Bond Of Blood

Chapter 44

"Is she still in there?" Morgan said as she approached Babette and Serana, who were standing outside a battered looking door.

Babette nodded, her tiny hands clutching a pair of blood bottles. Morgan sighed and took the proffered bottles and nodded to Serana, who briefly nodded before opening the door. Morgan ducked the inkwell that came hurtling through the air a second later and moved quickly inside, the door closing gently behind her.

As expected, Brelyna was in the furthest corner of the room.

Or what is left of it, Morgan mused as she glanced at the destruction around her. Not one bed or set of drawers was in one piece, and there were shards of shattered pottery lying all over the floor near each of the four walls.

"Leave me alone..." Brelyna muttered, her orange irises a little dulled.

"Nope. Come here and sit down," Morgan said as she sat down on the sturdiest wrecked bed closest to her and patting the mattress beside her.

She hid a smile as Brelyna did as asked a few seconds later, and Morgan passed a blood potion to her without saying a word. Morgan waited as the heartbroken vampire drained the contents within before speaking again.

"Stop beating yourself up, Brelyna. I know what you are telling yourself. You keep thinking 'what if'...that way of thinking never ends well."

"He died because..."

"He chose to protect the College," Morgan cut in gently. "He died protecting so many who could not. And now he is in Sovngarde, awaiting his final trial."

"But...you said that the giant you fought there was the hardest you had ever endured."

"Tsun doesn't look for those that thinks they will win every battle."

Morgan took Brelyna's hands in hers.

"He looks for those with courage. And Onmund had more of that than what I did. I met him after walking through Alduin's Soul Snare mist, scared out of my mind and thinking that because I had the Dragon's blood, I was bound to gain access."

Brelyna blinked and Morgan smiled.

"I never once told anyone I was invincible. I have technically died twice now but I was always brought back. Odahviing even mentioned that 'my time was not even close'. I always wonder on those words."

Morgan sighed.

"Onmund was the bravest man I have ever known. The bravest woman is the one who gave her own mortality for me....and there is no way I can possibly repay you for that."

Brelyna made to speak, but Morgan placed a finger on her lips.

"But I will try and do so anyway."

Brelyna's lips quivered before she broke down entirely, waves of grief shaking the young vampires body as she clung onto the woman who she always believed could never be stopped or intimidated. But Morgan's words stuck.

Scared out of my mind. But I will try and do so anyway.

Brelyna inhaled, catching the scent of nightshade on Morgan's body, followed by the spicy tang of sulphur. The tears continued to fall, but already she could feel that everything would work out in the end. She just hoped that Morgan in particular would be there in one piece, for she had lost everything else close to her.

"Sorry about the mess," she muttered weakly.

Morgan's amused chuckle helped her more than she would ever be able to say.

Serana smiled as she looped an arm around Brelyna's waist, Morgan walking a few steps ahead of them. Serana could sense that whatever Morgan had told the youngest vampire had channeled her grief into determination. She also noted that Brelyna's gaze hardly wavered, her eyes always locked onto Morgan.