My Angel-Yogscast fanfiction

Chapter 7: Agony

Agony:
extreme physical or mental suffering.

Carys'/ Mia's POV
Duncan, the goggled man, has opened the window. A timid dust of wind slowly creeps into the room. A few moths sneak in but I waft them away, protecting Martyn from the mild threat. I watch Martyn's chest rise and fall in a monotonous rhythm. His golden hair is lightly dampened from sweat and the cold towel we placed upon his forehead. I clutch the bedsheets as I sit at the foot of the bed. Araquiel has assured me that he'll be fine but, of course, I already know that. Yet the fact remains: I am his guardian and should act as such.
Araquiel enters and glances over the sleeping sapling king. I barely lift my head to her presence. Instead, I maintain focus on monitoring Martyn's health. She brushes the hair out of his eyes and readjusts his blankets to better cool him. Swiftly, I snap to my feet. My eyes scan the resting patient, searching for signs of comfort or relief.
"Perhaps you should consider giving yourself a break?" She suggests, tilting a head and approaching me,
"I'd rather not; I don't know these people at all. I believe it would be best for me to attend to my duties." I deny, averting her gaze of true, pure sympathy. Araquiel places a hand on my arm, which I quickly brush off. "I'm alright, really." I defend, taking a step back, crossing one arm across my stomach.
"Carys, you're perfectly safe here; I can make sure Lewis doesn't hurt you. As for Martyn, his wound is practically healed and he's just resting off the pain: he'll be fine. All that I ask is that you just take a moment to get some rest." She promises. Reluctantly, I accept. I take the shimmering, metal lift down to the bottom floor. The machines continue to clank and clunk to prove their productivity. I take extra caution to avoid tripping over any of the wires sprawled across the floor like a toddler's spaghetti. I make my way out of the door. The sweet, fresh air tickles my throat. Luckily, pollution has not taken its firm hold quite yet. I spot Duncan a short distance away, twiddling wires and avoiding the occasional spark. I approach the scientist as he tinkers away,
"I don't mean to offend, but are you sure that's safe?" I ask, keeping my distance from the machinery. Duncan turns a head to me and lifts his goggles.
"Umm...probably." He shrugs,
"Don't you think you should test your gadgets away from everyone else? I'm sure you've spent a great deal of time on that base; be a shame if something were to happen to it." I suggest, Duncan comes to his feet, a subtle reminder of the mountain of a man that he is.
"I have to keep the base protected. Word on the street says that Hat Films have been experimenting with magic. We can't afford the vulnerability, so I'm putting up a magic barrier. Anything in here, or around us, with magical properties will be fried." He explains, gesturing to the areas affected,
"You can't!" I protest with a roar. Duncan takes a step back, shock registering on his face. My heart begins to speed up but I force my composure to return. "Duncan, that's simply illogical. Magic is one of the widest areas of study in existence, you'd be limiting yourself and your own defences. Consider this: someone, an ally, comes to visit but they've recently traveled through a flux field, magic residue would be left on their clothes and you'd kill them." I explain, summoning as much strength as I can to resist panicking.
"They'll just respawn." He shrugs, returning to his forcefield.
"And if they don't? What if..." I begin, do I dare take the chance? Do I have a choice? "What if, I come from a magic background. I can't remember. How would I know? You would kill me instantly. I don't even know if I can respawn. Are you really willing to risk tarnishing your alliance with Martyn?" I attempt to focus on him and lock eyes. I feel a warmth run through my veins as I focus on Duncan. A tingle runs through my body as I attempt to manipulate him the same way I did earlier. I watch his pupils dilate as my abilities lock in. I need to focus. I need to send the message to him to change his mind. Suddenly, I feel like I've run straight into a brick wall. I fall to the floor. All feeling in my legs has gone. My brain feels like it's been set on fire.
"Mia?" Duncan, kneels besides me. His pupils return to normal as he lifts me up, "Lewis! Simon! Get over here!" He screams. The two rush over. I feel the warmth of blood in my ears as Simon lifts me slightly,
"You alright?" The dwarf asks.
"Yeah. Yeah. I...I just need a lie down." I mutter as motion returns to my legs. Lewis aids me to the elevator and places me back down in the bed next to Martyn. Araquiel rushes to my side. She creeps up behind Lewis and softly whispers,
"I should let her rest." Into his ear. She casts a small charm and sure enough, Lewis exits. "What have you done now?" She complains,
"I tried to convince Duncan not to set up a magic force field. I started the 'seed of thought' spell but it didn't work." I explain briefly. Suddenly, a wave of pain hits me and I wince. I feel my heart smash against my rib cage as the pain scurries through my body.
"What? Surely you should have been able to do a simple charm like that...this doesn't make any sense." Araquiel mutters. She rolls up her sleeve, revealing a communications bracelet. She begins punching buttons into the device. Every now and again, she goes fuzzy, along with the rest of the world. She begins talking into the device, worry clearly branded on her face. She rushes over to me and stares directly into my eyes,
"How long were you in the reeducation centre?" She questions, I try to come up with the correct answer,
"120." I mutter, with what little strength I allow. Once again, my legs lose their ability to function. She takes a few steps away and continues to talk into the device. I watch as her face turns red. She turns to me, a golden glitter runs through her wings. Her eyes suddenly glow, illuminating the room slightly more. A trickle of gold flurries through the air extending from her hand. I feel sharp cold pricks inside my throat. Then, relief returns. Araquiel runs over and sits me up.
"I'm guessing you haven't done a lot of magic since..." she begins
"No." I respond swiftly, "they keep magic to a bare minimum. You might do one spell a month, just to sustain your abilities." I explain. Araquiel sighs,
"They must have been in a hurry to get you out of there; you should of had at least two months of rehabilitation." Araquiel lifts up my necklace and plays with it between her fingers,
"I guess I just lost my touch with magic, three spells in a day must have been too much." I bring myself into a sitting position. I glance over to Martyn who is still sweetly sleeping.
"Yeah, and this necklace to suppress your magical abilities hasn't helped either." Araquiel gets to her feet and begins to pace up and down the room. "I'll have to train you." She concludes,
"Pardon?" I question,
"Stay here for a few weeks. I'll help you practise and get back in touch with your magical abilities. Everyday, you sneak off for an hour and you can practise a bit. That way, if something were to happen and you'd need to defend Martyn, well you could actually do it." She explains. I continue to watch Martyn. If I'm to have any hope in helping him, then I need my magic to be as strong as possible. He won't even know what I'm going through for him. I simply nod to show my agreement.
"Good. We'll start tomorrow." She smiles, making her way over to the elevator. Just before I'm given the grace of peace, she speaks up, "how long did you have left?" Araquiel asks. He sigh,
"Well, if I mess up it'll be doubled." I mumble, returning to my previous place at Martyn's bed.
"That's not what I asked. You've served 120, how long would you have left?" He repeats,
"480 years." I sigh. My head falls low. I can't handle another mistake, not like the one I did last time. I shuffle away from Martyn and glance down to my tattoos, the only things that can cover these scars. Shame you can't get tattoos for your brain...
"Wow... I know what you did was bad but...you were only..." Araquiel mumbles, a tear forming in her eye.
"Goodbye." I declare, wiping away my own tears. I'm not surprised that I'm not allowed to tell Martyn my situation; if he knew...he'd never want to see me again. I suppose, no one would. If only i could change the past.