Alira, carefully pinching Johny's nose shut, dumped the contents of a potion bottle down his throat.
Johny sputtered and choked.
and then groaned, "Mom why does everything taste like regret… it's so cold." His voice cracked into tears and fainted again.
Kaelen wiped sweat from his brow. "He'll be fine. Just dizzy. He will wake up soon."
"Lucky," Neal muttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I really thought of burning the house down as an accident." He had thought of blaming Johny's death on an accidental house fire.
Alira's eyes widened and started sweating but for different reasons. Unable to believe what Neal had just said.
More or less Kaelen didn't hear or didn't care.
A Few Moments Later.
Johny sat on his bed, now bundled in a blanket, sipping warm water.
His face was pale. His eyes still wide. But alive.
"…so, just to be clear," he said hoarsely, "you fed me poison."
"It was purified," Kaelen countered, crossing his arms.
