“A conversation for another day, brother,” Exos returned, already walking. “Let’s go.”
Sol seemed to think twice, his desire to snatch Claire written all over his face, but he drew a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “I’ll be on Earth Quad.”
“And I’ll check Water and Air Quad,” Vox said.
“That leaves me with Fire Quad.” I took off at a run toward the chaos, unsure of how to truly help but determined to find a way.
Tufts of earth had overturned every which way, leaving scars across the ground on my jog to Fire Quad. Weakened fae staggered and held their heads as if dazed, while others screamed for answers.
Utter insanity.
But one fae caught my attention above all the others.
Mortus.
The old fae staggered back a step, his expression one of bewilderment and confusion.
I reached out to steady the professor and noted his lack of fire. “Mortus,” I said slowly. “What’s wrong?”
He blinked, his dark eyes focusing and unfocusing all at once. “I… I don’t know.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “C-could you tell me…? What year is this?”
Sol
When I came upon the Earth Quad, I paused to assess the damage.
Not as bad as I’d feared. Likely due to Cyrus’s glittering blue streams he’d woven through the grounds. Previously wilted trees now stood up straight and boasted fresh leaves and fruit, along with solid branches that reached for the sun. And the soil breathed with vitality, happy to have absorbed liquid nutrients from the Water Prince.
I spotted Aflora tending to another Earth Fae in the shade of one of the larger trees. She pressed her palm to the trunk and drew in its copper power, glowing as she fed on the source of our element, and gifted it to the petite female beside her.
Relief lightened my chest.
She’s alive.
“Aflora,” I said, and she glanced up at me, her blue eyes flashing with specks of emerald magic. I smiled and rested a heavy hand on her tiny shoulder. “You shouldn’t be using your magic right now. Just moments ago you were unconscious.”
Almost dead.
My gaze ran down her neck, searching for those black streaks. Aside from some lingering soot, I couldn’t detect the illness that had taken her so suddenly.
She shrugged me off. “I’m fine, Sol.” She flashed me a confident smile. “Can’t keep this Earth Fae down.”
I frowned, not wishing to downplay how close to death she’d come.
The female fae beside her groaned as black lines retreated under Aflora’s magic.
“There,” Aflora murmured, seemingly pleased as she rested the Earth Fae against the sturdy trunk. “Draw on its power,” she instructed. “You’ll feel better in no time.”
Even though Cyrus had bolstered the Earth Fae, Aflora’s miraculous recovery didn’t settle well with me.
I glanced around the quad again, noting how many of the others resembled the female fae Aflora had just treated, all of them leaning on the coppery substance of earth for survival.
But someone had given them a kick start.
Was it something Claire had done, or was Aflora’s grasp on the source stronger than I had previously imagined?
Aflora wiped her hands together as she stood and rolled her eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
I pinched some of the soot remaining on her shoulder and rubbed my fingers together. “It doesn’t feel right, Aflora. You need to reserve your magic, not spend it.”