City of Fire

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Ilona"

There was nothing but sweet blackness...

It was as if it was a lake and she was floating on it. She sighed, the coolness washing over her and a small smile touched her lips. She didn't feel pain, didn't feel anything but the softness of the dark. It seemed to pull her in, caressing her and soothing her until she was nothing.

Then someone said her name...

Said it over and over...

It was annoying; she just wanted to be left alone, left alone in the soft blackness. The voice wouldn't stop; it kept calling to her, trying to wake her up. She slowly opened her eyes, searching for the voice.

It sounded so familiar...

The voice shouted her name again, screamed it and Ilona sat up, searching the blackness. She tried to call out, use her own voice but it wouldn't work.

"Ilona," the voice whispered and she felt something. It was as if someone had touched her soul, pulled on it and she was standing, racing towards the source of the voice.

Her eyes flashed open and she stared up at a dirt covered face. She frowned, disoriented. She turned her head, realizing that she was in some sort of a tent, lying on a cot. Faces surrounded her and she noticed that Tidus was holding her hand. His face was haggard and he gave her a relieved smile.

"Thank the Goddesses, you're awake." He leaned forward and before she could react he'd wrapped her in a tight hug. She blinked and after a moment patted his back. She looked around the tent. It was a deep red, flames embroidered onto the sides with a simple rug on the floor. Adrian smiled at her, stepping forward and touching her shoulder while Erin did the same. Zane kept to himself, though his eyes glittered from the lit candles.

"Wh-What happened?" Ilona managed to ask as Tidus pulled away. He reached up, as if to brush her hair away from her temple but Adrian cleared his throat sharply. Tidus's eyes darkened and he glared at him over his shoulder but withdrew enough so that she could see the man clad in blood red armor.

A tattoo, similar to Tidus's, raced up the side of his face giving him a dignified, yet threatening presence. His hair was a dark brown, falling to his broad shoulders and his face was a deep tan, almost leathery. His eyebrows were the same color as his hair but were tinged with white. He eyed her, his eyes deep and penetrating and Ilona stiffened.

"Your Grace," he murmured and bowed his head, surprising her, before he straightened. "It is my great honor to inform you that I and my company of men will be escorting you to Din's City." He looked over his shoulder when shouts erupted outside the tent, "Please forgive my rudeness, but demons and corrupted Fire Dwellers are at our heels. We must continue on shortly. Excuse me," he bowed his head once more before he left the tent with a whirl of red. Ilona stared after him before her eyes went to Tidus.

"Are all of you like that?" Tidus smirked at her question.

"Most, yeah." He stood; his eyes hardening to look like bits of broken glass when he looked at Zane. "We need to talk," he didn't wait for Zane to follow but left the tent. Zane didn't move from his spot, his eyes on her, and she suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. He kept looking at her, his gaze seemingly to penetrate straight through her before he turned and left, though he limped.

Ilona turned her eyes on Erin, who gave her a shy smile as he took the vacant seat beside her. She went to raise her arm to touch his bruised hand but winced at the sharp pain that lanced up it.