EMBERS (Marcus Acacius) [WEEKLY UPDATES]

VIII | When the Wave Crashes

My hands moved of their own accord as I wrapped bandages around the arm of a soldier who had just returned from the battlefield. The sun had made steady progress on its trek across the sky, but Acacius still had not made himself known. I  hadn't really expected him to; after the way I had treated him last night, I wouldn't be surprised if he never spoke to me again. But I pushed that sentiment from my head angrily; I didn't want to manifest the notion into existence.

"Are you alright?" I snapped out of my thoughts as the soldier in front of me questioned, his eyes watching me sceptically. "You seem off..."

I shook my head, tying off the bandage and tossing the excess roll onto the work bench. "I'm fine," I assured him as he returned his shoulder plate to its position over the bandage. "Just tied. That's all."

The soldier nodded, unconvinced, before putting on his helmet and jumping down from the cot he had been previously seated on. "Get some rest, okay?"

I nodded and he left, heading back out to rejoin the troops.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" I glanced up as Alba,—one of my fellow healers—walked past me to her station. "You look terrible."

"Thanks, Alba." I knew she meant well, but the hollowness I felt was utterly overwhelming. I sat on the vacant cot and rested my head in my hands, trying to blink away the exhaustion, but to no avail. After a few moments, I looked up, but instantly wished that I hadn't. Felix's unmistakable face entered the tent as he pulled back the flap with his hands. His eyes immediately met mine. "Shit..."

"Well, well, well..." He taunted as he sauntered his way over to me. His posse was absent, but my throat still managed to tighten in worry as he approached. I can handle this, I told myself, meeting his gaze confidently. "If it isn't our little healer."

I rolled my eyes and jumped down from the cot, busying myself with replenishing the stock of herbs on my work bench. "What do you want?"

Felix chuckled patronisingly, stopping to lean against the cot, with his arms folded over his chest. "Oh, just checking in on our brave, self-righteous healer. Heard you've been making waves down here." He leaned over my shoulder, bringing his lips close to my ear. "You've got a lot of blood on your hands, Adriana. You realise that, don't you? Playing the saviour, patching up the wounds, but you're not fixing the real problem, are you?"

I didn't let myself shiver or lean away from him. He was just trying to assert his dominance, however pathetic and measly the attempt to do so was. I mixed a salve in a bowl, refusing to look up at him. "I'm doing what I can. You should try it sometime, instead of wasting time in pointless arguments."

"You think you're better than me?" I didn't respond, but my silence was answer enough for him. Suddenly, he grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me back off my chair. The mixing spoon clattered onto the floor and I grabbed at my throat, where the fabric dug into the skin painfully. Felix pulled me to my feet, bringing his face in close to mine. We had garnered the attention of everyone in the tent now. Nurses watched with wide, scared eyes and wounded soldiers reached for their swords. But Felix didn't seem to care. "I could kill you, right now."

I didn't know whether his threat was empty or if he truly meant to show me what he was capable of, but I didn't give him the chance to do either. As fast as lightning, I reached up, curling my fingers over and jabbing him in the throat with the heel of my palm. He immediately released his grip on my collar and reached for his throat, gasping for air. I watched him, my face void of emotion as he struggled to get air into his lungs.

The room was silent as everyone watched on in shock. None of them knew of my past—they weren't privy to my time in the arena. If only Acacius was here to see this.