Red Moon by Elizabeth Kelly

staring up at
Tristan.
    “Tristan?”  He whispered.  “What happened?” 
He looked in confusion at the pale and panting Avery.
    “Faeries.”  Tristan grunted.  He helped Marshall
to his feet and Maya handed him his pants.  He put them on, buttoning them
up quickly.  Tristan stared at Marshall’s torso.  Earlier there had
been at least a dozen stab wounds, oozing blood and foul poison, and now his
torso was perfectly smooth.  There were no open wounds and no scars.
    “Maya?  What happened?”  Marshall stared at her
arm.  The wound had clotted but there was a large chunk of flesh missing
from the top of her arm.
    She shook her head.  “I’ll explain later.”
    Tristan squeezed his bare shoulder.  “How do you feel?”
    Marshall stared at him.  “I feel…good.  I mean,
really good.  Like I could run for miles, you know?  I’m hungry.”
    Behind him, Tristan could hear Avery stirring and Maya
ducked around him to help her.  “Go to the wagon, brother and help Leo and
Jeffrey watch for more faeries.  We’ll be leaving shortly.”
    “Aye.”  Rubbing his head, a confused look on his face,
Marshall left them.  Tristan turned to see Avery rising to her feet. 
She had put his shirt back on, and she smiled weakly at him as she weaved
unsteadily.
    “Avery?  Do you need to sit down?”  Maya asked, a
worried look crossing her face.  She had never seen Avery looking so sick
before.  Her face was completely void of colour and there were deep, dark
circles under her eyes.
    “I’m okay.”  She whispered.  “I need to rest
though.”  She suddenly coughed harshly, holding her side and wincing.
    “I just need sleep.”  She took a step forward and Maya
gasped as she staggered and collapsed.
    “Avery!”  Maya crouched down next to her and hesitated,
looking at her arm as Tristan knelt beside her.
    “I cannot touch her.”  She whispered.  “If I do,
her body will try to heal my arm.  She’s too weak.  I’ve never seen
her like this before.”
    Tristan reached for Avery, and Maya grabbed his arm. 
“Were you hurt in the attack?  Is there any part of you that needs
healing?”
    He shook his head.  “No, I’m fine.”  He picked up
Avery and carried her to the carriage.  “We need to get her to my
home.  There will be a soft bed and food waiting for her there.”
    “We should hurry.”  Maya said softly as she followed
him to the carriage.
    “I know.”  He replied grimly.
    * * *
     
    “Why does she not wake?”  Tristan stared down at the
still-unconscious Avery.  They had travelled the rest of the journey to
his home without incident and he had immediately carried Avery to his room,
Maya following at his heels.  He had tucked her into his bed and Maya had
sat beside her.  She was careful not to touch Avery, and they had been
waiting for close to an hour for her to wake up.
    “I do not know, m’lord.”  Maya said, despair in her voice. 
“Usually she only needs to rest for a bit and then she is fine.  But I
have never seen her try to heal someone hurt so deeply.  Perhaps she just
needs more time to heal her own body?”
    “There must be something we can do.”  Tristan paced the
large room, staring out the window at the growing darkness.
    Maya hesitated.  “There may be something we can try.”
    “What?”
    “Avery does not just absorb people’s sicknesses.  She
can also absorb their health.  She uses it to help herself heal
faster.  If you’re sure you are not hurt in any way, it may help if you
lie with her.”
    “Why did you not say something sooner?”  He said
angrily.  He pulled his shirt over his head and started to unbutton his
pants.  “Naked helps right?”
    She nodded.  “Aye.”
    He stripped and slipped into the bed beside Avery.  He
pulled her shirt off and gathered her naked body into his arms.  He lay on
his side, pulling her flush against him.  He stared up at Maya as Avery’s
head clunked down on to his chest.  He