When he woke again, James checked on Lilly. He ran his fingers over her lips to check if she was still breathing. She was. Her eyes started to flutter open and James rested his heavy head on her shoulder."Lilly, are you okay?"
"I should…."
"Lilly?" he asked not quite hearing her.
She forced him off her and rolled to her feet.
"Lilly what...?"
She lifted him on her back and jumped out of the tree. The moment her feet touched the ground she was running.
"Lilly..."
"James can you hear my words?"
"They are soft; barely audible."
Lilly shook her head and kept running. After she ran a good distance, she set him down. Briar came out of the trees. He looked sick.
"Lilly, my friend, will you bear my replacement?"
"It is Forbidden, Briar."
"Forbidden because you"ve married a Human?! You"re Adremedian! Your duty is to your people!"
"It"s Forbidden because you are sick."
"But Lilly I love you!"
James watched the exchange. Though he understood more about Adremedian creation—knew how it worked, how it felt—he wasn"t sure if she would maintain her fidelity to him over helping her people.
"Sorry, Briar, we cannot." She turned her back to him and he got angry.
"But I need this!"
"Other Adremedians can create your replacement because you are ill."
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"I want you to do it because you"re my truest friend." He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Please, Lilly. Please grant me this one last wish."
She pulled her healer"s blade from her belt as turned in Briar"s arms. She looked up at him.
He leaned down to kiss her, but stopped as she buried her knife in his body.
"Release," she said.
James watched in horror as Briar aged then turned to ash. Lilly"s knife fell to the ground and she fell to her knees.
"Lilly!" James yelled, still too weak to move.
"I"ll be… fine, James.… Help is…."
"Rosae Lilly!" Patientiam called. "Rosae Lilly, are you all right?"
"Patientiam. James needs… help."
"As do you, Rosae Lilly," Sapientiis said, following Patientiam.
She gave a small nod and he helped her stand. Patientiam picked up her knife then helped James to stand. They moved to a safer location before the healing began.
"Wait Sapientiis," Lilly said before he started healing her. "Briar must be…."
"It is done, Rosae Lilly. …Willow and Ithamar have taken care of it."
"Okay."
The twins worked extensively to make sure two were whole then they left them by each other in a healing tree. Branches grew and twisted around the top so the others would be sure to leave them alone.
James was the first to wake and he sat watching Lilly. He ran his fingers through her hair. A soft smile crossed his lips. Her skin was still a light yellowish color, but the horrible black bruising was gone.
Lilly opened her eyes. "James?"
"I hear you, Lilly."
"I"m sorry about Briar."
"About that," he said, mouth turning down slightly. "Had he been… healthy… would you have done it?"
"No. Especially not after what he did to you."
James brow furrowed. "All I wanted to do was help.… Was that wrong?"
Lilly sat up and looked him in the eyes. "No, it wasn"t wrong. The method that Briar gave you was wrong."
He studied her face then looked away. Lilly turned his chin so he would look at her again. She kissed him tenderly and the spark created a longing for more. James returned the kiss long and deep. His body grew warm as her energy surrounded him. It was comforting and full of love. Only the snapping of trees broke the spell.
"What is that?" James asked.
"Gerrabellas." Lilly was on her feet and stepped to the edge of the tree.
"Lilly wait!"
She stopped on the edge and gazed out. In the distance was more snapping as another tree fell.
"If it"s war then I must go."
"Be careful, James."
"I"ll come back for you Lilly."
He kissed her and embraced her before climbing down the tree. Torta was waiting for him. James climbed on and raced off, taking paths where he would not be noticed, and using a secret entrance to get into the castle.
A few of the Generals saw him come in and called for the others. They all met with King Carthago in the great hall. Many of them didn"t know where James got his information and began to doubt its source. The last couple times he had given them accurate information, there was Lilly. What if she was a spy? When the questions came up, Carthago quickly silenced them. James knew more about her than anyone and because of that, was willing to trust her. When the meeting was over, James prepared for battle. Carthago came in as he was preparing.
"How is she?"
"Much better."
"What happened that day?"
"Gerrabella blood poisoning."
"Did you run into any that day?"
"No."
"Then how did she get poisoned?"
James thought about it for a moment. "I don"t know. Maybe I can ask her once this is over."
"About that James. The Generals are right. Your information is accurate, too accurate. How do you know all this?"
"It"s part of who we are, Carthago. Do you remember when I was going all that research with Lilly"s help?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"Once morning I found Lilly looking at our family history. As it turns out, we have a Gerrabella for an ancestor. I don"t understand how it works, but I can hear their plans through the Gerrabella blood inside myself."
"What is this ancestor"s name?"
"Periculae Marigold."
"The one burned for falling for a Human?!"
"That"s the one."
"Hmm."
James started to leave.
"Wait James, I have one more question."
"Yes?" he asked, stopping in the doorway.
"How did Lilly take it?"
"It upset her."
"Why? It has nothing to do with her."
"Someone she was close to was killed by her.… We"ll finish this later. I"m needed out there."
Then James ran down the hall and out to the battlements.