Heart to Heart

Chapter 30

Walking out of the fortress and past the people in Wyrm's Rock and Wyrm's Crossing felt awkward as we were covered in blood. Karlach just barreled on forward, like she was used to. Her head was hanging low, her chin touching the top of her chest. I was trying to keep pace with her, but that didn't work. I even tried reaching for her hand, but she was too far ahead at times. And when she was beside me, she didn't want any comfort in this moment. But I wanted to comfort her because she needed it. Even if she didn't want any, she was in need of holding someone. Or beheading someone. It was hard to tell at times what she needed.

Once we reached the woods nearby, we looked for a river to wash the blood off. Finding one, we set up our tents for the night beforehand. I was about to head to the river, but Karlach was sitting in her tent, holding something in her hands. Walking over, I stood outside the tent.

"Karlach? Is everything ok?"

"Everything I touch," she said quietly. "Either falls apart or burns. Or I am the one killing someone. When will it end?"

"Karlach."

"When will all this pain and suffering end?"

She stood up, holding the bloody axe in her hands. She was the one to behead Gortash whenever we were fighting him. He put up a fight, despite him not looking like a fighter at all, but looks can be deceiving. He was about to strike me with his dagger, but Karlach came up behind him. He wasn't fast enough to dodge or block her attack. She swung her mighty axe through flesh and bone, tearing Gortash's head off and it flung to the other side of his living quarters. His dead body fell to the ground, blood spurting out from his neck. I half expected her to laugh and cry with joy that she got revenge, but she stood there, tears sliding down her face. She mumbled something before walking out of the room.

"I-I don't know, Karlach. There is always going to be violent people out there."

"Am I a violent person?" she looked into my eyes, fear crawling in as she waited my answer.

"No," I said without hesitating. "You're no a violent person by right, but by choice. You were a product of your environment. I don't believe you had a violent bone in your body when you were born. From what little you talk about your parents, it seemed they absolutely loved and cared for you. Unfortunately, they were gone when you needed them most."

She nodded her head, "Yeah."

"Are you alright? You left there without saying anything and in a quick manner."

"He's dead. I'm not going to cry over someone who took my heart. It was my heart," she tried to choke down a sob, but it eventually came up. "It was mine. It was mine, from my mother! From mum."

That almost got me to cry as well. She sounded so broken and damaged to the point where I don't think I can help her pick up the pieces she lost. Stepping towards her, I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a hug. She buried her face in my shoulder as hers trembled. I dug my hand into her hair, brushing it as I tried to soothe her, to calm her down.

"Shh, Karlach. I've got you."

"For how long? I'm going to be as dead as Gortash any day now," she said.

"We'll figure something out."

She pulled away and faced me, "He said you looked like you were going to say something when we were there. What was it?"

"It wasn't anything important," I said, remembering exactly what it was.

How do I tell her that there might be a way for her to live without her engine? Retrieving her actual heart was going to be a heist all on its own, since we had to go back to Zariel's palace and find the room she removed her heart. Not to mention, it's been ten years since her heart was removed. If it was still able to function, I don't know how well.