Ivy stood at the entrance to Elise's room; She was watching her Host sleep, wondering why she couldn't wake Elise up. Something inside her told her that she should let Elise sleep, but they had somewhere to go. Rayna had called and demanded that a new item be fetched. Ivy played with her tongue piercing and tried to scrounge up the courage to enter Elise's room. She was confused more than anything else. Confused as to why she felt a close kinship with this mangy wolf, why she wanted a relationship like that, why she was so worried about messing it up. Elise hadn't shown any interest in being close friends aside from the normal Host-human relationship, at least as far as Ivy could tell. It made Ivy sigh wistfully.
"How long have you been standing there?"
Ivy almost bit her tongue in surprise at the unexpected question. Elise was still under her covers, facing away from the door, but she had spoken. Slightly nervous, Ivy leaned on the doorway. "Uh, just a minute."
Elise groaned and sat up, running a hand through her mangled hair. "What's up?"
Ivy gathered herself and pushed her confusing emotions far, far away. "We've got somewhere to be."
"No..." Elise plopped back down in bed and brought her blankets up to her chin. "I don't want to go."
"Well, you have to. Get up."
"Tell Rayna I hope all her spells fail in the easiest of ways."
"I'm not going to- what does that even mean?"
"It means I'm not going. I'm taking a stand. We shouldn't go shopping for Rayna anymore. I don't trust her."
"Yes, I know. I also know that she's the only one keeping Judah up and running."
Elise moaned and wanted to tell Ivy that that wasn't true. Judah would do just fine without Rayna and whatever Carmen was doing to him. But a part of Elise didn't want to bring down Rayna's wrath. If she had someone on her payroll that could successfully revive a person, then she most likely had the means to take out a single human and a wolf. Then again, Rayna clearly needed Ivy for some reason. Elise wondered if she could sabotage Rayna's plans without putting Ivy in danger.
"Well?" Ivy said, snapping her fingers once. "Get up."
"I oughta..." Elise didn't finish the thought. She crawled out of bed and stretched, scanning the floor for a pair of pants. "What are we going to get?"
"Something called a flesh rose."
Elise stilled, her arms in the air. Her mouth dropped and she blinked stupidly. "Did you just... did you say a flesh rose?"
"Yeah."
"Are you nuts!" Elise pressed the heels of her hands to her temples as she finally brought forth her sense. "That's so dangerous! They don't even have a practical use. Why in the world would Rayna want one?"
"I don't know. She just wants one."
"Oh my god. Oh my god." Elise paced around her room in a tizzy. Her thoughts buzzed angrily and she couldn't stop gnawing on her inner cheek. Then, wanting to show indisputable proof of the upcoming danger, she stopped pacing and turned to Ivy. She lifted her shirt and exposed her belly. "I tried to get a flesh rose once, and this is what happened to me. This is all I got, too. I never got that rose."
Ivy paused at the odd behavior but stepped into Elise's room and leaned in close to see what Elise was trying to show. All Ivy laid eyes on was a tattoo of a nasty looking gargoyle. "I don't... what am I looking at?"
Elise traced the lining of the gargoyle's wing with her finger. "This."
Ivy leaned in closer and finally noticed that the lining of the gargoyle wing covered up an ugly scar. It was about four inches long, curved, and just to the right of Elise's bellybutton. It looked painful. "What happened?"
"I was a stupid kid and thought I was cool, that's what happened."
Ivy stood up straight and let Elise put her shirt back down. "So, what is a flesh rose?"
"Exactly what it sounds like- a rose made of flesh."
"And why is it so dangerous to get?"
"Uh, hello? It's flesh. Not many people are lining up to die and be turned into roses."
It finally sunk in for Ivy. "Wait... we have to kill someone?"
"Luckily, no. But that doesn't make it any less dangerous, not to mention illegal. You essentially have to go into a reverse fairytale to get a rose. Wanna know what gave me my scar? A freakin' teddy bear. Little demon was hiding a knife and gutted me. I almost died from blood loss and magical poisoning."
"Magical poisoning?"
Elise nodded and sat down on her bed. "The place you have to go to get the rose is pure magic. All of those interwoven spells are highly unstable and lethal if you're around them too long."
Ivy begun to rethink going on Rayna's errand. "Why would someone create a world like that? And why hasn't someone shut it down?"
"Vintage witches are hardcore." Elise stifled a shiver, and shrugged. "And it's impossible to shut down. There's no one alive that has the magical capabilities to erase those spells. I'm sure one day someone will be born that will stop the killings and rose makings, but that's not the plot of my story."
Ivy played with her bottom lip and hummed in thought. "I can't just ignore Rayna's request..."
Elise sighed. "It's not a request. It's a demand."
"Either way, I can't ignore it."
"You'd die for this?"
"If it keeps Judah alive."
Groaning, Elise kicked her leg in the air. "This is the most dangerous thing I've ever agreed to."
Ivy's eyebrows shot up. "You're going to help me?" With the way the conversation was going she thought she had a strike on her hands.
"Guess so." Elise smiled and started a real search for some pants. "I said I'd protect you, didn't I?"
-----
The whole way to the Hub, Elise tried once again to convince Ivy not to go through with the search for the flesh rose. Ivy just wouldn't listen. She would keep bringing up Judah and that Rayna was the only one that could help. Elise even resorted to telling Ivy that Rayna was a deceiver and that Judah didn't need anymore help, but Ivy thought it was all lies, just as Elise had predicted. Elise stopped talking then, when things turned too vicious, and she slunk down in her seat. She didn't like that Ivy was so hardheaded but that didn't mean that she was going to stop protecting Ivy. Ivy was blind.
By the time they were at the entrance to the subway, Ivy had calmed and there was no lingering animosity. She tested the waters by touching Elise's hand gently and, luckily, Elise intertwined their fingers together. Ivy sighed internally, even at feeling Elise's slightly cold demeanor, then started down the subway steps. The Hub was bustling, even at noon.
Elise pulled Ivy closer despite the way she felt about this stupid endeavor then led Ivy through the crowd. She already knew how to get to the realm where the flesh roses 'grew'. There was no way she could forget, and the scar on her belly itched.
"Do you know where you're going?" Ivy asked. The throng of people was dwindling the further they traveled and the ones that were left looked... rough. It was the first moment that Ivy realized that there were places that even Pre's were scared of. The area just felt evil. "Rayna gave me directions."
Elise didn't let Ivy veer even an inch away from her. "I know where I'm going, believe me. It's deep in here. We'll probably be the only ones headed out this way but... just don't let go of me."
Ivy didn't dare. As Elise advanced, she could feel the residue of the the home of flesh roses. It made her hair stand on end and suddenly she was a teenager again. She had gone on the search for a rose thanks to a dare of a friend. Like the immature pup she was, she had agreed. It was an absolute disaster. Elise still couldn't shake the image of her own blood leaking out of her body, and no one to help her get back home. She didn't even understand how she had survived. One minute she was losing her vision and the next she was patched up in a hospital bed with her veins throbbing from spent magic. It gave her headaches to think about how the miracle had happened, so she tried to forget. She hated that she couldn't.
"Elise?" Ivy rubbed her thumb over the back of Elise's hand. "Are you okay?"
They had stopped, with no one around, and Elise was staring at nothing. Her eyes stung and she realized that she hadn't blinked in a long time. "Oh." She shook her head. When she blinked she noticed that she was just before the entrance to the home of flesh roses. "We're here."
Ivy rubbed Elise's upper arm. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"No, yeah, I'm fine." Elise waved her hand. Her heart was thumping and she thought she might have a panic attack, but she was 'fine' and would continue to pretend that was the case for Ivy's sake. "Let's just get this thing. You have the gloves?"
Ivy pat her front pocket. "Check."
"Container?"
Ivy held it out. "Check."
Elise rolled her shoulders and jumped in place twice, releasing a nervous breath. "All right. Okay. Yeah. Okay." She was trying to pump herself up, trying to let her residual fear fade. It mostly worked. Kind of. Partially. Not really. "Let's go." She closed her eyes, hugged Ivy, and leaped through the entrance that led to flesh roses.
They dropped to the ground in a heap, but still held on to each other. Elise jumped up from the ground, forcing Ivy up as well, and surveyed the area. She knew better than anyone to keep a look out and never underestimate even the most innocent of creatures.
"Wow..." Ivy's jaw hung open as she finally got to see what was around her. Elise wasn't lying when she had said that the place was like a fairytale. They were outside in the middle of a grassy plain, butterflies drifted by lazily and there seemed to be sparkles in the air. The grass looked so inviting that Ivy wanted to take off her shoes and run around for a few minutes, or maybe hours. A bunny hopped across their path, wiggling its nose before bounding away.
"Don't trust anything," Elise warned. "This place was made to entice."
Ivy nodded but continued to take in the beautiful scene before her. Elise had to tug Ivy along. A dirt road materialized slowly in front of them with every step they took. Sometimes the road veered off into forks, begging them to travel to unknown places. Elise kept her eyes forward and wasn't tricked.
"You know where you're going?" Ivy asked, barely shaking herself of the magic around her.
"Legend says that the roses are grown in the King's castle." Elise pointed straight ahead to a blurry, far away visage of a village.
Ivy was finally thinking clearly thanks to Elise's sober attitude. "Legend? You mean you don't know if the roses are here?"
"I know they're here, other people have succeeded."
"But you yourself don't know for sure where the roses are."
"The stories are very clear."
"That doesn't sound promising." Ivy pulled her hand from Elise's, her palm becoming uncomfortably sweaty. "What if we fail?"
"Then we die and that's that."
"Not funny."
"Who's trying to be funny?"
They finally came to the village, the streets empty and houses cold. The King's castle was at the other end of the village all on its own. It was placed there by design, so that travellers would be more likely to stop at nearby houses before coming to the castle. If you happened to stop, you never made it to the castle, not alive.
"Just keep moving," Elise whispered. She power walked through the village, forcing Ivy to keep up.
Ivy stumbled along, catching glimpses of eyes in passing windows. Her curiosity became too much and she stopped, wanting to see who was watching her. Elise didn't notice until Ivy was making her way to one of the houses. Elise panicked and ran back to Ivy just as Ivy took a step onto the porch. Ivy ignored Elise and moved forward, towards a rocking chair placed precariously at the end of the porch. A cherry colored teddy bear was sitting on the chair, its smile infectious, its eyes seeming to move. Ivy cocked her head and reached out to try and touch the bear.
Elise slapped down Ivy's hand, picked Ivy up by the waist, and spun around. "Hyah!" She kicked the rocking chair as she spun, sending the cherry bear sprawling. She backtracked and kicked the bear again to send it flying clear out of the village.
Ivy tugged herself out of Elise's hold and dropped to the ground. "What is wrong with you!"
Adrenaline was pumping through Elise's veins. Memories of her teen years flashed before her eyes and her scar burned. "It was one of those sly suckers that stabbed me. So maybe I overreacted, sue me."
Ivy wasn't sure what to say and ended up asking, "Are you serious?"
"I don't joke around when it comes to things like this. Now we need to go, those bears are never alone." Just as Elise said it, other doors opened and more teddy bears revealed themselves. A vague memory played through her mind. She remembered being surrounded by the cherry colored assailants, sensing her imminent death.
Elise picked up Ivy again out of fear and ignored Ivy's shriek of surprise. She threw Ivy over her shoulder and booked it like her life was on the line, which it was. Her current situation mixed with her memories had Elise screaming like she was on fire. She ran so fast she was practically flying through the village, not slowing even when she neared the King's castle.
It wasn't until she almost slammed into the portcullis that was the entrance to the castle did she stop her screaming and slow her legs. She bent over and breathed heavily, letting Ivy climb down to the ground.
"Crap. Are you alright?" Ivy pat Elise's back. She wanted to laugh at how silly Elise had been, running so fast and screaming like a banshee, but Elise clearly had fears about the place. "That was some serious track marathon material."
"I just..." Heavy breathing, rapid heartbeat. Elise couldn't stop it. "I hate this place." She placed a hand to her heart and looked up at the sky. It wasn't the correct shade of blue and that made Elise hate the place even more. "Let's get inside. I'm ready to leave." Elise managed to calm herself enough to start on her next task. She grabbed the metal bars of the portcullis and lifted, using her legs as so many of her P.E teachers had suggested. The portcullis lifted enough for Ivy to make it through without having to bend over too low. Elise urged Ivy to go, and when Ivy did, Elise took a deep breath then heaved the door upwards and rolled under it. It slammed shut behind her, narrowly missing her body. It was a huge relief.
"Hey," Ivy said, studying the castle. She thought it would have been bigger. "How far did you get the last time you were here?"
"This far."
Ivy turned to look at Elise. "This far?"
"That's right. One of those bears snuck up on me and stabbed me as I was trying to lift that metal monster there." Elise was referring to the portcullis.
Ivy hummed and looked back to the castle. "So, basically, you don't know if the roses are in there."
"Not from experience, no."
"Think your stories are true?"
"Our kind tend to keep very detailed accounts of things that are likely to kill you."
"I don't want to die."
"Me neither." Elise felt Ivy intertwine their fingers, and she let it happen. She squeezed Ivy's hand then started forward.
Inside, the castle was just as heavenly as outside, but there was a faint sense of unease in the air. Goosebumps sprung up on Elise's arms and she noticed that Ivy was having the same problem. Elise had a feeling that the castle was indeed where the roses were grown. She advanced through the castle, keeping Ivy a little behind just in case something popped out, and tried to smell where the roses could be. Old blood was carefully scenting everything. It was so slight that Elise almost missed it at first. She gulped, mentally prepared herself, then followed the scent, trying to find where it became stronger. It took a while but Elise finally managed to lock onto the blood. She licked her lips as the scent grew heavier. She was nervous as ever and was afraid of what she'd find, and how Ivy would react to it.
After a while the blood trail became so strong that it almost made Elise gag. Her wolf was used to the scent of slaughter but she was human as well and didn't like the thought of someone being in pain.
Eventually, Ivy begun to smell it, too. She covered her nose and mouth with a hand but didn't stop walking. Elise felt a growl burble up in her throat as she continued on. She could feel, just barely, that they were descending. The castle floor was at a slope but it was so unrecognizable that you didn't realize it until your ears popped and you were below sea level.
"We're almost there," Elise mumbled. She could now taste the blood at the back of her throat, it was so thick in the air.
"It's smells terrible," Ivy commented.
Elise smiled and took the opportunity to make light of things. She needed the distraction. "Now you know how I feel when Judah is around."
"There's no way he smells this bad."
"It's pretty darn close. And by that I mean this stink is almost as bad as his."
Ivy smiled slightly. She bumped into Elise playfully. "You're going to hurt his feelings." She lowered her voice to sound like Judah and said, "That was mean."
Elise chuckled. "That was actually pretty good."
"You think? I don't know if I got the temper right. I think I have to sound sadder."
"No way. You totally nailed it."
"I bet I can nail you, too." Ivy didn't realize how her words sounded until Elise gave a funny look. She blushed and looked away, not brave enough, though, to remove her hand from Elise's. "You know what I mean."
"I do, and there's no way you can imitate my sexy vibrato."
Ivy wondered if Elise ever thought of them together in that way. Whenever things got awkward or flirty, at least to Ivy, Elise didn't seem to notice. Or Elise just didn't think of them in that way so she wasn't bothered by it. Whatever the case, Ivy wasn't embarrassed anymore about what she had said. She gave Elise a look and scoffed. "Did you just refer to your voice as a sexy vibrato? That's so not accurate."
"Now look who's being mean."
They're happy manner changed quickly as they came across a set of brass double doors. Copper liquid seeped out from beyond and an air of uncertainty overcame the two women. Ivy found herself pressing her body against Elise's. Elise was staring hard at the double doors, her nostrils flared, a sharp tooth sticking out from between her lips. Ivy eyed that single, pristinely white tooth, and wondered how much flesh it had torn in the past.
"I think you should stay out here," Elise said, her eyes not leaving the doors. Another razor sharp tooth exposed itself. Elise felt the need to protect herself and Ivy, so her body was changing on its own.
Ivy couldn't help but watch Elise's jaw lengthen, more teeth flashing. Elise's ears pointed and Ivy wondered if Elise would be more wolf than human when she went through the double doors. Ivy tightened her hold on Elise's hand, not bothered by Elise's sharpened fingernails. "I'm going to go with you."
"I don't feel comfortable with that."
"What if you get stabbed again? You're going to need someone to bring you home."
Elise managed a smiled. "You don't look like you can carry me home."
Ivy smiled back. "I got you in the tub, didn't I?"
Shaking her head, Elise chuckled. She remembered that day clearly, and she could practically feel Ivy's forceful hands. "All right, you can come with, but you follow my lead. Deal?"
"Deal."
Elise nodded once then flung open the double doors. Immediately a waft of decay hit her nostrils and she gagged. Ivy covered her mouth with both hands. Elise swallowed hard and took a step into the room, her eyes trying to take in everything at once. What lay inside was so terrible that Elise wanted to cry, or shout, or maybe both.
Covering every inch of wall of the room hung torn open bodies. The bodies were skinned in some areas, their flesh torn away from muscle and folded to resemble roses. There was the stench of powerful magic surrounding the bodies, keeping them fresh, keeping the roses in bloom. Elise wanted to sob for the dead but, instead, she lifted her chin and turned to Ivy just in case Ivy needed help. Ivy was out of the room in the hall, bent over double with a puddle of vomit at her feet. Elise was careful as she approached Ivy, not wanting to make things worse.
"Do you need to sit down?"
Ivy spit what was left in her mouth on the floor then shook her head. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "W-why?" She pointed into the flesh rose room with a shaky finger.
"I told you this wasn't right."
"But... how are they even-? Who did this?"
"We can leave. We can leave right now and tell Rayna to shove it."
Ivy actually considered it. But then she shook her head and placed a hand on Elise's shoulder to steady herself. "I can't do that to Judah."
Elise sighed and shrugged Ivy's hand away. "Fine." She plucked the gloves out of Ivy's front pocket and slid them on. "Give me the container."
Not acknowledging Elise's sudden irritation, Ivy handed over the container. It was obsidian glass with magic woven into it, specially made. Elise snatched it up then gathered her courage and went back into the rose room, leaving Ivy behind. There were so many body gardens to pick from but Elise didn't want any of them. It wasn't something she wanted to do. She didn't want to harvest a rose. She looked back at Ivy, who was still in the hall, but that didn't offer any comfort. Elise's face hardened and she walked up to the nearest body. It was an image she knew she wouldn't ever forget. The roses hung limply, dripping blood to the floor. Just the body she was looking at held more than a dozen roses. Elise silently muttered a prayer for the person that the garden used to be, then she reached out a gloved hand and wrapped her fingers around a rose on its left leg. She turned her head away and pulled, listening to the sound of skin tearing. There was some resistance but with a quick tug the rose came free. As soon as the rose was plucked, the room begun to shake violently and the castle groaned. Startled, Elise dropped her rose and tried to balance herself.
"What's happening!" Ivy shouted, wobbling dangerously.
Elise picked up the rose and sealed it in the obsidian container. The glass glowed as the magic woven into it acclimated to the rose it now held. When the rose was accepted, the obsidian dimmed and Elise knew her job was done. She ran out to Ivy, slipping along the way thanks to the ongoing earthquake and blood stained floors. Ivy wasted no time getting up to Elise's speed and running down the hall to escape the shaking castle. They tripped and fell a few times but helped each other when needed. As Elise laid eyes on the entrance to the castle, she grinned and grabbed Ivy's wrist. Ivy skidded forward and crashed into Elise, causing them both to sprawl before the castle entrance doors. The obsidian container flew out of Elise's hold and rolled away.
The castle stopped shaking and that made Elise still with it. She was on all fours, her ears pricked up. Ivy groaned and got up onto her knees. Her hair was standing on end and even she could feel that something was vastly wrong. "Elise... what is that?"
Elise heard it, too. It was a soft tapping that was slowly growing louder, faster. A horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, Elise scanned the floor for the flesh rose container. She couldn't see it anywhere. She scrambled up from the floor and only took a step before an ear splitting shriek made her blood run cold. A gust of wind made her topple forward and she turned to find the King of the castle, cloaked from head to toe, hovering at the end of the hall. Elise's eyes widened and she grabbed Ivy by the shirt to send Ivy rolling towards the castle doors.
The King shrieked once more and Elise felt blood dripping out of her ears. She could only imagine how Ivy was faring. She peeked over her shoulder to make sure Ivy was fine, and Ivy was, so Elise refocused back on the King.
"Elise!" Ivy wiped her ear and red spread across her palm. "We need to run!"
Elise hopped in place, dropped her pants, and shed her shirt, her wolf coming through. "Find the rose," she told Ivy, her words muddled through her half wolf jaws. "Get outside. I'll buy some time." She grunted as her bones made snapping sounds, her body more than doubling in size. She let out a fearsome growl as the King shrieked and shook the castle walls. The King shot forward and slammed into Elise, sending them both crashing through the castle doors. Ivy barely missed being hit, she was just quick enough to duck in time.
Elise held fast to the King as they rolled across castle grounds. She tucked her claws deep into the King's back and snapped her teeth at the King's neck. The King sent a shooting pain into Elise's stomach as they came to a stop and Elise tried to keep herself together but her limbs spasmed uncontrollably. The King took the opportunity to escape Elise's hold, and give Elise another painful jolt of power. It felt like lightning forcing its way through her body. She bit down on her own lip and blood squirted into her mouth. The taste brought her senses back and she attempted an attack at the King but she missed by a whole foot, her claws swiping at the air. She tried again, throwing her body at the King, but she only clipped his side and tore his cloak. There was just a dab of blood at the tip of Elise's claws.
The King laughed and grabbed Elise by a fuzzy ear, hauling her up and barely letting her paws touch the ground. Elise groaned and tried not to move too much to prevent her ear from being torn off. She glared at the King and found herself face to face with a dashing young woman. No part of the legends or stories revealed that the King was, in fact, a Queen. Elise's eyes were brought away from the King's and she noticed Ivy bouncing up and down near the entrance of the castle, an arm extended in the air.
Ivy held the obsidian container.
The King turned slightly to see what Elise was looking at, and Elise didn't waste time using that second to her advantage. She brought her back legs up and kicked hard at the King's midsection. The King was forced back, incidentally tearing Elise's ear as she fell to the ground. Elise hissed and felt the top of her head. The ear was still present but she could feel that it was split. Growling, Elise jumped onto the King's body and clamped her mouth to the Kings shoulder, tearing through muscle and hitting bone. The King sent a jolt of lightning through Elise but Elise didn't let go. The power that swarmed her body lessened with each second that passed. Elise shook her head and tore clean through the King's shoulder, and the lightning stopped.
"Elise!"
Spitting blood from her mouth, Elise lifted her head and saw Ivy backing away from the castle. Disfigured monsters were crawling along the castle walls, their maws wide open, drool dripping from their teeth. Elise ran to the portcullis and lifted with all her strength. "Let's go!"
Ivy ran, pushing her body to its limit, one of the quicker creatures on her tail. She skidded below the portcullis and yelled for Elise to drop it. Elise roared as a creature bit into her leg and she fell to a knee, almost dropping the portcullis on herself. Ivy reacted quickly and kicked at the creature attached to Elise's leg. It took her almost a dozen full strength kicks to get the creature to let go, and even then the monster wasn't disabled. Elise pushed Ivy back as she dropped the portcullis, the spikes impaling the creature and preventing more from attacking. The creatures spat and clawed through the holes of the portcullis, and the King was recovering.
"Can you run?" Ivy asked, her voice quick and scared. "Elise, please tell me you can run." She spotted the King rising from the ground, bolts of white crackling through the air. "Oh god, please!"
Elise hugged Ivy close to her chest as a response. Ivy put the obsidian container between their bodies to keep it safe then wrapped her arms and legs as best she could around Elise's bulky body, fisting Elise's fur in her hands as holds. Elise whimpered and started to run, putting her weight on her torn leg even though every step felt like hell. She heard the portcullis shatter and she ran faster. A lightning strike hit the tip of her tail and she almost collapsed, but she managed to remain upright and keep moving.
The portal to the Hub was just ahead and it gave Elise hope. She held Ivy close with an arm and kept running on three legs, pushing herself to the breaking point. As soon as she within distance of the portal, Elise shut her eyes and leapt through with all her might. She landed hard on the ground of the Hub but wasn't feeling safe yet. She turned around and waited, but nothing else came through.
Sighing in relief, Elise lifted herself up to let Ivy free, then she sat on her behind to assess the damage done to her. As soon as her fur was gone Elise groaned at the sight of her leg. It was absolutely mangled and blood was still freely flowing. The adrenaline was leaving her body and everything was beginning to hurt- hurt more, anyway.
"Oh no..." Ivy kneeled down next to Elise's leg, wondering what she should do. "No... no... How do I fix this?"
Elise licked her lips. She felt light headed. "I left my clothes back there."
Ivy glared. "That's not the problem!" Her face softened when she saw the dried blood on Elise's face and neck. Elise's lip was split and the top of her left ear was torn. There were odd looking bruises that resembled spider webs all over Elise's body but they seemed like the least of Elise's problems. "We shouldn't have done this. God, I'm so sorry."
Elise bit her lip to keep herself lucid and ended up sending fresh blood sliding down her chin. "Take me to Carmen," she mumbled. She tried to lift herself off the ground but couldn't manage it on her own.
"I need your help leading me there," Ivy said. She helped Elise up from the ground and held Elise steady. "Just stay awake until we get there. Come on, I need you." She tucked the obsidian container under her arm and started to walk.
Elise managed to give directions and remain level headed as they progressed through the Hub. Other patrons steered clear but whispered and gawked at Elise and her bloody, naked body. Eventually, bypassing the peanut gallery, they made it to Carmenita's. Ivy set Elise down by the front door and ran through the store, pushing customers out of the way, trying to find Carmen. She found Carmen in the back room doing a reading. Ivy explained the situation in clipped words and quick gestures and luckily Carmen got the message and sent her customer away. Carmen quickly made her way to the main store and shouted for everyone to leave, swatting them away and even resorting to shoving. The customers left but not without a good look at Elise, who was bleeding all over the store's floor. When everyone was gone, Carmen locked the door and bent down to give Elise a once over.
"Pobrecita. What stupid thing did you do this time?"
Carmen's reaction to Elise's pain had Ivy fuming. "Are you going to help her or not?"
"Sí, Sí. Hand me that over there." She pointed to a nearby shelf. Ivy picked up the jar Carmen wanted and handed it over shakily, panic making her unstable. Carmen opened the jar and stuck three fingers inside to swirl and grab. A white glob was on her fingers and she leaned over to reach Elise's leg wound.
Elise grabbed Carmen's wrist weakly. "Carmen, please, anything but that."
Ivy panicked further. "What? What is that?"
Carmen tsked and slapped Elise's hand away. "It's to clean the wound from infection, human or magical. I don't know what happened so I'm not taking any chances."
Elise groaned. "No, something else. That gives me the shakes."
"Would you rather die?"
"Maybe... let me think about it."
Ivy wanted to smack some sense into Elise. "If it's going to save you, you're going to let it happen."
Elise's fight was weak and all she could manage was a groan that sounded vaguely like an extended 'no'. Carmen stuck the white glob and her three fingers into Elise's leg wound. Elise screamed as Carmen's fingers probed around none too gently, trying to get the magic salve into every nook and cranny. Body spasming, Elise's eyes rolled back and she let out a final sigh as her body went into hibernation.
Carmen pulled her fingers out of the wound and wiped her hand on her shawl. "Okay, help me get her to my room."
Ivy wasn't sure what to do. It looked like Elise had had a seizure. "Are you sure she's okay? Is she breathing?"
"Yes. She'll be fine when I can get her to my room. She can rest there and I'll fix her up." Carmen lightly touched Elise's torn ear. "I can patch that up, too." She stood and stared at Ivy with hard eyes. "I hope this wasn't your fault." The threat was clear.
Ivy gulped and helped Carmen pick Elise up. They took Elise to Carmen's room and laid her down in Carmen's bed. As Carmen healed Elise, Ivy sat at the other end of the room and chewed on her lower lip. She was worried for Elise and couldn't help but feel guilty. She fingered the lid of the obsidian container and sighed. She was angry with herself for putting Elise in such danger. The worst part was that Elise had so willingly put herself into the fight without expecting Ivy to do much. Elise had known the situation was dangerous yet she went through with it. Ivy hated herself for it. It was her fault that Elise was unconscious with a torn ear and ripped leg. Ivy wished she had taken Elise's advice and told Rayna to shove it.
Elise had been right, it just wasn't worth it.