the Summer Court Library, and Rose had already devoured all of them on their journey in the hopes of finding something – anything – that could help them. This was a smaller book, with a worn cover of black leather, and thick yellow pages that looked, Rose thought, sickeningly like fey or human skin.
Rose and Logan approached.
“Looks like my kid sister managed to pull off saving you, friend!” Rodney winked at Logan. “I knew you were his knight in shining armor, Rose.”
Rose and Logan both looked embarrassed.
“I did tell Rose you could handle it on your own,” Rodney continued on blithely, completely unaware of how his words made Rose want to sink into the floor, “but she insisted on going over, saying she just knew you would need her help.”
Rose looked firmly down at her shoes, but Logan only laughed. “I’m glad she did, then,” said Logan. “Everyone has weaknesses – and it looks like that thing found mine. It’s a good thing Rose did come over to help me; if she hadn’t I might not be returning at all. I’m not ashamed to admit it, either. You saved me, Rose.”
“You saved all of us,” Shasta chimed in, with a more sincerely friendly smile on her lips than any Rose had seen before.
“We all saved each other,” said Rose. “Like what the King said. That’s what being a team is about. What being a Knight is about. We’re all in this together.”
“Hear, hear,” said Rodney.
“Indeed,” said Shasta.
“Definitely,” Logan added.
They turned to Alistair, waiting for his sign of approval, but to their surprise he was silent. He was staring down at his book, his mouth gaping open, his eyes glazed over.
“Hey, Alistair?” Logan prodded him. “Are you with us?”
But Alistair made no answer.
And then Rose noticed. He wasn’t even blinking.
Chapter 13
“ A listair?” Rose leaned in. Something was wrong, she knew. She could sense it. Her heart had started to beat faster, to pound so loud that it was ringing in her ears like thunder. Could Alistair be...no! She couldn't think of that. She couldn't let herself think of that. She placed her ear against his smooth chest, and to her great relief noted that she could hear a heartbeat steadily pulsing against her ear. “He's alive!” she exclaimed breathlessly. “Then what...” Alistair made no sign of being at all conscious of her presence. His eyes were wide and vacant, as if they were staring past her, seeing nothing in the room.
“Alistair?” Logan bounded over. “Alistair, what's going on? Stop messing around, Alistair!”
“He's not messing around,” Rose said frantically. “He's – something's wrong with him.” Her eyes fell upon the book that Alistair had been holding. “What's that?” She grabbed it, and instinctively slammed it shut. It made a horrible cracking sound, like the breaking of bones, as she closed it. She shuddered. “Shasta, what was the last thing Alistair did before he got like this?”
Shasta's voice trembled. “I don't know,” she said, her lip quivering, “everything was fine. We banished Redleaf and...and....my mother.” Her face fell with the memory. “And then we were healing our wounds when Alistair caught sight of this book in the rubble. We thought that maybe one of the spirits accidentally left it behind. We thought it might have something useful in it, some information about how to fight the Dark Fey.”
“And?” Rose urged her on.
“And...Alistair started reading it. That's all. Nothing weird, nothing out of the ordinary. It just looked like he was reading. And then... that happened.” She pointed at the prone, comatose Alistair. “We just thought he was really into the book...” She gulped. “We didn't notice anything was wrong. How could I have missed...”
“It's not your fault, Shasta,” Rodney put his arm around her. “We all missed it,” he
Rose and Logan approached.
“Looks like my kid sister managed to pull off saving you, friend!” Rodney winked at Logan. “I knew you were his knight in shining armor, Rose.”
Rose and Logan both looked embarrassed.
“I did tell Rose you could handle it on your own,” Rodney continued on blithely, completely unaware of how his words made Rose want to sink into the floor, “but she insisted on going over, saying she just knew you would need her help.”
Rose looked firmly down at her shoes, but Logan only laughed. “I’m glad she did, then,” said Logan. “Everyone has weaknesses – and it looks like that thing found mine. It’s a good thing Rose did come over to help me; if she hadn’t I might not be returning at all. I’m not ashamed to admit it, either. You saved me, Rose.”
“You saved all of us,” Shasta chimed in, with a more sincerely friendly smile on her lips than any Rose had seen before.
“We all saved each other,” said Rose. “Like what the King said. That’s what being a team is about. What being a Knight is about. We’re all in this together.”
“Hear, hear,” said Rodney.
“Indeed,” said Shasta.
“Definitely,” Logan added.
They turned to Alistair, waiting for his sign of approval, but to their surprise he was silent. He was staring down at his book, his mouth gaping open, his eyes glazed over.
“Hey, Alistair?” Logan prodded him. “Are you with us?”
But Alistair made no answer.
And then Rose noticed. He wasn’t even blinking.
Chapter 13
“ A listair?” Rose leaned in. Something was wrong, she knew. She could sense it. Her heart had started to beat faster, to pound so loud that it was ringing in her ears like thunder. Could Alistair be...no! She couldn't think of that. She couldn't let herself think of that. She placed her ear against his smooth chest, and to her great relief noted that she could hear a heartbeat steadily pulsing against her ear. “He's alive!” she exclaimed breathlessly. “Then what...” Alistair made no sign of being at all conscious of her presence. His eyes were wide and vacant, as if they were staring past her, seeing nothing in the room.
“Alistair?” Logan bounded over. “Alistair, what's going on? Stop messing around, Alistair!”
“He's not messing around,” Rose said frantically. “He's – something's wrong with him.” Her eyes fell upon the book that Alistair had been holding. “What's that?” She grabbed it, and instinctively slammed it shut. It made a horrible cracking sound, like the breaking of bones, as she closed it. She shuddered. “Shasta, what was the last thing Alistair did before he got like this?”
Shasta's voice trembled. “I don't know,” she said, her lip quivering, “everything was fine. We banished Redleaf and...and....my mother.” Her face fell with the memory. “And then we were healing our wounds when Alistair caught sight of this book in the rubble. We thought that maybe one of the spirits accidentally left it behind. We thought it might have something useful in it, some information about how to fight the Dark Fey.”
“And?” Rose urged her on.
“And...Alistair started reading it. That's all. Nothing weird, nothing out of the ordinary. It just looked like he was reading. And then... that happened.” She pointed at the prone, comatose Alistair. “We just thought he was really into the book...” She gulped. “We didn't notice anything was wrong. How could I have missed...”
“It's not your fault, Shasta,” Rodney put his arm around her. “We all missed it,” he
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