Chapter 41 The Fever Spreads
Aria
The situation got much worse by the time the sun started to come up, because word had spread through the halls that five more children were shivering in their beds with those same dark marks on their necks. I could hear the heavy thud of Grayson’s boots as he paced back and forth in the common area outside my door, and he sounded like he was ready to punch a hole through the wall since there was no physical enemy for him to fight.
I sat on the edge of my bed and listened to the chaos, while the sounds of worried parents and the barking orders of the pack guards made the whole building feel like it was under siege.
I looked over at Nana, who was sitting in her rocking chair by the window and watching the gray light hit the courtyard, but she didn't look scared like everyone else did. She was unusually calm, even though the air in the room felt heavy with the stress of the pack, so I walked over to her and knelt by her side to see if she had noticed what was going on.
"Nana, more of the kids are getting sick with that fever I told you about, and the pack doctor is just standing there looking confused because his medicine isn't doing anything," I said, resting my hand on her knee while I looked into her tired eyes.
"The men think it's some kind of electronic signal from the docks, but the way that vein looks on their necks makes me think of the stories you used to tell me about the old days."
Nana turned her head and looked at me, and she let out a long sigh that made her small frame look even more fragile than usual.
"It's not just a signal, Aria, because those city people in the Syndicate used to use something they called spirit-poison to keep the wolves in line when they got too rowdy. They mix a chemical with a frequency that confuses the blood, which makes the body feel like it's trying to shift and stay human at the same time, and that's why the children are fading so fast since their hearts can't handle the pull of two different shapes."
"But you know how to stop it, don't you? You used to make that bitter tea for the kids in the trailer park when the water turned dark," I reminded her, and she gave me a small, knowing nod as she reached for her knitting bag.
"You have the base for it in your suitcase, because the mountain grape root and the dried peppermint I take for my heart are exactly what you need to settle the blood," she explained, while she patted my hand with her wrinkled fingers.
"But you have to be careful, child, because those wolves are proud and they won't like a human girl messing with their pups, so you'd better be sure you get the measurements right or they'll blame you for whatever happens next."
I didn't waste any time after that, so I went to the corner of the room and pulled my suitcase from under the bed to find the small pouches of herbs I had brought from the city.
I tucked them into the pockets of my hoodie and peeked out the door, seeing that the hallway was momentarily empty because Grayson had moved his shouting match into the main office with Jax. I knew they wouldn't let me back into the kitchen if I asked for permission, so I decided to sneak down the back stairs and use the smaller prep area that the night staff used for snacks.
I moved as quietly as I could, feeling like a criminal in a house where I was supposed to be a guest, but the thought of that little boy on the table kept me moving toward the kitchen. When I got inside, the room was empty and the only sound was the hum of the large refrigerators, so I grabbed a clean pot and filled it with water from the industrial tap. I turned the stove on and waited for it to boil, then I started crushing the dried roots with the back of a heavy metal spoon because I didn't want to make too much noise with a blender.
The smell of the herbs started to fill the air, and it was a sharp, earthy scent that reminded me of my childhood and the way Nana’s kitchen always smelled like a forest. I was just about to add the peppermint leaves when I heard the swinging door creak open, and I nearly jumped out of my skin as I saw Martha standing there with a stack of dirty towels. She looked at the pot on the stove and then at me, and she didn't scream or call for the guards, she just walked over and peered into the boiling water.
"Grayson is going to lose his mind if he catches you in here, Aria, because he’s already on the edge of a breakdown and he’s looking for someone to blame," Martha whispered, though she reached out to stir the mixture for me. "Is this the remedy you were talking about yesterday, the one your Nana used back home?"
"It is, and it's the only thing that's going to clear their blood before the fever reaches their brains," I told her, feeling a bit better now that I had an ally.
"I need you to help me find some honey and some clean glass jars, because this stuff tastes like dirt and no five-year-old is going to drink it if we don't sweeten it up first."
"The honey is in the top pantry, but you have to be fast, because the doctor is coming back from the infirmary to get more ice and he’ll be through that door any second," Martha said, and she started scurrying around the kitchen to help me gather what I needed.
We worked together in a panicked rush, with me straining the hot liquid through a piece of cheesecloth while Martha filled the jars and wiped down the counters to hide the evidence of what we were doing. I could feel the heat from the stove on my face and my heart was thumping against my ribs, but I didn't stop until I had four jars of the dark, murky tea ready to go. Just as I was putting the lids on, we heard voices in the hallway, and I recognized Grayson’s deep growl as he argued with Jax about the latest update on the children.
"I don't care about the logistics, Jax, I want those transmitters found and destroyed before another pup gets sick," Grayson shouted, and his voice was getting closer to the kitchen door with every second.
I looked at Martha in a panic, but she just grabbed a tray and covered the jars with a white cloth, then she shoved a stack of plates into my hands. "Just act like you're helping me clear the breakfast tables, and whatever you do, don't let him see what's under that cloth until we get to the infirmary."
I nodded and took a deep breath, trying to keep my hands from shaking as the kitchen door swung open and Grayson marched inside with a look on his face that was so dark it made me want to hide under the table. He stopped and looked at us, and I felt like he could see right through the cloth on the tray, but I just gripped the plates and kept my head down like I was just another pair of hands helping out.