The Faerie Curses

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Running From a Dying Kiss

I heard Glen and Diandre gasp for breath as their lungs adjusted to the open air, and I sucked in small breaths as well. My throat tingled pleasantly with the new sensation of breathing through my mouth.

The sun made my head feel as if it were being stabbed with needles. My eyes squinted against the flaring, stark brightness as Diandre and Glen swam with me towards the lakeshore of the Grimwood. I was being dragged behind them, keeping my head above the freezing water as my breaths came out in wisps of condensation.

The curse bashed against me, contaminating my organs as I fought to stay conscious.

Gasping heavily, Glen and Diandre dragged me to the bank of the lake. Their shadows stretched as morphed in my delirious vision as they carried me between them onto the shore. Ice drifted in the water past their sloshing feet, and they were both shivering in the cold as they gently set me down in a bank of snow.

Tears sprang into my eyes and I curled around myself tightly, praying to any gods that were out there to take away the pain. It was echoing against my skin, pulsing through my blood and into my mind.

"She's slipping out of consciousness," Diandre's voice was far away. "We have to help her!"

His face was a blur in my eyes, and I let out a choking sob as a wave of fire washed singed my insides. It was unlike anything I had felt before.

"I need you to go and find some ever white branches," Glen calmly told Diandre, taking control. "I'll try my best to heal her with the scepter, but I need more magic. Can you do that?"

Diandre gave Glen a fast nod, his expression determined. His eyes settled on me as I shuddered in the snow, and his face filled with worry. He shared a look with Glen.

"Take care of her." Diandre said.

With that, he sprinted off into the trees. I watched him disappear, his footfalls growing distant.

The curse had never lasted this long on me before. Usually it was a small ache that came and went, but now it was violently surging. I had an idea why. There were only a few more days until the Midsummer Festival. A few more days until it would kill me for good.

And I was terrified.

Glen was on his knees in the snow next to me, and he gently gathered me in his arms and held me against him. I noticed that he was shivering as my face rested against his chest. I had forgotten that Summer Fae got cold easily. I shuddered as he held me closer, my breaths short and weak.

"Glen-" I croaked. My voice was small and fragile.

"Don't worry, partner." Glen whispered against my hair. "I'm not going to let you give up on me. Who else would I annoy if you were gone?"

"Everyone." I snorted, but it came out as a dry gasp.

Glen's hand gripped The Summer Scepter, and he rested the tip of it against my collarbone.

"You have no faith in me, partner."

He smiled down at me warmly as I felt the overwhelming presence of the scepter's magic as it flowed into me, clashing against the darkness of the curse. My hands clenched the fabric of Glen's black jacket as I let in the waves of power.

I could feel it inside me now, and Glen held me tightly in his lean arms, talking to me softly. He was soaked as much as I was, but I didn't mind the water that dripped down on me from his hair.

"You're going to be fine," Glen reassured me with a dry smile. "They say that the spells of the crown prince work wonders."

I laughed lightly, but it sounded more like a wince. "Sometimes you can be such an ass."