Keeping the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 3) (12 page)

Luckily no guards follow us as we head for the white building. The trek seems to take forever, even though it’s only a few feet away. Maybe it’s due to my fear that I’m sending us into a trap. Renaya does seem like the real Renaya, but I’m new here. I don’t know everything about magic, all the tricks. I also don’t know Renaya well, so I can’t say for sure if she’s who she says she is.

I shake my head. All this paranoia and speculation is going to cause my brain to pop. It’s smart to be wary, but how much more of this can I handle? How much more heartache? Greif? What if my Sebastian never wakes up? How am I going to go on without him? How will Renaya deal with it?

When we reach the building, Renaya’s head turns right and left. I follow her gaze. Again, there doesn’t seem to be any guards in the area. I don’t have time to get a good look at the house because Renaya places her finger on her lips and pulls me to the back of the house. It doesn’t look like a typical backyard I’d find on Earth. There is no pool or barbecue grill. No basketball hoop or any toys. Just more grass, trees, and flowers.

Renaya leads me deeper into the backyard. She checks again for guards before bending down to the ground and tapping the mud two times, pausing for a second, then tapping it another three times. She sits back on her knees and stares at the spot. I stare at it, too, wondering what the hell is going on.

About thirty seconds pass before the mud is pushed aside to reveal a door. I get it. This must be a password. Renaya raps her knuckles against it five times and the door opens. She nods to me, then motions for me to slide inside.

I back away. I’m not too keen on jumping into unknown holes. Who knows what could be down there?

“It’s safe,” she assures me.

“Is it okay if you go first?” I can’t help but still feel suspicious whether or not she’s the real deal. I’ve watched enough movies to know never to be the first to jump.

She shrugs and jumps in. I try to peer inside to see if she made it, but all I see is black.

“Princess Lily,” she calls. “You can jump now. But first, hand me my brother.”

“I can’t see anything.”

“That’s fine. I can see you and I’ll catch Sebastian.”

I squint to try to see something—anything—but it’s still pitch black. “Okay,” I say unsurely. Using my magic, I lift him off my shoulder and watch him float above the hole. His eyes are still shut, his head hanging back like it can’t support itself. I turn him so his feet are dangling right above the hole before I slowly lower him down.

“I got him,” Renaya shouts. A breath I didn’t know I was holding leaves my mouth.

Now it’s my turn. I stand right before the hole and look inside. I still don’t see much. How am I supposed to jump into something blindly? I highly doubt someone is going to catch me on the other side.

“Princess Lily!” a voice calls from down below. It’s female and familiar, yet I can’t place it.

“Lily,” another voice says, this one male. I recognize it well. My father. “Jump, Lily. It’s okay. You’ll be safe here.”

They keep saying that and I want to believe them. But what if it’s a trap? I guess I have no choice but to join them, since Sebastian is already there. I won’t leave him. I mentally slap my forehead. Was I wrong to hand him over to Renaya?

“Lily,” Alaric says. “The longer you stand out there, the more likely you’ll get caught by the guards. Please, my daughter.” My daughter. Dad hasn’t ever called me that in the few days I’ve been in Ortarus.

I shut my eyes, count to ten, and jump. My magic stops me before I crash to the ground. I’m floating a few feet above it.

There are a few people surrounding me. Renaya, Dad, and Salia. That’s who the other voice belonged to. Smiling the widest smile I’ve ever seen on her face, she flings her arms around me. “Princess Lily. You’re safe. I worried so much.”

I pat her back. “I’m so glad to see you’re okay.” I draw back and look at everyone, including Hastus and the many others gathered in various parts of this underground cave. Or whatever it is. “All of you.”

They give me friendly smiles. A few bow or curtsey.

My eyes immediately move around until I spot Sebastian lying on a bed in a nearby room. I rush to his side and take his hand. “What’s wrong with him?”

A hand is on my back. “We don’t know yet,” Alaric says.

“Can you heal him?” I ask Hastus. “I tried, but it didn’t work.”

“Not until we know exactly what happened to him.”

Alaric squeezes my shoulder. “Come, eat something, Lily.”

I shake my head. “I’m not leaving his side. And I’m not hungry.” I lift his hand and press it to my cheek.

Alaric sits down next to me. I didn’t get a good look at the place, but it resembles a basement. There are no walls made of mud, no muddy floors or ceilings. Everything is white, just like a normal home. The furniture isn’t much, just a few tables and chairs. Many of my fellow rebels are resting, some talking. The atmosphere is gloomy, probably because we lost many comrades, but there’s another feeling mixed inside: hope. We’re together again and can reclaim Ortarus.

Alaric rubs my arm. “I know you’re worried about Sebastian, but you need to eat something. You’re weak.”

I shake my head again. Food is the last thing I need right now. Though I can feel just how worn-out my body is, I wouldn’t be able to get anything down my throat. Not when my genie lies there, not when I have no idea if he’s alive. Yes, he’s breathing, but what if that’s it? What if he’s minutes away from death?

“I’m going to heal him,” I say. “I don’t care how or how long it takes or even if I die in the process.”

My dad doesn’t say anything. I know what he’s thinking. That he needs me. If not for me, the Ortarians are doomed. I know I can’t be selfish, but Sebastian is lying there all helpless. How could I live with myself if I don’t try to heal him?

Alaric takes my hand. “I promise you we’re going to find a way to heal him—a way in which no one gets hurt.”

I pull my hand away. I want to believe him, but I can’t help knowing that he cares more about ruling than he does about Sebastian. A part of me argues that it’s not true, since Sebastian is an Ortarian and my dad, as king, has a duty to protect him. The other part of me claims that Alaric would risk the life of one to save many.

“Lily.” Alaric gazes into my eyes. “You have my word.”

Not that I know if it means much. It’s not like I’ve known him for more than a few days. His words can mean crap for all I know.

“Being king is important to you,” I say, keeping my gaze on the white, tiled floor. I don’t want to look into his eyes. I don’t want to see how right I am.

“So is my daughter’s happiness,” he says, his voice soft. I look at him. “Sebastian is one of my own, and I love him like a son. I love all the Ortarians, and I would do anything to help them. But Sebastian is more than that. You love him. He’s your world. Yes, being king is important to me, but making you happy is more important.” He takes my hand again. “Missing out on you growing up has torn at me all this time. Granted, it hasn’t been that long, since time moves slower here than it does on Earth, but seeing how much you’ve grown makes me realize just how much I’ve missed out on.” He squeezes my hand. “Lily, we’ll heal Sebastian. I won’t give up until he’s well.”

I nod. “Thank you.”

He bends forward and kisses my forehead. “Now, will you please eat something?”

I reluctantly head to the table, where Salia places some bread and butter before me. “I’m sorry, but we don’t have much,” she tells me.

“That’s okay.” I’m sure that whatever will go down my throat will taste like dirt. Not that Salia isn’t a great chef, I just feel so blah that I can’t enjoy anything. We’ve lost a few fellow rebels, and my genie is in a coma. I know things like this happen when you’re part of a revolution, but I never expected it to be so hard. I wish Mom were here. She’d know how to make me feel better. Dad and the others are nice, caring, and kind, but I need my mom.

Salia watches as I pick at my bread and force some pieces into my mouth. Since I don’t want to offend her, I finish the whole thing and down it with that delicious sweet drink.

Dad’s sitting across from me, eating his own bread. When our eyes meet, he smiles. “You have no idea how happy I was when Renaya told me she saw you peeking out from the bushes,” he says. “I wasn’t sure if I lost you. When we were attacked, I wanted to come for you, but the others were in danger and I had to save them, and get everyone to safety. I wanted to come for you, but Salia reassured me that you had Sebastian and magic to protect you. I was torn, but I knew I needed to get everyone here. They relied on me to protect them and I couldn’t abandon them. When I returned to the compound, you were no longer there. I hoped you were alive, but I couldn’t be sure.” His face fills with guilt. “I’m so sorry.”

I pat his hand. “It’s okay. I’m glad you got the others to safety.” I would never live with myself if the others died because Dad was trying to save me.

He nods unsurely. “I’m trying to be a good father and make up for all that lost time.”

“You’re doing a very good job.”

He smiles and an awkward silence passes between us.

“Where exactly are we?” I ask.

“We’re with friends.”

I lift an eyebrow. “Friends? People who are part of the revolution?”

He shakes his head. “They want no active role in the rebellion, but they wish to help us by hiding us here.”

“And here is…?”

“Their house. We’re in the lowest level, the basement as you’d call it.”

“And no one can find us here?”

He shakes his head again. “We’re hidden well. Our acquaintances will protect us. Also, no one knows to look for us here. I doubt the guards will raid every house.”

“Are you sure about that?”

He nods, but from the look on his face, I know he just said that to calm me down. Of course the king would send his guards to knock down the Ortarian houses. He’s not stupid.

My dad must sense my alarm because he says, “Trust me, Lily. We’re safe here. You’ll soon meet the man and woman protecting us and you’ll see you can trust them.”

“How are you so sure? Sebastian and I were talking—before he…when he was conscious, I mean—and we think someone in the compound betrayed us. We have to be careful who we trust.”

Alaric rubs his chin. “Yes, we do need to be careful. But these two people are trustworthy. And I suspected someone at the compound was a spy. You don’t have to worry about him. He’s been taken care of.”

“Taken care of? As in killed?”

“Yes.”

“Who was it?”

“Gortien.”

Gortien. I didn’t know him well, only that he was one of the rebels protecting the compound.

“How do you know it was him?” I ask.

“Because when the raid occurred, he came after me. I managed to kill him.”

“How?”

“He stole a sword from our weapon room and attacked me. As I fought him off and grabbed the weapon from him, he stabbed my arm, not deeply, though. I killed him and then ran to save the others. Hastus healed me.”

I say, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help. Sebastian and I didn’t hear the attack before it was too late and all of you ran. I guess we shouldn’t have had a room so far back.” And we shouldn’t have been making out so passionately that we didn’t pay attention to anything.

“Don’t worry about it. What’s important now is that we’re here and we’re safe and we’re going to resume our plans.”

Our plans…yeah. Things have to go on like normal. But how can I continue to do what’s expected of me when all I can think about is my sick boyfriend?

I
have
to find a way to cure him.

I don’t care if it kills me. I’m going to use my magic over and over and over again to heal Sebastian. It’s late at night and everyone has already gone to sleep. I’m sitting on the edge of his bed, clutching his hand tightly. I shut my eyes, channeling all my thoughts and energy into taking whatever is inside him away.

“Come on,” I mutter, squeezing his hand. “Come on!”

Nothing happens. Dammit. I bang my head against the wall. No matter what I do, I can’t heal him.

I climb into his bed and snuggle up close. His chest rises and falls softly, his breath warm on my cheek. “Sebastian,” I whisper as I push some bangs off his forehead. “I miss you so much. Where are you? Are you dreaming? Are you in a happy place?” I take his hand. “I wish I could join you there.” To get away from everything just for a while. Where I won’t have to worry about battling the king and being a savior to all these people. Where Sebastian and I can just be together.

I smooth my hand down his cheek and press my lips to his. No movement. I kiss harder and deeper, hoping that will yank him out of his deep sleep, but no luck. I softly hit his chest with my fists. “You can’t do this to me. You can’t disappear when I need you most.” Tears well up in my eyes as I lower my head to his chest and inhale his Sebastian smell. He still smells like a genie. Maybe he always will, to me. “I don’t know how to help you.”

Alaric and some of the others tried to figure out what’s wrong with him, but they’re completely lost. If they can’t find a cure, I’m not sure I can. But I’m not going to give up.

“Lily,” a voice says from the doorway. I sit up and find Hastus standing there. “May I enter?”

I nod, too choked up to talk. I wipe my tears as he sits down in the chair facing me.

“How are you?” he asks.

“As well as I can be, I guess.”

He nods slowly. Then his gaze moves to Sebastian. “I’m sorry.”

I don’t say anything, afraid I’ll start crying again. It’s not like Sebastian is dead, but he may as well be. Every time I look at him, I feel like I’m in a hospital and the doctor’s telling me he’ll never wake up.

I can’t think about killing the king and saving the Ortarians when my heart feels like it’s being sawed in half.

Hastus’s hand rests on my shoulder. “I want to suggest something. Something to help Sebastian.”

I perk up, like I’ve been sleeping for days and someone zapped me awake.

Hastus holds out his hand. “It’s something a little…crazy. Risky. It wouldn’t be my first choice”

I just stare at him. What the hell is he talking about?

He hesitates. “You can heal him.”

“I already tried.”

He shakes his head. “No, you can heal him in a different way. A riskier way.”

“What do you mean riskier?”

He waits a second or two before saying, “You can absorb his ailment. Or disease—I’m not quite sure what’s making him sick.”

I gape at him. “Absorb? What do you mean by that?”

“You can absorb his energy—meaning the disease will enter your body. Perhaps it will render you unconscious as well. Perhaps it will kill you.”

I’m at a loss for words and keep staring at him, my mouth probably reaching the floor.

He goes on, “But if you had someone healing you as you take his disease, you may have a chance.”

“Wait. You’re saying I absorb whatever is inside Sebastian and you heal me to rid the disease? But how could that work? It doesn’t seem like the disease could be healed.”

He nods. “No, probably not to the average Ortarian. But you’re special. You’re stronger and I believe your body would be able to handle the disease. Also, you and Sebastian love each other deeply. That only puts points in your favor. Your love may enable you to absorb his disease.”

Again, I don’t know what to say. Of course I would do anything to save Sebastian. But to go on a suicide mission? When all the Ortarians are counting on me? Yet, how can I sit by doing nothing while the love of my life just lies there? It shouldn’t even be a question what my choice should be.

“I want to heal Sebastian more than anything.” But what if Hastus can’t heal me? What if my body isn’t strong enough? Could I put Sebastian through so much pain? And my dad, too.

Hastus leans forward. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Wait. You want to do this now?”

Hastus shrugs. “Lily, you don’t realize how powerful you are. How powerful your bond with Sebastian is. Your love for one another conquers all.” He grips my hand. “You’re the only one who can do this. We need to move fast. I fear he’s going to get worse.”

I look at Sebastian. I didn’t realize it before, but his breathing isn’t as even as it was yesterday. It’s labored, as if his lungs are weakening. Hastus is right—he’s getting worse.

“I’m not going to push you to do something you don’t want to,” Hastus tells me. “But I have the confidence that you can do it. I believe in you, Lily.”

My eyes flick to his. Can I trust him? He’s part of the rebellion, but we’ve been betrayed by someone we trusted. How do I know if Hastus is trying to help me or kill me?

He must sense the thoughts running around in my head because he says, “Lily, I would never wish to harm you. Please, you have my word.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that—”

“You have nothing to apologize for. You should be suspicious and careful. I don’t know how I can convince you that I don’t want to hurt you or Sebastian, but I’m hoping you can see the truth in my eyes.”

As I gaze at them, they do look sincere. There’s no gleam in them or a wicked smile on his face. He genuinely seems to care. Do I take that chance? I’ve got to. It’s the only way to heal Sebastian.

I take a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “How long is it going to take?”

“A few minutes.”

“Is it going to be painful?”

He’s quiet for a second or two. “Very.”

“Have you done it before?”

“Not with such an extreme disease, but yes, I have. My mother grew ill many years ago, when I was a boy. My father absorbed the disease and I healed him.”

“And it worked?”

He nods. “She was healthier than she had been all her life.”

Hope bubbles inside me at the thought that my Sebastian will be as good as new. That I’d see his loving smile and feel his warm lips press against mine. That he’d hold me in his arms and tell me everything is going to be okay. That I’ll succeed in my mission and provide the Ortarians with a good life.

“Lily?” Hastus says. “Are you okay? I’ve been calling your name.”

I nod. “Just thinking. I’m…I’m ready.”

He gets to his feet. “We’ll need to close the door. We can’t afford anyone else coming in here. You can’t be interrupted.”

“Because I’ll die?” I blurt.

He gives me a sad smile. “Like I said, it’s very risky, but I have the confidence that you’ll be able to handle it.”

His words aren’t giving me much confidence, but I’ll do anything to save my genie. “And we can’t tell anyone about this.”

“Your father would talk you out of it, I’m sure.”

He definitely would. He wouldn’t want his only daughter risking her life. He told me he’ll try to find more solutions, but what if he can’t? Sebastian is only going to get worse. I
have
to do this.

I shut my eyes and regulate my breathing. “Let’s do this.”

Hastus locks the door and the two of us crouch near Sebastian’s bed. Hastus instructs me to take Sebastian’s hand while he clutches my other one.

“Think about how much you love him,” he tells me. “Think about how much he means to you. How you wish to take his illness upon yourself and rid him of any foreign entity invading his body.”

I close my eyes and focus on that. I think about the day I dug the lamp out of the dumpster, how rude he was when I gave it a rub. How he lowered his guard as the two of us got to know each other. When he kissed me during my prom. How we fought to be together, even though we knew he was going to leave me. When I absolved him of his crime. And when he returned. How we grew closer to one another and the love between us strengthened.

A tingly feeling enters my body—through my hand that’s clasping Sebastian’s, down my arm and into my chest. It spreads to every part of me. The feeling is warm and comforting, not painful at all.

But as the seconds tick by, my body grows warmer, as though I’m water simmering in a kettle. Soon, I feel like I’m engulfed in flames. Every part of me is scorching, like I’m being burned alive. My eyes fly open and I want to grab all my limbs as if that will somehow ease the pain. But Hastus told me not to break contact with him or Sebastian.

I cry out, trying to ignore the pain tearing me from the inside out.

Hastus’s hand tightens on mine. “You can do this, Lily. Just a little bit longer.”

“It burns!”

“Focus on how much you love Sebastian. Picture good, happy memories with him. Think about how you’ll feel when he’s awake and well. Focus on those things and not the pain.”

I try to do as he suggests, but it’s just so hard. All I can think about is how much pain I’m in, that all I want to do is crawl into the fetal position and cry until all of this is over.

“Push through, Lily.”

If not for Hastus’s words, I would completely lose it.

The pain lasts for a while. It seems like years but I know it’s only a few minutes. Just when it reaches its strongest peak, I feel it starting to lessen. That must be due to Hastus’s healing. Whatever is inside me is slowly dissipating. The pain is still there and I close my eyes tight to fight through it. Soon, all I feel is that same tingly feeling as before. It’s at my fingertips for a little while before it’s gone.

I fall to the floor, dropping Sebastian’s hand. Hastus, who has a strong grip on my other hand, crashes down with me. We’re both panting. I want to sit up, to look at Sebastian, but I’m too weak to move. I can’t even turn my head to check if Hastus is okay. What if healing me killed him?

My breathing is labored as my chest rises and falls rapidly. I’m staring at the ceiling, ignoring my eyes that are begging to be shut. As much as my body cries for rest, I won’t give in. When Sebastian wakes up, I want to be the first person he sees.

I try to move my fingers, but I don’t think I manage to. My head droops toward my chest and my eyes feel heavy.

Eventually, I give in and let sleep overtake my body.