Chương 54: Still A Better Love Story than Twilight

The staff clattered as it hit the floor. The pipes overhead stopped groaning. Andy no longer felt his life magic being drained away. He hardly noticed it. His eyes were trained on Kesseroth. Tempest swayed on her feet. Kesseroth gathered her into his arms and fell back against the wall. Blood pooled beneath them. They were looking at each other.

"Kess." Tempest's voice was small. All traces of fury, and hatred were gone. Kesseroth smiled sadly.

"There she is. Hello, Tempy." The woman let out a wet laugh that turned into coughing.

"You always did have terrible timing."

"Yes."

"Couldn't you have done this eight hundred years ago?"

"No. It took me eight hundred years to build up the courage to see you."

"I missed you." Kesseroth closed his eyes.

"I missed you too." Madam Tempest smiled as she slumped into Kesseroth.

"Kess?" No answer.

"Kesseroth!?" The dragon remained seated still holding Tempest. He slowly panned his head toward Andy.

"Save Lady Auriana. Help me finish fixing my mistakes."

"Kess–""Save them." His breathing became ragged.

"Save them all. Stop the Harness. Don't let anyone else pay for my mistakes." Andy swallowed.

"No. I can heal you." A faint smile crossed the dragon's face.

"I'm ready. This was always a one way trip for me."

"No." Andy shook his head.

"No, absolutely not. I have life magic. I can heal. That's my thing." An emerald glow shone at Kesseroth's middle. Kesseroth chuckled. It was a painful and wet sound.

"Andrew. I just stabbed myself in the chest."

"That sounds fixable."

"It is not." Andy planted his hooves stubbornly, "You don't know that."

"I do. I also know that your time to save your fox is running out." Andy ignored him. Emerald light poured from his horn into the dragon's wound. The blood continued spreading.

"No." He poured more magic in without avail.

"No, no, no." The dragon didn't respond. Andy froze.

"Kess? Kesseroth?" The molten bronze eyes stared blankly ahead. Andy took a step forward. The dragon remained slumped against the wall. One arm wrapped around Madam Tempest, while the other hung loosely at his side.

"No." Andy took another step. The emerald glow faded from his horn. He stood there a moment, tears falling silently onto the floor. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Then Veronica spoke quietly, "Andy." He didn't respond.

"Andy." Slowly Andy turned. He looked at Veronica then back toward Kesseroth. Back to Veronica. At the door. He wiped at his face with a foreleg.

"Okay." Andy walked over to Veronica. The restraints were still glowing. The same symbols on these, the staves, and the pylons. He hated them.

"Well. Guess we're doing this the old fashioned way." Veronica shuddered as her essence continued to be drained.

"What's the old fashioned way?" Andy transformed. He became his bipedal human form. He picked up the knapsack with Barnacle in it. His sacks of dirt falling off to the side. Then he looked at Veronica and waggled his fingers.

"Fingeys." He began unbuckling the restraints on Veronica's wrists first.

"The bipedal unicorn swallows his sadness." He began in his best nature documentary voice. Veronica stared.

"He does not process it. He does not examine it." Andy moved onto the second wrist.

"Andy–" Veronica started.

"And he most certainly does not discuss it."

"Andy."

"Instead," Andy continued.

"The bipedal unicorn engages in a complex ritual known as dissociative avoidance." One ankle restraint fell away.

"This ritual consists primary of tasks. Many tasks." The final restraint fell open.

"Anything except feelings." Veronica slowly sat up rubbing at her raw wrists.

"Andy."

"The unicorn may also make jokes."

"Andy."

"The human though seems unable to comprehend this particular method of moving through a difficult situation."

"Andy!"

"What!? What could you possibly want?"

"Why aren't you wearing clothes?" Andy looked down. Sure enough, he'd forgotten his clothes. He concentrated the way Georgina had taught him and then, the clothes were there.

"Sorry, I'm still getting used to all of this stuff."

"Quite a lot of stuff to get used to." She said, looking intently at the ceiling.

"Can you walk?" Veronica swung her legs over the side of the bed. And stood. She immediately went limp.

"You could have just said no."

"I thought I could. It's been so long since I've left this room."

"How long have you been here?"

"How long ago was the treaty with Lord Fergus signed?"

"A while."

"Well then a while minus one day." Andy helped Veronica to her feet and began ushering her out of the room.

"Wait," She called. Don't you need your vine thingies?"

"No my B. A. L. L. S are spent. I'll have to wait awhile before they'll be useful again."

"Like how long?"

"Maybe tomorrow." He shuffled out the door. Veronica's weight on him. He said a silent word of thanks to Kesseroth as he passed. I will get Auri back. I will stop the Harness. I promise. Andy crossed the threshold into Reggie's makeshift infirmary.

"Oh Andrew. Good. Do you have Aur-" Reggie looked up and stopped mid thought.

"Thisss iss a human."

"Yes it is. The human will be staying with you until we're ready to head out."

"The human has a name." Veronica said dryly.

"It's really not important, I am going back. I need to find Auri."

"I know where she is." Veronica said.

"Tempest… talked a lot while torturing me.

""Where is she?"

"She's upstairs in the Harness' suite."

"Andrew…" Reginald cut in.

"Where issss Kessseroth?"

"He didn't make it, Reggie." The basilisk stared.

"No. That cannot be, Andrew." Andy looked away, "I'm sorry. There wasn't anything I could do." Reginald's small hands tightened on the cloth he'd been carrying.

"No." The word came out small. Almost a hiccup. Finally the basilisk lowered his head.

"I sssssee." And then the basilisk was in the air. Andy lifted him and held him briefly against his chest. They stood that way for a moment longer than Reggie was comfortable with. He cleared his throat.

"Right. I need you to look after everyone a little longer. If the human tries anything. Stone her." Veronica sputtered.

"What?"

"Thissss isss a reasssssonable precaution."

"That is not reasonable!" Veronica cried. Andy nodded at Veronica.

"Good luck, human." Andy spun on his heel and headed back out into the hallway and up the stairs. [SPECIES: UNICORN(MAGICAL BEAST)] [GALLOP EFFICIENCY: 90%] [PARTY MEMBERS: 3] [HERD BOND: COMPANION(PRIMORDIAL BASILISK)] [HERD BOND: COMPANION (SESSILE)]