Chapter 162: I can fix this

Chapter 162: I can fix this
~Ragel's POV~

"My king! My king!"

A guard was running toward me, his voice filled with panic. "The queen! She's shaking! She's vomiting blood!"

My entire body went cold. Why did I leave her side? I didn't wait to hear anything else.

I took my heels, again I found myself praying to the gods above, begging them not to take her from me.

I promise I will never leave her, I will always listen to her and no one else please. Anyone, Siofra, Kaeldran, Theron please.

The corridors blurred past me as I raced toward the healing chambers in the palace.

My beast was roaring inside me, demanding to be released, demanding to get to our mate faster.

I couldn't agree more so I pushed her and I finally got to her door. When I reached her, I stopped moving.

Lyra was on the bed convulsing. Her body was shaking so hard the entire bed was rattling.

Blood was pouring from the corners of her mouth. Her skin was burning so hot I could feel the fever from across the room.

"Lyra!" I shouted. I ran toward her to grab her, and hold her, to do something or anything but a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me backward with surprising strength.

I turned to know who dared but it was Theron. Did he hear my prayer? Was he here to heal Lyra, please let it be true?

“ Are you here to heal her?” I asked hopefully looking at him with eyes filled with hope but Theron shook his head.

"I am only here to warn you not to touch her," Theron said. I raised an eyebrow in question.

He sighed. "If you touch her, her power will burn you. The blessing is unstable right now."

"But I have to help her!" I argued. I tried to pull away from him but he held firm.

"You can't," Theron said, again. "Not with a condition like this. She needs divine help. Not mortal help."

"Then get help!" I shouted. "Do something! She's in pain! I can feel it when I am close to her!"

Theron closed his eyes for just a second when he opened them again, I saw determination there.

"Seraffim," he called out. "Seraffim, come here."

The fox princess appeared in the doorway, as if summoned from her sleep, her face looked pale from fear.

"I need you to do exactly what I tell you," Theron said. "Can you do that?"

"Yes," Seraffim nods. "Anything."

"Call on the gods," Theron said. "Use the language I taught you. Call on Siofra. Tell her that the blood moon born who saved the god Cael is dying. Tell her that she owes her a debt so she must repay it."

Seraffim nodded and closed her eyes.

The words began to pour from her mouth. They sounded like they came from the beginning of time itself.

The air in the room started to shimmer while I watched Lyra shake on the bed.

"Hold on," I whispered to Lyra. I was still trying to pull away from Theron but he wouldn't let me go. "Lyra, hold on, please. Help is coming."

More blood came from her mouth. Her breathing was getting weaker. Her whole body was wracked with pain even though she was unconscious.

Just when I thought help wasn't coming, the temperature in the room dropped completely.

A second later, it became warmer and brighter. Like standing in the middle of the sun itself.

And Siofra appeared. Theron said she was the goddess of war and peace, she was tall like the rest of the other gods.

Her hair was the color of orange and her skin, the tone of a certain light honey. Her eyes though were silver like the others.

Her presence was so powerful that everyone in the room had to take a step back.

Except Theron. He just bowed his head slightly in respect.

Siofra looked at Lyra for a while without saying anything.

Finally, she spoke.

"The blessing is consuming her," Siofra said. Her voice was calm but sad. "Selene gave her divine power but didn't teach her how to use it. The power is burning through her body from the inside out because there's nowhere for it to go."

"Can you stop it?" I asked. My voice was rough with desperation. I was willing to do anything at this point.

"I can slow it down," Siofra said. She raised her hands and golden light flowed from them like a water fountain.

The light touched Lyra gently and my mate's shaking began to slow. Her breathing became less ragged. "But I cannot remove the blessing. Only Selene can do that. Only the one who gave the power can take it back safely."

"How long does she have?" I asked. I already knew the answer was not good. I could feel it in our bond.

"Hours," Siofra said. "Maybe a day if she is strong enough. But without Selene's help, she will die."

The word hung in the air between us.

Die. My mate shall not die, I will not allow it. “Then summon her," I said to her. My desperation pushed any fear I had for her out the window. " summon Selene. Tell her to come now."

Siofra's expression became cold.

"Selene does what Selene wants," the goddess said. "She is reckless. She gives power to mortals without thinking about what will happen to them. She messes with lives and then walks away. But she is still a god and she will answer a proper summons but not from me. Except out of here."

I didn't understand that but she turned to Seraffim.

"Keep calling," Siofra commanded. "Call Selene by all her names. Call her by the moon. Call her by the night. Call her by the power she gave to this mortal. Call her by the debt she owes to her mother."

Seraffim's voice grew stronger. The words became louder and the shimmer in the air became brighter.

Theron finally let go of my arm.

I walked over to Lyra's bed slowly. I took her hand gently, afraid that even my touch would hurt her.

"Hold on," I whispered. "Please hold on. Selene is coming. The gods owe us a debt. They will save you."

Lyra's eyes moved behind her closed eyelids but she didn't wake up.

I could feel through our bond that some part of her heard me. Some part of her understood that I was there.

And I held on to her hand.

I held on even though I felt helpless in a way I had never felt before. I was a beast king.

I had now fought a god and I had walked through a god's realm. But I couldn't save my own mate from dying.

Theron came and stood beside me.

"She will survive this," he said quietly. "Siofra doesn't save people just to let them die. She owes Lyra a debt for saving the god realm. The gods pay their debts."

"How can you be sure?" I asked.

"Because I know Siofra," Theron said with a smile. "She is harsh and strict and cruel sometimes. But she is also fair. Your mate saved one of us. That means something to the gods."

More blood came from Lyra's mouth.

Siofra was still channeling golden light into her, slowing the burning but not stopping it.

"Selene," Seraffim's voice was growing hoarse from chanting. "Selene, goddess of the moon. Selene, queen of the night. Selene, you gave power but did not teach. You gave the blessing but did not protect. Come now and pay your debt. Come now and save what you created."

The light in the room changed.

It became silver instead of gold. It became cooler instead of warm. It became soft instead of harsh.

And Selene appeared.

The moon goddess was different from Siofra. She was smaller, more delicate looking. Her hair was flaming red but skin was like moonlight.

Her eyes were kind but distant.

She looked at Lyra and I saw something flash across her face. Regret, maybe. Or guilt.

"The blessing is killing her," Siofra said coldly. "Your gift is destroying the one you gave it to."

Selene winced.

"I didn't think..." she started.

"No, you didn't," Siofra said. "You never do."

Selene approached Lyra's bed slowly.

She looked at my mate for a long time, studying her face, her body, and the divine power that was burning through her.

"I can fix this," Selene said finally. "But there will be a price."

"What price?" I demanded.

Selene turned to look at me.

"That is between me and the blood moon born," she said. "When she wakes up, she will know what I am asking. For now, I will leave and do not summon me again"

She disappears and even Siofra looks angry and upset. “ D-did you see that disrespect?” Siofra questions Theron that was trying to sneak away to avoid her wrath.

“ You know how Selene is, Siofra. At least she said she could fix this,” Theron was trying to play it safe. I could see it in his eyes.

This is how the gods behave, they weren't any different from us, well, except for their powers.

“ I want you back, in the god realm Theron. If I do not see you, I will use the divine thunder punishment on you and rip away the face you like to parade around in the lower realm.”

That was all Siofra said before she disappeared as well, Seraffim had stopped chanting.

“ I will be leaving now, your majesty, I need to take care of my husband,” Seraffim said, I nodded at her understanding why she looked annoyed earlier when she was brought here by Theron.

As she was leaving, she paused at the door and gazed at a fuming Theron. “ My lord Theron, please do not summon me like you did earlier, who knows if I might be in the washroom next time.”

She doesn't wait for a response, she runs off. If I wasn't in a foul mood, I would have laughed at the look of shock on Theron's face.

“ It's good, you are laughing at my suffering.”

I shrug a little watching Lyra that wasn't shaking so much as earlier, did Selene being in the room did that?

“ Will she be alright?” I asked no one in particular.

But Theron responded. “ Yes, she will be. Your mate saved a god, not just any god but Siofra's spouse. She won't let her die. I must leave now.”

And he too, left me all alone with Lyra but I held onto his words. I believed them.

I had to, it's not like I had a choice. “ Please don't die on me, okay my love?” I got no response but she was still breathing albeit for a few hours until one of those gods helped.