"Your Majesties, please. I assure you, we can…"

Yakko gave the captain, Justin, a blistering glare that he knew Dot was matching. Why was he wasting time trying to convince them to stay here? The way was clear, they had to move!

"Forget it!" Dot snapped. "He's our brother! We're not waiting outside!"

Yakko clenched his hands into fists.

"If he's in there, we're going!"

The man gave them each a look that was equal parts concern, admiration and exasperation. Yakko kept his eyes locked with his, ready to order if he had to. The captain sighed.

"As you say. But please, at least let us go in first."

Dot huffed, and Yakko fought the urge to scowl.

"Okay, fine."

The siblings watched as the guards positioned themselves at the cave entrance, but at that moment there was another crashing sound from inside along with a heated cry by a voice they knew all too well.

"Wakko," Dot whispered. Yakko rushed forward with every intention of fighting whoever was in there himself, but one of the guards grabbed his arm.

"I beg you, Sire, let us go first."

Yakko groaned in frustration.

"Fine, fine! Just go! Go!"

The man nodded, then joined the other guards standing at the entrance, weapons ready. The captain glanced at them, then gestured forward with a hand and the guards rushed in. But then, to Yakko's surprise and alarm, they abruptly stopped. There were a few startled gasps, but no one spoke, and no one moved.

That's it!

Without a second thought, he ran inside too with Dot right behind. No one moved as they shoved through, but as soon as they got past they went still too. The ground was completely torn up, scorch marks all over it and the walls. Five burly-looking men were laying on the ground, out cold. A sixth man, the same scrawny one from the clearing, was pushing himself up onto his knees. He suddenly snapped upright and froze as if being held in place by invisible hands, his sharp-angled face full of shock, and they immediately saw why.

Wakko was approaching the man, holding one hand flexed into a clawed position out in front of him. His eyes were glowing white, just like Jayna's had, and he was wearing an ice cold expression that neither of his siblings had ever seen on his face before. The scrawny man's face grew almost afraid.

"This…" he stammered. "This is impossible…"

Wakko kept walking toward him, either not hearing or not caring. As he stood in front of the man, their eyes locked for just a moment. Then the middle sibling lifted his hand and placed it on the man's head, thumb pressed against his forehead. His other hand moved to the man's chest, thumb directly over his heart. His eyes widened and his face grew genuinely afraid.

"No, no, wait! Don't…"

Before he could say any more, his voice was cut off and he stiffened. As his eyes went blank, Wakko's eyes glowed even brighter. Yakko opened his mouth but was too stunned to get any words out. He glanced at Dot to see she looked just as shocked. Their brother narrowed his eyes, then the glow in them lessened. He lowered his hands and stepped back as the scrawny man fell onto his back, his own eyes closed. Startled silence filled the air, but before anyone could say a word Wakko suddenly went rigid, a sharp gasp escaping him. Then, to everyone's alarm, he collapsed in a boneless heap on the ground.

"WAKKO!" Dot shrieked. Yakko, jolted out of his shock, leaped forward. With his sister right on his heels he sprinted to his younger brother's side and dropped to his knees, lifting him into his lap. The middle sibling's eyes were still open, but the look on his face made Yakko's throat tighten and his eyes sting. Even though Jayna had told them what she believed he was being brainwashed to think, Yakko had held onto the slight hope that she was wrong. But there was no chance of telling himself that now; the look on Wakko's face was that of someone who had no one left in the world.

Yakko swallowed down the lump in his throat and placed a hand on the side of his brother's face, fingers gently brushing his fur.

"Wakko?" he asked, his voice soft and soothing. "Wak, can you hear me? It's us… we're here."

His brother's eyes, still glowing white, moved to him. They widened, his grief-stricken expression changing into one of disbelief. He reached a slightly trembling hand up toward his brother, but then the hand fell as his eyes closed and he slumped against Yakko.

"Wakko!" Dot shook him, looking panicked. "Wakko, wake up!"

He didn't respond, and tears filled both his siblings' eyes. Suddenly Jayna was there, kneeling on his other side. Resting a hand on Wakko's arm, she placed her other hand on his head. Her eyes narrowed, then she stood.

"We have to get him back, now. I can take you three, but the others will have to return the way we came."

Yakko nodded and stood, cradling Wakko against his chest. Dot also stood, but her eyes moved to the scrawny man.

"Is he… did he…"

Apparently guessing the rest, Jayna shook her head.

"No, he's alive. But your brother took away his magic… he must have used energy bending. It's a very advanced ability, even for experienced benders."

Both Yakko and Dot exchanged incredulous looks before looking at Wakko.

"Did you teach him that?" Yakko demanded, unable to keep the anger out of his voice.

"No," Jayna replied in a calm tone, shaking her head again. "I mentioned that it was possible to bend someone's energy, but I didn't explain how… he was nowhere near ready for it, and I gave my word that I wouldn't teach him anything risky. But when they're pushed to their limit, sometimes people can do things they don't know."

Yakko felt his throat close up again at the reminder of what had happened to Wakko, but there was also a sense of pride; even after everything his captor had done to him, his brother still found it in him not to choose revenge. His only thought had been to make sure this man wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else that way. Jayna's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"We have to go now."

The eldest Warner looked at Justin, who gave him a respectful nod.

"We'll follow with them," he said, gesturing to the still out cold and now handcuffed men.

"Thanks," Yakko said, then looked at Jayna.

"Come here, close to me," she said. Both siblings immediately obeyed, and the woman placed a hand on Yakko's shoulder, then motioned for Dot to take her hand before closing her eyes. Her hair swirled a little, as if in a light breeze, then her eyes opened, glowing white. Suddenly a powerful gust of wind swept them up and carried them back the way they came, so fast that Yakko and Dot were forced to close their eyes. When they opened them again, they were back at the castle, just outside the entrance.

Jayna went to open one of the doors, and with Dot close behind, Yakko hurried inside with Wakko still limp and unconscious in his arms. The first person they came across was a maid, who stared at the middle sibling in shock and undisguised concern.

"What… what happened to him?"

"It's a long story," Yakko said quickly. "But we need someone to get Dr. Scratchansniff, now!"

The young woman nodded.

"Of course, Sire."

As she hurried off the way they had come, Jayna and Dot followed Yakko as he rushed to the bedrooms, answering other staff's concerned questions with the quickest replies he could manage. When they reached Wakko's room, he laid his brother on the bed as gently as he could. When he touched his forehead, his alarm only increased.

"He's hot!"

Dot hurried to Yakko's side, clutching his hand with wide, frightened eyes.

"What's wrong with him?!" she asked in a frantic tone. Without answering, Jayna moved to the front of the bed, placing her hand on Wakko's head again. She closed her eyes, and for several moments simply stood with a look of intense concentration. Finally, she opened her eyes again.

"I was afraid of this… he spent himself." Her voice was soft but with a gravity that made Yakko even more scared.

"What's that mean?"

The woman looked at him, her face solemn.

"He used too much power before he was used to it. I warned him that was dangerous, but I suppose it was at the point that he didn't care anymore."

Yakko felt his heart sink at those words, but after swallowing hard he managed to speak.

"B-but… he said you can heal with water, so you can fix it, right?"

Jayna released a quiet sigh.

"No. I'm sorry, but this is something that can't be healed. There's nothing to do but let it run its course and hope it doesn't get too severe."

She looked at Wakko, her expression graver than ever.

"But it's going to be a hard fight for someone this young. I'm afraid his chances aren't good."

Yakko felt himself go numb at those words, and the silence that followed hung in the air like a noxious, heavy fog. Then Dot's fierce voice broke the silence.

"You're wrong!"

Shaken out of the spell, Yakko looked at his sister. Her hands were clenched into fists, her face so angry he was concerned she would whip out her mallet and pummel the woman.

"You don't know Wakko like we do! He's one of the strongest people there is! He'll beat it! He will!"

Jayna looked at her, and Yakko saw her expression soften.

"I don't deny that, and I know you want to believe that he can. But there are some things that even strong people just can't do alone."

There was a brief pause, then Dot spoke again with determination.

"Then he has us."

Yakko swallowed and spoke up, forcing his voice not to quiver.

"Just tell us what to do and we'll do it."

Jayna looked between him and Dot, and her expression softened even more before it grew serious again.

"The biggest threat is the fever. If it's kept from getting dangerous, he should pull through."

She then gave them a firm, measuring look.

"I have to warn you, this is going to be hard. If it'll be too much…"

Yakko clenched his fists; he knew Jayna was just trying to help, in her own way, but he still felt angry at the implication that he couldn't stand being with his brother… especially now, when Wakko needed him most.

"Hard or not, we're all we've got, and we stick together."

At that, the woman simply nodded.

"There isn't much I can do here. With your permission, I'd like to go back to where that man was hiding. It'll be a while before he wakes up and I have some questions I'd like answered."

Yakko glanced at Dot, and when she nodded he looked back at Jayna.

"Sure. Let us know what ya find."

She nodded again, then after a moment of hesitation, she stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were gentler than he had ever seen them.

"Your brother is strong… you all are. Don't lose hope."

Yakko looked up at her; he wanted to say something back, something to thank her, but Jayna only stepped back and bowed her head. She then turned and strode to the door without another word.

As she left the room, the sound of a soft whimper reached Yakko's ears and he turned. Wakko was tensing in his sleep, brow deeply furrowed and beaded with sweat. Dot had already sat down at the bedside, and Yakko joined her without hesitation. He believed in his brother… he always had, even if he hadn't done the best job showing it lately. But Jayna's words kept echoing in his head.

His chances aren't good.

For her to say something like that, it had to be serious… very serious. It wasn't as if none of them had ever been sick before, and back then they didn't have nearly as many resources to deal with it as they did now. But this was something that wasn't natural, and as resilient as Wakko was, he could only take so much.

Why did he do that? Why did he take a risk like that?

But he knew the answer to that question before he asked it.

Because he thought he had nothing to lose.

A feeling of fierce anger filled Yakko, and he clenched his teeth. When he got his hands on the creep who did this…

Okay, stop.

He took a deep breath and pushed those thoughts away. No way would he ever sink that low. Wakko hadn't, not even when he thought he'd lost everything, when he had the chance for revenge and every right in the world to get it. And if his little brother could be that strong, he certainly could.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Yakko glanced at Dot. She was holding her immediate older brother's hand, her thumb moving across it in slow, gentle strokes. Yakko placed an arm around her, and she nestled into his side.

"He's tough, sis," he said, keeping his voice steady. "If anyone can beat this, he can."

He heard her soft sniffle before she nodded.

"I know." She looked up at him, eyes narrowing a little. "You're blaming yourself, aren't you?"

Despite himself, a half-smile flickered across Yakko's face.

How well you know me, sister sibling.

The smile then dropped as he sighed again. Well, he was the one who didn't keep Wakko safe in the first place, wasn't he? Salazar had been looking for the Gifted person in their family… he ought to have known that other people might be too. Why wasn't he more careful? Why didn't he look more into it?

Stupid. I'm supposed to be in charge of this whole country, and I wasn't smart enough to figure out someone was after my brother.

Dot's voice broke into his thoughts.

"If you knew someone was looking for him, would you have let him leave, guarded or not?"

"No," Yakko said right away. "But I just… I should've known."

"How?"

Yakko blinked at that, finding himself speechless for a change. He racked his mind for some kind of answer, some way he should have put it all together, then finally shrugged.

"I just… should've."

There was a moment of silence, then he felt a hand touch his arm. He looked at his sister, who was looking at him with a look much older than nine.

"We never thought of it, and we knew just as much as you did. You don't blame us, right?"

Again the eldest brother shook his head.

"No, 'course not, but…"

Dot stood on the chair and poked his chest, a stern look on her face.

"No buts, mister. This isn't your fault. This isn't my fault. This isn't Wakko's fault. It's not anybody's fault but that jerk who took him. You wanna blame someone, blame him."

Yakko opened his mouth again, but again couldn't find anything to say. Finally, he closed it and let out a heavy sigh as he pinched the spot between his eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't argue with that.

Another whimper drew his attention back to Wakko, and his heart ached at the thought of everything he'd been through. And it still wasn't over. He felt his brother's forehead again, biting his lip at the growing heat.

Hang in there, sib. Be tough for us one more time.