Page 116 of Anomalies

I jolt forward to grab her face, the jar of moonshine crashing to the ground. “How much did you drink, Lucina?” I feel her knees buckle, and fear surges in my veins, so potent it blots out the world. No. No, no, no. “HOW MUCH DID YOU DRINK?!”

Red splotches break out across her cheeks and chest, and when she looks up at me, teary-eyed, time stops. “Enough.”

28

CALLAN

Ihardly remember moving.

I hardly remember snatching her off the ground.

I hardly remember barking orders for people to move, but I do remember the music stopping like a record scratch, and I do remember the look on Gemma’s face when I bolted past her.

Fear. Gut-wrenching fear.

I clutch her tightly to my chest, and when I feel the fight wink out of Lucina’s lifeless body… There is nothing in this whole world that could have prepared me for it. No amount of death or violence, no amount of training or torture—nothing could have readied me to face the possibility of losing her.

I simply can’t.

Trees pass like white flags, begging me to surrender, but I run faster than I’ve ever moved in my entire life. Faster than the poison. I just have to be faster than the poison, but she has minutes. Maybe less.

The lights of the Infirmary blink through the trees. “Come on, Chaos,” I choke out, my lungs seizing. Her fingers grip the silver plating of my amulet, and that’s enough to shatter my heart into a million pieces. “Show me how you fight.”

I cut through the grass, doing my best to keep her head stabilized as I sprint down the shallow hill.

“You know I can’t do this without you,” I tell her, a knife twisting in my gut at the thought of her never hearing those words. “I need you. Gods, Lucina, I need you.”

I kick the door to the infirmary open so violently the hinges crack, then I’m rushing past all the nurses who shout after me, but I know exactly where they keep the antidotes, and I don’t have the time to explain.

“We’re almost there, Chaos, then you’re going to show me those eyes again, okay?”

In my head, I imagine her laughing, and the thought does nothing but rip me apart.

I hold her with one arm and throw my fist through the locked glass cabinet, turning my body to shield her from the shattered shards, then my trembling fingers rifle through all the small vials.

The black specks were a dead giveaway; it’s Ashvine, it has to be, I can’t afford to be wrong. I’ll never forgive myself if I’m wrong.

“Get me a bucket!” I shout at the nurses who followed me into the room, then I snatch the antidote. I rip off the lid, slump to the floor, and gather her into my lap.

“Okay, okay,” I breathe, adrenaline coursing through me so violently that I can hardly speak. I dump the entire contents of the vial past the small gap between her near colorless lips, pouring every last drop down her throat. I tilt her chin up, keeping her mouth shut until I’m certain she’s swallowed, then Gemma rounds the corner.

“Oh gods,” her voice breaks as she pushes past the crowd of nurses that have gathered. “Callan...”

I’m sure it’s quite the spectacle; me slumped against the shattered glass cabinet, pleading with Cin like she can hear me. “Show me those eyes, Chaos.”

Brutal, punishing seconds pass, and everyone in the room holds their breath. When my eyes meet Gemma’s, an unholy level of fear passes between us both. It’s not the same look I gave her when I climbed the Banyan. Gods and I felt on top of the world a few hours ago. This is the look that comes before grief. This is the look that says—I won’t survive this.

All the warmth is sucked out of the room, and the space grows so cold that teeth begin to chatter.

“Come on, come on,” I beg, running my finger across her cheek, but she’s so cold. She’s ice fucking cold. “...please don’t break my heart.”

A sob rips from Gemma’s throat when Lucina’s eyes shoot open, and I drown in relief. Drown in those wide whiskey pools even as they fill with panic.

“Bucket!” I snap, grabbing a small bin that one of the nurses holds out for me, then I wrap Lucina’s mass of hair around my fist, right as she lurches forward, spilling everything into the metal tin. All the moonshine, all the Ashvine. All of it. “Good girl,” I exhale, rubbing her back with my free hand. “You’re okay.”

Lucina’s shoulders tremble as she heaves until there’s nothing left, then she slumps back down against my chest. Deathly silent. Her eyes flick up to me, then down to the way my chest heaves, watching as if she can sense the adrenaline coursing through my body.

“Lucina.” Gemma’s baby blue eyes are bloodshot, tears slipping down her cheeks as she rushes forward. “Oh, my gods, are you okay?” There’s a flash of warm light as Gemma frantically runs Mender magic up Lucina’s arms and into her chest. It flares once, then fades. “You’re okay,” she declares, and the breath that rushes out of me could move mountains.