Lost and alone, disheartened by failure and wanting only to go home, Thomas Gown and his companions face the darkest hour of their lives when they stumble across a remnant of the once mighty Agglemonian Empire. There they make a stunning discovery t...
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“I’m worried about Lenny,” said Thomas anxiously.
He looked over at where the demi shae was sitting apart from the others, seemingly barely aware that they were still in the room with her. She was sitting on the edge of a luxuriously padded armchair, her chin in her hands, staring absently at a spot on the opposite wall, something she’d been doing more and more frequently just lately.
Her eyes had lost much of their customary gleam and sparkle. Her normally clear, almost translucent skin was dull and lifeless and her long dark hair, normally so soft, silky and full of lustre, was now hanging limply around her face, reminding the others disturbingly of a shroud. She no longer combed it as regularly as she used to, prompting Diana to insist that she comb it for her, to which the demi shae agreed half heartedly, not seeming to care one way or the other. She’d even once told the others that she was considering cutting it to shoulder length, to make it easier to handle, and that was when Thomas really knew that something was wrong. Although her dark hair betrayed the human blood flowing through her veins, it had nevertheless always been her pride and joy and she’d never cut it, not even when, as a little girl, it had hung down to her ankles.
The really telling thing, however, was the change in her manner, her personality. She hardly ever laughed any more. She would occasionally manage a weak smile at most, and it had been ages since she’d pulled one of her famous pranks on Jerry.
“Look at her,” continued Thomas, speaking softly so she wouldn’t hear him. “She’s looking worse now than ever. She’s getting worse every day.”
“I’ve noticed it too,” agreed Diana. “Is that what you warned us about? A reaction to being kept underground for so long?”
“I think so,” agreed Thomas. “First the Underworld, then here. No sight of the sky. No sun, no stars. No wind or rain. It’s only because of her human heritage that she’s coping so well. A pureblooded shae girl would have been climbing the walls by now.”
“What can we do for her?” asked Jerry quietly, knowing better than the others the acuteness of shayen hearing.
“Get her back home, as quickly as possible,” replied Thomas. “In the meantime, cheer her up. Make her laugh. Brighten her up as much as possible. It probably won’t cure her, but it might slow the process down a little. Perhaps give her months instead of weeks.”
“Months instead of weeks before what?” asked Jerry apprehensively.
Thomas sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. “I think she’ll just keep getting worse. Eventually she might just fade away.”
“I wish I could do something,” said Diana, “but this isn’t the kind of sickness I can cure.” She put her hand on Thomas’s and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I think this is the kind of healing that only you can do.” The young wizard nodded sadly.
