The Bonding Chronicles Ch. 12

"Can you understand me?" he asked, reaching his hand out towards the large rabbit.

Thunderfoot leaned forward, sniffing the new person's hand, but with frustration flashing behind his eyes, he continued to project his desires towards Andrew.

The simple word, "Help." echoed through Andrew's mind, projected by the magical creature as it tried to will Tani'm to be cured.

Andrew turned his attention to Karen, asking, "What do you need, my love? You seem weak. How can I help?" as he caressed her cheek. Sara rested her hand on Karen's shoulder, and scanned the forest while her mates did what they could to help this mysterious woman.

"The wound under that bark cap on her wrist is starting to grow infected, and it's seeping into her blood. If I can't heal the damage, I fear she may die within the hour."

Andrew studied the small woman, her reddish-brown skin and straight black hair looking glorious and yet heartbreaking when put into context. Whoever she was, he could sense her magical power radiating off of her body, and somehow knew that she had cast a spell that was influencing her.

"What has she done to herself?" he asked, feeling compelled to understand what he was looking at.

"I'm not sure. I think she has used Fae magic to put herself into some kind of hibernation."

Andrew shook his head and smiled, "What? Like a bear?"

Sara laughed and muttered, "Fucking bears."

Karen was enjoying the youthful energy that her mates were bringing to the dour situation, but knew that they needed to reign it in, so with a sigh she responded, "Yes, like a bear.

"Sara told me about how you lent her your power, and I think you might need to do that for me, so that I can heal her hand."

Andrew reached across, studying the bark-textured construct that was holding her wound closed. "Of course, honey. How much do you think it will take to close up the wound?"

Karen sighed, wishing her task was that simple. "The problem is that, unless I remove ALL of the damage, whatever inflicted these wounds seems capable of reversing my healing."

It took Andrew a few seconds to understand the implications of what she was saying. "You can do that?"

"I think so, the last time I tried..." She had flashbacks of the war, rooms filled with terrible injuries, her gift begging her to heal them, but her strength not being up to the task. "Well, the last time I tried did not go so well."

"But you have already used so much of your energy. I felt how far you had pushed yourself as I rushed to get here, you nee-"

Karen silenced his concerns with a soft kiss, loving how much he worried for her, but knowing that she had to try. "I can't do this without you," she pleaded, tears trickling from her eyes as she thought about how difficult it would be to fail again.

Andrew placed his hand on her chest, reaching into the back of his mind and connecting a thick strand of energy to her sprite.

Karen felt a warmth building deep within her, and saw Andrew's purple sprite grow in radiance, before energy began trickling from its violet form within her mind. She connected him to her reserve, sensing the new source of magic that was deeper and richer than anything she had ever known. How Sara had drained him, she struggled to understand, but feared she may soon find out.

She dared not delay, so, reaching out her will, she began her task. Andrew felt the tremendous pull on his power as Karen began to regrow muscle and bone, every centimeter of work costing him greatly. Sara kissed Andrew on the cheek, sensing his nervousness as they watched the wooden cap on the end of Tani'm's wrist start moving out.

This had been a burdensome task the last time Karen had dared to attempt it, and she had already done more than she had been capable of those many years ago. Mending bone was difficult, the small amounts of new material necessary to fuse the two pieces together, often measured in millimeters, and yet, that used to be enough to drain Karen.

Now that her reserves had grown, she found herself capable of so much more, Tani'm's leg stood in testament to that fact. The scale of magic necessary to regrow pounds of bone and flesh was staggering, and made the healing she had performed on the woman's leg seem like a child's task by comparison. Every ounce of new material seemed to drain Andrew, sapping the small man's stamina, while Karen struggled against the forces that worked against her.

Over the next ten minutes, Wildfang expended the last of his magic, and decided to sacrifice some of his strength to try and win the day. He had known that this was a war of resources, and he had thought that he had won, sensing that the foul practitioner who was healing his adversary had been growing weak. But now, he knew she had somehow grown revitalized, her power returning with greater force.

Wildfang considered relenting and letting them have their victory, but he could feel the strength of the healer waning. Whoever it was, they were growing weak, and he still held hope that he could kill the evil woman who had been causing him so many problems, even if it meant sacrificing some of his body to fuel his magic.

Sara was cradling Andrew in her arms, his eyes becoming hooded as he began to feel weaker with each passing moment. Karen was aware of what was happening to Andrew, but she was also getting close to being done. The poultice had fallen away as soon as she had began regrowing the woman's fingers, and now, with only the ring and pinky fingers remaining, Karen felt conflicted.

Glancing at Andrew, she realized how weak he had become, and understood how Sara must have felt when she knew what she had done to him at the clowder. Karen wondered how much longer his reserves would last, and if she would soon be draining life energy from the man she loved.

Andrew could see the look in Karen's eyes, and pleaded with her, "Keep going, we can't stop now."

His voice was weak, but the truth of his statement could not be denied. She would continue as long as she felt his life was not at risk. Something about the small and beautiful woman told Karen that she was worth the danger.

With trepidation, she pushed forward, and soon, she had the ring finger complete. Karen began on the pinky, fearful with every passing moment that Andrew would collapse, and once she got to the first knuckle, she felt the opposing magic vanish. All resistance was gone.

"Stop, Andrew!" she yelled, as the night filled with the pained wail of a wolf's tormented howl.

Andrew dropped his connection to her sprite, pleased to still be conscious, even if just barely. Sara was caressing his cheek with a worried expression on her face. Karen studied the new hand, ready to react if the flesh should start to turn necrotic, but after a few moments she exhaled and collapsed beside Andrew. Their bodies trembled with involuntary shudders at the toll her healing had taken on them, and Andrew was amazed by how much his magical core influenced the health of his body. The once-powerful storm of violet energy had been reduced to a faint swirl of lilac fog, and he was unsure if he could even stand.

Tani'm was still unconscious, her spell working to protect her against the damage that had been done.

"Sara, take Andrew back to the sanctuary. We will get Tani'm to safety."

Sara studied the small woman, and as she helped Andrew to stand on his shaky legs, she hoped that Tani'm had been worth the risk her man had taken.

***** A Resting Place *****

Sara drove down the freeway with careful determination, her hand rested on Andrew's thigh, and she stole glances into his pale face, returning his smile before focusing on the road ahead. She could tell that he was weak, almost as weak as when she had drained him the Saturday before.

"You'll be right as rain, SD," she said, as much for herself, as for Andrew.

Whatever danger Sara had been sensing from the woods seemed to have reached a critical point, and the monster that had torn apart that beautiful woman was not something they were in a position to challenge. Sara considered that even if Andrew was in peak condition, they probably would still stand no chance against that creature. The large tracks and massive wounds spoke to Sara about the fearsome madness that existed within that beast, and the fact that the small woman had gone toe-to-toe with a creature like that for so long was impressive.

She parked the car in front of their house. The trail from there to the glade was well-known to them, and would see them within the safety of that place in minutes. As Sara led Andrew across the clearing, the same sense of danger she had been feeling for days loomed like a specter.

Once they crossed the threshold into the forest, Sara expected she would feel better. The sheltering canopy had always provided her with comfort, but something felt wrong.

Andrew was hanging from her side, his weak legs barely carrying him. "What is it?" he asked as he looked towards her face.

They had walked a few dozen yards into the forest, the full moon and cloudless sky providing plenty of light for them to find their way along the well-established trail.

"I'm not sure, something just feels... off."

Andrew was about to ask if it had something to do with what they had just seen, when he saw movement in the tree behind them. Sara saw his eyes grow wide as he looked over her shoulder, and she followed her instincts, pushing Andrew to the side, before rolling in the other direction.

A rock flew through the space where Andrew's head had just been, before bouncing off of the ground and slamming against a tree with a definitive thud. Andrew fell to the ground, too weak to regain his balance, while Sara completed her roll and come up on her feet, facing their attacker.

Brandon stood, naked and coated in dirt and leaves. Sara squinted while she sniffed the air, realizing why she could not locate his scent. "Fucker!" she spat, as she closed the distance to him with shocking speed. Brandon could tell that the wizard was not providing her with power, and his eyes grew wide as he realized that Sara was almost as fast as he was.

He dodged her flurry of strikes, maneuvering himself around her as he deflected or avoided each of her careful attacks. Sara's offense was overwhelming, and he had to focus everything he had into his defense if he was going to have any hope of surviving her assault. Brandon had managed to place himself between Sara and Andrew, after having drawn the furious woman a dozen yards from her whelp of a mate.

"Kill him!" he yelled into the night, his voice reverberating with his magical command.

Mercedes stepped out from the shadow of a tree — her nature helping her to remain unseen until that moment. Her naked body showed the emaciation she was suffering from, her lean muscles flexing beneath the mud and dirt that clung to her frail form. Even with the thick layers of earth, bruises could be seen scattered across her body, clear reminders of what would happen if she refused to follow even the simplest of Brandon's commands.

Tears streamed down her face as she rushed towards Andrew, the small man struggling to get up.

Sara tried to focus on Brandon, seeking any avenue to kill the man, but the small advantage he had in speed seemed to be enough to prevent her from landing a hit. Every time she moved to skirt past the large Therian male, he would keep her in front of him, lashing out with deadly speed at the smallest of openings she would create in her effort to pass.

Andrew managed to lean against a tree, watching as the tall but slender woman came to him.

"You don't have to do this," he stated, knowing that he was wrong.

Her weary eyes fell on his frightened face, and she could see the knowledge in his eyes: he knew he was about to die. She hated Brandon so much, for tricking her into bonding with him, and for the countless depraved and horrifying things he had done to her ever since. Mercedes wanted to stop, and fought her muscles to keep from doing what she had been ordered to, but the magic of her nature compelled her forward.

"I cannot resist the command, I'm so sorry," she confessed through her tears, her hand trembling at her side.

Mercedes could feel as her skin began to tingle, and she realized that Andrew was casting a spell. The command would not be refused any longer, and with supernatural speed, her arm lashed out, cutting a wide swath across Andrew's chest.

The feeling of magic lingered in the air for a moment, as the shock of what had just happened washed across Andrew's face. Blood and flesh dripped from all of Mercedes' fingers, her sharp nails having torn through the small man easily. Looking down, she could see the sickening sight of Andrew's chest gaping open, a large section of his broken rib cage exposed to the cool night air.

Blood poured from the massive wound, and as Andrew slid down the tree, his eyes grew hollow, while his lips struggled to say something, until the feeling of magic faded.

Mercedes dropped to her knees, and wept in horror at what she had been forced to do, Andrew's dead eyes judging her as she trembled before him.

Sara stood in stunned silence as she felt her connection to Andrew begin to fade, tears coming to her eyes as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened. She turned her attention on Brandon, just in time to see the large man's fist hit home.

The last thing that Sara Mitchell saw before she blacked out, was Brandon's smiling face as he looked down upon her.