Vuroth's Tear: Even the Gods Cry

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Donovan awoke to a cold feeling spreading across his body. He could feel the dulled aches and pops of his bones shifting back into place and mending, the swelling in his face faded and he opened his eyes. Verik stood over him, a hand on Donovan's bare chest and the other on his cheek. Analda held his hand to keep him calm.

"What happened?" He gently pulled his hand free of Analda and sat up to look around. It was his room they were in.

Aven sat in the chair in the far corner of the room, covered almost completely in blood that was just beginning to dry and flake from his skin. Donovan could see his friend shaking from anger. That's when it came back to Donovan, the brothers attacking, Verik and Aven coming back just in time to save Analda from a terrible fate.

"Analda," Donovan said, taking her hand again, "are you alright?"

There was a long pause from her before she finally nodded, "Aven saved me before..."

Donovan looked at Aven again. He had seen his friend having trouble coming down from a rage before, but this was unlike anything he had seen before. It was almost frightening to see, Aven usually had such control over his anger but when he did lose it, it was chaos and messy.

Donovan could see something else in Aven, hidden beneath the rage. It took some time for Donovan to realize what it was, it was fear. Donovan noticed Aven's eyes were locked on Analda and he could tell just how much he cared for her.

He squeezed Analda's hand, "I'm sorry, Analda. I should have been able to keep you safe."

It was then that Aven stood and left the room. Analda started after him but Donovan held her hand tight, "Give him time."

"Yes, he needs time alone to release his rage. Let him have it." Agreed Verik.

Donovan stood and stretched his sore body with a wince, "I've seen him angry before, but never like this."

"He has his reasons, Donovan. His anger is his strength, he's still learning how to handle it." Verik rested a hand on Donovan's shoulder, "You need to get some rest."

Donovan shoved the cold hand away from him, "I'm fine," He looked deeply into Verik's solid ice blue eyes, "What do you know that we don't?"

Verik sighed, "He never told you about his mother?" Donovan shook his head, "When he was a child, a man broke into their home. He almost died trying to protect her, that's how he got the scar on his arm. His mother was killed in front of him."

Donovan wondered why Aven had never told him, "How do you know about it?"

Verik hesitated, debating if he should answer. Finally, he spoke, "I was the one who found them. His arm was torn open and he was very close to death. I don't know how someone as young as he was could have survived with so much blood loss. He was unconscious in a dried puddle of his own blood. His mother had been dead for days, maybe even a week by the time I got there. Her clothes were cut open, they raped her before cutting her throat." He paused and looked at Analda, thankful that she hadn't suffered the same fate, "I healed his arm and brought him to the local temple. I stayed for a few days, until I knew he would survive, then I left."

"You just left him alone after he just lost his mother?" Donovan was furious. He knew Aven had always had reasons that he had feared abandonment, but never pushed an explanation.

"It was what was best for him. Just being there for as long as I had put him in danger. A Mage has his duties and others hunt Mages to stop them from hunting evil. I couldn't stay any longer and taking him with me would have been just as unsafe for him. I made the right choice," Verik snapped back.