A Forest of Secrets

Chapter 32

Alaric was fast asleep sitting by Jo's body near the table, when Laurentius finally walked downstairs, followed by a drowsy Wyn. Grandmother followed soon after, wrapped in a heavy quilt, her peppery white hair up in a messy bun.

Wyn and Alaric had taken baths and changed from their muck-covered clothes after they finished telling the story and filling their stomachs— Alaric had taken Jo with him, much to her enjoyment. What followed was, or felt, like an eternity. Jo was desperate to get off that stupid gem.

The mage shook Alaric softly with his staff, making him lose his balance.

"This won't be pretty," Laurentius said, taking the gemstone from around Alaric's neck. "For me, at least," he chuckled, then cleared his throat as he placed the gem on Jocasta's chest.

Laurentius took a step back: his staff glowed a bright red, his face was strained, his eyes focused. Jo could feel the magical current getting inside the gemstone, fighting to push her out. As it pushed harder, Jo couldn't tell up from down: she couldn't see anything other than lights and little dots of color in the air, up until the moment everything went black again.

The smell of burning firewood, of stale ale and pork grease, hit Jo's nose. Her eyelids felt heavy, her limbs were stuck to the slightly damp surface of the table. When she opened her eyes, she was met with Alaric's deep honey irises staring right back at her. She managed to lift her hands without him noticing, then cupped his face between them, pulling him for a sweet slow kiss. He smelled like cedar and honey, fresh and sweet. He dedicated her a dimpled smile, filled with relief. Jo wanted to hug him and never let go, but her body didn't cooperate. Her arms were too heavy to keep up, and the rest of her body didn't quite answer to her commands.

"It will take some adjusting to," Laurentius said, getting closer to the table. He prickled Jo's toes with a pin, lightly. It tickled. "Good, you can feel and move your toes. Phew! You'll be fine in less than you think," the mage yawned. Jo noticed a slight dribble of blood coming down his nose all the way down to his chin. The spell had been short but draining. The mage dropped himself into a chair, sighing.

"I'm starving," Jo muttered, still staring into Alaric's eyes. Her stomach was grumbling furiously, painfully even — maybe regenerating her wounds had taken some energy from her side too. As soon as Alaric helped her up, her legs gave away: she felt like her body was made of cotton. She experienced an uncomfortable sensation of helplessness and was nauseated by the sensory overload: the lights, the movement, the sound of her blood rushing through her veins. And there was something else. She couldn't pinpoint what, but there seemed to be something different with her body. Maybe she was tired, that was all. She just needed to eat, sleep, cuddle with Alaric for a bit and she'd be better than ever. Like Laurentius said, it would take some adjusting to.

Grandmother gripped her in a tight hug, leaving her almost out of breath. Jo's anger and feelings of betrayal completely disappeared as she took a whiff of Grandma's familiar violet scent. She sensed a couple of small thin arms around her waist right after: Wyn was looking up at her with glassy eyes, which she promptly wiped with the back of her sleeves. Alaric held Jo by the shoulders, making sure she wouldn't fall. Her legs trembled, she needed to sit. And eat something. A whole cow, maybe, for starters.

After eating and answering her grandmother's questions about the trip, she felt almost like herself again. She had lots of questions for Grandmother too, by the Creators, but she wanted to talk to her alone: there would probably be some yelling and ugly crying involved, she didn't want an audience for that. She politely excused herself from the table, yawning theatrically. Grandmother showed her to her room, a cozy little place in the attic, filled with nothing but a large, comfortable looking bed and a firedust lamp. Her own firedust lamp: they were not in the middle of nowhere anymore.