Greylith, page 20
“What are all of you looking at!” Wren screams at the crowd.
“Get the door!” Caspian shouts.
Lyric runs in front of us and opens the door that leads to the staircase and up to the bedrooms. We all pile up the stairs quickly to avoid the crowd of people. As we reach the top, we hear other Recruits begin ascending the stairs.
“Faster!” I yell.
We reach the top of the stairs and push our way through the door.
“Shit!” Lyric yells.
“What?” I ask just as we are about to reach the entrance to my room.
“You can’t Weave!” she shouts. “How the hell is he supposed to get into his room?”
“It’s not about your Weave,” Caspian tells us. “It’s about your DNA.”
I throw my hand on the wall, in the same place that Xander placed it the first time I entered my room. My hand doesn’t glow with the phoenix emblem.
The wall fades away and we shuffle in.
“Get him on the bed!” I shout to Caspian. I turn to Lyric and Wren. “I need you two to go find a Water Weaver we can trust and who also good at healing.”
I hear a loud thud on the bed.
“What the fuck, Caspian! Be careful,” I yell.
“Sorry,” Caspian whispers.
“Phoenix,” Wren starts.
“Wren just go!” I yell as tears begin to form in my eyes.
I look over and see that Xander has lost a lot of blood. My sheets are already soaked in his blood. I rush over to the washroom and grab a towel and soak it in water. I walk over to Xander and begin to wipe blood off to see his face, and it’s stark white.
“What the hell are you two still doing here?” I shout at Wren and Lyric.
Wren walks up to the other side of the bed, “Xander told us that if something happens to him, that we shouldn’t trust anyone else.”
“I don’t care about that, we don’t have a choice!” I yell again. “I can’t heal him and we need him to live, so go!”
“No, Phoenix,” Lyric sobs. “We can’t trust that anyone else will save him.”
“Lyric!” I cry. “Please! This is your brother for fuck’s sake!”
Lyric runs into the washroom and begins to sob. Wren follows in after her.
“Caspian,” I sob. “Please, get someone.”
Caspian looks down, “I can’t. I promised him I wouldn’t.”
I hear Xander struggling for air.
“No!” I weep. “Love, please don’t go. Please don’t leave me.”
“Phoenix,” Wren starts as her and Lyric make their way back into the room.
“Everyone out!” I scream.
♪ ‘We Remain’ by Christina Aguilera ♪
No one argues and everyone walks out, hanging their heads low, knowing what’s to come. I climb slowly into the bed beside Xander and sob. I gently place my hand on his as I hear him gasping for air.
“I love you,” I whisper. “I need you. I can’t do this life without you,” I cry into the pillow next to me.
As the sun begins to set in the sky, I feel my eyes get heavy from the tears that haven’t seemed to stop falling. “I’m sorry I couldn’t heal you,” I whisper.
I fall asleep listening to the gasps for air Xander is taking, I hate that I can’t help him, or save him, or ease his pain.
“Love,” I hear Xander’s voice.
I turn around and see Xander, all his wounds are healed, and he’s glowing. I smile but can’t speak. Xander looks at me with an evil grin, and then he walks up and chokes me. “You did this to me.”
I jolt awake and see the sun has barely risen. I look beside me and the bed is empty where Xander was laying. The bed is still soaked in his blood.
“Xander!” I yell looking around my room, “Xander!”
“Hi, Love,” Xander comes out of the washroom, wrapped in a towel, fresh out of the shower. He doesn’t have a scratch on him. His eyes are fully visible. There isn’t even a bruise.
I jump up out of the bed and rush over to him. “Oh my god! I thought you were dead!” I wrap myself around him and sob in his arms. The embrace is a cascade of emotions—relief washes over me like a tidal wave, joy lifts my spirits to new heights, and disbelief threading through every heartbeat—as I hold tight, the weight of Xander’s living presence after believing he was lost forever.
“I know, Love,” Xander kisses the top of my head. “I’m okay. Because of you.”
I pull away. “Because of me? What do you mean?”
Xander looks confusingly at me. “You healed me, right?”
I turn away and walk toward my bed, resting my head on one of the bed posts.
“Love,” Xander’s voice lowers. “What’s wrong?”
I sigh and turn toward Xander. “I used too much of my Weave. I fought Lucian-,”
“You did what?” Xander shouts.
“I know,” I lower my head. “I’m sorry, but everything is fine, or, it will be fine. I got him out of Fort Weave and I strengthened the barrier that protects Fort Weave.”
“Love,” Xander softens his voice. “ Please dont tell me. Consumption?”
I nod as a tear falls.
Suddenly, there are three knocks at the wall at the front of my room.
“That must be Wren, Lyric, and Caspian coming to check on you,” I turn to open the wall.
“Don’t open that,” Xander snaps.
“It’s fine,” I place my hand on the wall and it fades away.
I look out and see that the hall is empty, and no one is there. “Hello?” I call down the hall.
“That’s weird,” I say, shrugging and letting the wall reseal itself.
“Hello, Phoenix,” the familiar voice says again. The same one I heard once Bloodmoon entered the grounds, but this time, I hear it in my room, directly behind me. I turn around slowly.
The face of the one I never thought I’d see again. It’s older, more muscular and defined. His features are dark and he looks emaciated.
“Dad?”
Phoenix’s journey will continue in
Coming: December 2024
F. A. Seng lives in Michigan with his partner Jason and their two Golden Retrievers, Tucker and Ollie. F. A. has always had a passion for fantasy and creating fantastical worlds through storytelling. From a young age, F. A. dreamed of one day writing his own stories to enchant readers. After years of honing his craft while working various day jobs, he brings you Greylith. Though he is still early in his career, F. A. finds great joy in sharing his imagination with readers and bringing some magic and wonder into their lives through his writing.
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