Page 81 of Pixie Problems

"I will," I assured him. "So let's make sure you can walk, hm?"

He nodded, his eyes dropping lower on my face, and then his lids closed again just as thunder rumbled and the wind picked up. Without letting go of him, I looked towards the gate, relieved to see clouds forming - but going the opposite way. That meant the Wild Hunt was leaving. It was done.

"Ok," I said. "I think it's over."

"It's never over," Aspen whimpered. "Keir, he had me. He was going to drag me to the gate!"

"We would never let that happen," Torian swore.

"None of us," I hurried to assure her. "Rain was looking for you from the moment the cold front hit. The fucking Morrigan would never let them have you, Aspen."

Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. "I didn't ask for this," she said softly.

"None of us did," I assured her.

"You fucking did!" Torian growled. "You and your sentinels, always rushing in for glory."

"To help people!" I snapped at him. "Pull your fucking arrogant head out of your damned ass and think about that. We don't want to do this, Torian. I certainly didn't want to strap Rain into armor that might not work on her and turn her loose!"

"What?" Torian asked.

"Bracken made hereltam-studded armor, but every enchantment she touches, she negates."

"Because the magic fuels her," Aspen pointed out. "That's what becomes her Wild magic, Keir. When Harper shot her, it woke it up. That's why I hit her with all I had."

"What conjuration?" Torian asked.

Aspen huffed out a weak little laugh. "Protection. I figured it was safe either way, but she sucked it in."

"So I was right?"

Aspen nodded, all but ignoring me. "Harper hit her a few times last semester. It just didn't work, so we all thought she'd missed or failed in some way. But on the Solstice? Harper threw enough magic at her to kill her, Torian, and Rain couldn't hold it all, so the shadows poured out."

"Wait, so she didn't call it?" I asked, thinking back to the insanity of Winter Solstice.

Aspen jiggled her head in something like a no. "I don't think so. She's manifesting, but she can't do it on her own. Her magic is Wild, and Wild needs ours."

"She converts it," Torian realized. "Fuck. Ok. She needs to feed - "

"Fuel," Aspen corrected, looking over and meeting his eyes.

For a long moment the pair were quiet but clearly sharing something with their gaze. I shrugged it off and kept healing, hoping I'd have enough magic in me to make a difference. Considering they were both sittingup now, it seemed to be working. I just wasn't sure if Aspen's recovery was delayed, or if Torian was doing it somehow.

I didn't even want to think how.

Nope. Winter and Summer magic didn't mingle well. And yet, I'd healed Aspen before, so I was pretty sure this was a delayed reaction. I could help her, and had. Plus, I was pretty sure healing wasnotone of Torian's skills. Then again, I could ask.

"Hey, Torian? Can you heal?"

He scoffed, looking away from Aspen to glare at me. "Healing is a weakness, little more than a waste of power."

"Tor!" Aspen huffed.

"Sorry," Torian corrected. "That's how I was raised, so no. The weak are culled and the strong survive. The goal is to be the strongest, so I was never taught how to use my abilities to help others."

"Butcanyou?" I pressed.

"Yeah," he breathed.