“Forget him! If this thing is a spirit or something and it realizes there’s an empty body lying around, you’re going to find your locks changed before you get back home.”

  “Can’t you do anything to stop it?”

  “Probably not.”

  “Geez. Some sentry you are.”

  “Avery, come back. Now.”

  I shook my head, and the creature at the end of the hall shook with me, further stretching into the weird-angled pose it had put itself in. It was starting to look like a person about to throw themselves into a reverse-crab pose, but had decided to stop halfway.

  “It’s like something out of a horror movie,” I said.

  “Exactly, so leave!” Rell said.

  I glanced at the door to the Viscount’s room. It wasn’t far. Only a few steps away. Instead of going forward, carefully walked across the hall, toward the wall on the Viscount’s side, and tried to push my way through it. This time, the wall didn’t give as much resistance as the last one had, and I found myself on the other side of it.

  It wasn’t the Viscount’s room, though. This room was small, and dark. There was a single bed, a dresser, a lamp. It wasn’t in use. I couldn’t hear the creature in the hallway anymore. When I was satisfied it wasn’t suddenly rushing after me, I moved closer to the wall connecting this room to the Viscount’s.

  From there I could hear voices. Two of them. One of them was the Viscount; no one else sounded quite like him.

  Concentrating, quieting my mind, I pushed through the wall and into the other room, and there he was. The Viscount. Like me, he was laying on his back on his bed, but something was wrong. He was shirtless, and his body was covered in black and green splotches with veins running out of them.

  “Holy shit,” I said, as I looked down on him from above.

  It was worse than I could’ve imagined.

  CHAPTER 11

  It looked like he was being eaten alive.

  The dark patches on his skin, the splotches of black and green, were thick and deep, and from them stretched dark little fingers that seemed to be trying to join with one another. It was hard to look at, not only because it was even more of a horrifying sight than the thing in the corridor, but because something like this had happened to me, too.

  When I closed my eyes, sometimes, I could still see those deep, dark veins spreading across my neck and face.

  “What’s happening to him?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Rell said, “But if I had to guess, it’s the same thing that affected you.”

  “But, how is that possible? I’m human, he’s not.”

  “There could be a few different reasons. Reasons you and I just aren’t smart enough to wrap our heads around.”

  There was a man next to the Viscount, dressed in the long, white coat. He had dark hair, pointed ears, and pale hands, but I couldn’t see his face. I watched him pull a stethoscope out of his black bag and press it against the Viscount’s chest. The Viscount, meanwhile, lay silently, and still, on his back, staring straight at the ceiling. Occasionally, the Fae healer would ask him to breathe, and I’d watch the Viscount’s chest expand, then contract, and I’d see the Viscount grimace from the pain.

  “I’m afraid it’s worse than we feared, my Viscount,” said the healer. “The parasite curled around your liver is releasing toxins that are spreading much faster than we had anticipated.”

  “Then get it out of me,” said the Viscount, without looking at the healer.

  The healer sat upright and put the stethoscope back in his black bag. “Impossible without killing you.”

  “Kill me, then. I will not let myself fall to this creature.”

  “Pride will not help you here, but perhaps I have a potion I could give you.”

  “Potion?”

  “Something to alleviate the symptoms somewhat.”

  “What good is that? I have no time for placebos.”

  “You have not the time for much, my Viscount.” The healer placed his hand on the Viscount’s chest. “In a manner of days, the toxin will reach your lungs. You will experience difficulty breathing far greater than what you are going through now. That in turn will cause your natural defenses to weaken further, allowing the toxin to reach your heart, and then your brain. When it does that, parasite secreting the toxins will take control of your mind fully, and you will be gone.”

  “Gone…” I said, under my breath. “Holy shit, Rell…”

  “I bet there are a bunch of people around here who can’t wait for that to happen,” Rell said.

  I frowned. “What?”

  “You think the Fae here aren’t salivating at the idea of possibly becoming Viscount? If he dies, his spot is open for someone else. Probably someone worse.”

  “You’re not serious…”

  “Yeah, because I’m known for making jokes at inappropriate moments.” Rell paused. “Okay, I make jokes at inappropriate moments, but even I know how to read the room sometimes.”

  “I did this to him. I remember, that thing was inside me, and he told it to take him instead. How could he have thought that was a good idea?”

  “Maybe he thought he could beat it. I don’t know. This guy is a ball of pride, and danger wrapped in a handsome, athletic outer shell.”

  The Viscount sat up, using his elbows to prop himself up on the bed. He ran one hand through his hair, scanned the room, and then settled his gaze on the healer. “I refuse,” he said.

  “Refuse?” asked the healer.

  “Yes. Refuse. What are my options, Jovian.”

  A pause. “I wish to try a few potions on you, if you would indulge me.”

  “Potions?”

  “Yes, like I said, something to alleviate the symptoms, and then something to perhaps fight the toxins as they push deeper into your system. Maybe we can buy ourselves more time.”

  “I told you, I don’t want treatment, I want a cure.”

  “And I’ve told you, it’s coming.”

  “Use magic. Use a knife. Do what you have to do, but do it now.”

  “We cannot deal with this parasite with magic as it is resistant to all kinds, and we also cannot cut it out of you without killing you—it has already caused too much damage to your body.”

  “It will continue to damage my body so long as it remains within me.”

  “Yes, but it is also the reason why you are still alive. While it has infected many of your organs at this point, it is also ensuring they work as they should. Cutting the infected parts out would not be prudent.”

  “You can heal me as you cut them out.”

  “Perhaps, but there is a substantial risk of death, Viscount. This is something that must be handled with care.”

  The Viscount’s hand thrust out, and he grabbed Jovian by the scruff of his coat. “So, handle it,” he growled, before releasing the healer. “I grow tired of being told to wait, that this is something that must be taken care of slowly. I have not yet been presented with a solution, and I am becoming impatient.”

  Jovian took a deep breath, straightened his coat, and stood up. “That is because there has been a… delay with the cure.”

  “Delay?”

  The healer hesitated. I could tell he didn’t want to have to answer the question, but it was just them two in the room, and Jovian was just as terrified of the Viscount as most people were. “I did not want to trouble you with the news, Viscount,” he said.

  The Viscount slid his feet out of the bed and let them sit on the carpeted floor. “I am going to ask you only once, Jovian. What delay?”

  Another hesitant pause. “In order to remove the parasite from your body, we require a combination of magic and medicine. However, the parasite is immune to magic in its current form. Using a special concoction of rare ingredients, we can temporarily paralyze the creature and lower its resistance to magic to something more… manageable. The procedure would not be foolproof, but we could at least attempt it.”

  “You’re skirting the issue,” said the Viscount, his voice low, and dangerous.

  “With respect, my Lord, I am providing you with context. This potion, the ingredients required are, as I said, rare, and until yesterday we held some in our stores. I am certain of it.”

  Oh no.

  The Viscount’s eyebrow twitched. “And?”

  “Someone must have made an error the last time inventory was taken, because we do not have what we require to brew the potion on hand.”

  The Viscount stood, and even though I could tell he had been weakened by the creature trying to take over his mind, he still loomed tall and menacing over the healer. “And no one thought to tell me?” he asked.

  “I am under orders not to discuss your cure with you.”

  “The Duchess’ orders?”

  “Duchess Invidia did not want to worry you. She wants you to focus your energies on fighting this creature as much as you can and leave the healing to the House.”

  A pause. “I see…”

  “Viscount, I can assure you, we are doing everything we can to retrieve the ingredients we need.”

  “Tell me what you need.”

  Jovian swallowed hard. “Well, we need Dagger Vine, and lots of it.”

  “Dagger Vine… I know of this.”

  “Yes, when crushed it releases a ghastly liquid which, if ingested, would inflict an almost immediate paralysis of the person who drank it. You are quite a substantial Fae, and as such, we would need high quantities of this liquid to do the job.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No, my Viscount. We also require… a black rose.”

  “A black rose… why?”

  “Yes. The roses emit a potent anti-magic field which, if treated correctly, I think we can use to suppress this parasite’s immunity to magic. If we can combine the power of the black rose with the dagger vine, we will be able to create a potion capable of paralyzing the parasite in your body long enough to remove it without killing you.”

  The Viscount walked across the room, his footfalls thudding hard against the ground. He peered out of the window, then turned his head to the side to face the healer. “This is a death sentence,” he said. “Someone stole exactly the ingredients necessary to deal with this problem.”

  “Stolen, my Lord?” Jovian asked.

  “I trust your judgment. If you are certain we had a black rose and dagger vines in our stores, and now they are gone, then theft is the only explanation. Someone wants me dead.”

  “We will secure more ingredients, I can assure—”

  “—you can assure nothing. No one is going to take the trip into Darkwood Forest because to do so is suicide.”

  “There are ways, my Lord. Magical protections can be used to—”

  “—all of those take time I do not have. I will go myself and retrieve these items.”

  Jovian surged forward, suddenly. “No, my Lord. With respect, that is madness.”

  “Madness?”

  “You understand, as we all do, that the forest is off limits to the Fae. We cannot enter because we cannot leave. It is the reason our enemies and traitors are sent there.”

  “And yet, I do not see another option. I am dead if I remain in this bed, and I am dead if I enter the forest in search for the thing that could cure me.” The Viscount crossed the room again, this time heading for his dresser. He grabbed his shirt and threw it over his shoulders. “Better to die on my feet than on my back.”

  “Lord Viscount, I must protest,” Jovian said, stepping in front of the Viscount. I still couldn’t see his face, and it was getting frustrating. “Your duty is to this House and to the Favoring. Leave, and you abandon both. You would be dishonoring your House.”

  “Stay, and I die like a sick dog. There is no honor in that either, old friend.”

  “You cannot possibly expect me to let you walk out of that door.”

  “Have the space you need to begin your procedure on me ready for my return and alert the Duchess that our stores were tampered with.”

  “You have lost your mind.”

  “Blame the parasite.”

  The Viscount went for the door to his room as if to shoot through it like a bullet. “No, wait!” I yelled, and I took off running after him, pushing through the wall and into the corridor, forgetting entirely about the dark entity I’d seen lurking in the hallway a moment ago until I was already through the wall.

  The creature wasn’t there. There was no sign of it, in fact. No inky tendrils, no eerie atmosphere, and no weird contortionist. I watched the Viscount dismiss his guards and go marching down the hallway. He was going to leave, and I was probably never going to see him again. Putting my head down, I broke into a sprint, shoving my way through the walls until I reached my bedroom.

  “What are you doing?!” Rell shrieked.

  “He’s leaving, you saw it,” I said, “I can’t let him just leave like that.”

  “What? Of course you can! What does he mean to you, really?”

  I rushed over to the space directly above my bed and turned my eyes up to look at my lifeless body lying on it. “I don’t know,” I said, “But he could’ve killed us both or let us die a bunch of times, and he hasn’t. If I did this to him, I owe him.”

  “Wait, wait, wait. What’s your plan here, Avery?”

  “I can’t stay here and let him go out and kill himself because of me.”

  “No. Nuh-uh. You are absolutely not going after that lunatic, you lunatic!”

  “What did I tell you earlier?” I said, as I prepared to leap back into my body. “It’s easier for the both of us if you just go with my insane ideas.”

  CHAPTER 12

  I’d forgotten how much being in my own body hurt. My muscles were screaming, my back ached so much I didn’t think I’d be able to get up, and that was to say nothing of the daze I was in. The room was spinning, my vision was foggy, and I thought I was going to pass out at any moment if things didn’t right themselves.

  “Drink the juice,” Rell said, though he sounded distant, his voice artificial as it if had been put through a computer.

  Bleary eyed, I searched for the green concoction Elaith had made for me to help with my recovery. The cup was sitting on the bedside table, and with a shaky hand, I picked it up. It smelled awful, so much so I could’ve retched over the side of the bed. I didn’t. Pinching my nose, I tipped the thick, pulpy juice into my throat and downed the glass.

  Even with my sense of taste muted, it was still vile.

  “I hate this,” I said, with a nasally voice.

  “It’ll help ground you,” Rell said.

  “Why do I feel so bad?”

  “Transferring from astral to physical takes its toll even on Fae minds. You need to not move for a while if you want the feeling to pass.”

  “I can’t sit here,” I said, propping myself up on my elbows. “I have to go and find the Viscount.”

  “Like hell you do, human. Don’t you dare get out of that bed.”

  I glared at Rell, though in truth I could barely see the little red dragon properly, sitting on his perch. “What are you gonna do about it if I do?”

  Rell reared onto his hind legs and stretched his beautiful, moth-like wings to either side of his body, making himself look bigger and more imposing. All I could see was cute, though. Rell didn’t have a menacing bone in his body; sarcastic, arrogant jerk bones, though—those he had plenty of.

  “I’ll have you know I’m capable of physically overpowering you,” he said.

  “Bullshit, lizard.” I tried to get up, but the muscles in my legs gave and I collapsed to the floor. “Dammit!”

  “Look at that. I didn’t even have to stop you. Now will you listen to reason?”

  “I need to go,” I said, with my cheek planted against the floor.

  “You need to shut up and think for a moment. The Viscount is about to go and throw himself at his own death. Do you really want to join him?”

  “I don’t want him to die.”

  “And why not? Do I have to tell you for the millionth time that he’s the reason you’re here?”

  “If I let him die, my chances of getting home go with him.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do… Elaith told me the Duchess didn’t want me fully trained. I’m starting to worry she’s not going to send me back home no matter how well I do in this Favoring thing. We can’t trust these people.”

  Rell paused, then sighed. “That’s still no excuse to go and get yourself involved in the Viscount’s death wish!”

  “I have to help him, Rell. It might already be too late to stop him from leaving the house. If he’s gone, I have to go after him.”

  “Look at you. You’re splattered against the floor like roadkill, in pain and drooling after only a couple of days training with Elaith and a romp in the astral plane. You’ve already almost been killed just by setting foot through the gates, and as funny as it would be to watch you squirm, what the hell are you thinking, Avery?”

  From my vantage point on the floor, I could see the door to my room and the light breaking underneath it. I saw a shadow move past it, darkening the strip of light for an instant. It took more strength than I thought I had left in me, but I planted my hands on the floor and pushed myself up, leaving a trail of drool from my mouth to wooden panels underneath me.

  I turned my eyes up at Rell. “I don’t understand why, but I think the Viscount is my best shot at getting back home; not Invidia.”

  “Even if that’s true, you can’t go after him. You just can’t.”

  “Someone is trying to kill him, Rell. You heard him. He thinks the stores were tampered with; that the very medicine he needed to cure exactly his problem has been stolen. Then there’s the assassin who wanted Kady’s pendant, and Vito… something’s going on here, you have to give me that.”

  “He knows he’s in danger. You heard the doctor, for crying out loud. The Viscount just ignored him.”

  “Look, I need you to trust me on this. If he leaves, he’s not coming back. I know it. Whoever’s after him wants him out of the house. Maybe that makes him easier to kill, I don’t know, but I need to warn him.”