My heart constricted. Tears washed over my eyes. I barely knew my animal, and I would hate for her to be hurt like that. It would be like someone cutting off both of my arms.

One thing at a time, though. I couldn’t heal that. I could heal what was happening to him from the poison.

Hopefully.

“Hurry,” Hannon said, pushing me out of the way and reaching for Nyfain. “It’s going to be fine. Take it easy now.”

“Put him in my bed,” I told Hannon as we labored Nyfain down the hall. His movements were sluggish, and his shoulders stooped. “I need to break into the library and try to figure out what kind of poison that is—”

“The poison of a Fah Rahlen,” Nyfain said as Dash and Sable ran out of their rooms with wide eyes.

“Finley!” they said at the same time, rushing forward to hug me and, in so doing, hug Nyfain.

“It’s a creature the demon king creates from the souls of the twisted, and a special blend of his magic,” he said. “The poison is not well known.”

“You didn’t think anyone knew how to work with everlass, either. And yet…” We struggled with him through the door as coughing sounded from Father’s bedroom. “One thing at a time,” I told myself, remembering to breathe. “Help one person at a time.”

“Poor Finley,” Nyfain said, slurring. “The world on your shoulders.”

“I need to break into the library,” I repeated to Hannon as we settled Nyfain on his stomach.

“Hmm, it smells like you,” Nyfain murmured. “I’d know that smell anywhere.”

“Who is this guy, Finley?” Sable asked.

“Long story—”

“You’re looking for that book on trees that you had before the beast—” Hannon’s words cut off in a rush of emotion. I met his eyes over Nyfain. He shrugged. “I heard you talking outside. I needed to make sure it was you before I opened the door. We’ve been worried the beast might come for us.”

“Yes, of course. And yes, that book.”

He shrugged again. “I didn’t have the heart to take it back. I was hoping you’d show up and do that for me.”

I put my hand on his shoulder. “Bless you, Hannon. Where is it?”

“Where you left it. On the table by the door.”

I’d clearly missed it, not that I’d been looking.

“Here!” Dash ran into the room holding three thick volumes, struggling under the weight. “Hannon, Sable, and I have been researching. The other ones won’t help you, but these might. They’re about the different kingdoms, and there is one about the demon kingdom. Hannon didn’t see any blood, and he saw tracks of the beast, so we thought that maybe he was taking you back to the demon king. We were going to save you.”

Hannon gave me a helpless look. “We couldn’t not try to help in some way.”

“True grit,” Nyfain mumbled into my pillow.

“Yes, of course.” I scowled at Hannon. “Give me that, Dash. Let me refresh my memory. It’s been a while since I read it. And here. I have some everlass leaves. Can you go set them out? I’ll need them.”

I pulled out all the leaves and grabbed the volume with information about the demon kingdom, huddling near the candle to read. It took me no time at all to find the section on demonic creatures. I remembered being mildly interested in those a few years ago. As I suspected, though, the book didn’t mention this particular breed of nasty.

“The type of poison…” I flipped through the tree book, knowing that the information on poisons was interspersed with facts about trees. The idea was to give the illusion that it was an innocuous book. I’d actually checked it out to read up on the birch, but whatever.

Returning to Nyfain’s sickbed, I sat near his head. Hannon was working on cleaning his back, and the kids, Dash fresh in from outside, looked on.

“Tell me about the poison,” I said as I refamiliarized myself with the contents of the book. If only I’d chosen to leaf through this one the night I was taken, and actually stayed awake long enough to learn something, I would have had a head start. “Every detail you can remember. I already have the color.”

Nyfain gave me what he could, but it wasn’t much. As he listed what he knew, his words became more and more slurred.

Hannon reached over and peeled his lids open. “Eyes are clear, not bloodshot.” He put the back of his hand to Nyfain’s forehead. “High fever. Dash, go outside and get some cold water from the bucket. Sable, get some bandages.”

Dash ran down the hall, his feet light as a feather. That kid would make an excellent spy. Or thief.

“He can’t die,” I said as I hurried through the pages of the tree-slash-poison book, already knowing I wouldn’t find any answers. “Hannon, he cannot die.”

Tags: K.F. Breene Deliciously Dark Fairytales Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net