Spirit of Shadows

| Chapter Twenty Three |

Matthias

Em was shaking badly. Her hair was practically in tufts around her face and her lips were moving, but no words were coming out.

Something inside of me had snapped at seeing Em like this. She was so...fragile and vulnerable ,and undeniably scared. I felt useless, watching her skitter around, her eyes frenzied as she surveyed everyone around her.

"Em? Can you hear me?" I asked, for what seemed like the hundredth time. But I wouldn't give up, I couldn't. Em was more than someone I had met at the marketplace, she was a friend, and hopefully something more.

She was still glancing around, looking over her shoulder, at the ceiling, to the floor, and at everyone around her. Her movements were all wrong. Almost as if she was some sort of trapped animal sensing hunters growing closer.

It made sense though. She had been physically harmed in the brothel and sure, she had some breakdowns because of it but this–this would scar her on another level. This was something entirely different than bodily harm. Em was experiencing a mental breakdown at her actions and my heart was tearing from it. The way she couldn't seem to focus was frightening but the way she shook, is what worried me the most.

"Em." I tried. My hand reaching out slowly to cradle her cheek and stop her head from jerking around.

She stilled when my fingers made contact with her the soft skin of her cheek, and her eyes finally stopped dancing about. Em stared straight at me but her vision looked clouded, almost as if the very light inside of her was dimming. No, please. No. To me, it was my job to stop that from happening. To stop the light from snuffing out within her. I couldn't let her lose herself because of this.

"Can I talk to her alone?" I whispered to Jonah and Kachina, not taking my eyes off of Em. They nodded and both left without another word. The door closing softly behind them.

"Hey." I tried, my voice gentle. I traced my thumb slowly over her cheekbone and continued to stare into her eyes. Her tears had long since dried but they still remained quite red around the edges, and puffy.

It was difficult for me to compare them to anything because I had truly, never seen anything quite like them before. They were precious–like a priceless jewel from an isolate place and they shimmered like one too. The silver reminded me briefly of moonlight on the ocean's watery surface or the twinkle of the stars in the night sky. They were truly breathtaking and it was hard for me to look away once her gaze had captured mine.

With slow movements, I rose my other hand and cradled her other cheek, wiping away a small speck of mud there.

Em startled me slightly when she let out a small sigh and I flitted my gaze back to her silvery, breathtaking eyes. She was staring back now, the fog from before seeming to be clearing away. I heard her open her mouth and I waited patiently for her to speak. I didn't stop my gentle caress of her face, nor did I break eye contact.

"...Matthias..." She said. It was barely a whisper, more like a breath but I savored the sound of her voice nonetheless.

"I'm here." I replied, just as quietly.

Then, with those simple words, her vision had cleared completely and within those bright eyes, I saw the flicker of herself return. Her mouth opened as she released another deep sigh and she blinked, her eyes closing for a short second before opening once more. She quickly rose her own hands and cupped them over my own. A light pink tinge set in above my fingers over her cheeks and I saw my reflection in her eyes.