Looking Glass » ziam au // ON HOLD

XIII

Chapter 13.

The next time he woke was in the infirmary. The only reason he knew that was from the few small details in the room. It was white, smelled of medicines and there were nurses flitting around with washcloths and other paraphernalia. He didn't know why he was there, the last thing he could remember was Liam and blood, there was a lot of blood and he felt bile climbing up his throat at the thought, resulting in a nurse mopping up the acidic liquid from the tiles.

Everything hurt, his head, his body, everything. He sat up in the soft bed, rubbing his eyes as he looked to his right, his blood running cold at the sight. There was Liam, but he didn't look like his normal strong self. He was pale, and small beads of sweat were on his upper lip and forehead as he let out sharp breaths, his head moving from side to side although his eyes were closed. It took Zayn a second to find his voice before he called for one of the tiny nurses, asking for an explanation as to what was happening to his Liam.

"He's fighting off poison, unknown kind. We don't exactly know how to treat it. He'll have these little fits every once in awhile, almost like smaller seizures, but I can assure you, we're doing everything in our power to help him." She told the boy with a sad smile as he sat back against the bed, feeling his world come crashing down in a matter of seconds.

Liam was strong, and brave, he couldn't die. He wouldn't die, or at least that's what Zayn told himself day in and day out as he watched the man lay motionless unless he was having one of the fits he was told about. As soon as Zayn was released from the infirmary he started made his way directly to the Cheshire's room.

He pushed open the large double doors, storming towards the man, watching the maids scurry away. He watched the Cheshire with cautious eyes as he looked up at Zayn in a bored manner with a heavy sigh.

'What's got you up and running once more?" He asked as Zayn pulled out his dagger, stabbing it into the dark wood of the table the man was sitting at, nothing but anger behind his eyes. Anger because he couldn't do it, he couldn't save his Liam.

The Cheshire barely flinched as Zayn's cold eyes bore into his skull like lasers. He could barely hear the boy's reply when he finally spoke, his voice quiet and rough with a cold edge to it. Something in him snapped.

"I want to leave here and head out. I want to fight. I will not sit in here feasting on fancy meals, drinking wine, and watching as more people get slaughtered inside and outside these damned palace walls. I refuse to just be someone weak." He spoke, his voice rising with every word until he was yelling. He watched as the Cheshire stood, shaking his head as he made his way over to the window, back towards Zayn.

"Not possible, you aren't ready. You're fueled by anger and you think you can do it now but in reality you can't. Now, leave, go train if you'd really like to leave." He spoke coolly as the other male scowled before calling upon the energy that he felt growing as well as his anger. Soon, he saw a dark hard, almost like a shadow slither it's way towards the Cheshire before it was cut in half by a slice of light.

"You think a simple thing like that is going to help you win this?" Cheshire asked with a laugh as light unfurled out of his palms, wrapping themselves around the other's wrists, ankles, and throat. He began to panic as he desperately tried to call upon the dark shadow from before, slim dark tendrils coming out of his own palms, only to be stopped by the lights. Soon, the grips on him began to burn, and he screamed out in pain.

"You're nothing compared to what's out there," Cheshire spoke before releasing his burning grip on Zayn, watching as the boy cried out in pain, holding his wrists tightly. "Learn more than simple parlor tricks and then come back to me and ask about leaving. Until then you will feast on fancy meals, drink wine, and watch as people are slaughtered inside and out of this palace. Do you understand me?"

There was nothing he could do but nod as he picked himself up off of the ground, red burns encircling his wrists as he looked at the Cheshire with such fear in his eyes and heart that he couldn't even argue with him.

"Very well then, get dressed. We have a guest arriving, put on your best clothes. You will appear to them as a capable human being, none of that savagery you tried when storming in here or I will burn you alive on the spot. Understood?"

And all he could do was nod.