Break

Chapter 14: Blood Magic

A hiss escapes my lips as I lower myself into the warm bath. It feels great on my sore muscles, but my skin feels like it is on fire. The calming scent of lavender helps me relax, but my mind still wanders back to practice.

Rafael looked happy. He smiled that crooked smile almost the entire time. My mind was at ease for once after these few harsh days.

After training for hours on end, I have made decent progress. In Rafael's words, I can at least harm a defenseless toad. Delsair said I could bring down a common thug. Funny how Delsair always makes me feel better about myself while Rafael insults me.

"How are you feeling?" Delsair asks, startling me a bit.

"Better," I say. "Still sore."

"He should have gone easier on you," he mumbles.

"I'm fine," I assure him.

"Alright," he sighs and leans against the door frame.

"How are your wounds?" I ask him.

"Healing. I still get some pain in my side, but I am getting better," he replies. His gaze wanders to the wall with a beautiful painting of the ocean on it. "After all that has happened, I must seem like a stranger to you."

"I..." He's not completely wrong. I feel love, yes, but I only just realized how much I don't know. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. I feel the same way," he says. "You left one way, and I came back to find that you have changed into a completely different person."

"Is that bad?"

"No! I love y-" he stops himself. "I, um, like the changes. I thought you were perfect before, but now...."

"Why did you stop yourself?" I ask.

"Because I felt as though if I said the phrase, more things would come out," he admits.

"'Things?'"

"Damn, Penelope, you're going to make me say it?"

"I'm waiting."

"I love you. I love everything about you. When I was in Sanfellios without you, I never stopped thinking about you. My mind always wandered ever since I laid eyes on you. The way you held onto me after Faust died was the only thing keeping me from giving up. I want to hang on for you. You are my strength, Penelope. God, that sounded bad in my head and out."

"Delsair... I love you, too," I say as I sink lower into the water in slight embarrassment. "I'd kiss you right now, but yeah."

"I can see how that would present a problem," he says. "You don't seem to mind that I intruded though."

"I don't think about it," I mumble. "I just wanted to talk to you, with or without clothing."

"Saying it like that just sounds, um, promiscuous."

"And I just realized that now," I groan and sink further into the water.

"I wanted to talk to you, too. We barely even had any chance too."

"Yeah," I sigh, raising myself ever so slightly so I don't drown. "Things haven't exactly gone as planned."

"I spoke to Rafael. He said that there is a church we can go to for the silver and a man who is friends with a dragon," Delsair says.

"Did he saying anything explicit about the church?"

"No, why?"

"Don't ask. It is horrible," I tell him.