Hope

Chapter Thirty Five

“Dammit, Kathryn, wake up,” Nick sobs. I feel his tears splashing on my face. “Please. Please.” His sobbing isn't the only sound I hear. There's sniffing somewhere close- about a few feet away. And there's loud banging further- probably a couple of yards. Frustrated screams echo on the walls.

“Kathryn, please. Don't do this to me, please. Please. Come back to me, please Kathryn. Wake up. You're stronger than this, Kathryn. Wake up.” The heart monitor isn't attached to me anymore. He doesn't know I'm alive. His sobs cut through me harshly- like little sharp knives waltzing in my heart.

He starts rocking back and forth, my head on his lap. I feel his hands brush through my hair and he places occasional kisses on my forehead. “Please. Please. Wake up, Kathryn. Kathryn, please.”

My eyelids flutter and finally open to see his closed. His face is tear streaked and twisted into such a heartbreaking expression I almost scream 'I'm alive! Look at me!'. But instead I open my mouth and croak out his name.

His eyes fly open. “Kathryn!” He leans down and tightens his arms around my body with bone-crashing strength. He curses in relief in my ear and I feel more tears splash on my neck. I hear shuffling a few feet away.

“Nick,” I croak again. “Nick, she took my powers, Nick.”

“You're alive,” he whispers, still rocking.

Did he not hear what I just said? I try to push him off me but I might as well have been trying to push a truck with my bare hands. He doesn't even notice.

“Nick,” I say again, my voice slightly clearer. The thought of being normal and... human is unnerving. I never was normal and I can never be. I need my powers.

“I'm right here.”

“I can feel that. Help me up.” My change of tone finally catches his attention and he pulls away. His smile is so wide it must hurt. He helps me to a sitting position, but my spine feels like it's made of jelly so I slide down. He catches me and leans me against the wall. I look around and spot Harry, his face also streaked with tears yet looking like some sort of angel, looking at me with an expression that causes my heart to hammer against my chest almost painfully. I silently thank whoever removed the heart monitor. There's also a large hole on the wall adjacent to the one I'm leaning on.

I notice how weak I am- I can't even sit up straight without any help. “She took my powers,” I repeat. Harry walks carefully to me and stands behind Nick. Nick doesn't notice. “I need my powers back.”

“We know,” Nick says. Is he referring to him and Harry or the others? He despised Harry so much that he refused to even say his name. Did my sort-of death change that? “Rioleo's on it.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Rioleo?”

“Yes.” His smile disappears and his face twists in anger. “Sophia was half-witch, so she was able to do the spell on herself. Your powers didn't have time to... adjust to her, though. We arrived just in time... well almost. But we managed to knock her out. Rioleo's still working on her.”

His shape starts swaying. Or is that me? Isn't Nick's hand on my arm? My stomach keeps doing uncomfortable somersaults. I close my eyes, hoping the sensation will disappear.

“Kathryn?” I hear Harry call. My stomach flutters during a somersault. “Kathryn, can you hear me?”

I hum in response. “She looks ill,” he says.

“No, she decided to dye her skin green for show.” I can picture Nick rolling his eyes. Then he mutters, “Dammit, where's Rioleo?”

“I'm here,” I hear a Rioleo's shrill voice say. I feel her cold hands on my face, then my neck, chest and bellow my rib cage. She starts chanting so fast I can't recognize the words. Something stings my wrist. Then my arm starts burning. Burning. My legs, my arms, my face and finally the fire licks my chest. The sensation disappears as soon as it arrived and I open my eyes to see three pairs of eyes looking at me expectantly.

I'm glad to find that I can raise my arm on my own. I kick out my legs, bringing back the feeling in them.

“How do you feel?” Harry asks.

“I have a lot more energy now.” And at that moment the wall adjacent to the one I was leaning on explodes and a wave of fire. Harry and Nick quickly move in front of Rioleo and I, creating a human shield. Rioleo and I stand up at the same time and I squeeze myself between the two to see Magnolia with a Fire sword in her hand, her hair pointing in different directions. Behind her Melissa stands with Marguerite, clutching her Wind sword tightly and staring at something I can't see with disgust.

“What's going on?” I ask, my eyes going from Nick to Magnolia.

Nick grabs my hand and says without looking at me, “It's a war. Sophia has a whole army. It's the second war in Prasinis.”

I feel the blood leave my face. Harry grabs my other hand- whether to comfort me or for something else, I don't know. They both squeeze my hand simultaneously. My two anchors, desperately clutching what's left of a wrecked ship, their weight fixed on hope.

“Well,” I say, “we won't win this battle staring at the field, will we?”

And we walk forward, potentially to our deaths. I grab a sword from Magnolia, its gem green, and I raise it high above my head.

If we lose this, there's no way I'm coming back. Oddly enough, I smile at the thought. At least I'll die trying.