Firestorm

Chapter 10

It had been almost six days since Flynn and Lilith had been taken to the cave. True, it offered them protection from the conriochte. But not from the baking heat or the biting insects. Or worst of all, the bacteria. Flynn had bound Lilith's injuries and rinsed them with salt water in hope of stopping them from becoming infected. Unfortunately, this had only delayed the effects of having open wounds exposed for so long. Now, Lilith lay sprawled on the sand crying out in agony. Her wounds festering in the heat, black liquid and puss pouring from them. Large biting insects feeding and laying their eggs. Her body was rotting.

Flynn had tried many times to clean out her injuries. But this caused Lilith so much pain that she lashed out in anger with her magic. Almost setting Flynn ablaze more than once. The greanáilte had long left the cave itself. The fetid odor had driven them back into the tunnels. Flynn was desperate. He called to the Lady of the Tides many times. But he received no answer. It seemed the greanáilte were the only help she would supply.

Lilith lay in agony. Her body temperature raged with fever and sweat coated her skin and soaked her clothes. It was still the middle of Winter. The temperature should not have been nearly this high, even if it were the height of Summer, it would be rare. But still the temperature rose and rose, the air inside the cave becoming stifling. It had no end, even when the Sun dipped below the horizon the heat raged on. What little freshwater Flynn could conjure from the clouds above, he had to ration between himself and Lilith. But it wasn't nearly enough. He left often on short trips trying to find fresh water, or medical supplies. But so far, he had found none. All the small dwellings in the area that he found had long been cleared out. They lay vacant. As nature reclaimed them.

Flynn's efforts to find more substantial food for himself and Lilith were more fruitful. But the fish, muscles and seaweed that he managed to find would not keep them going for long. He set snares in a field a mile or so from the cave. But so far, he had had no luck there either. Flynn knew he had to do something. If not, Lilith would soon die from the infection and disease laying siege to her body.

The greanáilte still crawled through the tunnels surrounding the cave. But did not enter it willingly. The smell of death in the air frightened them. Lilith was not long for this world, and they could sense it. Some of the brave few, tried to cleanse her injuries with their mouths. Carefully biting away all decomposition. Blood, puss, rotting flesh and maggots gushed forth, which the dutiful creatures then deposited out onto the beach. This helped a lot but would not heal Lilith.

The greanáilte were being influenced by the Lady of the Tides, that much was clear to Flynn. Though weak, she had not given up on Lilith and Flynn. Lilith was hallucinating with the fever most of the time. Rambling to herself. But even the madness gave Flynn a small shred of hope. Lilith was strong in spirit. If she was talking at all, even to herself, Flynn knew she was fighting the illness that was coursing through her veins.

Flynn checked over Lilith's wounds once again as she was sleeping. The only respite she got from her pain. He decided would try to summon the Lady of the Tides here to this cave. Even if it killed him in the process. He had done it once before, summoned her for guidance. But this had been with his grandmother and her coven of thirteen witches. All extremely powerful. But now all long dead and gone.

Flynn left the cave to gather what he needed to perform the summoning. All around him he had the elements. But he needed to remember how the coven had called to the Lady. How they had created a gateway from her watery realm to the land of the living. But time was running out. If he did not do this soon. The conriochte would not need to find Lilith. She would leave this world of her own accord. Then all hope would be lost. Flynn knew could not do this alone, he needed Lilith to destroy the conriochte. But most of all he deeply loved her and by all his magic he would save her or kill himself trying.