My heart clenches in my chest. Hildy looks so small and frail.
A pang of guilt thrums through me, thinking back to the lively, feisty girl who came to my chamber door about two weeks and a million years ago. She barely spent two days with Maxon before she put her life on the line for him. And now, she may spend the rest of her life on this bed, all in a bid to help save our son. I’m grateful and angry and incredibly sad, all at once.
Maxon waves to the red-haired nurse. “Hi, Emily!”
“Good morning, Prince Maxon.” Emily turns and bows to me. “Your Highness.”
I eye Emily from head to toe. It’s hard to believe that this is the same young nurse we met the first day we saw Hildy in the infirmary. To her credit, Emily has worked extra hard to make up for her initial disregard for Hildy. I notice the new, larger bed that Hildy’s sleeping on. Emily’s handiwork, no doubt
Meanwhile, Maxon eyes the two guards suspiciously. “You two are new.”
They stiffen their stance, clicking their black booted heels together. The taller of the two speaks. “King Lincoln himself assigned us here. We’ve got family in Rixa as well as Striga.”
Maxon folds his arms over his chest. When it comes to Hildy, he’s very security conscious. “Show me.”
The taller guard holds his hand out, palm facing upward. A purple flame dances up from his skin. Maxon nods approvingly. “You’re both are okay, I guess.” He turns his attention to the sleeping Hildy. Her black hair has grown out, showing long blonde roots. Her hands curl under her chin, the black fingernails now half-free of paint. I inhale a shaky breath. Hildy did so much to protect Maxon. Will she ever wake up?
Maxon presses his fingers onto the edge of the mattress. “Why the new bed?”
“It’s bigger,” explains Emily. “Now you can sit next to her while you read her stories.”
Maxon’s face lights up, his mismatched eyes glimmering with excitement. “Wow, that’s great!” He scampers up onto the mattress and sits down beside Hildy, who doesn’t so much as flinch. “Do you have my book, Emily?”
“Sure do.” Emily scans the piles of toys and books stacked around the room. She hands Maxon a dog-eared copy of ‘The House of Horus.’
Maxon whips open the first page and starts reading. “Once up on a time, there was a thrax prince named Horus…”
While Maxon’s busy reading his story, I pull Emily aside. “Any change?”
Emily shakes her head. “No improvement.”
“We can’t keep Maxon in Antrum much longer. He isn’t getting any sleep and Hildy isn’t getting any better.” I exhale a long sigh. “We’ll need to pack up Maxon’s things later today. We leave for Purgatory in the morning.”
Suddenly, the steady ping of Hildy’s heart monitor goes into a fast drumroll. Maxon drops into a crouch so he’s eye-to-eye with Hildy. “Do you like my story, Hildy?” He presses closer until his nose almost touches hers. “I’m going to stay here and talk to you, just like you stayed in my head and talked to me. You’re going to get better Hildy, wait and see.” He sits back up, reopens his book and starts from the beginning. “Once upon a time…”
I pull Emily aside again. The ping of Hildy’s heart rate goes faster. “Has this happened before?”
Emily shakes her head, her eyes wide with surprise. “Never.”
I frown. “You don’t think it’s because of what we were talking about, do you?”
“I don’t know.”
One way to find out. I turn to Maxon and say in a loud voice. “We’ll stay right here in Antrum, Maxon, until Hildy wakes up.”
The heart monitor immediately slows to a steady beat. I share a look of surprise and excitement with Emily.
“I think she heard us,” I say.
Emily smiles from ear to ear. “I think so, too, Your Highness. Should I try another revival serum?”
“No, those haven’t worked and it only upsets Maxon. Whatever we’re doing, it’s working, so let’s not mess with it.” My chest lightens with a sense of joy and relief. I can’t believe it. The first signs of light and life from Hildy.
Maxon’s gaze snaps to mine. “Of course, she heard you, Mommy. I did too.” He pats Hildy’s head, his mouth set in a protective line. “Don’t worry, Hildy. I’m not going anywhere.”
The wave of relief I felt before transforms into a sense of overwhelming exhaustion. I slump over to the chair beside Hildy’s bed and sink in. As Maxon continues his story, I watch Hildy’s eyes flicker beneath closed lids. It’s the first time I’ve seen any motion in her face in what feels like ages.
Curling forward, I set my forehead into my palms, grief and joy tightening my throat in waves. I stifle the urge to sob, but tears still wet my cheeks.
Maxon’s right. Hildy may actually recover.
Hell, so might all of us.
Chapter Twenty-Five