Mythic (NaNoWriMo14)

Chapter 23 - Addict - Part I

Rena trudged over the grass and past the bushes, focusing entirely on putting one foot in front of the other.

She thought it'd been quiet in the days before, but at least then, she'd had Tia to talk to and Kat on the short occasions she returned from scouting. With Cayden focused on carrying Nazine, Rena's only company was the sound of her own breathing, the thwack of the supply sack against her hip with each step and the nearby river gurgling just over the hill as they continued on. 

She almost wished the spectre had an interest in daylight. At least the threat of it would have given her something to do. 

Rena expanded her hearing over the hours, embracing her kitsune ears out of sheer boredom. She concentrated on swivelling them around, taking a conscious control of them and figured out how to hone in on particular sounds. If she angled them just right, the shape of her new ears would amplify it tenfold.

After listening to birdsong and other strange noises, she aimed them towards Cayden and his passenger.

Two heartbeats, one much stronger than the other. Two heavy breaths for every shallow one. The swish of hair and fabric, the occasional grunt as Cayden shifted Nazine's weight. Mythic and man.

She could feel the thrum of Nazine's ley, but it was weak. It was irregular, not filling his body as it should have. Like a true flame, he needed constant attention and fuel or risk being extinguished for good. 

"Rena!" called Cayden, breaking her thoughts. "Think you can give him a little booster? He's getting cold." 

Rena ran up to them, kneeling beside Nazine as Cayden set him down and reached for the waterskin. She placed a hand over the phoenix's key and instilled as much of her own energy as she could muster to the surface into its gems. It produced a little light, but she was sure it'd been brighter the day before. 

Rena rubbed her fingers as she withdrew her hand. Maybe feral ley is different. Maybe it won't be good enough tomorrow. 

"You hungry?" said Cayden as he rummaged through the bag of supplies Kat had left them with before leaving with Tia. "Probably won't stop again until nightfall."

Rena accepted the offering, managing to force down a few bites of some hard biscuit looking thing. She didn't feel like eating, the biscuit felt dry and flaky in her mouth, but it helped to stop the shaking in her hands. It scratched her throat on the way down. 

"Think you want to give feeding a go?" asked Cayden. "He isn't looking too hot." 

"Not until tonight," said Rena. They'd done it yesterday around lunch, but that'd been when Kat was here. When they had a safeguard to make sure she didn't kill anyone. "He'll survive until then, I promise." 

Even so, they set down earlier than usual out of concern for Nazine. Cayden chose a location where all sides were visible in case the spectre decided to try again, even if they both doubted it. Though Rena hadn't noticed, according to Cayden, she'd charred the spectre's robes and burned the skin beneath. She vaguely remembered the scent of burning flesh, but that was it. 

Once again, it left the question in her head: was it the adrenaline that made her inattentive, or was it just the downwards spiral of her mind without a key? 

Rena placed her sceptre beside Nazine and waited for Cayden to finish preparing their food. It ensured Nazine would get to eat during his brief window of consciousness, and that Cayden could replenish some of the energy he lost during the feeding. 

When he walked over, Rena tensed. She dug her nails into the sleeves of her tunic, wishing she'd been faster to stop the spectre, that maybe Tia wouldn't have needed attention and they'd still have Kat. Either way, maybes didn't change the fact that they were now alone except for an unconscious phoenix with nothing but the stars to watch her. 

"Any way you want to do this?" asked Cayden. When Rena sucked her lip in favour of replying, Cayden reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Rena, you can do this. You can pull away. I trust you."

"You probably shouldn't," said Rena. "At some point, I'm not going to be able to stop, Cayden. It might not be tonight, but it'll be eventually." 

"It's a risk we have to take," said Cayden. "It's the only way we're getting Nazine back to Leristith."

"I know," whispered Rena. "I still don't like it."

"Don't think about it," said Cayden. "The more you worry about it, the more it's likely to go wrong."

Rena nodded, knowing procrastinating wasn't helping anyone, especially not Nazine. The Order had placed her as Cayden's insurance to get Nazine to safety. She'd failed once, and she had no intention of giving Elijah another thing to berate her over. 

She reached out for her kitsune, sinking to the place where it--where she--lay. 

Rena's senses came alive. Her nostrils filled with the scent of ley, raw and pure, excreted from the land itself. But there were richer sources, concentrated sources, and it was Cayden's she set her sights on, allowing herself to be drawn to its allure like a moth to the flame. 

It wasn't hard. Cayden's energy was strong. He was in tune with it, and having spent so much time around him, so was she. It twined with her own amazingly well, bonding and sealing and tasting as she ran her fingers over his jaw and--

Stopped.

Rena's hand froze on Cayden's face, right beside the slightly parted lips that mirrored an expression she'd seen years ago. An expression of want, of need. Of an uncontrollable addiction. 

She pulled away, tails coiling around her leg as her ears went flat. She locked her hands at her chest, stepping back, away from Cayden. His longing gaze followed her, the glazed eyes and their pitifully slanted eyebrows that tried to call her back to his arms.

How had she been so stupid? How hadn't she noticed before this? 

"Rena--" he began, voice dreamlike. His arm reached out, one small step taken towards her that nearly cost him his balance. "You have to feed--"

"No!" she said. "Cayden, no! We're finding another way to feed Nazine. This isn't happening anymore!" 

Her refusal was met with anger. Anger just like all those years before that'd ended with her self-imposed exile. When he reached for her, she knew better. She stepped away, further into the shadows. 

"Why?" he asked. "We have to feed Nazine, you have to--"

"You're addicted, Cayden!" screamed Rena from the other side of Nazine. "Look at you!" 

"I'm fine!" Cayden insisted. "How do you want me to prove to you that I'm fine?" 

Rena thought it over and came up with the best solution her riled brain could come up with. 

"Let me feed without touching you," she said.

Cayden's face tightened, but he nodded. "Fine." 

His hands went still at his sides, waiting. 

Rena approached him slowly, cautious steps taking her forward, wary for a hand or fingers that would shoot out and grab her. Physically, Cayden was stronger. If he grabbed her, she wasn't getting away without using her ley. Even in a normal situation she'd be reluctant to do so, but now? If she used it on him knowingly while he was in this state, she might just have her first accidental thrall on her hands. 

*+*+*+*

A/N - Things should be back to normal on my end in the next few days, so hopefully will have the next part of this chapter out sooner rather than later. Supanova, cosplay, boyfriend visiting, still trying to find time to edit Indigo, ALL THE THINGS. BLAH. 

Sorry it's short, but please vote/comment if you feel generous. They really do mean a lot, and I read every comment within the day it's posted even if I don't get a chance to reply to it straight away ._. 

<3