The Tipping Of The Scales

The Tipping Of The Scales - Consequences Of Our Actions

Jordan's POV

 

I awoke in a bed. It was a strange thing to experience who just drove a sword through their chest, to awaken on a comfortable bed with plush pillows, a mattress that you could just sink into and lovely cotton sheets that smelt of rosemary. I sat up, wincing as a bolt of pain darted through my system – emanating from my chest. I looked down to see white bandages wrapped tightly across my chest, a crimson pattern visible from where the wound used to be. Swinging my legs to the edge of my bed, I used the wall as a handrail and managed to walk my way down the oak stairs, searching for the owner of the quaint little cottage. The stairs creaked under my heavy footsteps and I winced, the sound reminding me of nails being dragged down a chalkboard. I turned into what seemed like a living room, to see a purple figure staring at the floor, observing what seemed to be a battle going on underneath her floor. It was my lady, Ianite and she looked... proud?

"My lady?"

 

She turned almost instantly, rushing to my side and eyeing my bandaged wound with a sceptical look as she scolded me for getting up unaided. I winced as she put pressure on the wound; her immediate apologies making me feel guilty for making her worry. She led me into the living room and settled me in a chair, rushing around and ensuring that I was comfortable despite my constant reassurances that I was perfectly fine. My wound throbbed, a consistent pain in the back of my mind that lingered as I attempted to wave off Ianite's worries, her face set in a worried line as she saw through my tough guy façade. After a while she finally sat down on her own chair and turned to face me, a comforting smile on her face as she awaited the barrage of questions that were about to pour out of my mouth like a faucet. My brain raced, trying to sort my thoughts into a logical order in order to get my answers quickly.

"Are my friends okay?"

 

My lady's face lit up, a sense of pride and excitement in her eyes as she gestured at the see through floor I was desperately trying not to look at – heights were generally okay but looking at the entire world thousands of blocks below me was scary even for a heights enthusiast. I titled my head down, unconsciously tensing my arms on the chair as I stared at the world below me, making out the figures of my friends with their swords in their hands and the bodies of the shadow entities littering the floor around them. Black blood mixed in with red but nobody seemed seriously injured – even Nyx was up and walking around again, picking up the enemy and dropping them from a great height causing what bones the shadows had to splinter and collapse. The huge army I had stood against was being whittled down to stragglers, those that remained sprinting away only to be shot down in their attempt to seek safety, Chelcie and Lisette high fiving as they sniped. Sonja was helping Tucker, Tom hovering awkwardly to the side to ensure that he was ok, not really sure about how to talk to the happy couple.

My eyes then fell on where my body lay. It was strange, to see my body from the outside instead of in a reflection. I was crumpled on the floor, my body splayed across the floor with a sword sticking up into the air, its blade coated with crimson liquid. My body lay in a pool of blood, slowly sinking into the soil and crusting my clothes. Caitlin sat next to me, her expression blank as she just stared at me – seemingly confused. Part of me recognised that she was going to accept her face – the prophecy had predicted her potential death but my decision had tilted her perspective both of the world and of herself. Maybe now she could escape her own demons, use the shadow magic she was given for good instead of evil. My eyes scanned her for wounds, seeing most of her injuries slowly healing but the blood remaining where it was – the only evidence of the extensive trauma she had experienced.