One Between the Stars

Chapter 38

 "Wes!"

Ionia pushed him out of the way, gripping him tightly. Carson struggled to get to the man for a few moments, but then his eyes narrowed and he saw Ionia, throwing her whole weight into keeping him back.

Carson froze. Looked at the man, slumped against the wall. His eyes filled with a newfound fear.

He took a step back.

"C - Wes." Ionia's eyes refusing to budge from him, no doubt in her mind that her face was paling. "Hey, look at me."

When Carson met her gaze, her chest tightened. He looked horrified. He looked scared. His hands were shaking.

Ionia turned to the man slumped against the wall, starting to rise. "I don't think I have to tell you to leave."

The man gave a strange glare filled with venom, but stalked away. She didn't watch him go, just turned to the girl behind them, who had watched the whole thing transpire. Her eyes were wider than moons.

Ionia offered her a hand. The girl didn't take it but as she stood, Ionia realized that she was far older than Ionia had initially thought; her small frame had made her look almost child-like from a distance. "Are you okay?"

The girl gulped. "Yeah. Fine."

"Do you...know that man?"

The girl gazed off down the alley. "...Sort of."

"Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head. "Well..." she touched a bruise forming on her cheek. "Just socked me in the face."

"That's all?"

She nodded. Her eyes narrowed on Ionia and Carson, confusion playing about her face. "Who are you?"

Ionia blinked. "Oh, I'm Elyna." She pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "That's Wes."

The girl nodded. "I'm Ysuelt. Um, thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Yseult nodded, then shoved her hands in the pockets of her robes and headed off down the snaking allies, taking a different route than the man had taken.

When she was gone, Ionia whirled around to Carson, about to demand what he was thinking, but the words died on her lips. Carson's hands were trembling, he was bracing himself against the wall for support. His face was pale and sweat beaded his brow.

Ionia rushed to him, grabbing his sleeve. "Carson? Carson? Are you okay?"

"Fine...I'm fine Io, I just..." He looked at her. "I could have killed him."

"No, you wouldn't have," she said. "Look, you didn't even think to draw your solar sword or anything..."

"Exactly," he said, and she stopped. His eyes were haunted, looking dead on her. "I was so angry I just wanted to punch something, anything. And that man gave me an excuse...and I could have killed him, had you not stopped me."

"Carson, listen to yourself..." Ionia's heart couldn't take this, couldn't take him torturing himself this way. "Who knows what that man would have done to her, it needed to be stopped..."

"I didn't fight him to protect her," he said, his voice quiet. His eyes were knives to her heart. "I was fighting him because she reminded me of Arthre."

Ionia's hands trembled a bit, and she realized briefly that she was still clutching at his sleeves. She knew that Arthre was still tearing him apart, but this...

Carson's face began to disassemble before her eyes, first his eyes shattered like broken crystal. His brow and mouth came tumbling after that. Then his shoulders slumped, and his spine melted. Ionia moved in, wrapping her arms around him, supporting his trembling weight. She didn't know if he was crying; he was silent, the wind whistling through the alley the only sound. Ionia rested her head in the space between his shoulder and neck, moved one hand up to cradle his head. If she closed her eyes, she could feel his shoulders heaving ever so slightly, hear his ragged breathing, and herself whispering in his ear that everything would be alright.