with an hourglass, the only reliable way to keep time in a Shade Vale.
“Once an hour, mist her entire body, everything you can access, but do not attempt to shift her, even a millimeter, or it will all be for nothing. Understand?”
“I’ll take care of it,” you said and took the bottle from me. “Tell me if I’m doing it right.”
Lucian supervised while you moistened Lena’s vessel with a pink mist. Lucian pointed out spots you might have missed and told you to pay extra attention to her eyes, nose, mouth and ears, aiming as much of the solution as you could into her bodily cavities. I hoped for Lena’s sake that Lucian would be able to restore her sunken, opaque eyes, as they were the foundation of her seductive powers.
While Lucian and you ministered Lena, I attempted to feed and water our captives. Maxwell, having gotten over the horror and incredulity of his situation, seemed in slightly better spirits and was able to feed himself. We hadn’t given the bull as much leeway. He snarled at me when I came near, which told me he wasn’t yet hungry enough.
“I’ll do it,” you said and took the strips of meat from my hands.
You knelt across from the beast while I unsheathed my blade and held it near his neck as a deterrent. Ashur focused solely on your face as you fed him. Would you care to know that it was likely preserved human flesh you were handling? Had you seen Ashur’s collection of living cadavers? Would that knowledge change your mind about him?
I banished those petty thoughts from my mind. In Ashur’s dismal circumstance, I’d have done the same, and exposing the beastborn as a cannibal would do nothing to elevate my status in your eyes.
“Finish up.” It came out harsher than intended. “They need to be going.”
You gave me a dirty look while Ashur was blessed with your sweetest smile. “Don’t upset Lucian, okay?” you coaxed the animal. “I know the chains are uncomfortable, but we need to work together now. As soon as my mother is better, we’ll take you to see the sun. I bet it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
The beast nodded pitifully, and I groaned inwardly. Ashur must make regular trips to the surface to restock his supplies, but then again, maybe not. Perhaps the nature of this Shade Vale was similar to my own. Once enough attempts at escape had proved futile, I gave up trying. Not Lena though. Begrudgingly, I admired her grit.
“How long will it take to restore her?” I asked Lucian who was still fretting over her degenerated state.
“Fully? You’re assuming I can.”
“Well enough that we can move her?”
He glanced worriedly at Lena’s body.
“I don’t know. All of her organs have shut down, her blood will need to be completely replenished… that’s if I can get her circulatory system working again. I’ve never dealt with this advanced stage of decomposition.”
A while, then. My mood soured even more. I didn’t wish to sleep in this hellhole even one more night. Lucian then began listing all of the damages to her body as though someone might be recording it for posterity. He loved our mother. She was perhaps the only being he truly loved, and he was spiraling into panic.
I laid a hand on his shoulder. “Hurry back. And don’t let that animal out of its collar.”
“Are you worried about me, big brother?” Lucian asked with the hint of a grin.
“Only you could work the miracle of resurrecting our mother. And then we can get the hell out of here.”
Lucian nodded with more confidence and gave you some final instruction. The three of them packed up and left, carrying the now-empty canvas bags to stuff with provisions. You tended to Lena a second time and flipped the hour glass to mark it. That was when your cat deigned to make another appearance.
“Spooky,” you called. The cat pranced over to your lap, placed two paws against your chest, and kneaded your flesh with her claws, a strange ritual. You cradled her to you and whispered loving words into her fur. If I ever died a natural death, I’d ask to come back as your cat. She never had the unique privilege of quarreling with you. With that thought in mind, I insisted you feed. Afterwards, your eyelids grew heavy, and I told you to rest.
“Cuddle me,” you said after you’d unrolled our bedding. You were sprawled on your back like a sultan, taking up