The trek through the forest was dangerous, like Mel had warned. The foliage was thick, and reminiscent of the jungles of Nye, minus the magically altered plants and animals. Taking Elliot through it proved to be a little difficult, but they were able to do so silently, as the two of them stayed alert, and never stopped for too long to rest.
They ran into several different beasts. Some were avoidable by keeping their distance, but others took interest in them and Elliot. There was a small herd of wild boars that Mel distracted with the illusory image of a fat rabbit, and it gave them enough time to run away. Then there was a large, screeching falcon that continued to swoop down at them, and James swung at it with his sword, eventually clipping its wings. After that, it left them alone.
As they came to the foot of the next mountain, a giant blind molerat came crawling out of the ground, disturbing the earth in front of them. It looked ready to fight, and Mel couldn't distract it with any illusions, since it couldn't see them. Wordlessly, James rushed forward to get in a swing before it could sense him coming. It dodged a few swings, but James was able to avoid getting hit and finally got a slice in at its nose, which seemed to be the sense it relied on the most. It let out a loud, unpleasant screech, but quickly retreated in a panic.
The sun was just about to set, and James and Mel looked at each other, silently nodding in agreement to keep pushing forward. Now, they were going uphill.
Near the base of the mountain there were a collection of big boulders, along with several abandoned looking tunnels. Some of the boulders partially blocked off the entrances, making them small enough for a human to pass through, but too small for a horse. Unfortunately, the boulders were not illusions, so he and Mel had to push and shove one out of the way just enough so Elliot could fit through.
Elliot seemed a little wary to be going underground, but James was able to calm him enough as they made their way inside. They both pushed the boulder back in place as a precaution, just in case, and then Mel led the way down the tunnel, lighting an oil lamp for light.
At that point, the sun was almost down outside, and any outside light that slipped into the tunnel quickly disappeared, leaving only the dim lamplight to guide them.
Mel seemed to have memorized the way through the tunnels. There were several splits, and she knew which turns to take, winding in and out and further up and into the mountain. It was dark, and musty, and Mel admitted that she didn't like the dark after some time, as if to explain the nervous expression that seemed frozen on her face.
Aside from a few rats skittering across the tunnel floors, the walk through the tunnels was uneventful, but they eventually hit a point where the tunnel grew increasingly steep, and their collective pace slowed down by a lot. James could tell that Elliot was growing tired, and he could feel his own legs getting weary and sore. The bullet wound in his leg started throbbing a few minutes into the climb, and it only got worse as the minutes dragged on.
Maybe an hour passed, but it felt longer.
When the tunnels leveled out again, Mel continued to weave them through the passageways until they reached a heavy metal door. It looked like it was locked, but from the inside.
Mel knocked on the door, and announced that she was there with James and Evaline. There was some faint shuffling on the other side of the door before he heard a creak, and the heavy shifting of metal as the door was unlocked, and it opened inward.
Malkiel answered the door. He only opened the door a tiny bit, peeking out to confirm that it was them. He likely was going to let them in anyways, but Mel seemed impatient as she shoved the door fully open anyways and stepped in.
"There's not time," she barked as she shoved him aside. "Let them in. Can you wake up Elise?"
James walked through, leading Elliot. He felt at this point, that if he stopped walking, he would lose all sense of momentum, and his wounded leg in particular would give out. He glanced back at Evaline, who was tied to the saddle to keep her upright. Her eyes were half-open and vacant, and she was leaning forward onto Elliot's neck. Elliot looked ready to sleep too.
Malkiel furrowed his brows and nodded slowly, staring at James as he walked in, and then at Evaline on Elliot, who was still not reacting to anything.
"...Fine," he said as he closed the door.
"Never mind, I'm getting her. Elise!" Mel said as she bounded down the hallway, leaving Malkiel alone with James, Evaline, and Elliot.
Malkiel cleared his throat. "You're late," he simply said.
"We ran into trouble," James said wearily.
Neither he nor Evaline had eaten much in the last two weeks, and James had hardly slept. He could feel himself withering, like a plant under too much light. He knew he needed to rest soon.
"Yeah, you look like shit," Malkiel commented, then pointed at his leg he was putting all of his weight into. "Your leg okay?"
"I got shot," he said blankly. "It's a long story. I really don't want to get into it right now, but I can tell you later."
"Shot," Malkiel repeated slowly. "With... a gun?"
"Yes," James said with a tired sigh. "With a gun."
Malkiel was quiet for a moment, and for once, he seemed to not be nosy and dropped the subject. Perhaps James showing up hurt without proof of infiltrating the mission was finally enough for Malkiel to begin trusting him and not treat him coldly.
He gestured at Evaline with his head. "Is she okay?"
"No," James said, inching towards the wall, leaning on it with one shoulder. "That's why Mel's getting Elise."
"Did she get shot too?" Malkiel asked, sounding more shocked than anything that they had managed to run into this much trouble.
"No," James said. "Look... I really... can I just tell you later?"
He paused, taking in a deep breath and looking at Malkiel with a tired, pleading sense of desperation. He didn't have the energy for this right now.
"Please?" he asked quietly.
Malkiel paused, not sure what to do with James begging. He glanced between him and Evaline, then looked down the hall, hands in his pockets. "Sure," he said. "I'm on watch. So, I guess I'll just watch."
James nodded, too tired to give a verbal reply.
A half minute passed, and Mel's loud footsteps were heard again as she bounded down the hall with Elise behind her, rubbing her tired eyes. "We're here!" she announced, even though it wasn't needed.
Elise quickly caught up until she was standing in front of James, as well as Mel and Malkiel. "Hi James. Evaline," she said with a tired smile as she looked up at Evaline on Elliot. Her smile quickly waned when it became increasingly evident that neither of them were at ideal conditions. "Tell me the situation," she said with urgency, brows furrowed in worry.
"Evaline hasn't been eating," James said, describing only their physical needs first, knowing he could explain the why behind the what later.
"She's severly malnourished and low on strength," James said. "I have a bullet wound, and several scrapes from different beasts, but all of them I've already cared for. I'm stable. Evaline needs your immediate attention. I just need to sit down."
At the midst of the noise and the conversation, Rudy seemed to groggily wake up and walk down the hall. It was like he knew a doctor was needed, and he was right there, ready to go.
He straightened up and shook his head, like he was shaking off the remaining drowsiness and looked at Evaline and James with quick, alert glances, taking it all in.
"I heard bullet wounds and scrapes. That's you, James, right? Elise, I'll take him," Rudy said in a tone like he was taking charge.
"Rudy, help me bring Evaline down from the horse," Elise said instead, ignoring his comment as she made her way to Elliot's side.
"Oh, of course," Rudy said with a nod as he walked up beside Elliot. "You tied her down. I assume she needed it so she wouldn't fall off. Is she that weak?"
His question seemed like it was directed at James, but it was unclear.
"Yes," James said, keeping it brief. He watched as Rudy reached up and undid the knots, and then he and Elise carefully caught Evaline as she practically slid off the side of the saddle. Mel hurried over quickly too, catching Evaline's legs.
Together, they set her on the ground, and Elise leaned over her with heavy concern in her eyes, brushing the hair out of her face as Evaline looked up at her with vacant eyes. Still, Evaline seemed to have enough awareness to know what was going on, because she slightly turned her head the other direction and curled up on the floor, just a little.
James stepped forward, pushing past Rudy to kneel beside Evaline. He could feel his legs trembling as he did so.
"Evaline?" Elise said gently. "Can you speak for me?"
Evaline didn't respond.
"She hasn't spoken for two weeks," James said quietly as he reached out and took Evaline's hand, holding it firmly, looking down at her.
"You say she hasn't been eating," Elise said slowly, piecing things together. "Is there anything else we should immediately know? Is she hurt?"
James felt the weight on his chest. He knew he needed to tell them.
"Not physically," James said lowly. "She was deprived of food and water for some time. Close to a week. She's been losing weight very quickly. I can't-- I can't explain it all in a moment. She just needs help. She needs water, and she needs to eat."
Elise continued to watch Evaline with deep concern, and then she sharply turned towards Rudy. "Put her in the spare room with the bigger bed, and put her on IV fluids and a catheter. I'll take care of James."
Rudy seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, and it looked like he was past the point of arguing. He nodded sharply.
"Mel, since you're up, come with me. I'll need help carrying her," Rudy said as he reached his arms behind Evaline's shoulders.
"No," Evaline said weakly, looking down at the floor. It was the first time she had spoken since the incident. "No. I want to be alone."
"Evaline, you need help," James said gently.
"Just Rudy," Evaline said even weaker.
James looked over to Elise, then back down at Evaline.
"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked in a whisper.
There was a long hesitation. "No," Evaline whispered back.
James took in a deep breath. He wanted to disagree, but his own exhaustion was catching up to him quickly. He didn't know if he could stand to wait much longer, or if he could stand at all.
"Okay," he said softly.
"Now that you're done talking," Rudy said as he then scooped Evaline up with a heave. "I have a patient to take care of. Mel, I at least need you to get the door. She won't stay, Evaline."
He turned down the hall, with Evaline in his arms.
"Will she be okay?" Mel asked as she briskly followed after.
"Too soon to tell," Rudy said. "But if she's held on this long, she should pull through."
With the both of them taking care of Evaline, Elise now had her full attention on James.
"James," she said firmly and seriously. "I know you don't like to accept help. But for everyone's sake, I beg you to let me look at your leg so I can heal you. If not for yourself, then please do it for Evaline, who needs your full strength."
James slouched forward as he knelt on the floor where Evaline no longer lied. He reached out a hand onto the floor to support himself, and nodded, though he didn't look up at her.
"I know," he said. "Heal me. I just... I need help getting up."
Malkiel wordlessly took initiative, sliding his arm under his and heaving him up. "Where do you want him?" he asked Elise.
James was on his feet, but his legs were trembling uncontrollably.
Elise looked down the hall. Rudy and Evaline had disappeared in a room, and at the end of the dim hall he could make out the blurry figures of Mel, Alistair, and a man he didn't recognize.
"Mel, Alistair, Elias!" Elise called. "Please come here." She then turned towards Malkiel, face still serious. "When they come over, please hand James off to Elias and Alistair. They'll take him to our room."
"You need to keep watch," James said quietly, feeling like he was losing his strength.
Elise nodded. "Yes. When Mel gets here, please tell her to tie up Elliot with the other animals. Wake up Hendrik if you need to."
"Slee--" James started to say. "The chicken. She's in the bag. Just... let her out."
"Okay," Malkiel said with a brisk nod, having to heave James up again with another swoop to keep him upright. "I'll do that."
At that moment, Mel, Alistair, and the other man - Elias - had approached them. Elias kept a small distance away, but the two of them seemed to understand the gravity of the situation without asking for the details.
"Here," Malkiel called to them. "Alistair, take my side. Elias, you take the other."
The men quickly followed his suggestions, with Malkiel slipping away from his grip on James as Alistair took over instead. James felt unsteady in this transfer of strength, but Elias quickly stepped to his other side, his arm wrapping across his back as well as he held him steady.
"Can you stand okay now?" Elias asked softly.
"I don't know if I can walk," James said faintly. He was trying. He really was, but everything hurt, and he was so, so spent.
"I can probably carry his torso if you grab his legs, Ali," Elias said.
Alistair seemed to mull this over. "Are you sure you can carry him?"
"I'm not... that heavy," James said quietly.
"Let's do it," Elias said, and with no warning, wrapped his arms around James's waist and held him up. Alistair scrambled to get to his legs, looping his arms around his knees and lifting him up.
James would've winced at all the jostling, but his face felt like it was too tired to even emote. He only closed his eyes a little.
"Be careful," Elise said with worry as they already started to march in unison towards the room. "His leg is wounded."
James stared up at the hall's ceiling as they carried him past two doors - one on either side, and turned into a door on the right. The room was simply furnished with temporary items, and lit with two different oil lamps on either side. There were three bedrolls already laid out, and they lowered him down onto one. James didn't know whose it was, but he knew it wasn't his. But he supposed it didn't really matter.
"Easy now," Elias said as he and Alistair slowly dropped him on the bedroll. His head loomed over his, and like his sister, they shared the same creased look of worry. "Is this better?"
James felt a wave of exhaustion hit him like a wall. He looked up at Elias with heavy eyelids, pushing himself to speak.
"Yeah," he said faintly. "Thank you."
Elias nodded, watching as Elise seemed to rifle through a bag for supplies. "You said your... leg? Your leg is hurt?"
"Right leg," James said. "And another wound on my side. Below the ribs."
"Do you need help removing your clothes?" he asked, slowly drifting his worried gaze back on him.
James felt like his body was giving up.
He didn't like it, but he knew he needed help.
"Yes," he said quietly.
"Okay. I'm going to peel your shirt off," Elias announced as he reached over to do so.
"Shirts," James said, emphasizing the plural, because he was wearing layers.
"Oh, yeah. Shirts," Elias said idly, rifling through the edges of the layers. "Real cold out there. It's like more layers of skin. Can you lift your arms up, by the way?"
James wordlessly lifted his arms, focusing on keeping them aloft. Elias started at the bottom edge of his shirt and lifted it up, taking it off one-by-one.
"One down, more to go," he muttered under his breath. "Ali, can you take off his pants? Or... pants-s? If he's wearing more than one? Is that okay, mister..." Elias looked down at him again. "I actually don't know your name..."
"It's James," Alistair answered for him, but seemed to wait for James's response before taking anything off.
"You can," James said distantly. "It's fine."
Alistair wordlessly began to do so, and Elias took off another shirt.
"Sorry for not knowing your name," Elias said idly and unfocused. "Now I feel like an idiot for not piecing it together. I heard a lot about you. It's too bad that we met like this, me stripping you down... but you'll get better, and we'll start over. And hopefully, you can walk." He paused to offer a small smile, but then grimaced. "Sorry, bad joke. You'll walk. You'll be okay. Elise is the best healer around."
"It's good to finally meet you too, Elias," James said quietly, forcing himself to stay present as Elias talked. This wasn't how he imagined meeting Elias either, but he was lucky to be meeting him at all. He was lucky to have survived.
He hoped Evaline was going to survive. He could only imagine what was going through her mind, but he knew it was probably a black hole of guilt and despair. Both of which he knew all too well.
"Yeah. You too," Elias said as he continued to peel the shirts off, then continued to exchange conversation to Alistair and Elise, making sure that James was keeping up with some of it.
"Thank you both," Elise said as she kneeled down beside James, who was already exposed and nearly naked, but their attention seemed to be more fixed on the bullet wound. "James, would you like the men to leave the room?" Elise asked soberly before she could begin.
James felt his mind drifting. Flicking back to moments in the City of Angels. The sunrooms. The Gaea. And even further back to dozens of moments on Nye. Too many to count.
His response was delayed. Perhaps too delayed.
"Just... do it," he said wearily, not answering the question.
"I'll go check on the kids," Elias said softly, already getting up to head towards the door. "Alistair?"
Wordlessly, Alistair got up the follow. He glanced back over his shoulder before he slipped out with Elias.
"We'll knock and come by later with food and water," he said, then closed the door behind him.
Elise, meanwhile, was unwrapping the bandage around his thigh. She propped his leg up so that his knee was bent and she would have better access to the backside of his thigh. Elise was careful but quick, her hands rhythmically pacing back and forth around as she unfurled the bandage. She set the used bandages to the side and slowly peeled away the gauze, inspecting the wound.
"I'm going to start with your leg. If left untreated, it may eventually become infected. I'll have to touch the area. This may sting. Are you ready?" she said.
James took in a deep breath.
"Yes," he said.
Elise nodded. He could feel her fingers brush against the tender wound, and the familiar sensation of healing began. It was an accelerated ache at first, but then grew to a sharp, stinging pain as he felt his skin and muscles forcefully reform. The pain lasted for about a minute before it began to subside. James only closed his eyes for a moment, gritting his teeth.
Elise took a deep, shaky breath, pulling away as she reached to a nearby disinfectant and splashed on her hands.
"It's done," she said through another relived sigh. "I can't fully heal it to the scar phase without expending all my energy, but Rudy can take the rest tomorrow after his recharge. How does it feel?"
James nodded ever so slightly.
"Better," he said quietly.
"I'll heal the deep scratches on your chest and leg too. Just enough so that it won't cause as much pain. But we will make sure you're fully healed tomorrow. Okay?"
"Okay," James said, feeling like his voice was only growing more far away. Sleep was starting to pull at his eyes, and he was struggling to fight it. His whole head felt like it was being wrapped in a blanket, like it was smothering.
"I'm going to start now," Elise said, and she brushed his fingers over the open-wounds.
The pain was sharp but short-lived, and after less than a minute, Elise was done with both scratches. The brief pain was enough to keep him awake.
"I'm done," she announced as she disinfected her hands and then took a deep breath, but didn't quite take a break. She peered over him with the usual concern in her eyes. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I've barely slept," he said weakly. "I'm so tired."
"Have you been eating well and drinking water?" Elise asked gently.
"We ran out of the food we had stocked up three days ago. I've only been stopping to get enough for Eve. I've been trying. We had to keep moving. We were being tailed," he said, trying to wake himself up more with each passing word.
"I know. You've been doing so well. I'm proud of you for taking care of yourself and Evaline," Elise said with a sad smile. "But you're both safe now, and you need to rest - but only after you eat. I'll bring food in, and I know you're tired, but you have to eat to regain your strength. Can you do this for me? Or if not for me, then for Evaline?"
"You don't have to bribe me," he said, closing his eyes for a moment.
He didn't know why his eyes were starting to sting. It felt like he was too dehydrated to cry.
Elise weakly laughed. "Okay. I'll be right back."
She was about to stand up, but James reached out and grabbed her wrist. He tried to come up with something to say, but his hand had acted faster than his mind was able to. He'd spent so long on so little sleep and it felt like his mind was finally crumbling around him under the weight of exhaustion.
He looked up at Elise with glossy eyes, and his vision of her got blurry.
"I don't want to be alone," he croaked, barely audible.
Elise seemed to understand, and instead of standing up, she reached over him to knock on the stony wall.
"Elias, Alistair," she said loudly. "Please come in."
She then turned her attention back on James, undoing his weak grip on her wrist. Elise sat firmly on her knees in front of him, holding his hand with both of hers as she looked down at him with sincerity shining in her eyes.
"You're not alone, James," she said. "You won't be alone from here on out. You will always at least have one of us on your side."
There was a knock on the door, and it promptly opened, revealing Elias holding a cup with a thick, brown liquid in it.
"I know it's not really food," he said as he let himself in, kneeling beside Elise. "But I have so many of these nutrient smoothie packs. It's not delicious, but... it's healthy, and makes you full. And it should help bring you back to health, I think."
"Thank you, Elias," Elise said with a small smile and nod, taking the cup and handing it to James.
"Oh, uh..." Elias murmured and then pulled something long and thin out of his pocket. "Here's a straw. So he can drink while laying down."
Elise gave him another appreciative nod and placed the straw in the cup, stirring it a few times and then placing it in front of James.
"It would be easier to drink it sitting up," James said, lifting his head and shoulders and propping himself up at his elbows. "I can just lean..."
His eyes drifted across the room, and for a moment he couldn't seem to percieve how far the wall was from where he was lying down. His head was starting to hurt, and he felt a little lightheaded now that he was getting back up.
Elise had hurriedly gotten to her feet, and James didn't realize until too late that she had gotten up to grab the pillows around the room and placed them under his head for extra support.
"Ahh, there you go," Elias said as he watched his sister work. "Now you can lay-sit and drink out of the straw."
James felt his arms tremble for a moment under his weight, and he leaned back into the pillows, feeling heavy. He weakly offered his hands to take the cup, and Elias handed it to him. James lifted the cup up to his chest, resting it there where the straw could just meet his lips. He took a long sip, and paused.
It tasted gritty, and earthy. Like dirt. But compared to the freeze-dried food, it might've been a step up. He couldn't tell anymore.
He sat there for a moment, sipping silently as Elise and Elias sat by him, watching him weakly sip away. He felt like he had to justify how weakened he'd become.
About halfway through the drink, his stomach started to feel like it was filling up, and he paused.
"It's been a long two weeks," he said slowly.
"I hear ya," Elias said, idly watching him drink. He had one knee up with his elbow propped on it as he leaned his head against his hand. "I put extra vitamins in there to compensate for lost days."
Elise glanced at him with a slightly raised brow. "How much extra?" she asked suspiciously, and then slowly pried the cup out of James's hands to wordlessly tell him to stop drinking it.
Elias faltered, scratching the side of his head. "Uh... an extra pack?"
"The nutrition drinks are only rated to be consumed for one a day," Elise said as she set the half-full glass aside, talking gently but sternly. "But James already drank half of it, so he will be fine."
"Oh. Sorry," Elias said with a small apologetic smile.
"I do feel full," James said, looking to Elias. He attempted a smile, but his face still felt too exhausted to respond, and he only ended up narrowing his eyes.
Elias nodded. "It always makes me full too. It feels like a pile of dirt in your stomach, though."
"Aptly described," James said quietly.
Suddenly the door opened again, and a head peeked out from behind the door. It was hard to see who it could be with the dim light and his blurry vision, but James didn't recognize the person.
"Everything is fine, Sami," Elias said towards the door. "Get some rest."
"Who's the naked man?" Sami asked bluntly.
James looked to Elise.
"Can I get a blanket?" he asked, just as blunt.
Elise heeded his request, reaching over to grab a nearby blanket and draping it over his body. Even though this was enough, she walked to the other bedrolls and picked those blankets up to give to James too.
Despite Elias's words, Sami walked in the room anyways. As she came closer, James saw that she was a young teenager, probably no older than fourteen or fifteen. She was lean and had dark brown skin and sleek dark hair down to her shoulders, and she was watching him with big, curious eyes.
"Who's he?" she asked again as she plopped by Elias.
"My name is James," James introduced, slipping his arms out of the four or five blankets Elise had piled on top of him. He wasn't upset about it though. He much preferred this to the alternative.
"I'm Samiya," she said as she instead lowly high-fived his hand.
"Also known as Sami," Elias said with a teasing voice.
"Only you call me Sami," she sneered af him with a scrunched nose.
"Nice to meet you, Samiya," James said with a weak nod of his head towards her.
"Nice to meet you too, naked man," Samiya said with the beginnings of a grin.
"Hey!" Elias scolded as he flicked her shoulder. "Be nice."
"But he randomly showed up naked," she said like that was supposed to explain everything.
"Elise was just healing me," James explained. "That's the only reason why I'm unclothed. I didn't walk in here like this."
"Oh yeah?" Samiya mused. "I wasn't here to see it, so."
"That's right," Elias said as he stroked his chin in thought.
"It's probably for the best," James muttered, not intending to be understood.
"Yeah, that's because he showed up with gross bug blood everywhere!" Elias said with a smile as he then leaned towards Samiya with his arms outstretched, causing her to flinch and giggle. "Very gross. Very smelly. Was green and yellow. Good thing you were asleep."
"Ooooh, I see now. Makes sense," Samiya said with a nod. "That's why you're naked. Because your clothes smell bad and the bugs scratched you or whatever."
James sunk a little deeper into his pillow. He didn't have any problems with Elias's fake story, as it was easier to digest than the truth - which Elias didn't even know. But the weight of the blankets on top of him paired with his now very full stomach was making it hard to stay awake again, on top of the fact that he was already exhausted. He could feel his eyelids slowly closing.
In his head, he thought he replied out loud. But apparently, he didn't.
"Elias, Samiya," he heard Elise say. "Let's all get some rest. We could all use it."
"Shoo, shoo," Elias said as Samiya stumbled to her feet. "I'll take an extra bedroll and sleep in your room tonight. Go back to bed."
"Fine," Samiya grumbled, leaving the room.
There was a brief silence as Elias exchanged glances with Elise.
"Like I said, James can take my bed. I'll sleep with the kids," he said. "But, before I go..."
James wanted to protest, but his eyes were already closed, and he could feel himself fading.
"James, I know you're tired, so you can you can shake or nod your head at me, if you can do that," Elias continued, then paused. "Is Evaline ready to see me? Do you know?"
That woke James up.
He opened his eyes, and he looked up at Elias. Despite his earlier casualness, Elias was meeting his eyes seriously with his lips pressed together tightly. James felt his heart sink as a knot formed in his chest.
"I don't know," he said, almost in a whisper. "I'm afraid that she might not want to see anybody right now. I... I wish I knew. I'm sorry."
"That's okay," Elias said with gentle understanding. "We'll give her space, and so will I. We'll figure it out tomorrow. Get some rest."
James's throat felt tight as he closed his eyes again.
"Okay," he said, too tired to fight it. Too tired to think anymore.
Elias was already shuffling to his feet. "Mel and Ali are in the kitchen, and I'll talk to them and also update the guys. You should rest too, sis. That was a lot to heal."
"Thank you, Elias," Elise said, already sitting on her bed, energy spent. "Rudy should be taking care of Evaline. We're all safe and healthier, and that's all that matters."
"Safe, healthier, and well-rested," Elias added, and James could hear the door open. "Good night. Sleep tight. See you in the morning."
The last few words sounded like they were fading in the distance as James fell into a dead sleep.
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