7
Bres lifted Card off me, rolling his body to one side as he gathered me up into his arms. I was sobbing; I didn’t remember starting to cry, didn’t remember the Barrier coming down.
“Quinn, you be all right.” Bres’ hands rubbed my back. “Come on, we have to go. If you want to be saving Luke, that is.”
He was right, there was no time to feel this sorrow, we had to move fast. Wobbling to my feet, a rush of awareness I’d never had filled my senses. Every drop of water was mine to command, from the lake, to the rain, to the moisture beading on Bres’ forehead.
I took a slow even breath, gingerly holding my broken arm against my chest. “Let’s go.”
Pausing, I stared down at Card’s shrunken body. “Fianna . . .” was all I managed before she interrupted me.
“We will take care of his body.” She inclined her head to me.
Bres took off his shirt and twisted it into a bandage to bound up my broken arm. It hurt, but already I could feel the break knitting up, the split in my lip and my swollen eye healing. Running full tilt the rest of the way, we burst into the Banshee’s bower, startling the guard.
“Where’s Luke?” I asked.
She pointed to the back of the bower, and the trees leaned outwards to reveal the way. With Bres at my heels, I bolted down the path, skidding to a halt in a second clearing. Luke lay on a bed of flowers, his hands folded over his still chest.
“No,” I whispered. We were too late.
Bres grabbed my good arm. “The old man said there was a time that you could call Luke back from death.”
The Banshee guard followed us into the clearing, Fianna close behind. “How long has he been dead?”
The guard shrugged. “A while, I suppose.”
Fianna stepped up. “With the time that has already passed where he can be brought back, you will have wasted the healing power of the cauldron if you use it.”
“I’ll take that chance,” I said.
Dropping to my knees beside Luke’s body, I reached out, then paused, staring at Card’s blood still cooling on my fingers. I closed my eyes to block out the sight.
Damn, I knew there was something I’d forgotten. “How do I make the Cauldron work?” I asked.
Fianna came to my side and pressed my hand over Luke’s silent heart. “Here. It is like all magic; you must will the healing to begin.”
Pressing my palm hard into his cold skin, I prayed we weren’t too late. The warmth in my arm slid down to my fingers, the skin on Luke’s chest around my hand slowly gained colour. “Come on, Luke, this isn’t the end, not yet. I still have to kick your ass for lying to me,” I whispered.
Bres crouched beside me. “He’s a fighter. We aren’t too late.”
But nothing was happening. Luke didn’t take a breath; he didn’t pink up other than around my hand. “Come on, please don’t die on me. I’ll let the whole lie about Bres slide, if you just come back.” There was nothing, not even a glimmer of movement. This wasn’t fair! We’d fought so hard! I wanted to hit something, to lash out. Anything to not feel this gaping hole. I couldn’t lose him. I couldn’t lose another person whom I cared about.
Slipping my broken arm out of the sling, I put my other hand on his forehead. “Damn it, Luke!” I yelled, “Don’t you dare back out on me now!”
A bright flare of heat snapped between my hand and his chest, jerking his body like an electric shock. The intensity of the light dulled my eyes; I turned my head, but didn’t let go of him.
“Ashling? Quinn?”
My head whipped around so hard I smacked into Bres, giving me temporary stars. “Luke?” I was afraid my eyes were deceiving me. He had rumpled hair, bags under his eyes and a gaunt frame from the poison burning through his system, but he was alive.
Luke started to sit up, but I pushed him back down. “No, you can’t. Not yet.”
“I feel fine.” He paused, “I thought for a minute there that you were your sister. What happened? Where’s Aednat?” he asked. Then his eyes flicked to Bres. “What the hell?” Rolling away from me, Luke got to his feet and shot a ball of fire at Bres, who ducked the flames and spun out of the way.
“Luke, stop!” I yelped, ducking under a second gout of flame. “He’s on our side! It was Chaos who turned him against us!”
Bres continued to dodge the fire, though I could see it was wearing on him. I did the only thing I could. Running to Bres, I pressed my back against his chest and faced Luke. “Stop this, I need you both to stand with me. Please, Luke. Bres helped me save your life. He was ready to give up his own to save yours.”