Chương 65: 3 – Epilogue: To Stoke a Flame

"Reid! Dad! What happened!? Mom? Where are we!?" I screamed, bouncing up off my bed and glancing around, unable to comprehend the sudden change in… everything." The day was bright and sunny. Birds chirped outside. The atmosphere felt completely at odds with the panic running through my bones. Where had everyone gone!? One moment I was in the middle of the battlefield, and the next…?

"Mera! Are you alright!?" Mom exclaimed. She stood and grabbed me by the shoulders, staring straight into my eyes, startling me with the intensity of her gaze. Little red flames danced in her normally light eyes.

"N-no! My foot!" I shuddered.

"It's… It's twisted. Bad." I looked down at the offending limb and felt bile rise in my throat. It was the sort of wound that showed up in April's horror movies. Not disgusting. There was no visible bone or blood, and it didn't even hurt as much as I was sure it should. It was just… wrong. My right foot was turned, facing a direction it shouldn't.

"Alright. Alright, I'll be right back. I'll get Normuran, and he'll set you right," she said, panicked.

"You lie down. I'll be right back."

"Normuran? H-how? How are we here?" I asked, trembling. Mom looked down at my foot, and her resolve firmed.

"I'll explain everything in a minute. For now, we need to get you healed, and for that, I need you to calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down? What happened, Mom? How did we get here!?" I screamed.

"Did I pass out? How…?" Mom bopped me on the head like she did when I was being particularly belligerent as a child.

"Mera, I teleported us here. Do you remember the stick I gave you? You broke it, didn't you?" she asked calmly. I nodded.

"Y-yeah. I remember."

"That stick is a script. Part of a forgotten school of magic that I discovered in the libraries of Estermont. It… was my passion as a child." That was enough to still even my panic, for just a moment.

"You're telling me you can use writing to teleport?" Fuck Fire magic! Why hadn't she shown me this!?

"Yes. With preparation, I can teleport to specific locations, or beacons," she admitted, grabbing my face with both her hands.

"You're going to be okay, Mera. Just stay here. I'll be right back with Normuran." I wanted to protest, but my heart rate was starting to slow, and my ankle was beginning to throb. I met Mom's solid, comforting eyes, and nodded shakily.

"P-please hurry," I said. She nodded and fled the room, rushing down the road in her shredded clothes. Irrationally, all I could think was that the town would be talking about that for months. Mom… Mom could teleport. She'd come to save me, but… Reid was still out there. Dad too! I hadn't seen him on the battlefield at all. I wanted to get up and run straight south, but it was all I could do not to keep from screaming as the pain swelled. It didn't stop or plateau. It just grew worse.

When Mom finally arrived, I was biting into my leather sleeve, shaking. Normuran entered the room with confusion on his features, but that evaporated the moment he saw my boot twisted the wrong way. He didn't use any magic, though. Instead, he reached into a pouch and pulled out a small bag. Stolen novel; please report.

"Mera, I'm going to need you to swallow this," he said. I nodded and opened my mouth. The taste of leather lingered on my tongue. My ankle hurt so damn much, I would've swallowed a cactus if he told me it would make it feel better. He cupped the bag and poured some sort of small powder into my mouth. It was vile, but Mom handed me a glass of water to swallow it with. My hands shook, and I spilled some over my mouth. Rather than move to my foot, he just… stared at me.

"A-are… are you going to h-heal my ankle?" I asked through blurry tears. He frowned. Looked back at the bag and confirmed it was empty. Looked back at me.

"Was that stuff supposed to knock me out?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Some people have a tolerance for it," he said.

"I can't safely give you anymore. There's no easy way to do this, Mera. This is going to hurt." I whimpered, but nodded, and bit back down on my sleeve. He looked down at my foot and began to remove the boot. He wasn't lying. What felt like hours later, my throat was raw from screaming, and Mom's eyes looked like they had permanent tearstains. But I was okay. My foot had been set close to right. Once again, Normuran's magic would probably prevent me from lasting injury.

This time, though, there had been consequences. I wouldn't be able to heal all at once and would need daily healing until the foot was back to normal. I'd need a cast to hold it in place and prevent it from healing crooked. I was shivering, wrapped in three blankets and holding a cup of warm tea. Normuran only left after receiving a promise from Atrinaska that she would explain tomorrow. I had no idea what Mom was going to say. The pain had finally faded to a roaring thrum. I couldn't walk.

Wouldn't be able to for at least a week. I might always have a limp. He wasn't sure. I didn't give a damn.

"Wh-when are you going back?" I asked when he was gone. Mom shook her head.

"I can't go back again, Mera. You were always my priority. I wouldn't leave you, even if I could get to your father."

"But… Reid…?" I asked. Mom grimaced.

"Your father snapped his beacon at the same time you did. I might've been able to go back for him and Reid right after bringing you here, but the ether has dissipated now. There's nothing for me to latch onto. I'm… sorry, Onion. We just have to hope." I shuddered. I was quiet for a while. Horrified. Reid… he'd been the crazy witch's main target. His bow seemed like the only thing that had been able to hurt her! And I…

"I… just left him," I choked.

"You did nothing of the sort," Mom said.

"I saw what you tried to do, Mera. You stupid girl!" I barely heard her.

"What if he's hurt? No… that's stupid. I saw him. Of course, he's hurt. What if he's dying? Mom, we've gotta go back. Please. There has to be a way…"

"Mera, he's a smart young man. He'll be alright. And so will your father," she said softly.

"That's not good enough! I just have to sit here and hope!? When they're both being commanded by that incompetent moron!? I… There has to be a…!" My eyes widened.

"I've got it! Mom, you just need to change your need!" I exclaimed. She looked at me strangely, but I grew more animated by the minute.

"I figured it out on the road. You can change what you need. Right now, your next need is to protect me from war trolls — Still? Still fucking war trolls? — Well. Nevermind. I need you to make the thing you need most to be saving Dad and Reid. If that's what you need most, then I could make you something! Th… then you could get the supplies and…" This might take hours in the best-case scenario. Probably days if the need was complicated enough. Adding in that Mom's next need was still greyed out…

after all that, she still hadn't used the book for its intended purpose!? I didn't know how I could manipulate her need to get what I needed. She was looking at me like her heart was breaking. Maybe mine was too.

"It'll… work. I tried it. I was able to get Reid to change his need so…" I trailed off.

"Mera, in what world do you think my greatest need has ever been anything but protecting you?" she asked.

"That's no reason not to try!" I said.

"I will reach out with other methods in the morning. I confirmed that Imogaesa is still alive and has taken refuge in Fenland. Her talent will let her confirm that the army is okay. For now, your only priority is recovery."

"I… but…"

"You're safe, Mera. That's all that will matter to either of them," she said. I was quiet for a long time.

"I was so stupid," I said.

"You knew all along. You, and Tom, and Dad. Half the town…! Why did I… why did I waste so much time? What if he's… what if…?" Gingerly, Mom sat on the bed and pulled me into a big hug. I cried like a little baby. But inside my gut, as Mom held me and my ankle burned, I felt something swelling. Something frightening. A deep anger. A burning desire to make sure this could never happen to anyone I cared about, ever again… … by force, if necessary.

I had ideas that were a lot more dangerous than pepper spray, and now, suddenly, I had a reason to make them and a burning motivation to do so.

"Mom… if he's dead? I don't know what I'll do. But it scares me," I said. Mom didn't respond. She just held me.