Page 53 of Healing Elixirs & Wicked Crows

This one ingredient had cost me so much time.It had been the reason for this entire journey, and as I held it within my hands, the cloth wrapping falling open until it lay like an offering within my palms, I knew I wouldn’t have enough to truly do what I needed.Not if I used it now, on Elias.I would need at least half to heal him of the cursed bite.Would that leave enough to break a curse that had lasted more than a century?

I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply as I let myself still.I asked that inner part of myself what I should do like I’d done countless times before when confronted with difficult healing situations.It always knew when to risk it and when it wouldn’t be enough.I looked to Elias, to the dark hair that always seemed to fall into his gray eyes.To the pale lips that would lift into his cocky grin whenever he teased me.To how he always wanted to make sure I remained safe even at the cost of himself.

Something warm bloomed deep within my chest.It fluttered and expanded until my skin vibrated with it.I knew time was running out, that I needed to react, to heal, but as I pondered my options, that warmth blossomed until I realized what it was.

Love.

In the short time that I’d known Elias, I had fallen for him, for his charm.This feeling igniting within my chest was new, and it was far too soon to act upon it, or to even truly acknowledge it, but gods… it was there.A warm pressure that flourished within my heart.I couldn’t deny it.My heart raced with the realization, and I made my decision.

I had to save him.

Swiftly, I donned gloves and meticulously harvested half the petals, half the stem, and half the roots from the flower.It was crucial to maintain the delicate balance between life and death; too little wouldn't suffice, but too much could be disastrous for Briar.Grinding everything into a fine powder, I mixed it with the prepared elixir, my lips a thin line as I hummed a soft healing melody, infusing the potion with power.With the elixir ready, I discarded my gloves and eased Elias’s head upward, pouring the mixture down his throat.I implored my limited magic to succeed; I couldn't bear to lose Elias, not after realizing what had blossomed between us.

With the potion consumed, I lowered his head back to the cushioned grassy pillow, turning my attention to the wound that had set us on this terrifying path.

As I worked, something nagged at me, the ease with which the healing had come, the way my magic had responded with more power than I'd ever wielded before.The wolf child's recovery wasn't just quick; it was miraculous.Magic that strong should have left me drained, but instead, I felt energized.As if healing him had somehow fed something hungry inside me.

It should have been reassuring.Instead, it terrified me.Healers were meant to give of themselves, to sacrifice their own energy for their patients' wellbeing.But this felt different.This felt like taking.

I pushed the thought aside, focusing on Elias's wound.But as my magic flowed into him, cleaning the poison from his blood, I felt it again, that strange sense of drawing energy rather than expending it.As if the act of healing was somehow making me stronger rather than weaker.

What did it mean?And why did the sensation feel so familiar, like remembering a dream from long ago?

The triad had made it seem as if I held the power to have whatever I wished, and right now, the only thing I cared about was healing Elias.My fingers prodded at the bandage along his muddied chest, and I pulled them away so I could focus on the wound.It looked as angry as ever, those dark veins spidering further than I remembered against the red heated flesh.

Instinctively, I pressed my palms against the skin around the bite, focusing intently on the bloodied indents.Past the oozing black blood, I sent my magic deeper, letting it travel through the blackened veins to the healthy end, then pulled it back, dragging out the darkness, poison, and death.The acrid taste of poison coated my tongue, and I exhaled it out.As my magic worked, I sensed something else at the edges of my awareness.The elixir flowed through Elias’s body, striving to cleanse and heal.

A faint glow seeped from my hands into the wound.I'd used my magic to heal before, but never to extract poison.Sweat dotted my brow, and exhaustion weighed on me as I poured my essence into him, entwining my magic with his veins and blood until no poison remained.As the minutes passed, the wound began to mend.The angry red hue faded to the pale flesh I was used to, and the dark trails from each bite mark vanished.It was working.I kept my palms on his chest until the last of his torn flesh healed, then collapsed back, breathing heavily and wiping sweat from my brow.

Wake up, I pleaded silently, my gaze trained onto the gentle rise and fall of his chest.He lived, but would he wake?Would he end up trapped within an endless slumber just like Briar?Tears slipped down my cheeks while I watched him.My body rocked while my arms curled around my raised knees, my fingers gripping at my sides as I let my sorrow consume me.What if I’d been too late?How could I lose him now, when I’d only just realized what he meant to me—what I had long suspected?

His chest lifted and fell in a steady rhythm as I curled into his uninjured side, but his face remained slack with sleep.His skin no longer held the pallor of death, but it lay so still, so cool beneath my skin.One thought consumed my mind as I let my tears silently fall onto his shoulder, not caring that the mud would likely mar my cheek.

Please wake up.

Please wake up.

Please wake up.

All of You

ELIAS

Something warm cushioned my head, and the sharp scent of sunshine and vanilla tickled my nose.A comforting weight pressed against my side, warmth spreading across my chest.As I opened my eyes, the morning light caught Rosemary's hair, turning it into a golden hue.I couldn't help but grin, sighing at the sight of her head resting against me, her breathing almost in sync with my heartbeat.

She lifted her head, hands pressing into the grass beside me, and gazed down.A strand of hair fell across her cheek, and I gently tucked it behind her ear, feeling sparks at the touch of her soft skin.She looked like an angel framed by the sun's golden light.

“Did I die?”I asked, looking up at her.“Are you my angel?”

She smiled, the merriment twinkling behind her wide gaze before she pressed her lips into a thin line, her nose scrunching at the thought.“No, why would you think that?”

“Because of the beauty I have awakened to, and the golden glow of a halo upon the crown of your head,” I replied, lowering my hand back to my side as I fought the urge to drag the pad of my thumb over her lower lip.“You know, if this is what I’ll awaken to upon death, I don’t think it such a bad fate.”

Groaning, Rosemary gave a dramatic roll of her eyes, but I still noticed the upward tick to her lips.

“You’re ridiculous,” she said, her head shaking as she feigned annoyance.Even as I could see the almost smile, there was something else behind her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”I asked, sliding back onto my elbows until I sat, pressing my back against the nearby stone.My head spun with the movement, but her quick reactions had her hands around my shoulders as she guided me.