The Legacy: A Custodes Noctis Book (28 page)

“I had to, Rob. Please…It told me, and once I knew, I had to…”

“Galen, I’m going to kill you in a minute,” Mike growled.

“That’s what we’re talking about, Mike,” Rob said, his voice grim.

“What?” Mike was surprised.

“It killed him,” Rob said, meeting Galen’s eyes.

“No, Rob, it didn’t kill me. I had to kill it.”

Past

Ten Years Before

Day Nine-Galen

“What happened?” Bobby’s voice drifted into Galen’s awareness.

“I’m not sure, Bobby, I think he somehow used the healing,” Parry’s voice was shaky.

“Is it true, then?” Bobby said, awe and fear in his voice. “Our boys. Parry…”

“I know. How do we tell Galen?”

“Parry,” Bobby paused.

“What is it?” When Bobby didn’t answer, Galen heard his father’s voice take on a desperate note. “What?”

“When Rob dies, Parry, we’re going to lose Galen.”

“What? No, they haven’t gone through the Ritual of Swords, they’ve hardly trained together, they aren’t bonded yet.”

“No they’re not…but these boys…I don’t think it matters.” Bobby paused. “And the healer…Galen…You know.”

 “Yes.” His father’s voice was strained.

“The thing…if it’s what…if this is the Legacy, Parry, Galen will die.”

“Both of them? No, Bobby, no.”

“It needs the healer, too. If it were the other way around we might be able to protect Rob, but…Galen’s tied to him too closely already, and it would come close for Rob. I…Gods, Parry.” Bobby’s voice cracked. “If you could heal Rob…”

“I can’t, Bobby.”

“I know, it almost killed you.”

 “I have no idea how Galen managed even what he did.” Parry sighed. “How do we kill it?”

“The vessel has to die, but if this is the Legacy, when Rob dies and Galen…It Becomes.”

“There’s nothing we can do?” Parry said, anguished.

“No, it’s in both of them, Parry. That blade—it left a trace in Galen, and as long as it’s in both of them, there’s nothing we can do. Rob dies, Galen dies.”

Galen opened his eyes. His father and uncle were standing by Rob’s bed. Bobby had his arm around Parry’s shoulders. “Dad?”

They turned to face him, Parry brushing tears off his face. “Galen.”

“How’s Rob?” Galen sat up. “Did I help?”

Parry nodded. “He’s sleeping, Galen. You did help.”

“Thank the gods,” Galen closed his eyes for a minute. “I’ll do a little more…”

“No, absolutely not,” Bobby said.

“Or you’ll hit me again? Nice left, by the way,” Galen said, looking at his uncle.

“Sorry about that.” Bobby smiled sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure grabbing you was a good idea.”

“Probably not,” Galen said, smiling back. “Sorry, Dad. I’m not sure what happened, I just needed to get to Rob.”

“I know.” Parry laid his hand on Galen’s arm.

“I’m okay, Dad, except for the black eye.”

“I just wanted to be sure, you know that,” his father said, patting his arm.

“I know, Dad.” Galen took a deep breath and looked at them. “Rob’s dying.”

“No.” They both shook their heads.

“I felt it. I can feel it. His heart, it’s not working right. I felt drugs, too, not your healing.”

“I can’t, Galen.”

“What?”

“The thing won’t let me, it blocks me.”

“I…” Galen stopped. “It tried to stop me, but I pushed through it, why couldn’t you do that?” Galen looked at his father, Parry was frowning at him.

“It hurt Parry,” Bobby said. “When he tried to force it. I thought…” Bobby swallowed. “He’s telling the truth.”

“Dad?”

“It’s true, Galen. I’m sorry. I…You have to…” Parry broke off. “Galen…”

“Parry?”

“I…” Parry turned and strode out of the room.

“Galen?” Bobby looked at him.

“We’ll be okay,” Galen said gently. Bobby squeezed his arm and followed Parry out of the room. Galen waited for a count of ten before slipping out of bed. He walked over to Rob’s bed and laid his hand on his brother’s head. Pain, the sluggish metallic feeling of drugs and a deep darkness flowed up the touch.

Galen rubbed his hands together, focusing the light, breathing deeply. He put his hands back on his brother and pulled the light into his hands. He met the hard wall of darkness.

“No, no healing, nothing. No, not this time, Emrys. He dies, then soon you will both be mine,” a voice hissed at him.

“No,” Galen said. He forced the light against the wall, pushing, he felt the darkness push back. Taking a deep breath, he stabbed through the wall. The healing flowed from his hands, running into his brother’s body. Rob moaned. “It’s okay, Rob, it’s me,” Galen said softly. He guided the light, letting the healing fill his brother until he came to the ruin of Rob’s heart.

“You can’t heal this, Emrys Keeper. He’s still mine. When he dies, when you die, I can walk again,” the voice said.

“I can and I will,” Galen said, focusing on Rob’s heart. Pain lashed up the contact, slamming into his body, making the scar on his chest where the thing had stabbed him twist. It recognized Itself there and laughed, the sound filling Galen’s head.

“Yes, yes, soon. I am with you, with him. Soon,” It hissed. Galen ground his teeth together and tried to force his way past the black spot. “No!” It said.
The healing suddenly stopped, a black spot in Rob’s heart pushing the light away. Galen tried to start the light again, aware of blood dripping from his nose.

“You can’t stop me,” he told the hissing voice.

“Galen!” his father’s shout surprised him. Parry grabbed him an instant later.

“No, Dad,” he wasn’t sure if he said or thought it.

“Galen, no.”

“Yes,” Galen said firmly. With a deep breath, he used the contact with his father to pull the healing light from Parry. He heard his father’s gasp, felt the convulsive grasp on his arm. Somehow he knew his father couldn’t pull away.

Galen forced himself back to Rob’s heart, back to the black spot hissing in his brother’s chest. Galen saw It, twisting and turning in Rob’s heart, waiting like a serpent to strike with the last of Its poison. He grabbed It, the thing struggled with him as he tore It out of Rob’s heart, pulled It up, out of his brother and into his own body. It was screaming as It flowed into him, running up his arms, Galen forced It into the scar Its knife had left. He held It there as he guided the last of the healing through Rob.

“Break the contact, break it,” Parry said desperately.

“Parry?”

“Do it now, Bobby.”

“No!” Galen shouted as Bobby pulled him away from Rob.

“Let go, Galen, let go. I can help your brother now, let go.” Galen could feel his father’s arms around him as he was guided back to bed. “Why?” Parry said sadly.

“Had to, Dad,” Galen said opening his eyes. The world was washed in red.
Blood vessels broke maybe?

“Galen…”

“I heard you, this is the only way. I die, It dies, Rob—you can help Rob. He’ll make it.”

“Galen, let me heal you,” Parry said, rubbing his hands together.

“No, Dad, It has to die before It can walk. Before It can finish the sacrifice. This is the only way.”

“Die, Galen, but let me…You just have to die for a moment…” Parry said eagerly.

“Yes, yes, good plan,” It whispered. “Die, sacrifice yourself and then come back. Perfect. Let that happen.” It was laughing with joy.

“No, that won’t work, trust me. It won’t work. You have to keep Rob alive. If he dies…”

“If he dies what you did means nothing. No, it means you helped me, made it easier.” Laughter filled his head.

“It’s not in Rob anymore, is it, Bobby?”

“No, Galen,” his uncle said sadly. “It’s not there at all, there’s just a little scar left.”

“Good,” Galen sighed.

 “It’s in you, Galen,” Bobby said. “Parry…”

“I know, I was there.” Parry shook his head.

“Promise me, Dad. Promise you’ll do…”

Parry laid a gentle hand on Galen’s head. “Of course, you don’t have to ask. We’ll do everything we can, we’ll send him back to his family. He’ll be safe there. We can keep an eye on him, but stay away, that way if it’s still out there…He’ll be safe.”

“Thank you, Dad, sorry.” Pain ground into the scar. “Can you…? If I help?”

“Sleep?” Parry put his hand on Galen’s chest. He saw the spasm of pain cross his father’s face as his hand brushed the scar. The sound of a heartbeat filled Galen. He knew it wasn’t his. As he’d healed Rob, his heart had absorbed the damage. Sleep claimed him.

The soft sound of someone crying woke Galen. “Rob?” he said. That’s what he thought he’d said, all he heard was a groan that sounded like an “r”.
That won’t work.
“Rob?” he tried again.

“Galen?” Rob said with a sniff. “Galen?”

“Are you okay?”

“Galen?”

“Are you okay, Rob?”

“He won’t be, soon, soon, soon,” the voice whispered to him.
Pain ground into his chest, twisting the scar, making his heart beat frantically. He heard the change in the heart monitor.

“No,” Galen told the voice. “Rob?”

Galen heard the springs on the other bed squeak, a moment later Rob’s hand settled on his arm. “Galen? Did you say something?”

“He will be mine again, you are mine. We will walk together you and I,” the voice said.

“No,” Galen said again.

“No? You didn’t say anything?”

Galen opened his eyes, blinking against the brightness of the light. Rob was standing beside the bed, tear streaks on his face. “Rob? Are you okay?”

“Galen,” Rob squeezed his hand.

“Are you okay?” Galen asked, desperation in his voice.

“I guess,” Rob scrubbed tears off his face. “I feel better. But Galen…”

“What is it?”

“You’re dying.”

“Rob,” Galen began.

Rob sat on the edge of the bed. “Don’t lie to me, Galen. I can see it. I know what happened. I can see your heart, I can see the handle of the blade, it’s still in you and now that thing—It was in me—It’s in you now.” He looked at Galen, his eyes mature in his still youthful face. “I told you we’d never be Keepers together.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I knew, Galen, I just never thought…I thought it would be me.” The maturity was still there, but tears began streaming down his face. “Galen…”

“Come here, Brat,” he said gently, holding his arm out to his brother. Rob leaned forward, into the embrace, then collapsed against him, sobbing. The thing in his chest purred with pleasure and tried to push beyond where Galen was holding It. He kept It there, knowing that his time was fast running out. “You can’t have Rob,”
he told It silently.

“No!” It screamed back. “No, not when I am so close.”

“Yes,”
Galen told It
.
He held Rob gently as his brother sobbed against him. Tears had worked free from Galen’s eyes and were running down his cheeks. A gentle pressure on his hand, where it rested on Rob’s back, marked the return of his father and uncle. The four of them were silent except for the sound of Rob’s sobs. “We’re going to die soon,”
Galen told it.

“No!”
 
It lashed out at Galen, pain exploded through his body. He cried out, fighting the thing as It tried to escape the prison in Galen’s chest. The pain was reaching the unbearable point when it diminished a bit, just enough for Galen to open his eyes and focus on his family.

“I need to go,” he said to Rob. His brother’s hand was resting on his chest.

“I know,” Rob said, tears running down his cheeks.

“Dad? Uncle Bobby?” Galen looked at them. They walked to the other side of the bed. Parry put his hand on Galen’s head, Bobby’s hand rested on his shoulder. “I….” He stopped for a minute, then started again, falling back on the formal ritual. “I have served faithfully, I have walked the path chosen for me, I ask for release, for rest, until I can serve again.”

Parry shifted his hand to Galen’s chest. “I don’t know…”

“I’ll help,” Galen said, forcing the words out as the thing writhed and screamed in his chest.

“In living we serve…” his father began.

“No,” Rob said suddenly.

“What?” Bobby said.

“It’s my right, as his brother, as the Keeper that served with him.”

“Rob, no,” Parry said gently.

Galen met his brother’s eyes and saw a wisdom beyond his age. Rob looked back, defiant, pleading. “Rob?”

“We didn’t live long together as Keepers, Galen…”

“No, Rob,” Bobby said quietly.

“Yes,” Galen said, looking at his father and uncle. “It’s his right, his place, Dad. He…” Galen couldn’t go on, the thing was screaming, pushing against the bonds he was holding it in. “Please.” His father nodded and moved his hand away.