The Green Guardian

Chapter 35: The Truth About Sam

Maria placed a wet rag over Mateo's burning forehead. He had a fever of 104°F, and it was still climbing. A few of Maria's tears were in the rag. "Don't die. Please don't die," she begged. "I can't lose you, baby." She knew her child was crying, too.

Krysta treated Mateo's tummy wound. She cleaned it and wrapped a bandage around his abdomen. "Just fight, Anthony. That's all we're asking for," she begged. "If Keegan won't accept you, then we will have to turn to your other uncle."

Krysta's words confused Maria. "'Other uncle'? What are you talking about, Ranger Krysta?" She kissed Mateo's clammy hand. "Mateo does not have another uncle."

Krysta fell silent. She dug deep into her thoughts. Wow, the Brook family really had no idea. She asked herself when was the last time they updated their family tree.

Before Krysta could speak again, an unknown voice–one that Krysta and Maria did not hear–wafted across the room. "What in the name of Seranet happened to my son?"

Faelyn and Edger had returned to the cabin.

***

Evie could not focus on her ranger training that day, no matter how hard she tried. She felt Mateo's weak aura. He was dying, and he was dying fast. She knew the internal injuries were accelerating his condition, as well as his exhaustion. However, she also felt like something else was, too.

Ms. Julie set up a training course for her and her friends outside the village. They were in an open field that was about the size of a football field. Jumps, arches, and different exercise equipment were scattered around it.

Evie held Euphorbia's pebble in her sweaty palms. She tossed it back and forth between them. She did not even want to think about how much it hurt when its magic smacked Mateo. The blunt force trauma was probably the most pain he'd felt in his entire life. Nevertheless, who was the one who was spared? Her. Why? Evie still did not understand that.

She jumped when Ashlynn prodded her. "Come on, Evie. Snap out of it. We still need to train."

In a choked voice, Evie said, "I can't, Ashlynn. Mateo. My aunt."

"They'll be fine," Ashlynn encouraged. That was the wrong thing to say.

Evie glared at her. "Fine? Are you kidding me? Have you seen how bad Mateo's condition is? The forest sickness has reached his lungs, and now Aunt Brook is in the ICU. Not only that, but my good-for-nothing father is killing him! So don't tell me everything is going to be okay!"

Ashlynn shivered, shocked by how angry her friend was.

Ms. Julie soon appeared next to them. "Evie," she said, "I know you're scared, but the best thing we can do for Mateo is keep on training. The sooner we train, the sooner we can put this whole mess behind us."

"What about Sam?" Evie snapped. She clenched her fists. "He has not come back since last night. What if he's hurt, too?"

Ms. Julie slightly chuckled. "Sam is a seventy-one-year-old man stuck in a child's body. I think we can trust him."

There must have been some magic in her words. As soon as she said that, Evie's eyes caught Sam jogging onto the training field. While he looked a little more confident than overnight, there was still at least a little worry in his face, and maybe even just a tiny bit of shock. He gestured for Evie to follow him. "Hi, Evie. Can I borrow you for a little bit?" His eyes moved over to Ms. Julie. "You don't mind, right, Ms. Julie?"

Ms. Julie patted Evie's shoulder. "Not at all. Nice to see you again, Sam."

Sam sensed Evie's fear. He held his hand out to her, smiling friendlily. "It's okay, Evie."