The Art of Chaos and Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Din paced the floor of sitting room, hands clasped behind his back.  

It had been hours since the duel between Valda and Darth Fayal and Valda still had not returned to her rooms.  Dusk had fallen and with it the temperatures, moving from the scalding afternoon heat to comfortable warmth.  He crossed the floor again, ready to storm out the door and begin searching on his own when the hiss of air made him stop.

Valda stood in the door way, eyes blank.  Her skin was still smudged with dirt and blood from earlier.  Din took a step forward, unsure of what to say as she entered the room.  She wore her outer robes again.  

"Valda?  Where... are you okay?"

His voice seemed to snap her out of it and she blinked.  "I'm fine.  Just going to shower."  Her voice was dead.  Empty.  He tried to reach through the bond but... there was nothing there but a black void.  

Valda moved silently past him and into her quarters.  She disappeared around the corner, leaving him alone in the room.  He heard the water begin to run.  Din resumed his pacing.  She was anything but fine.  And where had she been all these hours?

Time moved slowly, first thirty minutes, then an hour and then and hour and fifteen minutes.  The water was still running.  Din's worry grew into fear and he stood outside the door to her bathing chambers.  Finally, he knocked.  "Valda?"

No answer.

His fear increased as he yet again tried and failed to sense her through the bond.  It was empty.  Completely closed off.  "Valda?  Valda, I'm coming in."

No answer.

He tried the door and it hissed open, unlocked.  The steam was thick inside, so much so he could barely see.  Through the tempered glass he could faintly see her form inside the rinse station, curled on the ground.  

"Valda?"  He asked softly, over the noise of the water.  There was no answer but she rose to her feet, slowly, as if in pain.  The water stopped.  She opened the glass door, not caring if he saw her or not.  Din glanced down at the ground as she stepped out and wrapped a towel around her body.  

"Will you please say something?"  Din begged as she walked past him.  

Water gleamed on the tattoos that ran down her arms, across her shoulders and down her back.  He had never seen anything like it in his life.  They were visible on her lower legs too.

She swiped a hand across the foggy mirror.  "What do you want me to say?" Her voice was hoarse. 

"Just... just tell me you're okay."

"I'm fine." 

"Why can't I feel you?"  Din took a step forward. 

Valda bowed her head, raven hair dripping water down her back.  Her fingers gripped the edge of the sink.  "Because," she said finally, "I didn't want you to feel this." 

"Feel what?  I've felt your pain before, Valda."  Din watched her back expand and contract as she sucked in a deep breath and shook her head. 

"Not this," she whispered, the words barely audible. 

"Valda..." Din crossed the floor to her.

She turned to face him.  "I killed them."  Her voice cracked.  "He... he sent me to kill them all.  Said it was my right." 

"Kill who?"  Din searched her face.  "The Sith King sent you to kill who?"

She  closed her eyes.  "Their entire bloodline.  Everyone in the household." 

Realization dawned on him.  "The two Twi'leks?  They were sisters... he sent you to kill the rest of the bloodline?"

A shallow nod.  "They both challenged my place... they both were defeated.  He..." she choked out the words.  "He deemed them unworthy of a place in the Sith hierarchy.  So he sent me kill everyone., oh gods."  She pressed a hand to her side, fingers gripping the edge of the sink.

Din saw blood seep through the fabric.  "You're hurt, Valda."

She shook her head.  "No, I'm fine- it's just a cut."

The spot was spreading.  Din reached out to steady her as she swayed on her feet.  "That's more than a cut."

She eased out a breath.  "Let me... get dressed first.  Then you can look at it."

"Alright," Din backed out of the steaming room, turning his back.  He heard the towel sliding to the ground and her sharp hiss of pain.  Fabric rustled and then her heard her footsteps coming out of the bathroom.  He spun around.

She had on tight black pants and a sleeveless top, the tattoos on her arms matching the black of her clothes.  She gripped the edge of the door, knees buckling.

"Shit," Din moved forward, catching her as she sank to the floor.  He carefully rolled up her shirt.  A lengthy cut split her right side, blood welling from the wound.  Bruises climbed along her rib cage. 

"How-how bad?"  She gasped out the words.

Din shook his head.  "Save your energy.  Do you have any medial supplies?"

She nodded.  "In there, right cabinet."   She pointed to the storage units stacked along the way.  Din rose and opened the cabinet door.  He rifled through, selecting what he needed.  He kneeled beside her.  "I can stop the bleeding and disinfect it but then you should go to the med-bay here.  They'll be able to fix it better-"

"No," she gripped his wrist with surprising strength.  "No," she panted.  "Do it here."

"Valda-"

She shook her head.  "I'm not going there.  Do it here."

"I'll have to close the wound-"

"There's a cauterizer in there too."  She jerked her chin at the cabinet.  "Use that."

Din started.  "I can't- you'll feel everything."

"Do it." 

Din stared at her and then relented.  "Okay.  Okay, I'll do it.  Let me clean it."   

Valda let go of his wrist and held her shirt up for him.  He applied the anit-bacti patch to the wound.   While it cleaned the wound he located the cauterizer and brought it back to where Valda was on the floor.  "Are you sure?"

She nodded.

Din tore a piece of fabric from the canopy above the bed.  "Here."

Valda took it and placed it in her mouth, biting down on it.

Din turned on the cauterizer.  "Ready?"

Valda nodded and closed her eyes.  Din swallowed against the sick feeling in his stomach and started at the edge of the wound.  Valda's body arched, fingers finding his other arm and gripping hard against the Beskar.  A muffled scream escaped her mouth. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Din whispered and kept going.  As he reached the end of the wound her grip slackened at last, her screams dying out.  Din turned the cauterizer off as Valda plunged into unconsciousness.