Part 6 (2/2)
Grace slipped inside the suite she shared with her younger brother, letting the tears take her. The first sob had gripped her body when she noticed she was not alone.
Gilda, the Gray Lady, the most powerful female Theronai in the compound, sat on Grace's couch. Her long black hair lay perfect and s.h.i.+ning against the gray silk of her gown. Every breath she took made the light play over her, caressing her as if it couldn't get close enough.
As always, when Grace saw her, she stopped dead in her tracks, staring, letting the woman's beauty and power sink into her.
Grace wiped her tearstained face and regained as much composure as she could. She knew her eyes were red and her nose was running, but there wasn't much she could do to help that.
She bowed her head, hoping to hide her messy state as well as pay respect to the powerful woman sitting on her couch.
”I've been waiting for you,” said Gilda.
”I'm sorry. I didn't know you wanted to see me. If you'd called for mea””
Gilda raised a dainty, elegant hand. ”I didn't want anyone to know I spoke to you. What I have to say is between only us.”
”Of course, my lady,” agreed Grace. It wasn't like she had any other choice. She was at the mercy of these people, as was her brother. They'd been kind, given her brother a home and a future. She'd do whatever they asked of her to make sure he stayed safe.
”Torr is dying.”
Hearing the words aloud made it feel more real, made it seem final. Unavoidable. Torr. Dying.
A sob gripped Grace, but she fought it down. ”I know.”
”I believe I've found a way to save him.”
A bolt of hope speared through Grace, making her body tense. Daring to hope was dangerous, but she couldn't stop herself. ”How?”
Gilda nodded to a box sitting on the coffee table. It was made of wood, wrapped with bright silver wirework shaped into an intricate vine that scrawled across the entire surface. ”With this.”
Grace reached for it, but Gilda's harsh command stopped her. ”Stop. Do not touch it until I've told you everything.” She waved to the empty seat across from her. ”Sit.”
Grace sat.
”Inside that box is a device created by my ancestors. Their ability to imbue artifacts with power has never been matched. This device was created for the sole purpose of healing.”
”Then we should get it to the Sanguinar. Torr is getting worse fast.”
”The Sanguinar will not use it.”
”Why not?”
”The cost to them would be too great.”
”Then who can use it?”
Gilda pinned her with a cold, black stare. The light of Grace's suite seemed to be sucked into the dark depth of her eyes, and for the first time, she saw something bleak and unforgiving inside the woman she'd come to respect. Something frightening.
In a quiet voice, the Gray Lady said, ”You are the one who can save him. Perhaps the only one.”
”Why me? I'm not special.”
”Yes, you are. Not in the way of my people, but among humans, you are special. You can save him, should you wish to.”
”I do.”
”Not so fast. If you do this, you will pay a price.”
”I don't care. Torr saved me. He saved my brother. I'll do anything to save him.”
”Anything?”
”Yes.”
Gilda nodded. ”It is as I suspected, then.”
”What is?”
”You love him.”
Grace didn't deny it. There was no point. Gilda would know she was a liar if she did. ”I love him more every day. It's killing me to watch him suffer.”
”If you do this, he'll be healed, but you'll take on that suffering. This device can't create health, only transfer it. From you to him. You'll become weak and paralyzed. You'll be tied to a bed or wheelchair for the rest of your life, if you don't simply die.”
Shock left Grace reeling. She swayed in her seat, gripping the soft fabric of the chair for support.
She could save Torr.
If she did, her life would be over.
In the end, there was no real choice. ”If I do this, will you protect my brother, care for him as if he were your own son?”
Gilda's beautiful mouth curved in a slow, satisfied smile. ”I vow it.”
A heavy, comforting weight settled over Grace's shoulders as Gilda offered her promise. Her brother would be safe. Torr would live. It was all she'd ever wanted.
No. That was a lie. She wanted more than that. She wanted a lifetime with Torr. She wanted to have him love her in return, but that was just a girlish fantasy. Regardless of whether Torr got better, he would never be hers. He had bigger, more important things to do with his life than to tie himself to a human woman. She knew that. She'd always known that.
He had a destiny, and Grace was going to see to it that he fulfilled it.
”Tell me what I need to do to save him.”
Chapter 5.
Nika was greeted by a line of angry faces when she arrived back at Dabyr. They were all waiting for her inside the entrance to the main hall. The gla.s.s ceiling high overhead let in the morning sunlight, and several humans sat sipping coffee in the dining area. Other than that, the place was empty, giving the angry mob room to attack.
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