A/N: Unrelated, but I really adore Mary Lambert's music.
Chapter 19
The first thing that hit Bo was the coldness of the river. It seized her muscles and seeped into her bones, making it that much harder to stay afloat. The second thing that hit her was the pure strength of the river that pulled her deeper and pushed her farther downstream. She had severely overestimated herself when she jumped in. I mean, after all, that bull chimera had a broken kneecap and somehow he still managed, right?
The succubus continued to bob in water, alternating between sinking beneath the current and violently being pushed back to the surface. Each time she broke the surface, she gasped for air, flailing her arms in an attempt to find any sort of purchase. And with each time, she heard Kenzi's frantic yelling as the skinny human ran alongside the river.
Abruptly, Bo would sink back under and everything would go black. No moonlight was bright enough to penetrate the seemingly blackened waters, and no sound was loud enough to be distinguished from the roaring water flowing past her ears.
Just as suddenly, she would be pushed back to the surface, and the past few times, she'd simply focused on catching her breath. This time, however, she figured she'd try her hand at responding to Kenzi. As soon as she opened her mouth, water surged into her mouth. She choked, coughing it up before she felt herself being pulled down once more. Shit, if this keeps up...
For the briefest moment, Bo deliberated staying there; her muscles ached in defeat. To sink into darkness. To be carried away. To find an end. Maybe everything would get better. Except— No, it wouldn't. I have to keep trying even when my body gives up. Bo kicked her legs and barely moved. She kicked again, harder this time. Wearily, she broke the surface and thankfully heard Kenzi's voice once more.
Bo tried to swim through the current to get back to shore when a pair of strong arms encircled her, pulling her to shore instead. Before she could ponder it further, she was dumped onto the grassy riverbank, a firm palm slapping her back. She coughed up the remaining water in her lungs, taking in much needed breaths of air. She looked towards her savior and found a pair of bright, red eyes staring back at her.
::::
After several long, painful minutes, Dyson, May, and Edgar arrived at the abandoned building that the other half of their team was stationed. And even then, Dyson had to run back and forth between the building and May and Edgar as neither were strong enough to make the trip on their own. All the while, April perched atop the roof's edge, arrow poised at the ready just in case anything went wrong in the transport of her friends. Somehow, deep down, she knew the worst of it was over for the night.
Only when the trio were safely on the roof did April gesture to Tamsin and explain the situation before tending to her sister's and Edgar's injuries. It physically pained her to see her twin in such a state, bruised and battered and broken. Although, in just a few minutes she managed to set May's arm and heal it to the point where her sister's body would naturally take over in the healing process.
Afterwards, April hugged May tight to her body, careful of her other injuries. "I'm so glad you're okay. Fuck, I don't know what I'd do if you were gone."
May returned the embrace before gingerly pulling back. "Hey, I'm super great right now." She attempted a smile and immediately winced when pain shot through her swollen eye.
April rolled her eyes. "Geez, look at you. Let me heal that for you." She raised her hand to the injured eye, the first few words of her song slipping out.
May swatted the other adarna's hand away. "No, no. Gotta help out Eddie. He is worse than he looks, and I probably can't fix all of him alone."
April reluctantly agreed, moving towards the air elemental who was flat on his back, staring up at the night sky. "Fine, but afterwards, I'm healing your eye."
"Anything you say, lil' sis."
"Oh, come on, you're only a minute older than me, May."
"Please, refer to me as big sis."
Edgar huffed out a noise that they supposed was a laugh. "You two bicker so much."
"Shush," the twins replied in unison, poising their hands above his injuries.
"Can you two get my ribs first? Breathing sucks a lot right now."
"Sure thing, Whirlwind," May said, shifting her hands to hover above his chest and abdomen as April focused on an arm. Together, they sang a song that was so innate to them that if they were stripped of all of their memories, only the song would remain. Their hands glowed collectively, and Edgar let out a sigh of relief, breathing in deeply. Then, they healed his other arm before sitting back and relaxing momentarily.
Opposite to them on the rooftop was Dyson who was kneeling next to Tamsin. He promised them that he wouldn't leave to get Bo until after they were healed. April tried to protest, but he pointed out that it was better to lose one person rather than four people. The adarna couldn't argue after that; she knew objectively that was the best course of action.
The wolf stared down at the valkyrie lying helpless on the ground; the scales on her arms had skirted higher towards her shoulder. The skin of her waist was slowly being taken over as well. Dyson gritted his teeth; even like this, Bo would still love her more than him. And that pained him. As long as Tamsin was alive, Bo would never be his.
Without thinking, he reached down, wrapping a strong, capable hand around the other blonde's throat. He squeezed lightly, and gradually, he increased his pressure. How easy it would be to just—
"Dyson!" Edgar called out.
The wolf jerked back his hand, eyes wide as he stared at it. What was he about to do just then? He would never do that. What took hold of him? He swallowed thickly, standing back up and walking towards the others.
Edgar eyed the wolf wearily, analyzing him. He seems troubled. "We're all good for now, so you should go get Bo... Maybe her chi can heal Tamsin."
Dyson nodded. "I'll be back as soon as possible. You three, be careful."
April fake saluted while Edgar and May chorused a 'yes.'
::::
"How come I can't kill you? If you're in my body, in my head, I should be able to off you." In frustration, Tamsin threw a rock at Adrian, watching it pass through.
"You're weakened, of course." Adrian sighed, "You might as well just sit back and let it happen. You don't really have anything to return to, do you? No sisterhood, no—"
"You're wrong," Tamsin said quietly. "I have—"
"Don't you think Bo just keeps you around for your chi? I bet at the first opportunity she gets, she'll jump at the chance to get her doctor back."
"Who the hell is this doctor you keep talking about?"
"It is one miss Lauren Lewis, Bo's old flame. Old flame by circumstances, of course. I'm sure if Bo knew everything, they'd still be together."
Tamsin gritted her teeth. How come Bo never told her? "The past is in the past," she replied unconvincingly.
"Not when the past reaches into the future with sickly hands, infecting everything it touches."
Tamsin dropped the subject; she'd talk to Bo for the truth. "Where are we anyways? I've never been here before in any of my lives."
"We're in the place I grew up," Adrian said wistfully.
"It doesn't look like there's much here." Tamsin glanced around once more.
"To me, there wasn't... so to you, there isn't either. I didn't care for much around me, and I spent a lot of time in my house."
Tamsin furrowed her brows, a thought forming. She quickly put on an act. "Why don't we go there then? I might as well sit somewhere comfortable if I'm dying here."
Adrian tilted his head, regarding her with caution in his eyes. "I see you've accepted your fate, but why?"
Tamsin tried to look uncomfortable and upset. "Bo doesn't really want me. She just likes the company, the outlet for affection."
The chimera nodded in sympathy. "Alright, I'll take you. Just so you know, your body will go to good use when I take over."
The valkyrie got to her feet. "So which way do we—" She blinked and found herself standing in a crowded living room with a crackling fireplace.
Adrian swept his arms around, gesturing to the room. "Childhood home. Please don't touch anything."
Tamsin could tell this place was important. There were details everywhere she looked, from the peeling wallpaper to the creaky wooden floorboards. It contrasted greatly from the non-descript street she was dropped in, with its grey buildings and lackluster street signs. She picked up a photo frame, admiring the photograph within.
As Adrian turned his back to her, she dropped it, waiting.
::::
"Why'd you save me?" Bo asked, scrambling away from the bull chimera who attempted to squeeze the water from his shirt.
"So, you're sayin' you'd rather go back in? I can arrange that, little lady."
Kenzi, without any regard towards her own safety, threw herself at the bull chimera, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you... Mister... bull... dude."
"It's Daniel, and you're welcome." Daniel awkwardly pushed Kenzi away.
"Won't you get in trouble for helping me?" Bo was finally getting back to breathing normally.
"For helping you? No. For returning you to the little human here? Yes."
"So why'd you help me?"
Daniel shrugged. "Neither party benefits from your death. And your friend was a blubbering mess."
"Hey! I was not," Kenzi argued. She paused. "Okay, maybe I was, but I was panicking."
The chimera began to stand up, heading back across the river.
"Where are you going?" Bo moved to grab his arm.
"Uh... Back to my own camp?"
"You just said you'd get in trouble. What'll they do to you?"
Daniel pretended to think on the matter for a moment. "Kill me, probably."
"What the hell. You definitely can't go now." Kenzi stood between the chimera and the river.
"If I don't leave, he'll take over and make me kill you and your friends, little lady. He's marked me which means I don't really get much say in what happens."
"You're a half-breed?" Bo joined Kenzi in blocking him from leaving.
He shook his head. "Being marked is like... being sworn into loyalty to him. It's less binding than being enthralled by him. Council members get marked."
"How many council—"
A fierce growl interrupted Bo as a gray blur jumped out of the tree line and onto Daniel's back. She watched as the bull chimera roared in anger, reaching back to grab and throw the wolf off of him. Bo watched as the wolf flew nearly twenty feet before tumbling to a stop and whimpering in pain. However, the wolf quickly sprang back onto its feet, growling menacingly.
Kenzi and Bo recognized the wolf instantly. "Wait!" Kenzi cried out, standing between the two. "Dyson, he helped Bo. He was a baddie at first, but now he's good."
"'Good' is kind of a relative term at the moment—"
"Shush," Bo hushed him, nudging his arm.
Dyson slinked back into the woods before re-emerging clad in only a pair of jeans. After a cursory check to make sure Kenzi and Bo were okay, he turned his stare to the bull chimera. "Who are you?"
"Daniel. I was one of the chimera who attacked your friends—"
Dyson bared his teeth.
"—And I just saved your friend Bo here. She jumped into the river thinking she was strong enough to swim across it."
"Why would she jump in?"
"Because she was chasing me."
"And why would she chase you?"
"Ya'll ask a lot of questions."
"Just answer it."
Daniel sighed. "I told her the doctor is alive."
"The doctor? You mean Lauren?"
"That'd be her."
"Why do you have her?"
"Bait for the succubus over here."
Dyson turned to Bo now. "And you willingly followed him?"
Bo looked sheepish. "I sorta thought it was a 'now or never' type of deal. I don't think there's any other way to get to Lauren."
"Of course you would," Dyson muttered. "Look," he spoke clearly now, "We need to go, Bo. Tamsin is in danger. She was poisoned, and we think she's being consumed from the inside out by that snake chimera even though he's dead."
"Dang, ya'll killed Adrian?" Daniel interjected before quieting down. "Whoops, better be quiet."
"Tamsin's in trouble? Why didn't you open with that line in the first place?!"
"I thought you two were in trouble!"
"We're clearly not! Take me to her!"
Dyson started to head off but stopped when Daniel spoke.
"If you leave, you won't get to see the doctor, Bo." He spoke cautiously, the way a human would to an injured, cornered animal. "It's your choice. Save the valkyrie or the doctor."
Bo paused before reaching back, taking hold of Daniel's shirt, and dragging him behind her. "I choose both."
::::
Tamsin watched as Adrian turned around in a flash, staring at the dropped photo frame with wide eyes. She faked being surprised, looking up at him apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. My fingers slipped."
"It's-It's fine. Just don't touch anything else," Adrian replied, shaking off his nerves as best as he could."
Huh, Tamsin thought, he gets touchy when I get touchy with the stuff in this house. Testing her theory, she backed up in the living room, knocking into a table. A lamp was sent tumbling to the ground as Adrian tried in vain to catch it.
"WHAT THE HELL, WOMAN? I just told you to be careful!" The chimera cried out angrily.
"Sorry, I get fidgety when I have to stay in one place... Why don't you give me a tour of the house?"
"Only if you're careful."
Tamsin held up her right hand, "I swear I will be."
Adrian sighed. "I might as well let you have your final wishes. It's the least I can do since I'm taking your body. What would you like to see first?"
"I don't really know anything about you, only that you work for Abaddon and you're a snake chimera. How about your bedroom?"
Adrian furrowed his eyebrows. "Not much to it since I grew up poor but fine. Follow me." He proceeded up the stairs to the room at the very top.
Tamsin followed in, listening as he talked about his old room.
"The only important things in this room are the books. I would read for countless hours, drowning myself in stories and lives I would never lead."
The valkyrie pretended to be in awe at the amount of books. "Which is your favorite?"
Adrian pointed at his pillow. "There's a book about the universe and its galaxies under there. I thought it was amazing how over millions of years we've come to this exact point in time where a small little globe that's floating in space is sustaining us. And the big yellow fire ball in the sky is making it all happen. I read it all the time as a kid. It's a big part of me."
Big part of you, eh? "How long do I have left?" Tamsin asked in a quiet voice.
The chimera looked at her. "I'd say less than 15 minutes."
"Can I look at that book until it happens? Just to occupy time?"
"Sure, I suppose. Just be gentle with it."
Tamsin nodded, grabbing the book and heading down the stairs with it. She cracked it open carefully, looking at its contents. The pages were yellow and fragile; they were worn enough to be smooth and soft. She stood in front of the fire place, acting as if she was reading the book. She glanced up at Adrian to see he was distracted again, his back turned to her. Gingerly, she tore out a page of the book and tossed it into the fire, watching the chimera's body contort in pain.
He whipped around, fear gripping his voice. He clutched his chest in agony and dropped to the ground as Tamsin repeated her actions. "What are you doing?!"
"Getting the hell out of here," Tamsin said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She tossed the rest of the book into the fire, and like a magic trick, Adrian faded in front of her, crying and clawing the ground in what she imagined to be pure suffering.
Unexpectedly, the strength left Tamsin's body, and she dropped onto the ground on all fours. Her vision dotted with black before she completely lost consciousness.
::::
Bo tried in vain to transfer chi to Tamsin, watching it drift away in wisps away from the blonde's mouth. "Come on!" She patted the valkyrie's cheek–the only cheek that wasn't covered in scales—and gently shook her shoulders.
"Please, Tamsin. Please wake up," Bo whispered desperately. Her hands were shaking terribly, and her pulse was racing wildly. She had to remind herself to breathe ever since she came onto the rooftop, only to see her girlfriend lying motionless and covered in reptilian scales. Daniel told her all about how Adrian's poison was parasitic in the sense that he could take over the host.
Bo's eyes brimmed with tears, and she tucked her face against the valkyrie's shoulder, clutching onto her as if her life depended on it. Her heart dropped painfully at the thought of losing Tamsin in such a way. To see her magnificent body desecrated in such a way.
She watched the scales creep up the remainder of the blonde's face, leaving only a couple of inches of untouched when Tamsin convulsed beneath her. Bo pulled back, panicking. She turned to the group behind her, eyes seeking answers.
"Wait," Daniel said with bound arms and legs. "She's rejecting it. Look, her skin is clearing up."
Bo turned back, and sure enough, the scales were fading from Tamsin's skin. She swallowed, a bit of hope sparking to life in her chest. The blonde convulsed once more, harder this time, and more scales faded from her skin.
Bo figured this would go on until all the scales were gone until—Tamsin's back arched at a sickly angle, suspended for what seemed like the longest time. The succubus reached out, resting her hands on the valkyrie's newly uncovered skin, and pushed relaxing charms in. Tamsin dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, her head lulling to the side.
Bo frantically checked her skin, seeing no signs of scales. She checked the blonde's pulse. She felt nothing. She checked again, making sure she felt it correctly.
"Guys, I don't feel— She has no pulse—"
Tamsin violently jerked awake, lungs drawing breath in a painful inhale. She coughed several times over, and after a few moments, she became aware of a death grip on her right hand. She looked at its owner, a half-smile on her face.
"Hey," Tamsin said.
"Who the hell do you think you are not breathing like that?" Bo accused before wrapping the valkyrie in a tight hug.
"I dunno," Tamsin answered honestly, returning the hug and reveling in the warmth and scent of her girlfriend. There was no way Bo would leave her, she thought.
And with Bo in her arms, she was so very, very sure of that.
A/N: I make a schedule, and I can barely follow it. Sigh. At least I'm updating once a week. It's just a bit iffy. I might have to re-think that schedule...
Anyways, sorry for typos.
Leave a review if you want.
P.S. I'll try to make each new chapter at least 2k words.