The Raven's Source

Chapter 16 - A Darker Night

She jumped to her feet and threw her jumper back on, gently pulling Shej away from the front door and putting a blanket over him so she could open it. "Cerno!" she cried at the top of her lungs, running along the path.

She didn't get far before two cloaked guards stepped out of the tree line in front of her and she froze. She didn't think about Cerno keeping guards in the forest around their house for their protection too.

"Sheja's not breathing, I need help!"

One figure looked to the other and wordlessly, the second turned down the path towards Cerno's mansion.

"Come, show me where Shej is," the male voice insisted.

Getting back up to the house, the man lowered his hood as he kneeled next to Shej and Leena could see he was bald with dark skin. He placed a hand on Shej's chest and it began to glow green. Shej's eyes were still lifeless.

"Sheja?" Cerno's voice broke the silence as he ran in the door in nothing but pajama pants. He saw Shej laying on the floor with the guard trying to assist him and quickly fell to his knees across from the guard, rolling Shej flat onto his back. "What happened?" He pushed the guard's hand out of the way as he placed both over Shej's chest. As he closed his eyes, the room immediately filled with a bright golden light.

"He just stopped breathing and collapsed!" Leena cried. She stood in the middle of the living room to stay out of the way. She couldn't hold herself up anymore and collapsed to her knees, her hands placed over her heart as she prayed and watched.

Having noticed Shej was wearing nothing under the blanket, he looked around the room. After his eyes fell on a black vial sitting on the kitchen counter, he sternly asked, "First time?"

"Far from it," she replied immediately, knowing Cerno was trying to deduce what happened but unsure why he was looking toward the kitchen.

"Come on, Sheja..." he pleaded. After a moment, the glow faded and Cerno put his ear to Shej's chest just as Leena had. "I...I can't hear a heartbeat..."

Leena froze, her eyes wide and mouth agape. No... she cried to herself.

"There isn't much, but his source is still trickling through his veins," Rosalie's voice arose as she walked in. She kneeled next to Cerno and took his hand, placing it flat on Shej's chest again, resting her hand on top. "Shut out your panic and listen to it. Can you feel it?"

Cerno wiped his face and did as Rosalie advised, his heart skipping a beat as he felt what she spoke of. "Shej's not dead?"

"Not yet. Let's get him down to the hospital, his body can only survive so long on just source and even then, there isn't much," she advised as she stood. The bald guard leaned down and lifted Shej up into his arms, keeping him wrapped in the blanket.

Leena felt helpless seeing Shej hang limp in the guard's arms. As he turned to leave, she jumped to her feet. "I'm coming with you."

Cerno walked over and picked up the ice-cold vial. He popped the cork from it and looked inside, sighing with additional sadness noticing that none of the contents were missing and the vial was still full. As Leena bolted after the guard carrying Shej, he interjected. "No, you're staying with me," Cerno said, stepping up quickly and catching her. "We need to talk."

Her heart sank and tears flowed from her eyes as Shej vanished from her view.

Cerno noticed bloody footprints all around Leena and instantly scooped her up into his arms. "You ran outside barefoot and cut yourself? Let's get you back to my place, you can't stay here alone tonight."