by our side. Rahl’s words from before echoed inside my head, cutting through my mental clutter like a sharp knife, and they simply rang true—with Soren here, we were in good hands.
5
Soren
It was well after midnight, and neither Maya nor I had been able to get any rest, despite both of us knowing we needed to keep our energy up. After I’d procured the mixtures from the Department of Herbal Medicine and administered them to Dylan, we’d had a momentary bit of relief.
His fever came down to a seemingly manageable rate, and he’d seemed to rest less fitfully. That had only lasted a couple of hours, though, as I’d expected.
“Try not to worry,” I told Maya. “Rahl’s tinctures will be exponentially more effective than the medicine Dylan received when he first got here. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Easier said than done.” She never tore her gaze from the boy as she stood at his bedside, stroking his hair back from his face. He looked utterly miserable, soaked with sweat from the spiking fever. “What if there’s permanent damage?”
I pressed my lips together. The thought had crossed my mind as well. I had no idea just what we were dealing with here. If we were in fact up against something as dangerous as sorcery, things were wildly unpredictable.
“The tinctures will be here soon,” I said, trying to offer her some measure of comfort. “And Rahl and his sister, Wisteria, will be working hard to find any information they can to help us. Are you sure you won’t take a nap?” It wasn’t the first time I’d asked her, and her response didn’t surprise me in the least.
“Not until I know he’s out of the woods, Soren,” she whispered, her face pinched.
Fair enough. It wasn’t like I was able to get any rest, either.
Around two in the morning, Dylan started thrashing in his bed, his face etched with pain. Maya gave me a panicked look from where she was still keeping vigil at his side, and I rushed to the opposite side of the bed, scanning the monitors for any indication that Dylan was in danger.
That’s when he sat straight up in the bed and started babbling incoherently. Maya wrapped her arms around him, stroking his head over and over as she whispered, “I’m here, I’m here.”
My heart broke for her and the fear she must be feeling.
“Mommy,” Dylan rasped. “Where are you, Mommy? Help me.”
Maya looked up at me, our gazes meeting over Dylan’s head, and the pain I saw there was so raw I could practically feel it. Tears filled her eyes, spilling over as she continued to hold him.
“I’m here, Dylan. It’s me, Maya. I’m so sorry you can’t have your mother, but I’m here. I’m here.” Her voice broke on a sob, and it was all I could do not to go around the bed and take her in my arms. I wanted to more than anything, but I didn’t know how she would react to that.
I’d already made it clear that I was interested in her, but she’d made the opposite just as plain. Any connection she felt to me had to be attributed to the fact that she needed someone to lean on right now. I couldn’t let myself think otherwise.
After a few moments, and another dose of the herbal mixture, Dylan settled somewhat, though his face was still contorted with pain. It was nearly an hour later before Tamir came back in, announcing that the shipment from Macros had arrived, thank our lucky stars.
I quickly administered the tinctures, and almost immediately Dylan seemed to settle, the creases on his brow smoothing out as he began to breathe more deeply, falling into a less fitful sleep. I took his temperature once more.
“It’s dropping,” I stated with a sigh of relief.
Maya’s shoulders dropped, visibly letting go of some of her tension as she watched. “Now what?”
“Now, we wait.” Not the answer she wanted to hear, I was sure, but that was about all that could be done now. “We have to let the tinctures do their work. Try not to worry, Maya. Dylan is young and otherwise healthy. He will be fine. He’s going to make a full recovery, and I’ll personally be here to guarantee it.”
She nodded, though her brows were still drawn tightly together. Seeing her so distraught made my chest ache. How I longed to see her smile again.
“You know, just last month, I brought an elderly woman back from a coma, despite