Page 36 of A Winter Crush

Ori almost dropped it, surprised at the warmth of it.

Then Sinoe nodded at Ori. “Go ahead. You know what to do.”

Ori moved closer to his brother. Ori touched the rock to the centre of his own chest before pressing it lightly to Liney’s.

“Family, blood, and home, give him strength,” Sinoe chanted, repeating the words over and over.

“Family, blood, and home,” Ori and his aunties joined in with Sinoe.

Ori could almost feel the connection between him and Liney, moving like rays of warmth and strength between them. A heartbeat, not his own, echoed in his ears, growing louder and louder.

His brother’s heartbeat sounded strong. Surely that meant he’d be all right.

He let out a breath, letting his brother’s heartbeat calm and soothe him. After Ori, his aunts each repeated a similar action with a different object given to them by Sinoe. The chants varied slightly. After a couple of hours, they were finally done.

“The ritual didn’t go very long,” Ori said. “With my parents, I remember it went for days.”

“The length of the ritual has to do with how severe the illness is. Your parents were very sick.” Sinoe leaned towards Ori, eyes kind. “Your brother is not.” He touched Ori’s arm.

“He’ll be all right. I can already feel his energy strengthening,” Sinoe said to Ori and his aunties. “The draught will make him sleep a while longer, but soon he’ll be running around and you won’t even know he was sick. Best to get some rest now.”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” Ori said.

“I understand. You were scared,” Sinoe said as he packed up the rocks, crystals, and plants collected from the valley and mountains that he’d used in the ritual. “You should get some rest too. Healing rituals can be draining, especially for those more emotionally connected to the individual.” He paused and looked at Ori. “I’ll stay here tonight.”

“You don’t normally stay around for yellowmere,” Ori said. He’d seen Sinoe treat yellowmere before. He knew Sinoe normally left after the ritual and then came back later to check on them.

But Sinoe just smiled, tilting his head. “I think you’ll rest better knowing I’m here.”

Ori didn’t disagree with that. He lay down beside his brother, certain he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He didn’t think he would until he saw his brother up and well. He lay watching his brother, the gentle rise and fall of his chest, but then, the next thing he knew, he was waking up to the sound of his brother’s voice.

“Ori.”

Ori opened his eyes. “Liney!”

His brother sat up, his hair a mess, eyes sleepy.

Ori bolted up, the tension in his body releasing. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine.” He rubbed his eyes. “What’s going on? Why is everyone looking at me?”

“You were unwell and needed to rest,” Sinoe said. “It’s good to see you awake.”

“Is there any food?” Liney asked.

“Of course there is.” Aunty Lela jumped to her feet and dashed off, Aunty Suroth on her heels.

“You sure you’re feeling all right, Liney?” Aunty Yelan asked.

He nodded and picked at some smoked meat that was brought to him. After eating, his brother went back to sleep. The sky hadn’t even started to lighten. It felt like the night had gone on forever.

“He’s better now,” Sinoe said. “Ori, you should try and get some more rest.”

“Will you stay?”

Sinoe looked out the cave entrance. “I can stay a little longer.”

Ori lay down beside Liney. The exhaustion and emotion caught up to him. He slept deeply. And when he woke, the sky was still dark. But it felt like he had been sleeping for hours. The space beside him was empty. His brother was no longer there, but he heard his voice outside the cave.