Aestivus

9. holy shit I'm dying

EDWARD

His instincts are screaming at him again. Someone was staring at him, and it definitely wasn't Aneirin. He had to get away from the crowd as soon as possible. Shoving the slime in his bag, he dashed for the mountains.

A gaping ravine opened up in front of him. He skidded to a stop and turned around just in time to dodge a flying violet blur. He ran along the side of the ravine, looking for a safer way across, but all he could find was a suspension rope bridge, which is a terrible idea at the moment. Without another choice, he went into a full sprint, hopefully gaining momentum and threw himself across the chasm.

Just as he was reaching the other side, another purple flash chipped ever so little off the edge. Ed slipped, allowing a dagger to sink into his right thigh. He scrambled onto land, reaching back to pull out the dagger, but it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. He tried to heal but was forced back on his feet as the woman with violet eyes caught up and started to cross the bridge. Following some nailed in footholds, he made his way halfway up a slope.

Suddenly, a dagger nailed his left forearm to the rocks with a shink, shooting a bolt of intense pain up his arm. He stifled a scream, unable to remove the dagger without dealing more damage. A second dagger grazed his neck, threatening to burst a vein if he moved. And then, a third... between his right ribs.

Pneumothorax, he thought as he struggled to breathe, his vision slowly blacking out. The howl of wind silenced as he attempted to hang on to the ledge for just a few more seconds before he lost grip of that as well. Then, all he saw was darkness.

In the darkness, there was a milky river flowing through the black sand. It was a familiar sight, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. As he reached out for it, his senses started flooding back to him. First pain, in his ribs and limbs, then the sound of someone... calling his name.

He blinked as his pain begun to fade, blindly reaching out and grabbing whatever was closest to him. He's at the foot of the mountain again. But Aneirin is here now. He winced as another bolt of pain shot through his chest as he attempted to fix his lungs.

Aneirin helped him sit up against the side of the mountain. "Calm down kid, you'll be fine."

A woman in full armour stood over them. "Yea. As if sitting him up is gonna fix that gaping hole in his chest, Aneirin."

Ed focused on the wound in his chest, stopping the bleeding. There's no point sealing the holes without drawing the air out. "I need to get the air out," he gasped, "I healed one side." "Try to stay still. I'll see what can I do." Aneirin placed his hand on the still open wound for a few seconds, a soft breeze surrounds them as he begins to sing, in a language Ed could not understand. The pain from inside his chest vanished, and he could breathe properly again.

The wound closed, and he finally let go of whosever's hand he held on to. "A healer... without a rune. Sounds like those people from Siren's Song and Covaya." The woman noted, stepping back. "You sure we can trust this kid?"

Aneirin sighed. "Even if you don't, there are orders to protect him at least until we figure out why are the runes suddenly so hostile towards a kid." The woman with purple eyes snapped her fingers. "Don't judge a book by its cover. That thing is dangerous. Now it's gonna glue to you people and eat everyone or something."

The other woman rolled her eyes. "If only you were this firm when facing the Queen of Night." Aneirin looked back at Ed, picking him up like a normal child. "Do you need to buy anything else?" Ed shook his head in response, "I can't eat vegetables but... guess I'll have to stay out of sight for now." Aneirin nodded. "I'll get you some of everything else then, you should be safer staying with... him."

The swordswoman glared over at them, her grey eyes cold as steel. "I'll bring this one to Vlad. Just pray that you won't have to scrub the toilets for the next month."

After the other two left, Ed poked Aneirin. "She doesn't seem to like Rem. What happened between them?" "Kalinka holds grudges. Sometimes Remiel is too stubborn to apologize," Aneirin explained with a sigh, "Just leave them be. You better stay inside... he should keep the others off you."

*** ***

The Queen of the Night strode across the ashen landscape, her dress woven from the damned souls of Tartarus. In the centre of the clearing before her stood a throne of entwined silver vines, sat a girl in a plain chiton, casually examining one of the rubies dangling from her bracelet.

"Coming here in person must have been tiring, Miyako," the "Princess" mused. "What's it this time? I hope you still remember out meeting a few months back. We will not be as merciful this time."

Miyako laughed, performing a curtsy as the Princess's gaze pierced through her. "Syntyche, we know you're seeking a way out of this world. My sirens are my ears all across the world. With our help, you will be able to open the altar gates at will, and harness the power to bridge worlds..."

Syntyche's blue eyes burned in anger. "Haven't you learnt anything from your sister's death? Your last attempt jammed yourself in this world. There's no telling what will happen if it fails again."

"If you're not helping, then try not to stand in my way when the time comes."