AND SHE WAS NOT AN ADVENTURE I FLYNN CARSEN

Full Circle

Full Circle

"Clara?" Jacob said stupidly, stopping at the sight of her lying on the floor.

"Get the hell out of my way," Flynn said from between gritted teeth as he shoved Jacob aside, dashing over to the bookshelves behind him.

"What the hell happened here!?" Ezekiel demanded as Eve rushed over to Clara, rolling up her sleeves as she moved.

"It was Cassandra," Flynn spat, pulling book after book off the shelf, chucking them over his shoulder, "she let them into the Library."

Nobody said anything, too stunned to speak, just watching the pool of blood swell around Clara's body as Eve frantically worked over her.

"You can't help her!" Flynn bellowed, grabbing a copy of The Nutcracker. "It's a magical wound and magical wounds can't be treated!"

"What, so we just let her die then!?" Jacob said, looking like he was going to kill Flynn.

"Get the hell out of my way," Flynn said, barging both Jacob and Eve aside as he flung open The Nutcracker, extracting a cut glass vial concealed with its pages, holding it up to the light to see it was still full. "Why is nobody listening to me? Do I just have a face nobody listens to?" he muttered, casting them vengeful glances.

The others retreated to a respectful distance, not answering him, just giving him the space he needed to save Clara - or so they thought. Flynn cast aside The Nutcracker, before carefully lifting Clara into his lap, unstoppering the vial before tilting her head back, tipping some drops of the green liquid onto her lips, his face anxious as he waited for the magic to do its magic.

For a moment nothing happened, then Clara jolted back into being, coughing and retching as she collapsed against Flynn, almost throttling him as her fingers clutched his cravat for support.

"Nrngh!" Flynn choked, hastily disentangling himself from her.

Clara tried to curse him, only to burst into tears instead.

"Ssh, it's alright," Flynn soothed as he smoothed back her hair, "you're safe, safe as houses."

Clara slowly raised her head, the life leaving her big brown eyes. "Don't-lie-to-me," she spat, clutching her side, "whatever-you-do-,-don't-ever-lie-to-me."

Flynn stared at her, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, sounding most unlike himself. "I won't lie to you, not now."

"What the hell are you banging on about!?" Jacob demanded, exchanging a bewildered glance with Eve and the others. "She's going to be okay now, isn't she?"

"Magical-wounds-can't-heal," Clara said before Flynn could speak, wiping her eyes with the inside of her wrist, "and-cheating-death-comes-at-a-price-,-one-I'm-not-sure-it-would-be-worth-paying-for-in-the-end."

All the blood drained from Jacob's face, the others looking similarly shellshocked, making Flynn realise the mistake he'd made in allowing them access to the realm of magic. Despite his words of warning, they believed magic could rectify every wrong, changing every unhappy ending to a fairytale one. But this wasn't once upon a time; this was life as it led to death, and Clara would die, becoming another footnote in the Library's annals, her name nothing but a line in a book nobody would read.

"Well, my lack of faith in humanity is restored," Ezekiel snapped, his voice shaking despite the sarcasm.

"Ha-ha," Clara said with great difficulty.

"Jesus Christ," Eve breathed, turning away from her.

"So she'll die?" Jacob said stupidly to Flynn, unable to comprehend Clara's words. "You really can't do anything?"