SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 86- Silence Speaks Louder Than Words

 "Do you really think you can sneak down there without anyone noticing?" Desire asks as we peek out her bedroom door "There's no way Aurora's sages are going to let you in to see him, let alone dive into his mind." she asks as we carefully round the corner toward the stairs.

"I'm not worried about them, so long as the others are still busy, we should be in the clear-" Suddenly, we hear piercing screams echoing from my parent's room.

"Artemis," Magnus shivers, and suddenly Kai starts to run in their direction.

"Mom!" he shouts down the hall, and I start to chase after him.

"They told us to stay out!" Desire shouts, but it's pointless. She would be doing the same thing if it was her mother's life on the line. Just as we approach the door, it's blown open by a burst of flame, knocking us back.

"What's happening?" my father shouts, holding my mother down as her body shakes. Aurora, Marissa, and Nixi are surrounding her and seem to be the ones fighting inside her mind.

"Ember must be putting up quite a fight, it's physically affecting her." one of the sages answers.

"If she's still able to connect to her body, does that mean she's winning?" my father asks frantically "I need to know what's going on in there!"

"Brother!" Roxie shouts, from across the room "That's enough. You aren't helping." Suddenly, she sees us looking in from the hall "I told you to keep your distance until this is over."

"Oh thank god, you're okay." My father says as he runs up and hugs me.

"We heard the screaming," I state as we step inside, looking around at the scorch marks she had created on the walls "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Not until I've made sure Lucius' blood is completely out of your system," Roxie states irritatedly as she swirls a needle around in a bottle.

"What about us?" Kai asks as Desire steps forward. Roxie seems exhausted at this point.

"Look, it's a nice sentiment, but we've got this. Marissa has been on edge against her for years and has an advantage; between that and the others, they'll be fine." Roxie explains, taking the needle and carefully piercing into my mother's wrist "Your mother is a strong fighter, some fiery witch isn't going to change that fact."

"What's that?" Magnus asks nervously, glancing at the needle.

"Mild paralytic, just in case she finds a way to spaz out again," Roxie explains as she wipes the needle clean.

"How long have they been in there?" I ask worriedly.

"Three hours..." my father mutters hesitantly.

"I knew Ember wouldn't go down without a fight." Kai sighs as he makes his way to the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees "Still, there's no way she can be holding her own four against one like that."

"I'm not gonna lie, she scares the piss out of me." Desire sighs, sitting beside Kai and rubbing his back.

"Ditto." Magnus states, looking nervously at me "Are you okay?"

"I will be once this is all over," I say, looking at the bed. Their bodies are completely still, but I know they're fighting for their lives right now. The most frustrating thing about this entire situation is that all we can do now is wait.

We sit in silence for another forty-five minutes, and everything appears unchanged. I had been so determined before to see Lucius, but now all I want is to hear my mother's voice again. Just when I feel I'm on the verge of a nervous meltdown, Aurora suddenly takes a deep breath, opening her eyes and tilting her head back. As she gasps for air, Marissa and Nixi come out of it, practically hyperventilating as they try to breathe.