Page 126 of Cursed Evermore

Despite my efforts to save her, she was in a worse condition than me and needed their combined expertise. They’d taken her back to her room, where they’d gotten to work on healing her near fatal wounds. I just hoped they could help her.

I nearly lost her.

Istillcould.

My body felt broken, but I planned to see Elariya the instant strength returned to my legs.

“You could have died tonight, Wolfe,” Bastian muttered, his usually stoic face pinched with concern. “If you were any other Fae, you wouldn’t be here. But you’re still pretty messed up.”

“I’m fine now.” I took slow, even breaths, hoping it would stop my head from spinning.

Bastian pressed gently on the poultice, but I flinched, recoiling as if he’d stabbed me with a dagger. His brows rose in response, but he proceeded to wrap a bandage around my midsection to keep the poultice in place.

“I know you get pissed as fuck when I try to reason with you, but I’m going to do it anyway.” He straightened and glared at me. “If you werefine,we wouldn’t be in here. So, no, you’re not fine.”

“Don’t argue with me. If I say I’m fine, I’m fine.” My jaw locked. I couldn’t afford to show how I was truly feeling. Mind had to surpass matter.

“Seriously, Wolfe?” He waved a hand around the sick bay, then gestured to the blood-soaked bandages on the floor. “If you were fine, you certainly wouldn’t have needed Fangborwn tonic and a fucking Moonfire poultice.”

My lips parted, but I couldn’t disagree. He was right.

Bastian had seen me through countless battles over our centuries of friendship, but none had left my power so depleted that even breathing felt like daggers in my lungs.

Fangborwn tonic was only administered to those dying from dark magic. Like I had been when Bastian first brought me in here.

Moonfire poultice was the strongest of our topical dressings. It neutralized and absorbed corrupted energy, helping to speed up our natural Fae healing abilities.

“You’re lucky Sirril stocked up before we left Galaythia,” Bastian huffed, placing the bowl of herbs on the table next to us. “Silverweed root and sea dragon scales are not easy to come by. Only the Gods know where we’d get them on the open sea.”

My chest tightened, my breathing shaky and labored. Sirril had saved my ass more times and in more ways than I cared to count. He'd become my unsung hero on several occasions. I was sure the little sprite who had served me for centuries was so busy being respectful that he was completely unaware of what he meant to me. Loyalty of his kind was priceless.

“I know how close I came, Bastian,” I spoke in a low voice, gripping the sheet with my fist.

“You used yourdeathmagic, Wolfe. And tonight is the most you’ve ever used it. It drew more Fae essence from you. I’m sure you’ve noticed that by now.”

“I have.” That was why my wounds were taking so much longer to heal.

The Fae essence I had left was working overtime to keep me from falling into the shadows permanently. I held his gaze and wondered what would truly happen if I lost myself completely. “There was no choice, Bastian. From the moment I saw the Ruskiel on board, I knew I had to use my powers. I held back as much as I could, but everything I did bounced off the witch like air. Garrick and Alaric fought hard, but I was the strongest of us. Using my powers made sense,especiallysince we’re trying to stay hidden. And I had to deal with the threat as quickly as possible before it took Elariya.”

My explanation toned him down, and the hardness in his face loosened. He’d never faced a Ruskiel before, but we all knew how dangerous they were. Although they were likened to sea witches because of their hypnotic source magic that allowed them to trick their prey, they were vastly different.

The question that plagued me now was why we never sensed her coming until it was too late.

Only once in my life had I ever come across another Ruskiel. At the time, I wasn’t powerful enough to kill it, so my father did. That was two hundred years ago. I hadn’t seen nor heard of Ruskiels since.

As far as I knew, neither had my Veythral. I would have heard about it if they had.

A lot of magical creatures and beings were drawn to the Tideheart. The closer you got to the Veil, the more you saw, but Ruskiels weren’t known to live on the mortal side of the sea.

They got to you by wearing the face of those you love and tricking you with something you want. My guess was Elariya attracted the witch, being the perfect victim. She’d been on the deck writing in her journal, pouring out her grief and emotions.All the witch had to do was read her mind. There, it saw everything it needed to know.

“I just wish there’d been another way to deal with the witch.” Bastian sighed.

“There wasn’t. And I’m almost thankful you and Arielle weren’t there for the worst of the attack.” He’d gone after Arielle when the Ruskiel sealed her away in a sphere that would have taken her beyond the heavens had he not been as quick as he was. They got back to the ship just as I’d dived beneath the waters to destroy the witch and get Elariya back. “The fucking bitch was playing with us, laughing at our feeble attempts to take her down. More harm or damage would have been done if I hadn’t used my powers.”

“I just worry about what they’ll eventually do to you. On top of that, there’s a chance you were exposed.” He paused, jaw tight. “We’re close to the Veil, so magical activity from the hybrid creatures is strongest in these waters, but your powers aredistinct, Wolfe. If someone’s looking hard enough, they’ll find your signature. It would be a shame to come this far and alert your uncle to your plans.”

I pressed a fist into the mattress. “I pray to the Gods thatdoesn’thappen.”