Chapter 261: Episode 261.

He did not respond.

King Elijah watched silently. His eyes remained on his son.

Aire closed her eyes. A warm feeling stirred awake in her. Her fingers began glowing faintly, and soft silver light gathered beneath her skin.

Nate inhaled sharply.

The witches didn’t move.

Aire opened her eyes. “Give me a bowl.” Her voice came out thick, and hoarse. As though her throat were filled with cold. “And water.” She added.

The eldest witch immediately turned.

“A bowl.”

One of the younger witches rushed forward. Another followed. Within seconds, a shallow silver bowl was brought to Aire.

It was filled with clear water.

Aire looked at it, then at her own hair from her reflection. She reached toward the side of her head.

Her fingers caught one strand of silver hair.

She looked at it for a moment. “Blade?”

Nate reached into his pant, and a thin blade of silver light appeared between his fingers.

Nate stepped forward. “Aire?”

She didn’t answer. She simply took the blade from him, and cut the strand. The piece of silver hair fell into her palm.

Everyone watched.

Aire held the strand over the bowl.

Then something happened.

The hair moved. Not from the wind. Rather, it curled around her fingers. The silver strand brightened.

Aire stared at it, then gently pulled. A tiny flower emerged from it. It unfolded from the strand as though it had been sleeping inside it.

One petal cane forth, then another. Until a small silver-white flower rested between Aire’s fingers.

The witches looked horrified.

Not because it was frightening, but because what she was about to do was impossible.

The eldest witch whispered. “That…” She stopped.

Aire lowered the flower into the water. The moment it touched the surface, silver ripples spread across the bowl.

The water began glowing softly. Like moonlight reflected on a lake.

Aire looked down.

Her own reflection stared back at her. For one moment, she saw herself.

Then she saw something else. She saw a forest with a silver tree that had thousands of roots.

And somewhere beneath them, there was a heartbeat.

Aire inhaled. She picked up the bowl. It was heavier than she expected, or than it had been.

Nate immediately reached for it. “I’ll carry it.”

“No.” Her answer was weak, but certain.

She held it with both hands, then she turned toward Alaric.

She walked closer.

King Elijah finally looked at her. “What are you going to do?”

Aire didn’t answer immediately.

She didn’t know. Not completely. She only knew what she felt. Her feelings led her at the moment.

She stood beside Alaric.

The silver light in her fingers grew brighter.

She leaned down, and breathed in. She took in a slow breath. Almost like she was smelling the air around him.

Her eyes closed.

The room became completely silent.

Aire whispered. “Come back to me, Alaric.”

King Elijah’s eyes lowered.

Aire remained still. Her fingers tightened around the bowl. She whispered again. “Come back.”

The silver light over her chest appeared again. It came forward as a soft glow. It was barely visible, and then it spread down her arms, and into her fingertips.

The flower in the water opened completely.

A sudden wind moved through the chamber. The curtains lifted, and the candles flickered.

Aire’s silver hair rose around her shoulders.

She didn’t seem frightened.

She simply stood there with her eyes closed while she breathed slowly. The silver water began to rise from the bowl.

Thin streams of it floated upward. They twisted around Aire’s wrists, then flowed toward Alaric.

One stream touched his forehead, and another touched his chest. The Dark Fae magic beneath his skin reacted instantly.

Black veins flashed across his chest. They pushed back the silver water, with great force, and went back into his chest.

Aire’s eyes opened. Her expression changed. She looked almost angry. “Let him go.”

The silver light exploded. The black veins disappeared, and the room shook with a greater magnitude to cause an earthquake.

King Elijah stood abruptly. “What did you do?”

Aire didn’t answer. She stepped closer. Her hand hovered above Alaric’s heart. The silver light gathered there.

Then she pressed her palm against his chest. She waited for exactly twenty seconds, and yet nothing happened.

Aire’s eyes filled with tears. “Please.” Her voice broke. “Come back.”

The silver light pulsed.

Aire shut her eyes. A tear spilled free from her eyes, and her lips trembled. “I’m sorry.” She apologised, feeling worthless.

She had been sire she knew what she was doing. Yet, he wasn’t waking. Perhaps, she made a mistake. Or perhaps, the voice in her is that of the dark faes trying to play with her mind.

Aire sniffed, and slowly prepared to take her palm off him, when Alaric’s body suddenly jerked.

Aire gasped. Her hand remained against his chest. She pressed harder. “Alaric?”

He did not respond. Then, his chest rose. A little deeper this time.

Aire’s eyes widened.

King Elijah stepped closer. “Alaric?”

Aire swallowed when he did not respond. She lowered her forehead against his. “Please.” Her voice was barely audible. “You don’t get to leave.”

The silver light pulsed again. Harder this time.

The entire chamber trembled. The bowl slipped from Aire’s hands. It should have shattered, but it didn’t.

The water froze in midair, and the flower floated above it. Then everything dropped. The bowl landed softly on the floor.

Water spilled across the stone.

The flower remained glowing.

Aire knees wonbled, and she stumbled backward.

Nate caught her. “Aire.”

She barely heard him. Her eyes remained fixed on Alaric.

Alaric’s fingers twitched.

King Elijah stopped breathing for a second. His heart skipped a beat.

Aire stared. “Alaric?” She whispered, urging him to part his eyes.

His fingers moved again. His chest rose, and fell. Then suddenly, he coughed. He coughed once and hard.

The harsh, and broken sound of his cough tore through the silence.

Everyone froze.

Alaric’s eyes remained closed. But he coughed again, and again.

Aire’s lips parted. She let out a hope filled gasp. A single tear slipped down her cheek. She smiled, and whispered his name again.

“Alaric…”