cascade | kotlc

16. Boiling Water

tw: bl/od

"Anyway," June asked, after they'd made a makeshift crutch for her. A broken leg didn't matter much anyway -- she could fly. "What was happening? Where are Sophie's parents? You found them... right?"

"Nothing," Sophie murmured. "Nothing. They... just aren't here."

She looked close to tears. June bit back her jealousy and hugged her sister tightly, and Sophie cried into her shoulder. The ashes on their bodies were completely gone now, running down their tunics and pants in streaks of silvery grey. Wind died down around then and June stroked Sophie's hair, muttering comforting words to her. "It's going to be okay," she promised. "We're going to find them."

Marella slumped against a wall, clutching her shoulderblade. A medium-sized gash ran down her left shoulder and forearm, and blood dripped down, soaking the ashes around her legs. Biana crouched down, applying pressure to the wound, and June noticed her ring was faded grey. Tam stood by a far corner, whispering something to the shadows

Faye sheathed her blade. "So, what happened?"

"Nothing," Sophie said in frustration. "The only thing we found was... him."

She gestured at the unconscious body still hovering near Tam. June walked over cautiously, studying the body-

"Alvar?" she blurted out. "Why's Alvar... and these are shamkniv wounds... what... and he's unconscious..."

"There's more," Tam shadow-whispered. "Biana thinks he's been hit by soporidine. If we don't find an antidote... we lose this lead."

"I used up all of Calla's energy trying to get him awake," Biana added out loud.

"And I fucking sliced my shoulder on a handrail," Marella muttered. "How the fuck did I do that? Linh's going to murder me."

Tam laughed harshly. "I'd be more scared of my life. We have to get him somewhere -- somewhere new. We should set up a cell in the middle of nowhere, I'm sure the Black Swan would help."

"But what do we do with him while they build it?" Sophie asked.

Tam mumbled his reply. Biana's eyebrows shot up and she stalked toward him, arms perched on her hips in opposition.

"You can't put him there," she said, more like a demand.

"Yes, we can. My house would work."

Sophie shook her head. "We can't have him around Tiergan."

"He doesn't mean that," Biana told her, standing an inch away from Tam and pushing him against a wall. "You can't do that."

"Yes, I can. Choralmere would be fine."

"No it won't. Do you really want your parents with Alvar?"

"The Neverseen wouldn't expect it," Tam argued.

"I don't care about the Neverseen. I care about you. Can you really handle being with your parents knowing how they'd-"

"Yes." Tam tore his hands through his hair, squatting down and peeling back the thick sole of his boot, removing a small round pendant from the heel. "I stole my home crystal when I left with Linh, in case either of us ever needed a way to get back to the Lost Cities for help."

"I can't believe you had to think about stuff like that," Sophie said quietly.

"And this is a horrible idea," Biana interrupted. "They're going to break you if you go back."