Light of Stars [2]

Chapter Sixty-One

♕ Raven Eyes ♕

The world had turned to ashes of scattered glass. There were cuts on every centimeter of her body, some deeper than others. Some that would never heal right. Her tattoos shining through them, fixing her slowly, slower than ever before. She tried to open her eyes, tried to see past the fog, tried to breathe past it but it felt thicker each time she dared to take a breath.

"Raven?"

Her voice felt weak, cracked, her throat dry and itchy. Vereena closed her eyes shut, her eyes watering as she did. When she opened them again, her vision was slightly better, but her mind was slowly starting to drift into places she'd never dared wonder before. Her heart felt frozen inside her chest, like she could barely breathe, barely allow herself to stay breathing.

She cried out, feeling glass stuck inside her right leg.

"Raven!" Vee yelled louder, not caring if her voice teared apart, she needed to know. She needed to find her.

Her hands trembled as she pushed herself up from the floor. Every muscle on her body trying to give up on her. When she stood, there was nothing but rocks and glass and misery around her. She could hear the distant cry of people, desperation and grief. Much like her own voice had sounded. Vereena felt her heart break further, her arms were slightly uncovered now, all of her clothing ripped apart in one way or another. Her markings glowing in the dark. And she could not spot any others.

She tried to move, walk, go. But her body didn't feel like her own.

"Raven" the word fell from her lips like a whisper, and then, just before she was about to close her eyes and let herself fade away, she saw it. Underneath the broken walls of the fallen castle, in the middle of the earth shattering pieces of glass, through the fog and the mind numbing cries of the people around her, she saw Raven's black hair, saw her, alive and breathing and well, running from one side of what once was their home to the other, dragging people from underneath the ground. Helping them out. Doing her job. Their job. She felt herself sob, and did not stop her eyes from shading tears of relief.

Vereena moved, running, crawling, to her, Raven's eyes met hers and her face shifted. She ran. Vereena felt her soul lighter.

"Ninth hell" Raven cursed, falling beside her, both of her hands at the sides of her face. "Baby are you okay?"

Vereena sadly laughed, nodding. Leaning towards her and kissing her. Raven moved away too quickly, shaking her head. And then she remembered they were not an us anymore, she was no longer allowed to kiss her hello or goodbye. Her smile faded along with Raven's touch.

"I thought you had..." Vereena said, letting her hear the horror in her voice. She shook her head, tears falling from her eyes again.

"I'm okay" Raven whispered. "I thought..."

Vereena shook her head. Both of them stared at each other for forever, until the looming darkness around them forced them to look away, to move from the midst of it. Raven placed her arms around her waist, helping her up, helping her move away. But every second they spent so close to each other made Vereena want to scream at herself from running away from her, issues or not. Her name repeated inside her mind like a prayer.

Her eyes shifted to her, a small frown placed in the middle of her forehead as she concentrated. Looking around for guards or marked ones, looking for a place to hide.

"Rave" Vereena said, her voice sounded weak. She felt weak and scared. "Where's Taj and Nova?"

Raven turned away from her. Shaking her head. "I don't know"