered, her own voice sounded distant.

She forced herself to crawl toward the mouth of the cave, and nestled between moss-covered rocks, grew exactly what she had seen earlier.

Silverleaf.

Night fern.

Moonroot.

They weren’t as potent as Dawnpetals, but they would also do a good job healing his burns and the poison of Moonfire inside of him.

Her shaking fingers reached for them, "...Thank you..."

She ripped them free from the ground, then she crawled back inside before darkness could steal her vision again. Her hands shook so violently she could barely separate the leaves.

She reached for two flat stones and tried to ground the herbs together but her arms refused to cooperate.

The stones slipped, and the herbs scattered across the cave floor.

She cursed and tried again. This time the stone fell from her fingers altogether.

Her strength was disappearing too quickly, and her already blurry vision got worse.

She couldn’t grind them.

She couldn’t boil them.

She couldn’t make the paste out of them

Think...

Think!

Her eyes fell to Malachi, and she decided to go with the next idea that came to mind.

She gathered the crushed leaves in both hands, then reached behind him and supported his head with one trembling arm. Carefully, she opened his jaw and pushed the herbs into his mouth.

"Swallow." She whispered.

Nothing.

"...Come on." She uttered desperately and rubbed gently beneath his throat

Nothing happened again at first, then his throat moved and he swallowed. Relief crashed over her so hard she nearly burst into tears.

"There..." She laughed weakly, "There you go..."

Some of the herbs remained stuck against the corner of his mouth, but she wiped them away with her thumb.

Then, she leaned back against the cave wall. Every heartbeat hurt terribly, and her ears were still ringing from the shock earlier.

She glanced at Malachi one last time. His breathing sounded slightly deeper now, but still dangerously weak.

"Die...," She breathed, her head banging, "Die and I’ll kill you myself!"

Outside, she could hear the distant howls of wolves - probably rogues. Even the wind had picked up, with the smell of rain in the air.

Her eyelids grew impossibly heavy, and her head began sagging down, "No..." She shook her head, trying to shake away the pain, "I can’t sleep..."

She had to keep watch.

Had to make sure no rogues came.

Had to make sure Malachi kept breathing.

She pinched her own arm hard, but the pain barely registered. Her head slowly tipped sideways against the cave wall.

"Just one minute..." She murmured, her hand now searching blindly across the stone until it found his. Without thinking, her fingers curled weakly around his, "If...you wake up first..." Her voice had become little more than a whisper, "Crush more of those leaves and take them..."

Her grip slowly loosened, and the cave fell silent.