Lacey
It was the longest journey of her goddamn life.
Such travel had been easier once when there had been a resident magician to request a simple teleportation. Fetching her back again had been a different matter entirely. She'd been in a different state physically and emotionally and hadn't the ability to call for help. She'd been little more than a pile of blood and skin and broken spirit.
Fortunately, the magician and Reilly and Sabrael had found her. They'd taken her home where she belonged, a young girl determined to show she was old enough to be on her own when she hadn't been.
What a joke.
She'd been broken ever since, by the same man and for entirely different reasons. Somehow this one was worse, the heartache and longing for the impossible. The rest she could get over. And probably had.
When it came to it though, her family didn't belong in this new land. It was safe, but it wasn't home. It wasn't Ischia. And to return home would mean Ischia would need to be safe and free of the plague so her babies would be healthy. So here she was, obeying a nameless, faceless voice so she could be selfishly helpful and get her family home where they all belonged. She hoped, anyway.
It wasn't like they'd notice she was gone.
The swim was just awful. She was not built for swimming. She was not built for anything, really. She'd never had a magic and she wasn't very attractive with her brown-on-dull-brown appearance. She was pretty useless and she was fine with that. It was no surprise he'd never really wanted her.
Her hair was a dripping, tangled mess when she heaved herself to shore, chest expanding and contracting with heavy breaths. Goddamn, that'd been longer than she thought. The island hadn't looked quite so far from the Mountain. She was whole though. And she had a lot to get done. So she pulled herself up, weary and soaked to the bone, and made her way to where they were gathered.
“Those brave enough will go to Icicle Isle. You will find the heart-shaped pond and bring back several frozen stems of water; the first ingredient in a cure for this pestilence that has been released on Beqanna.”
Oh, good. Only the first ingredient. That was less helpful. Ugh, well hell. She was already here. A cure would've been better, a protection for Ischia or something. But, fine. She'd just continue on then and hope for the best. She wasn't going back empty-handed if she could help it. No doubt Kharon had already been alerted of her sudden silence.
“But it will not be easy. You will have to do so without any of the gifts we have previously allowed you.”
She rolled her eyes. What gifts? Whatever. He stomped his hoof and they all vanished and she didn't sit around and wait for everyone else gathered to get their dumb wits about them. Off she went back to the edge of the water, ignoring them. She didn't know them and she didn't care. She was going to get her babies home, damn it.
She sighed, eyeing the water. She really hated swimming. Was not the best at it. Truly wasn't built for it, did she mention? She wasn't really one to complain, though, and so she forced herself right back in and sank to her chin with legs kicking frantically.
The nearer she got, the colder she got. And it was seriously damn cold. She was used to tropical island heat and balmy sun, beach and cool nights. Not cold. She hoped it only felt chillier that it was water, and that she'd feel better when she was dry. She had a clever intelligence though and knew staying in the water would be warmer than stepping out of it.
There was no choice though.
She continued on with the freezing cold pushing in on her, trying to reach her veins and her organs and turn her into a damn ice cube. She hesitated when she finally reached the shoreline, bracing herself for the fatal cold that would cling desperately to the water she was drenched in. But her babies needed their home. Their family island was waiting for them.
She grit her teeth and surged to her feet, feeling like she weighed three times more as she struggled to hold herself up.
They were going home if it was the last damn thing she did.
It wasn't like they'd notice she was gone, anyway.
