These Broken Tears || Kotlc

Chapter Eighteen: Biana

(Tiana mentioned/implied, and put into action. Nothing major for those who don't ship it- but the plot line is still important, so please don't skip)

Biana was nervous.

When Wylie and Tam had stopped by at Everglen to tell them the "bad news," and if her and Fitz could host a "meeting" at the house, she didn't expect it to be this horrible. She didn't think she could take any more bad news.

Not after that death. . .

"Atlantis is gone," were the first words Wylie said when he and Tam stepped inside Everglen.

"What?" Biana asked, surely she misheard him.

"Atlantis is gone- destroyed. The Neverseen broke the force field and flooded it. There were no survivors. A third of the population is wiped out. Quinlin, Prentice, Tiergan, Tinker, Lesedi Chebota, Maruca, Councillor Alina, Councillor Derek, Councillor Velia, and Councillor Noland are dead.

"I-" Biana started but Fitz cut her off. "What about Sophie?"

"We still don't know where she is," said Tam, heaving slightly. Biana's traitorous heart skipped a beat. Should she do it? Should she look into his eyes? Could she do it without blushing?

She had to do it, she had to do it! She had to look in Tam's eyes. . . 

She regretted it. Biana gasped. "Tam- you're face it's. . ."

"Destroyed? Yeah, I know. I can feel it," Tam shivered.

"I'm sorry- I didn't-" Biana started but Tam cut her off and said, harshly, "It's fine, Biana."

Silence. Biana hoped her heartbeat wasn't loud enough for anyone else to hear.

Wylie and Fitz look awkwardly at each other before Wylie cleared his throat and said, "I mean, a bunch of Neverseen members didn't escape the flood either so . . . that's a plus?"

It didn't sound like much of a gain to Biana after the huge loss.

"This can't get any worse," muttered Fitz.

Tam side-glanced at Wylie, who looked nervously at Biana and Fitz.

"Um. . . there's something else too. Another death," Wylie stuttered anxiously.

Tam sighed and said, "We didn't know about it until we left. Alden and Della. . .  they were in Atlantis." Tam trailed away and looked anxiously from Biana to Fitz.

Biana felt like she had floated away to some cloud of oblivion.

No, that wasn't right. They weren't dead. They had escaped it. . . somehow. Her parents were not dead. They were not gone.

She dropped her eyes to the floor, containing her grief inside. But Fitz lost his temper.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" He shouted, spraying spit at Wylie and Tam. "YOU ESCAPED AND DIDN'T THINK TO BRING OTHER PEOPLE WITH YOU? YOU DIDN'T SPARE A THOUGHT FOR SOME OTHER INNOCENT PEOPLE?"

"Fitz, calm-" Biana whispered, but Fitz waved her off.

"I- the force field was about to explode," Tam said, his voice cracking. "W- we didn't even know they were down there! W- we tried to take Lesedi with us, but she refused. I- I don't know why. I'm sorry. ." Tam's eyes glittered with tears, and so were Wylie's.

"SORRY DOESN'T CUT IT THIS TIME," shouted Fitz, "SORRY ISN'T GOING TO FIX ANY OF THIS!" He snatched the jar full of light straight out of Wylie's hands.

"Fitz stop, anger won't help," Biana tried again, placing a hand on Fitz's arm.

Fitz jerked around and slammed the bottled light into Biana's face. The glass shattered.