The Ruby Circle
Page 41
“Rose,” I said as she started to go, “you’ve got to make sure Adrian doesn’t—”
A dhampir suddenly appeared in the doorway and beckoned Rose out urgently. I saw them speak in concerned whispers outside the door. Rose looked distressed and glanced my way, then followed the dhampir downstairs. That left me alone for the better part of an hour with nothing to do but pace and worry about what was happening. Finally, Diana came up to tell me the Alchemist had moved on to a different part of the camp and that I could come downstairs, as he had no reason to return to the infirmary.
I wasted no time in complying and was shocked to see that nearly every single person who’d been lying on the floor injured earlier was now up and about, looking healthy and well. Adrian was just finishing up a healing, and I stared, openmouthed, unable to believe what I was witnessing. “Adrian . . . what have you done?”
It took him several moments to turn to me, and when he did, I could barely believe the difference in him. He looked as bad as the patients had earlier—pale, sweating, eyes glazed. I caught hold of his arm, afraid he might faint from exhaustion.
“How many of them did you heal?” I whispered.
He swallowed and stared around vacantly. “I . . . I don’t know. As many as I could . . .”
I clutched his hand, filled with a mix of anger and fear. “Adrian! You didn’t need to do that!” Glancing around, I noticed some people who’d had only light injuries—a few scratches or bruises—were completely unmarked now. I turned on him incredulously. “That was a waste of your energy! Most of these people would have healed on their own.”
He seemed to be recovering a little of his bearings. “I could help them . . . why not? Once I started, it was just so hard to stop . . . what’s the harm?”
Before I could even process that, Rose came up to us with a grave face. “You guys . . . there’s something you should know. Olive’s gone.”
I was so focused on Adrian’s wiped-out state, I thought I’d misheard. “What do you mean, she’s gone?”
“She sneaked up on Rand and knocked him unconscious. Then she ran away before Lana got there to deliver the baby.”
Adrian, though dazed, managed to focus on this seemingly improbable change of events. “Olive . . . knocked someone out . . . while she was in labor? How?”
“No idea,” said Rose sadly. “But she’s gone . . . probably fled out in the woods.”
“In the woods,” Adrian repeated. A new energy filled him as panic set in. “In labor. In the dark. Is that Strigoi still out there?”
Rose’s expression answered for her, and Adrian hurried to the door with me fast on his heels. “We have to go,” he said. “We have to go find her now.”
Rose tried to stop us. “Adrian, it’s not safe to—”
Dimitri suddenly burst through the door. “We found her. We found all of them. You have to come, Adrian. You have to come now.”
We followed without question, and I struggled to keep up with the others and their longer strides. Rose came too. “Did you find the Strigoi?” she called as we passed the commune’s center.
“Yes. There.” Dimitri gestured to two dhampirs dragging a dead Strigoi’s body. They brought it to where three other Strigoi were piled. A human guy knelt by them, pouring the contents of a small vial over the bodies. The Alchemist, I realized. I angled myself so that Rose was between us. Fortunately, he was engrossed in his work.
“Then what happened?” asked Rose.
“He got to Olive first,” he explained. “She’d already had the baby—out in the woods. She hid him there. We found him too. He’s fine—small, but fine.”
Adrian and I were still so overwhelmed by the course of events that we couldn’t respond, but Rose was ready with more questions. “Why are we going to her? Why didn’t you bring her in?”
Dimitri led us out of the commune and into a wooded area. “I was afraid to move her. I thought it best to leave her where she was until Adrian could heal her.”
Adrian grimaced. “You guys, I . . . I don’t know if I have enough spirit left to do it. If you can stabilize her until I recover . . . or if she’s not that bad . . .”
Dimitri made no response as we trekked out into the deep forest past the commune, but his expression said that she was, in fact, that bad. My stomach sank as the implications hit me.
We finally reached a clearing in the woods. Lana and two other dhampirs stood there holding lanterns. We hurried up to them and found Olive propped up against a tree, a small bundle held close to her with one arm. When I got a good look at her, I understood why they’d been afraid to move her. Her face was so white, she could’ve passed for Strigoi herself. Her arm—the one not holding the baby—was nearly torn from her. The side of her head looked as though it had been slammed hard against something, and everywhere, everywhere, there was blood. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow.
Adrian focused on her for several moments, and then shook his head, his face full of despair. “I can’t,” he murmured, nearly choking on the words. “I can’t even bring up her aura. I’m out . . . I’m out of magic.”
Olive’s eyelids fluttered at the sound of his voice. “Is that . . . is that Adrian?”
He knelt down beside her. “Shh, don’t strain. You need to rest so I can build my magic back up and heal you.”
She managed a harsh laugh, and a small trail of blood leaked from her lips. “I’m beyond any magic, even yours.”
“Not true. I just need it back.”
“No time,” she croaked out. “But I need . . . to talk to you. Alone.”
“Olive, you need to rest,” Adrian insisted, but the words sounded hollow. We both knew she was right about time. Her life was bleeding out in front of us.
The baby in her arms began to cry.
“Go,” Dimitri ordered the others, shooing them away. To Adrian and me, he said, “Give her what comfort you can.”
I gave a weak nod, but mostly I was trying not to start crying.
“Take him,” Olive said, when the others had left. She thrust the baby toward Adrian.
I was pretty sure he’d never held a baby in his life, but as his arms went around the tiny bundle, the baby quieted. I leaned over to get a better look. He was so tiny as to seem unreal. A fuzz of dark hair covered his head, and he looked up at us with astonishingly alert eyes. He was wrapped in someone’s jacket, and Adrian attempted some half-hearted rocking.
A dhampir suddenly appeared in the doorway and beckoned Rose out urgently. I saw them speak in concerned whispers outside the door. Rose looked distressed and glanced my way, then followed the dhampir downstairs. That left me alone for the better part of an hour with nothing to do but pace and worry about what was happening. Finally, Diana came up to tell me the Alchemist had moved on to a different part of the camp and that I could come downstairs, as he had no reason to return to the infirmary.
I wasted no time in complying and was shocked to see that nearly every single person who’d been lying on the floor injured earlier was now up and about, looking healthy and well. Adrian was just finishing up a healing, and I stared, openmouthed, unable to believe what I was witnessing. “Adrian . . . what have you done?”
It took him several moments to turn to me, and when he did, I could barely believe the difference in him. He looked as bad as the patients had earlier—pale, sweating, eyes glazed. I caught hold of his arm, afraid he might faint from exhaustion.
“How many of them did you heal?” I whispered.
He swallowed and stared around vacantly. “I . . . I don’t know. As many as I could . . .”
I clutched his hand, filled with a mix of anger and fear. “Adrian! You didn’t need to do that!” Glancing around, I noticed some people who’d had only light injuries—a few scratches or bruises—were completely unmarked now. I turned on him incredulously. “That was a waste of your energy! Most of these people would have healed on their own.”
He seemed to be recovering a little of his bearings. “I could help them . . . why not? Once I started, it was just so hard to stop . . . what’s the harm?”
Before I could even process that, Rose came up to us with a grave face. “You guys . . . there’s something you should know. Olive’s gone.”
I was so focused on Adrian’s wiped-out state, I thought I’d misheard. “What do you mean, she’s gone?”
“She sneaked up on Rand and knocked him unconscious. Then she ran away before Lana got there to deliver the baby.”
Adrian, though dazed, managed to focus on this seemingly improbable change of events. “Olive . . . knocked someone out . . . while she was in labor? How?”
“No idea,” said Rose sadly. “But she’s gone . . . probably fled out in the woods.”
“In the woods,” Adrian repeated. A new energy filled him as panic set in. “In labor. In the dark. Is that Strigoi still out there?”
Rose’s expression answered for her, and Adrian hurried to the door with me fast on his heels. “We have to go,” he said. “We have to go find her now.”
Rose tried to stop us. “Adrian, it’s not safe to—”
Dimitri suddenly burst through the door. “We found her. We found all of them. You have to come, Adrian. You have to come now.”
We followed without question, and I struggled to keep up with the others and their longer strides. Rose came too. “Did you find the Strigoi?” she called as we passed the commune’s center.
“Yes. There.” Dimitri gestured to two dhampirs dragging a dead Strigoi’s body. They brought it to where three other Strigoi were piled. A human guy knelt by them, pouring the contents of a small vial over the bodies. The Alchemist, I realized. I angled myself so that Rose was between us. Fortunately, he was engrossed in his work.
“Then what happened?” asked Rose.
“He got to Olive first,” he explained. “She’d already had the baby—out in the woods. She hid him there. We found him too. He’s fine—small, but fine.”
Adrian and I were still so overwhelmed by the course of events that we couldn’t respond, but Rose was ready with more questions. “Why are we going to her? Why didn’t you bring her in?”
Dimitri led us out of the commune and into a wooded area. “I was afraid to move her. I thought it best to leave her where she was until Adrian could heal her.”
Adrian grimaced. “You guys, I . . . I don’t know if I have enough spirit left to do it. If you can stabilize her until I recover . . . or if she’s not that bad . . .”
Dimitri made no response as we trekked out into the deep forest past the commune, but his expression said that she was, in fact, that bad. My stomach sank as the implications hit me.
We finally reached a clearing in the woods. Lana and two other dhampirs stood there holding lanterns. We hurried up to them and found Olive propped up against a tree, a small bundle held close to her with one arm. When I got a good look at her, I understood why they’d been afraid to move her. Her face was so white, she could’ve passed for Strigoi herself. Her arm—the one not holding the baby—was nearly torn from her. The side of her head looked as though it had been slammed hard against something, and everywhere, everywhere, there was blood. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow.
Adrian focused on her for several moments, and then shook his head, his face full of despair. “I can’t,” he murmured, nearly choking on the words. “I can’t even bring up her aura. I’m out . . . I’m out of magic.”
Olive’s eyelids fluttered at the sound of his voice. “Is that . . . is that Adrian?”
He knelt down beside her. “Shh, don’t strain. You need to rest so I can build my magic back up and heal you.”
She managed a harsh laugh, and a small trail of blood leaked from her lips. “I’m beyond any magic, even yours.”
“Not true. I just need it back.”
“No time,” she croaked out. “But I need . . . to talk to you. Alone.”
“Olive, you need to rest,” Adrian insisted, but the words sounded hollow. We both knew she was right about time. Her life was bleeding out in front of us.
The baby in her arms began to cry.
“Go,” Dimitri ordered the others, shooing them away. To Adrian and me, he said, “Give her what comfort you can.”
I gave a weak nod, but mostly I was trying not to start crying.
“Take him,” Olive said, when the others had left. She thrust the baby toward Adrian.
I was pretty sure he’d never held a baby in his life, but as his arms went around the tiny bundle, the baby quieted. I leaned over to get a better look. He was so tiny as to seem unreal. A fuzz of dark hair covered his head, and he looked up at us with astonishingly alert eyes. He was wrapped in someone’s jacket, and Adrian attempted some half-hearted rocking.
