afflicted

28: 1 month before...

Her conscience felt heavy as she and Az landed in Summer Court. Rhysand had sent them to gather Callie's family, but that was not the true mission at all. She felt terrible about lying to her mate constantly, but she continued to remind herself that his life was on the line if she didn't.

They arrived at Alis' cottage and the first alarm bell in her head rang when she saw how unkempt Persephene's butterfly garden was. Her sister took meticulous care of her garden, weeding and tending to each plant daily. It was overgrown with weeds now, strangling the life from the flowers. No butterflies flocked to flounce about in the afternoon sun.

Callie's heart was in her throat as she opened the door. It felt immediately wrong. The house was empty. Persephene's favorite shoes were gone. The oven had gathered a layer of dust, meaning Alis had been gone for a while, too. Where the hells had they gone?

Perhaps they'd feared the war and fled. She wouldn't have blamed them. Pain echoed in her chest. She could only hope now that they'd gotten somewhere safe before it was too late. Callie quickly wiped her tears, clearing her throat and regaining control of herself. She didn't have time right now to ponder all of the what-if's. She couldn't think about what would happen if her family hadn't made it somewhere safe.

No, she'd tell herself they were fine. She had to repeat it to herself over and over and over. Believing they were okay was the only way she was going to survive this. She couldn't fall into the pits of grief. She needed to keep her wits about her. Everyone's survival rested on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" Azriel asked quietly, standing few steps behind her in the living room, giving her the space she needed to come to terms with what they'd found. Or rather, what they hadn't found.

"I'm fine. Are you okay to stay here? I need to go for a swim alone and gather my head," she said, using her sleeve to dry her cheeks. Hesitantly, he nodded. He sat down on the couch.

"I'll be here when you're done," he assured her. She hated the volatile feelings coursing through her at the thought of what she was doing. Az may never forgive her, either. She was out of options. She couldn't tell him, because he would be overprotective and ruin the plan, and there was absolutely no room for error.

Once she calmly left the cottage, Callie bolted across the grass and down the hill to where the cave she'd brought Azriel to was. Clambering inside, she ripped her shoes from her feet, taking a few deep breaths before diving into the fluorescent pool. She broke through the cool water with ease. She swam downwards, opening her eyes to scan the depths. Shit, it was a lot fucking deeper than she remembered. This was going to be harder than she thought.

She came back up for air, trying to keep her heart rate steady. Once she caught her breath, she flipped and used her feet to push off of the rocks to propel herself deeper into the water. It was a blessing that her jellyfish-like creatures lit the way.

When she saw it, her eyes widened. At the very bottom of the pool was a rock that looked like it was formed of pure magma. It was fiercely orange and glowing, each of its' jagged edges reflecting off light. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

When she'd been in the library one night when Azriel hadn't come to bed for the third night in a row, she was flipping through a very old and dusty book she'd found buried in the depths of Rhysand's archive. She'd flipped through the pages and paused. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked down at a picture of her cave. She'd know it anywhere. She had gone there since she was a kid. The book gave no location for the cave, only what resided inside.

At the bottom of the cave's deep swimming hole was a stone of incredible value. This stone was the only one of its' kind. Rumored to have originated long ago in a place long forgotten in a parallel realm. The stone was forged for the Queen, made of blackfyre stone and faerie healing charms, forged in a way that amplified the power tenfold. The Queen had a heart of fire, they'd said. It was believed she wielded the elemental power of fire, using it to build a kingdom free of oppression. For restoring their homeland to its' proper glory, they gifted the Elentiya Stone, as they called it. 

The bright orange stone appeared malted like a solidified liquid when examined up close. The tendrils of power stirred from the inside. When the Queen had asked what this stone was made to do, the smith had revealed that the stone could cleanse any impurity of the heart. When used properly, this stone could cast out evil latched onto one's soul. They said with this, the Queen of Wildfyre would never fall prey to dark influences. The book told nothing of how the stone was activated or used in practice. The literature was scarce and she couldn't find another book that had even mentioned it.

How it had ended up in this realm was a mystery. Once she'd shown Rhysand her research, he'd agreed to let her hunt for the Elentiya Stone. Little did he know, she already knew exactly where to find it. 

She and Rhysand had spoken and agreed that Cassian was a liability. Rhys didn't like dividing his loyalties in that way, so he let her know that if they were to move forward with this plan, no one else would be able to know.

So when Callie saw the Elentiya Stone glowing in the hazy depths of the cavern's pool, her heart stuttered. It was even more mesmerizing than the book had described it to be. Once she neared the bottom, huge geyser-like streams of water burst forth, sending her further upward. She fought against the current, but she'd already lost too much air. With a growl of frustration, she once again surfaced. If she was gone much longer, Azriel would become suspicious and come looking for her to make sure she was okay. She couldn't allow that to happen. This was her last chance.

She climbed out of the water, taking a few steps back. She gave herself a running start as she sucked in a deep breath and dove head-first back into the water. She paddled furiously, kicking her legs as hard as she could. Her limbs ached with the effort it took. She reached the bottom, holding on to the magma stone for dear life as the harsh stream rocketed her back to the surface.

She came up sputtering and gasping. Her nose burned from water shooting up her nostrils and she coughed up water, but she had the stone. All that mattered was that she got the stone. She laughed deliriously, holding it to her forehead and her laughs became sobs, wracking her entire body. This rock was the only hope she'd felt in months.

She'd loved this cave her whole life. Had fate driven her here, knowing what was to come? Or was it just luck? Either way she was so thankful. She hiccupped through her cries, slowly soothing herself. Once she'd calmed down, she tucked the rock into her bag and zipped it shut, pulling the straps back onto her shoulders. She used the towel she'd grabbed to dry off as much as she could before trekking back into the house to find Azriel on the couch with one of Persephene's romance novels.

Callie snorted, walking to him and sitting herself in his lap. Instinctively, his arms banded around her and he offered her a sweet smile that let her know he knew she'd been crying, but wouldn't bring it up unless she did.

She plucked the book from his hand, audibly laughing at the ridiculous cover of a handsome, shirtless fae man holding a distraught female in his arms. "Good stuff," Azriel joked. "Hope Persephene doesn't mind, but I think I have to take it home to finish it. I'll admit, it hooked me."

Callie smiled, pressing her lips to his. She loved him so much that sometimes it was painful. She felt like she'd had the wind kicked out of her. He soothed her and gathered her into his arms before flying them both home.

He let her know that if she wanted to talk about her family, he was there, but that she could decide when she was ready for that. She'd kissed his cheek and thanked him. He was just so good. All of the stress and danger was worth it if it meant she could save him.

Back at the House of Wind, Azriel headed up to train for a bit and Callie crept down the hall and into Rhysand's office. He looked like he was going to be sick. His skin had lost most of its' color and he looked borderline lifeless.

"I found it," she said quietly. His eyes widened. She pulled it from her bag and placed it into his palm. He turned it over in his hands, examining it in awe.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her.

"No," she admitted. "But we don't have time anymore." He nodded solemnly. He tucked it into the bottom drawer of his desk, using a key to lock it before shoving the key into his pocket.

"My family and I will never be able to repay you for what you've done for us," he said.

"That's the thing about family," she smiled. "You never have to."