A PLAGUE WORSE THAN THOUGHT

SELENE'S POV

This was utter chaos and I felt sick to my stomach.

“Nyx! Don't just stand there! Hold him” Seraphina yelled at me, her eyes wide as she gestured to the warrior frothing at the mouth violently.

Shit shit.

It had been two hours. Just two hours since I had brought in that man to the already filled med bay and I was already drained out of my soul. For Seraphina, it seemed almost easy. Damn, the old woman was a hard nut to crack.

She had been hopping from one bed side to the other and making sure all the patients were stable when suddenly this man started convulsing and I was feeling sick as I watched him trash about.

As soon as I gripped his arm, I held him down and stared at her with fear in my eyes. “What's wrong with him? The Soulfern herb stabled the others from fits. What's wrong with him?” I asked, sweat beading down my head.

There were 7 other medics here who were helps and taking orders from us but the fear in their eyes as they stood a good feet away from the trashing man told me that they would rather be quarantined with their families than be here.

“You!” I nodded to a man with slightly ginger hair. I didn't recognize him as a healer from my pack so he was probably from Ronan's pack. It was really ironic seeing how the two packs had to merge to survive the plague.

The man quickly rushed forward, his eyes wide. “Yes, Medic Nyx?”

“Hold his legs. I need to check something” I muttered, my brain racking through the little things that I had learnt from the handbook that I stole from Seraphina’s house.

Seraphina was pressing a warm piece of cloth to the man's head and slowly but surely, he was calming down, his breathing ragged and his eyes glassy. “What do you want to check? His eyes? Unfocused… it's almost like…” She paused and looked at me.

The look she gave me was far from comforting and I inched closer to the head of the bed where I gently pried his eyes open only to quickly shuffle back in fear. What the…?

“Why does he… he's not dead… yet his eyes… they look…dead” I looked the man over again, my eyes catching the faint shallow breathing motions of his chest before I looked back up at Seraphina. She dropped the towel into a bucket and handed it over to a female medic who quickly rushed to the back to dispose of it.

She stared at the calm man and nodded to the medic whom I had called to leave him as he was now stable and then she looked at me. “Follow me”

Without waiting for another word, she started walking towards the back of the choked up med bay, the air heavy with the damp smell of wet leaves, herbs and… death.

When we got there, she started washing off her hands, nodding at me to do the same which I quickly did. “Use the Soulfern, it's the best we can use to make sure we don't get down with the plague also” She muttered, grabbing a few leaves which she used to scrub her palms.

I hesitated before doing the same. “We'll run out at this rate”

She paused and looked at me like she was trying to figure out something and for a split second, I wondered if she could see through my lie. Emelia had said that there should be no way that Seraphina would notice, after all, she was normal… she wouldn't sense the imbalance but she was Nyx's mother for the goddess's sake! She was a mother! A mother's bond to her child was something that went beyond all explainable concepts.

“I've spoken to the Alpha and Luna of the pack. They'll get more in the morning. It seems there's going to be a storm tonight but we won't run out. We just hope we can find out what this thing is and fix it… This is not what we expected… remember what I told you about the plague a few months back when a pack to the east reported a first case?” Her foot was lightly tapping against the floor as she stared at me.

I did not in fact remember. Nyx's memories were shut off from me and according to Emelia, they would be open to me in due time but at times like this, I really wished I could access them.

“Yes” I lied through my teeth.

She dried her hands and looked at me. “There's a high chance that we're dealing with something much bigger. It could get worse. That man that was convulsing? It's not normal symptoms. He's been down with the plague for two days and he's exhibiting…weird symptoms which makes me wonder…what if… what if this thing is evolving? Adapting? Making itself worse? A silent killer, Nyx. A silent killer. That's what this thing is. I'll keep a close eye on that man, Bed 32. I'll inform the Alpha also”

I quickly cut in, my hands on my hips as I understood how grave this situation was. “No. Let's make our own research first, mum” The words rolled off my tongue really easily and she tilted her head at me weirdly.

“Are you okay, Nyx? Look… if this is…” she paused and sighed. “I know this isn't the life you wanted to pursue and I'm sorry but…please… help me, Nyx. You're my daughter, I need you. After this… you can finally leave and chase your dreams. You're silent about it but I know you still hate me for that” She looked pained and desperate for a second.

The silence that followed was choking and I stared at her in confusion. What? Nyx didn't want to be a healer like her mother?

Seraphina looked away. “I should go talk to the other medics now that we have this under control. They're scared and it's not helping” She didn't wait for me to say a word before she walked out of the back room which was the cleaning room.

I stared at the door, long after she shut it and my lips slightly parted in silent consternation.

“You knew…” I said to Emelia in my mind and she perked up instantly, her presence lazy but as she spoke, her voice held no bite, just resignation and remorse.

“Yes… it was not my place to tell. You have a lot to learn about your host, Selene. Good things and bad things… Nyx…” She paused. “The moon goddess sent a message as you spoke to Medic Seraphina”

My ears perked up instantly. “What did she say?”

The best thing I could use right now was some help and some answers. What better place to get them than from the moon goddess herself?

“She said the nights holds answers but only to those willing to dream. The goddess wishes to speak to you…tonight”