Aureus was packing in a frenzy. Before he'd arrived at their home, covered in blood and grime, Xiomara knew something had gone terribly wrong. She'd first felt it coming from the Arcanarium—like a string had been attached to the inside of her chest and was being tugged from the other end.

She felt...strange, weak.

It had been alarming at first. As a fae—a being born of magic—Xiomara knew she couldn't survive in a world without it. She hadn't realized until Aureus came home that he was the reason it was happening. Even as she watched him dart from room to room, gathering food and other essentials, she could feel various sources of magic being drawn to her partner from miles around.

Instead of accusing him outright, she decided to let him explain things in his own words instead of adding to the pain and confusion she sensed from him. She knew him well enough that whatever was happening wasn't intentional—he'd never hurt anyone without cause, and even then, begrudgingly. Aureus respected life. It'd been one of the deciding factors for why she'd decided to couple with him.

Valuing life while accepting death's inevitability was the tenet of all Unseelie, and Xiomara was no exception. The only thing she had left to decide was whether or not to tell Aureus that he was slowly killing her.

"What troubles you, my love?" she asked.

"We have to get away from here! They're coming for us—both of us!"

"What has happened?"

He grabbed a satchel and stuffed it with food. "I don't know how to explain it, Xio—just help me! We have to leave!"

He is only human, she reminded herself. He is frightened. "First, you must explain so we can plan together. Tell me, who is coming for us, and why?"

"The Enclave," Aureus said breathlessly, rummaging through their food stores. "They think I hurt people. I mean, I did, but... They think—"

She grabbed his shaking hand, noting that his pinky was hairless and felt smoother than before. He barely noticed her touch. "What happened at the college, Aureus?" she asked.

At last, his gaze met hers. In all their years together, she couldn't recall ever seeing him so frightened. Whatever had happened, it'd been nothing short of a living nightmare.

"I hurt people, Xio. I didn't mean to. Something is happening to me. They think I did it on purpose—they questioned me. Tried to—Killian, he—"

Xiomara drew him close and wrapped her arms around him. "Whatever has happened, I will hear your truth." The sensation was more potent now that they were embracing. There was no mistaking it. He was drawing the magic from her.

Aureus shuddered beneath her touch as a ragged breath escaped. "We have to leave... They think you have something to do with it too—all of the Unseelie."

She bit back her anger. "That is foolish. The Long War is over."

Aureus pulled away to meet her gaze. "I know, I know... They think the Unseelie used me to sabotage the experiment and bring down the Arcanarium's defenses."

"What would lead them to believe such a thing?"

"I don't know! I was standing near the transmutation circle, and it suddenly exploded! Before I knew it, everyone was on the ground. They grabbed me and accused me of siphoning their magic. Then they tossed me in a cell and sent an inquisitor to question me."

"Siphoning?"

Crestfallen, he whispered, "I think it's still happening. Whatever it is, it's getting stronger, and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

Xiomara nodded, stating the obvious for him. "You need answers to these questions."

"There's more, though. I think...I think I used magic. Xio, I killed them with magic! They were hurting me, and I just... I couldn't take the pain. I"—his brows furrowed—"I think this power is turning me into a mage..."

"Aureus?"

The careful tone of her voice broke his reverie. "We need to find Iliam," he said. "He's the only one who might know what's happening to me."

"The man who found you as a babe?"

"Yes... Yes!" He became excited, but crept in, broaching on the edge of mania. "Maybe he was lying about where he found me! The Enclave had reason to mistrust him—he'd been excommunicated before I was born. He has to know something!"

Xiomara gave his arms a light squeeze, hoping to ground him in the moment. "Where can we find him?"

Eyes wide, Aureus returned her grip with his own. "I don't know. He could be anywhere. There's no record of where he went!"

Xiomara held his gaze. "If nothing is to be done about that, and things are as dire as they seem, we will need to leave Alatyr first and plan to find Iliam later."

"Yes... Yes, yes—we need to get out of the city! Both of us!"

She nodded her agreement, and Aureus turned away to hastily gather more supplies.

Xiomara left the larder for their sunlit bedroom. For her part, she knew she would be fine in the wilds without the comforts of bedding—unlike Aureus. In his panic, however, she'd noticed he hadn't thought to pack a bedroll.

Weariness struck her, and she had to catch herself on the bedpost.

Never in her life had she ever felt so weak, she noted. So...mortal.

I will die at day's end, she realized.

Her only hope was for Aureus to find a way to control his power. And that, she knew, would take time and effort they likely didn't have.

Another thought worked its way to the forefront of her mind.

If Aureus's power continued to grow and extended across the continent, it would surely reach other human cities, the Faelands, and ultimately the Veil.

He will bring the world to ruin.

It was becoming increasingly clear to Xiomara that their current problems paled compared to what was coming. Now, she understood why the Enclave had chosen to hurt Aureus.

Her heart broke as fears collided with her other emotions.

The Seelie Court, the young of her people, would die in frightened confusion, not unlike humans and half-fae. Some Seelie would desperately lash out to preserve themselves and the world but would ultimately be rendered powerless in any attempt to hunt Aureus down. As for the Unseelie, they would resign themselves to death if they knew nothing could stop it. They would accept the final upset of a Balance humans had disturbed centuries before. And if Erenyx's army, the Deathless, were to break free from their prison inside the Veil without magic to stop them, it would mean the end of everything.

The Great Cycle turns...

Aureus alone would not be enough to stop the Deathless, no matter how powerful he became from the magic he was absorbing. And killing him was not the answer, Xiomara knew. Even if his death stopped what he was doing, her belief that every life deserved to see its natural end would stay her hand. More besides, she and Aureus were mated. If she had to, she would kill to save his life. No, she would not kill him. Nor would she tell him that he was killing her.

Xiomara had accepted her death long ago. How it happened wasn't important, though she would do what she could to avoid it. Yet, the state of things told her that may not be possible—no matter how far away she got from Aureus. There was no doubt. He would be the death of her. She could only help ease his suffering before the end came and help him find a solution before his newfound ability destroyed more than just Alatyr. Preserving the Great Cycle—that's what really mattered, and Xiomara would do her part to save it no matter what.

She pulled some flower petals from a drawer, finished making the bedroll, and ventured into the study. There, she spread a sheet of parchment on the desk and began scrawling out a letter in human script. After she allowed the ink to dry, she returned to the common room with their cloaks and a bedroll in hand.

Aureus accepted his cloak without looking up as he added some final items to their pack. "Do you have everything? Are you ready?"

"I am. We should first go to the embassy before we leave the city. We will be safe there for a time."

"The embassy?" Aureus asked. "We can't waste any time. We need to be out of Alatyr before this spreads... I'm a danger to everyone!"

"The embassy is empty. There is a hidden place where we can stay."

He stood, drawing close. "Xio, we can't go deeper into the city. We have to get out!"

"There is a room there that may shed light on what is happening to you," she lied. "Locking ourselves in may block your new power. If it works, we could come closer to understanding your affliction."

"What room? What aren't you telling me?"

The inquisitor got to him, she thought. He is afraid and suspicious of motives not his own. Aloud, she said, "You guard your people's secrets just as I have guarded mine. We each have our obligations. Please, Aureus. This is the best course of action. You will find out more when we arrive."

"But what about the Arcanarium? If they think the Unseelie are involved, the Enclave might burn the embassy to the ground while we're inside!"

Xiomara placed her palm on his chest. It hurt now to touch him, but centuries of life taught her to hide pain when needed. Now, more than ever, she needed to hide it. She smiled. "We will be protected, my love—at least until dawn. We will need to leave before first light."

He considered, gripping her hand delicately between his own, and gingerly kissed the tips of her fingers. Then, he pulled Xiomara close.

Again, she ignored a swathe of agony. She ignored it because this would be one of the last times they would hold each other. Instead, she welcomed his warmth and ignored the smell of blood and burnt human flesh on his frayed clothing. She focused on his natural musk and the scent of wine on his breath—wine he'd undoubtedly sipped while packing.

As with most fae, Xiomara had never been apt to call any one place home for long. She was a being of magic and the wild. Home had always been where she lay her head to rest, but most of all, home had always been where her love resided, and her love was with Aureus.

"I'm sorry," Aureus said, kissing the top of her head. "Let's go to the embassy. If we can find a way to reverse this, I want to try."

She pulled away first and smiled, fearing Aureus would notice an involuntary twinge as he pulled another thread of magic from her.

She kissed him.

It was a lost cause, she knew, to try and preserve her life.

Tonight, Xiomara would die at home.

⊱─━━━━⊱༻●༺⊰━━━━─⊰

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