Dance of the Damned

Eighty-Seven

Zeddicus and I found ourselves inside Sin City, searching for Dean. The underground club seemed much larger than I had remembered, and we navigated through countless tunnels and rooms in our quest to find him. Finally, we discovered him passed out in a corner, clutching an opium pipe and a bottle of vodka.

"I told you he needed us," I glared at Zeddicus and approached Dean, attempting to gently wake him up. But he remained unresponsive. I exchanged a concerned look with Zeddicus.

Zeddicus shrugged and approached us, taking out his canteen and pouring water right on Dean's face.

"What the fuck?" Dean jolted awake, his limbs flailing in shock as he wiped the water from his face and hair. He then looked up and saw us. "What the hell are you guys doing here? Did you come to join the party?"

"There is no party, Dean," I said firmly, pulling him to his feet and allowing him to lean on me for support. "It's time to go home."

"I don't want to go home," he slurred. "I don't even have a home anymore. My home is dead."

My heart ached for him as Zeddicus held onto both of us and orbed us back to the camp. Andre decided to give Dean the tent to himself while he detoxed, and Octavia cast a spell to trap him inside, preventing him from walking or orbing out. Verlee and I took turns bringing him food and water. I watched as he screamed, cried, vomited, and experienced the indignity of bodily functions. At one point, he even begged us to end his suffering and kill him. Despite the blankets we provided, he was caught in a cycle of violent shivering and burning fever.

As Dean endured the agonizing process of withdrawal, Rorie and Octavia focused their efforts on unraveling the mysteries surrounding the vision and the events that led to everyone's demise. Rorie expressed frustration at the overwhelming amount of blood and screams in the vision, making it difficult to discern any specific details. Since it happened, I hadn't spoken to Rorie, unsure of what to say or how to approach the situation.

"Stop stressing so much, love," Zeddicus spoke soothingly from beside me in our shared bed, his lips brushing against my bare shoulder. We had just finished fucking, an intense and passionate encounter where he had tied me to the obsidian war table in his tent using shadows, bringing me to repeated climax. No matter how many times we came together, it seemed that our desire for each other remained insatiable. Zeddicus assured me that such intensity was normal for The Bond, but he also taught me ways to shield my thoughts for moments when I needed privacy. No one should have their mind fully exposed to another.

"I'm worried about Rorie's vision. Octavia mentioned that they often come true," I confessed, my voice tinged with concern.

"Often, but not always. We will prevent it from happening. I won't let any of you die, I promise you that," Zeddicus reassured me. "Right now, our focus should be on training our soldiers, strategizing our battles, and doing everything in our power to keep winning until we obtain the Immortalitas Gladius and kill Kalyani. The day we possess that sword, I will orb directly into her throne room and drive it through her cold heart."

"I'm counting down the days until that happens," I smiled at him. "But what about Dean?"

"What about him?" Zeddicus raised an eyebrow. "We're helping him get clean, forcing him to confront his issues and move forward. There's nothing more we can do."

"Aren't you concerned about him?" I asked.

"Dean's instability is beyond our control. I can't expend unnecessary worry on him when we have more pressing matters at hand. We both do," he reminded me. "But for now, sleep should be our priority."

Nestling into his comforting embrace, I acknowledged that he was right. Neither of us had gotten much sleep in the past few days, leaving us both irritable and on edge. Within moments, I drifted into a deep slumber, succumbing to a vivid and unsettling dream. In the dream, I found myself lying in a bed surrounded by a pool of blood. The room was cramped, and an elderly woman urged me to push. The pain was unbearable as my pregnant belly continued to contract.

"You can do it, love. Just a few more pushes," Zeddicus whispered, his voice filled with encouragement as he kissed my forehead and held my hand tightly. I squeezed his hand with all my strength, exerting myself as I pushed with determination. Finally, I felt a sense of relief as my stomach flattened and the pain subsided. But that moment of respite quickly turned to panic.

"My baby," I said to the old woman who cradled the lifeless body in her arms, desperately trying to coax the baby into breathing. "Why isn't he crying? What's wrong?"

"Just give her a moment, my love. The midwife knows what she's doing. She will help him," Zeddicus tried to reassure me, wrapping his arms around my trembling shoulders. But even his voice faltered as we watched helplessly, witnessing the midwife's efforts fail.

"I'm sorry, my prince. There was nothing more I could do," the old woman bowed her head, expressing her condolences to Zeddicus. "I am sorry for your loss."

It took a moment for the weight of her words to sink in, for the reality of the situation to hit me. "No. No. This can't be happening. Please, help him. Zed, please do something, make him breathe, do something," I pleaded, my breathing becoming erratic, my voice trembling with shock. Tears didn't fall from my eyes; I think I was in a state of numbness.

"Come here, love, come here," Zeddicus said, pulling me into his arms. I tried to resist, but he held onto me tightly, trying to provide comfort even though his own voice quivered. I couldn't make out the words; everything was a blur. When I looked at him, tears streamed down his face, and the midwife approached us, cradling our baby in a black silk blanket.

"He is a beautiful boy, he looks just like his father. Would you like to hold him, Orbissa?" the midwife asked me gently. I nodded slowly, my whole body trembling, as she placed our precious child in my arms.

She was right. He looked just like his father, with dark skin resembling the night sky and a head full of black hair. He had chubby round cheeks and a healthy weight. Why would the gods take him away from me? Why was this happening? I looked up at Zeddicus, desperation filling my gaze. "Bring him back, please. Find a way, I don't care about the cost. Just bring him back, please bring him back," I sobbed, repeating the plea over and over until it turned into anguished screams.

"Venya, wake up, wake up!" I heard Zeddicus's voice, and my eyes fluttered open to find him lying beside me in bed. "It was just a bad dream, love."

I wondered if that was true. I wondered if what I had dreamt had actually happened to them. The pain of losing a child was unimaginable, yet I felt it so intensely that tears streamed down my face without my realization. I quickly wiped them away, trying to compose myself.

"It happened," Zeddicus said quietly. "How long have you been dreaming of her?"

"About six months now... Why didn't you ever tell me?" I asked, my voice filled with curiosity and concern.

"I didn't tell anyone, not even my siblings. Orbissa was a whore from Sin City, and my family never approved of her. I thought they would change their minds after our child was born, but he never took a single breath. We both grieved deeply, and it tore our relationship apart for almost a year. We turned to drinking and fucking others to cope. Eventually, I had to move on, and I didn't want to talk about it with anyone. The pain was too much to bear, so I locked it away deep inside," Zeddicus explained, the grief in his voice palpable. The thought of losing a child and facing that pain alone was unimaginable. "I didn't want anyone to know."

"I am so sorry you went through that," I said softly, taking his hands in mine as we sat up in bed. The sun was barely beginning to rise, and I knew the cold and snowy weather outside would only worsen as November came and went. "What I saw, what I felt in the dream... the pain was indescribable."

"If it's okay with you, I don't want to talk about it anymore. It's something I prefer to keep locked away," Zeddicus confessed to me. "But I do want to talk about these dreams. The last time I saw Orbissa was during Anima Iter, and she promised to find her way back to me. Do you think it's possible—"

"Whoa," I interjected, cutting him off. "I highly doubt that's the case. Maybe I am her reincarnation, or perhaps she is reaching out to me from some kind of spirit world. But either way, I am still me. Not her. Let's not confuse the two of us."

"I would never, love. I just find it intriguing. Have you ever—" Zeddicus began to ask, but his words were interrupted as the tent door burst open, revealing Octavia standing there.

"My wards have detected Bastien's presence in Ardor. He is near Forsaken Hollow," Octavia announced. In an instant, Zeddicus was on his feet, grabbing his clothes and sword.