Artemis and Caspian: The Spy

Chapter Twenty Eight

Artemis stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her. Her legs felt weak supporting her weight, buckling from underneath. Giving up the fight with gravity, she let her back slide down the wooden door, collapsing into a fit of hot tears. She hated feeling this way, powerless, it made her feel weak and she was furious. Furious at Deacon and his manipulation, furious at Allister for listening to him and most of all furious at herself for failing. She buried her head in her hands as small tears turned into waves, racking her body. Everything in her rational mind told her to stop, to pull herself together but her body was unhinged and unresponsive letting raw emotions control every fiber of her being. She needed to find a port in this storm.

Fighting to get up, Artemis wiped a rough hand across her face and stumbled to the desk where her incomprehensible notes lay strewn across the wood, looking just as disheveled as she did. She leaned heavily on it as she plopped down into the wooden chair. She needed to find something, anything, anything that was big enough to convince the King to send her to Calatan.

Artemis frantically ripped through the papers with weeks of incoherently scribbled nonsense blotting the pages. There was nothing useful. A mention of this, a part of that. Artemis tore her hands through her hair. It made no sense. Bits and pieces of potions, a figment from a dream, what did it all mean? She clutched a piece tightly as she read, scanning every line for an answer. Nothing. Crumpling the paper up and throwing it aside she let her head hang heavily in her hands as she took deep breaths. Maybe all this was just the ramblings of an insane insomniac. She was in the middle of wiping her tears away roughly with the back of her hand when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Caspian entered tentatively and walked over to the witch, his arms crossed one over the other with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said bluntly as more of a bluff than an answer.

"Artemis, please-" he pleaded, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Caspian, don't worry about me."

"I can't help it-"

"I said I'm fine!" she snapped in a bitting tone she instantly regretted.

"You don't look fine, not after that exit you just pulled."

To his surprise, she laughed, "Really, because I thought angrily running over courtiers to get to an exit was a great look for me."

"Artemis, be serious. You told me you'd come to me if there was something wrong."

She took another deep breath and stood, turning to face him. "I am being serious. I'm fine."

Caspian scoffed as he nodded to the pile of abandoned papers on the desk. "You're lying. How many days has it been since you've slept?"

Artemis scanned the wall behind him and let out a small sigh, "I didn't know you could tell, I thought I was doing a good job of hiding my sleep deprivation."

"Well I can."

Artemis pursed her lips. "I've lost track of the days but I don't remember much of last Tuesday afternoon. I think I may have blacked out for a few hours."

"Artemis-"

She let out a wry chuckle, "Best sleep I've gotten in a while if it was sleep."

She put her hands up in the air as a mock surrender. "No nightmares, it was nice."

Sensing her walls beginning to break down again Caspian smiled and crossed over to her, giving her a small kiss on the head as he gathered her in his arms.