Weight of the World

Chapter Thirty-Six

—Tregaar—

Some nights, her dreams were filled with far flung places, worlds so vibrant and unique she had trouble believing her own mind had conjured them. In those places were people that spoke to her like a friend, that recalled adventures so complex and fantastical that sometimes she wondered if she was truly asleep in those moments. If she allowed herself to think of them for too long, she began to wonder if instead of dreams, they were truly memories of a life she could no longer remember. There were so many faces, so many worlds that called out to her each night, begging her to remember, but none more so than the woman with the mahogany hair and the dark eyes that were filled with so much sorrow Idelle wondered how the woman could always offer a smile.

But no matter how much she tried to remember those people and places, the twins with the white hair, the tall elf that looked as though he could be her father, the woman with the sorrowful eyes, the Savior and her warming laugh, the petite elf with the black hair healing away her every injury, the world with the golden and violet aurora, a world filled with endless day, and always, the world with the red sky, she could never hold onto them for long. Try as she might, her memories remained buried just beneath the surface.

Sitting in the quiet room, Idelle had nothing to do but sit and wait, allowing her mind the opportunity to wander into such somber thoughts. She had returned to the small inn they were calling home for the foreseeable future a few hours ago, Gaia and Virmira joining her shortly after. But Hubert and Dante were still gone.

Her mind, of course, had conjured the worst-case scenarios right away, and both Gaia and Virmira had tried to calm her. The city was large, and there were a number of reasons why they could have been delayed, but as the hours continued to pass, signaled by the tolling of the bells in the distance, Idelle had difficulty shoving her fears aside.

And so, she had resorted to trying to piece together her shattered memory, but that, too, turned out to be more of a frustration than a distraction, leaving her a bundle of nerves as she waited for any news from her friends. The three women remained locked inside one of their small inn room, knowing that the more they spent outside in the city, the more likely it became that they would be discovered. Virmira could easily locate them, but both Idelle and Gaia had urged her not to use her magic. If the Creator knew she was here, they would have far greater concerns on their hands.

There was nothing to do but wait.

As though the thought conjured them, a portal suddenly sprung to life in the middle of the inn room, startling the three women. Idelle was on her feet in an instant, rushing over as three figures suddenly stepped out of the portal. Two immediately collapsed while the third remained standing absolutely still. Idelle barely had the presence of mind to recognize the third figure as the Nightwarden, the shock of seeing him fading instantly as she realized her friends were injured on the floor.

Idelle bent over Hubert, a gasp escaping her when she saw the angry claw marks that had ripped down his back from shoulders to waist. They pulsed and oozed with black pus, the necrotic substance eating away at his flesh while it dripped to the floor. Hubert tried to push her away.

"Don't touch it," he grimaced and shook his head. "I don't want you to..."

"Shh," she eased his arm away, healing magic already pouring toward the open wound. "I'll be careful, but I won't let you suffer. Just stay awake for me, okay?"

Hubert nodded, his forehead dripping with sweat as he allowed her to work. At her side, Virmira was tending to Dante while Gaia rushed to get them water and bandages. Whatever had infected her friends as a dangerous and potent substance, resisting her efforts at every turn, but Idelle refused to allow the sickness to win.