*Saoirse*
Axureon’s tilted the antidote into Rhys’ pallid lips. His movents were precise, even though his brow furrowed with an uncertainty that chilled my heart. I watched silently on the brink of despair as each drop slipped past Rhys’ mouth.
"Swallow, young master," Axureon whispered, more a plea than a command as he massaged his throat. "Your family needs you." His voice, usually so robust and commanding, was now quiet and uncertain. It made the ice in my veins spread even further.
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Rhys’ ashen face, the stark contrast to his once vibrant features gnawing at my insides. My husband was a strong, powerful man. Thanks to Alexa and her insanity and jealousy, he had been reduced to the lifeless body that lay before .
I left Alexa to Saphira and stood vigil over Rhys’ body. I couldn’t lose him. “I won’t,” I whispered on repeat.
The minutes stretched on, each second a lifeti of its own, with no sign that the liquid Alexa had provided, the supposed antidote Axureon had administered, was taking hold.
"Please, Rhys," I murmured, my hand finding his, cold and still within my desperate grasp. "You must co back to ." My voice, barely above a whisper, seed too loud in the silence. “I need you. Our babies need you.”
"Fight," I urged, feeling the warmth of tears threatening to spill over. The strong, fearless man I loved lay unmoving, a shell of the vibrant soul he once was. The thought of a world without him, his mischievous grin, and the gentle strength of his embrace was far too empty.
"Is it working?" I asked, my voice breaking. I turned to Axureon with eyes pleading for a shred of hope. The ancient dragon simply shook his head, his expression unreadable.
"Patience, Saoirse," he said, though the word felt like a dagger twisting in my gut. Patience was a virtue I could not afford while Rhys’ spirit hovered in the balance. I clung to his hand, willing my life force into him as if such a thing were possible, praying to any deity that would listen to spare his light from being extinguished.
"Co back to ," I repeated. It was a mantra against the darkness that threatened to claim him. With him, it would claim everything that was left of .
The helplessness clawed at .
"Please, Rhys," I whispered, taking his hand into mine, seeking any sign of improvent, any twitch or flutter of his eyelids. But there was nothing, just the cool touch of his skin and the faint pulse that seed to grow weaker with every passing second.
"Fight this," I urged him, the tears streaming freely now. I leaned down, pressing my forehead to his. "You have to fight this." My voice cracked. I realized then that I was pleading not only with Rhys but with fate itself.
His chest barely rose with each shallow breath, but it ant he was still breathing. His face had a deathly pallor that sent shivers through my soul. Anguish squeezed my heart, but the fury within burned hotter and hotter.
"Alexa," I spat her na like venom. I turned to confront the small woman who stood under Saphira’s guard, only to find an infuriating smirk playing on her lips. "Why? What did he do to deserve this?" My voice was a growl, roughened by anger and grief.
She shrugged, the casualness of the gesture fueling my anger. Where she had been pleading and desperate before, she seed almost pleased now. "He should have been more cautious about whom he trifled with," she said, her voice lilting as if discussing the weather rather than a life hanging by a thread.
I lunged forward, but hands gripped my shoulders, pulling back before I could reach her. "Tell what poison you used!" I demanded, struggling against the restraint. I needed to know and understand what darkness we were fighting to save Rhys from.
"Knowledge is power, dear Saoirse," Alexa replied, her eyes glinting with sothing dark and unspoken. "And so things are better left unknown."
I broke free from the hands holding and advanced on Alexa. Her smugness was a slap across my face. The look in her eyes told she reveled in this twisted ga. "What vile concoction have you brewed?" I hissed.
"Oh, you poor, poor thing," Alexa mused, feigning a pensive look. "Maybe you should have learned your place. I thought after he spent your wedding night in bed with , you’d both co to your senses.”
“What did you give him?”
“A complex blend of herbs and magic, a potion only a true alchemist could craft. It is unfortunate that Rhys did not appreciate the depth of my affection."
Her words were infuriating, insinuating yet revealing nothing. "You will tell what you’ve done to him," I growled, clenching my fists so tightly my nails bit into my palms.
"Wouldn’t you like to know?" Alexa taunted, a wicked smile playing on her lips. "But where’s the lesson in that? Maybe now he’ll learn not to scorn a love offered so generously."
My breaths ca out in sharp bursts, and my heart pounded at a furious rhythm. The air around us seed to crackle with my outrage. I took a threatening step forward, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Listen well, for these are not idle threats. You will suffer for every mont of pain you’ve inflicted upon him. Your death will be a masterpiece of agony, crafted over ti, and every scream torn from your lips will be a testant to your mistake. It was a mistake to cross , Alexa."
Alexa rely tilted her head, her eyes locked onto mine, unflinching.
It would be so easy to have Saphira rip her throat out or maybe remove a limb or two—maybe even three. But it would do nothing. I would still be without the answers I so desperately needed.
I spun away from her, unable to bear the sight any longer, and faced Axureon. His expression was grim and telling. My heart lurched at the uncertainty darkening his features. "Axureon," I pleaded, desperation lacing my tone, "tell he will survive this."
His eyes t mine, heavy with doubt. In them, I saw the reflection of my fear. "Saoirse," he began, his voice faltering, "we’ve done all I can, but the poison..." His words trailed off, leaving a silence that spoke volus.
I returned to Rhys’ side, kneeling beside him, my resolve hardening. Whatever it took, I would find a way. I would scour the ends of the earth for a cure and a chance to undo this evil. And Alexa would pay dearly.
Ti stretched into an eternity, each second a lifeti of its own. I kneeled by Rhys, watching for the faintest flutter beneath his eyelids or the slightest twitch of a finger that might signal his return to .
"Rhys," I whispered again and again, my voice a broken record of hope.
And then, it happened. A sharp gasp shattered the silence. It was more beautiful than any lody. His eyes snapped open, wide and wild, darting around the clearing without seeing. They were clouded with pain, unfocused as though he couldn’t see through it.
"Rhys!" My heart erupted with relief and joy. I threw my arms around him, my laughter mingling with tears. "You’re back, oh gods, you’re back."
His body remained stiff, a statue beneath my embrace. The laughter died on my lips, confusion knitting my brow. "Rhys?" I pulled back, searching his face, but found no trace of the recognition I craved. His gaze pierced through , unfocused and lost.
"Rhys, can you hear ?" My voice trembled, barely above a whisper. Fear crept in as I held him closer, willing him to respond, move, and be the man I knew. But he lay there, rigid and unresponsive.
His eyes swung to , his hands gripping my arms, but panic was setting in. He tried to sit but could not, so I helped him. His brow creased with effort, and the muscles in his face tensed. I realized that sothing was very wrong.
"Move your legs, Rhys," I urged, my voice a blend of desperation and command. "Please, try for ."
There was nothing, just the dreadful stillness of limbs that refused to obey. My hands trembled as they slid down to grasp his legs. There was no response, no twitch, no sign that my Rhys could feel my touch. Horror clawed its way up my throat.
"Alexa," I spat her na like a curse, my gaze snapping towards her, venomous and raw. "What have you done? What poison did you use? You will tell what you have done to him, or so help ..."
"Dearest Saoirse," she crooned, her voice sickly sweet, "I simply gave him a lesson in consequences." The tittering laugh that ca next made want to strangle her.
"Consequences?" My words ca out as a growl, fierce and low. "You’ve poisoned him to paralysis!"
"Only what he deserved," Alexa replied, all smug satisfaction and twisted pride.
"Deserved?" I couldn’t contain the rage. It spilled from . Every foul word I knew—and so I invented on the spot—I hurled at her, each one a promise of retribution.
"Save your breath, Saoirse," Axureon’s calm voice cut through my fury. "Vengeance won’t heal him."
"Nothing will heal him until she tells us what toxin she used." I turned back to Rhys, my resolve hardening like steel. "But I’ll find a way. I’ll search every to and consult every healer. I swear it, Rhys. I’ll move heaven and earth to see you whole again."
His eyes t mine, a silent plea within their depths. I leaned close, whispering only for him, "And her, that snake who did this to you," I glanced at Alexa, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper, "she’ll suffer. By the gods, she’ll wish she had never been born."
"Please, Saoirse," Rhys’ voice was weak, barely audible, but it was the most beautiful sound in the world. "Promise ..."
"Justice," I affird, my hand finding his, "and healing. You have my word. I love you."
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. The sight of his still form was haunting. I knew I had to act quickly, or it might be too late. Rhys could survive without the use of his legs just as I could survive without my magic, but he would never feel whole. Rhys was a warrior, and a warrior needed full use of his body. I would do whatever it took and whatever he needed no matter the cost.
I would see him whole again. And I would make the psychopath who thought she was owed his attention suffer dearly for her sins.
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