He Left Me - KotLC fic (after Unlocked)

Chapter 11

Gisela spun around, catching Vespera's wrist before they both disappeared without so much as a flash. One second, they were there, and the next, they were gone. My friends and bodyguards collapsed into movement without her holding them back, Wylie throwing himself forward. Sandor rushed toward me.

Wylie reached me first. "Needle," I gritted out, refusing to look at my broken bones. I swiped my tongue over my teeth, smiling with satisfaction at the taste of iron. I had scared Gisela.

Wylie carefully grasped the gadget and gently pulled it out of my arm. I gasped as control came back to me, wobbling on unprepared legs and collapsing to my knees. My arm tingled, stabbing pains radiating from the needle point.

Suddenly Dex and Wylie were supporting me, each of them wrapping an arm around my side to help me up. Dex avoided touching my broken arm, supporting me from close to the shoulder. A few of the Councilors ran—literally ran—over.

"Healing Center," Biana ordered. She and Stina led the way through the halls. My bodyguards, Bronte, Oralie, and Terik followed us as Dex and Wylie half-carried me.

Elwin nearly screamed when he saw my arm, but Bullhorn remained curled silently in his bed against the wall. He rushed into his office space, gathering a huge number of elixirs and a roll of bandages.

"I know its bad if Bullhorn screams, but what about when Elwin does?" I asked no one in particular, finally mustering the courage to inspect my mangled limb as Elwin began forcing bottles into my lap.

Everyone avoided my gaze, staying quiet. The Councilors murmured among themselves.

Eventually, I couldn't take it. "What?"

Biana was the only one who looked at me from where she stood leaning against Dex. 

"Why are you all acting like I'm a dead body?" I twitched, earning a glare and a quiet scolding from Elwin, which I ignored.

Biana shifted. "You were.... A little scary, Sophie. The way you talked back, and then you spit blood at Gisela..."

"It's a lot to take in," Dex finished quietly.

I looked around at them, trying to muster any shame. But honestly, I didn't care. Gisela deserved it all. Keefe was dead because of her and her experiment.

"Sophie, maybe you should tone down the indifference," Stina mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't care what she did to you. Maybe you should've." She held my gaze.

"Why?"

"Because you have people that care about you. And now you have to heal, and it's time we don't have. Keefe died to keep you safe more than anyone else. Maybe you should honor that."

I hardened, freezing like a marble statue. Stina turned, muttering something about waiting outside. Slowly, everyone filed out, Dex shooting me an unreadable look before he too left with Elwin. 

Keefe died to keep you safe. You should honor that.

Stina's words rang in my head. But honestly, I couldn't. I had to win this war, for him.

And if I had to die to do so, then I would see him again. I leaned back, resting my head against the wall behind me and closing my eyes with a faint smile. I could almost see him and his carefully mussed hair, ready to welcome me into whatever afterlife the elves had. 

Elwin returned, giving me a worried look before he started talking about how he'd have to set the bones. I hardly heard him, thinking over Stina's words.

With an audible cracking noise, my broken bone slid back into place in my arm. I settled into the feeling of fire in my flesh, almost enjoying the pain. What did it matter if I got hurt? We all had to make sacrifices to win this war. Broken bones were nothing compared to the loss of life. They were nothing compared to how much losing him had hurt me.

Elwin snapped his fingers in front of my nose. "Earth to Sophie, are you okay? I said I'd have to add another picture of you in here and you didn't react at all."

"Sorry, Elwin, I wasn't paying attention."

Elwin studied me. He reached for a few bottles and passed them to me. "You know, Soph, you mean a lot to a lot of people. You have to take care of yourself for them."

"Keefe meant a lot to me." I choked down the sweet syrups, sort of sad to feel the pain leave with waves of cool relief.

His shoulders drooped, and he sat next to me on the cot as he started wrapping my fingers and forearm. "I know. I loved him too, believe it or not." Elwin's eyes shined with unshed tears. "You know, when he was a second year, he broke a whole rack of bottles in Elementalism. On accident, of course. Poor kid was so panicked about how his dad would react. I nearly had to sedate him to get him to listen to me. He sliced up himself on the broken glass. We never told his dad." Elwin sniffed, moving on to wrapping the break in my forearm.

I sat quietly, trying not to picture a young, insecure Keefe. The scared, broken boy I saw in his room in Alluveterre, surrounded by loose sticky notes covered with questions. The scared boy I talked to the night before I lost him.

"Sophie, you have to take care of yourself. For him, if no one else. He wouldn't want you in here." Elwin stared up at the picture of Keefe that hung next to mine, the one he added sometime after Keefe's fight with Dimitar. "He tried to protect you."

"And he died for it." My voice was shockingly cold, surprising even me at the tone. "Keefe died for me, and now I'm willing to die ending this war."

Elwin bit his lip, but after a few moments, he just offered me a sad smile. "Try not to, though."

When I didn't respond, he handed me a bagful of elixirs to take home, and then gave the all-clear for leaping.

"Thanks, Elwin." I tried to smile, but when nothing came, I just nodded, raising my home crystal to the light.

I saw him turn away, grabbing his imparter as I glittered away.