The Green Guardian

Chapter 23: Family Ties

  Song: "Mistakes" - Haiman Music

        Ben pulled Mateo's sleeve off his injured shoulder. He dug a cloth out of his bag and soaked it. "This may sting a little bit," he told Mateo. With that, he dabbed his shoulder.

Mateo flinched. He closed his eyes and snatched Evie's hand. He started to doze off.

Ben felt like a doctor. He removed the cloth from his friend's shoulder and asked, "On a scale of one to ten, what's your pain level right now?"

Did that include the pain in Mateo's shoulder, head, and tummy? If so, he had his answer: "9.125."

"9.125." Ben could not help but chuckle, the same as Evie. However, he quickly became serious again. "Crystal's gone to get Seranet's chief. He'll get you to the village hospital."

"I don't need a hospital," Mateo mumbled.

Ben scoffed. "Yes, you do, dude."

Evie's friends and Thebes watched the whole thing from the other side of the tunnel. Everybody stayed in the torches' lights.

Evie pressed her hand up against Mateo's forehead. She gulped. "Ben, his fever's back."

"I'm not surprised. He's pushing himself too hard." Ben dabbed Mateo's shoulder again. He jumped when his ranger device beeped from his pocket. Gulping, Ben lowered the cloth. He pulled Mateo's device out of his pocket and checked the collar ID. Dang it, he forgot that Mateo was supposed to call the Union whenever he got everybody to Seranet. Ben guessed Ranger Krysta became impatient. He took a deep breath and answered. "Hello?"

Not only did Ranger Krysta appear on the screen, but so did Ms. Brook and Maria. Oh great, that just made the situation even more uncomfortable. All three women were in what looked like a mini control room. A couple of computer monitors were behind them.

At the sight of Ben, Krysta blushed a little bit, but then she remembered her job. "Your Majesty, this is unexpected."

Ben was not somebody who liked to delay bad news, so he got straight to the point. "Yeah, we have a bit of a situation."

Fear flashed across Maria's face. On the verge of tears, she clutched at her heart. "Is my Mateo okay?"

"Uh..." Ben stammered. "Let's just say the basilisk paid a visit. Mateo thought it was wise to try to take it on by himself."

"What? Why?" Ms. Brook screeched.

Ben waved his hand. "I'll be frank with you, Ms. Brook... I think he's trying to get himself killed."

Scared, Maria slammed her palms down on the table where she, Ms. Brook, and Krysta sat. "So he's not okay?"

Ben shook his head. "No, not really. The basilisk injured his shoulder. His fever's also come back."

"Ugh!" Maria leaped to her feet. The force at which she did almost knocked the table over. She grabbed hold of her head. "Why, Mateo?"

Ranger Krysta stayed quiet. "But are y'all in Seranet?" she asked.

Ben nodded. "We are."

"Okay, good." Krysta sighed deeply. "Try to keep Mateo calm. Please. As soon as it's safe, we're going to send an ambulance your way to come pick him up. The fae can only do so much."

"And that's what I'm worried about," Ben admitted. His deep brown eyes rolled over to Thebes who glared at him. "You see, Ranger Krysta, humans aren't exactly friends with magical beings."