Akeldama | lrh

twenty one - agony

Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.

~ C.S. Lewis

•••

With the events of the day before, you would think I'd sleep like a rock. Especially considering the fact that I know I'm secure for the time being and the couch is actually really comfortable. Nevertheless, I find myself tossing and turning, unable to stay under for more than an hour at a time.

It's around three am when I finally give up, glaring up at the elaborate ceiling and trying to avoid the thoughts that continue to creep up into my head.

Luke was going to kill Nasim Kieran. He probably would've succeeded if I hadn't stumbled through the door like an idiot.

I don't know what to think anymore. My feelings for Luke haven't exactly changed, it's more like they've been.. halted. Locked away. The situation at hand is far more worthy of my attention.

"Can't sleep either?" It's Ivy's voice, only a few feet away. I roll over to see her sitting on the floor, leaning up against the bed. She looks utterly exhausted. Bags rest under her eyes, her long blonde hair pulled back in a ratty ponytail. The flame tattoo rests sullen on her neck. Michael still sleeps soundly behind her on the bed.

"Nope." I yawn, and after some hesitation, slide off the couch to stretch my legs. My whole body feels stiff, and my knees and ankles are sore. My arms feel like noodles when I walk over and use them to lower myself down next to her, leaning back against the mattress frame of the bed.

Ivy sighs, her fingers wrapped around the neck of a water bottle. She stares thoughtfully in the direction of the window, her dark eyes shining in the moonlight barely peaking through.

"Ivy.." I start to say, swallowing down my anxiety. This has been in the back of my head since it happened, but I haven't said anything yet. "Did you.. did you get a chance to see inside the throne room?"

She raises an eyebrow. "No, I was too busy hauling ass. Did you, in your not so graceful entrance?"

I ignore the embarrassment the memory brings. "Yeah. I saw Luke."

Ivy stiffens a little next to me, but her expression doesn't change. She takes a chug of the water bottle. "Did you now."

"He was in the middle of throwing a knife. Aiming straight at a woman's head. Ivy.. I could have sworn it was Nasim Kieran."

Ivy scoffs. "He wouldn't attempt to assassinate the Superior of Asia with two guards escorting him. Not to mention the fact that he's been working with her this whole time. He isn't that stupid."

"Well, he did. I know what I saw. He threw it, but he missed, and they knocked him down."

Ivy turns to look at me, and I'm surprised to see that her expression is tense. "Luke never misses."

"He did this time."

She shakes her head. Silence. My thoughts are whirling, all I can think about is what this all means. Luke is probably dead, and if he isn't, he's being tortured or held prisoner. I pray that it's the latter.

"Dumbass." Ivy mutters. I raise an eyebrow. "Are you sure it was him that gave you that knife? He didn't drop it accidentally or something?"