At the Fields of Fire and Blood

Chapter XXIV

Darren materialized the chalice on his left hand and rolled it absentmindedly between his fingers as he waited for the others to come down the platforms. He was worried about Vivien but he didn't know what was the best way to help her. She didn't react well to his usual tactics, which mostly involved smothering the other person in physical affection. She also didn't take well to being told soothing white lies, which left him out of options. It was always Joshua that talked her out of her sour moods but he seemed strangely distant, had even relegated the choice to Vivien's theory rather than making one himself, which was unusual. And which meant Darren had to worry about both of them, rather than just Vivien.

Thinking of the devil, Joshua stepped onto the floor next to Darren, avoiding the loose stones that gave way to patches of grass. Then he looked back up at the corridor he'd just left, tongue flicking at the corner of his mouth. He wasn't as calm as he was trying to make it out to be.

"Worried about Viv?" Darren asked. Joshua seemed to suddenly notice him, blinked rapidly to focus his eyes on Darren's face.

"I am," Joshua confessed with a sigh before running a hand down his face. "I'm glad you and Kayla didn't snap at her, love. That was clearly not normal Viv behavior."

Darren nodded, his jaw tensing at the slight jab. "Yeah, well, it wasn't us who pushed her."

Joshua's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak but Darren held up a hand, stopping him.

"They're coming down any minute, no time for arguments," he said. "I'm not blaming you. Just stop acting like the rest of us are dumb, when you're doing dumb things yourself. Snap out of it."

Joshua made to speak again but Darren was already walking past him, grinning up at Kayla and holding up his arms to help her down from the platform. His smile vanished when he saw her furrowed brows and she seemed to barely notice him, only took his hand when the cat crossed her path and almost tripped her.

"Viv?" he asked.

When she looked up at him and nodded, he rested his nose against her hair, kissed her temple.

"We'll cheer her up," he said before pulling away.

Darren twirled the chalice in his hand as he watched Vivien climb down the platform, wondered how he could do that. Finding what was wrong or not with the Flowerheads was likely to have no effect on Vivien at this point, even if she did enjoy research and discovery under different circumstances, when they came with no obligations attached. What would make her calm down would most likely be ending the trial and going back to the hideout as quickly as possible, letting her rest and recharge on her own. He could help with that. He could definitely get the trial done and over with swiftly and smoothly.

"Alright, gather up, losers," Darren said, then looked down at the cat, who was peering curiously up at him. "Not you, you're wonderful. As long as you don't smile. Stay close, I'm gonna use my amazing magic to get us close to those stupid Flowerheads and they won't suspect a thing."

He could almost feel Vivien rolling her eyes at him when she let out a soft sigh and congratulated himself on at least having distracted her from her thoughts for a few seconds. He flicked his wrist to the side and the chalice in his hand filled with what seemed like clear, pure water. The air around the group shifted, took on the rippling quality of a heat haze. Inside the bubble, everything else had disappeared. The grass, the rubble strewn on the ground, even the floor itself had become a featureless, solid black abyss under their feet.

"Neat, huh?" Darren asked, trying to keep any sung notes from slipping into his tone.

Truth was, he hated using his magic on himself. Putting the others into protective domes of warped reality was something he would do even against their will, if it kept them safe. But barring himself from the world around him was something he deeply loathed. Maybe he had spent too long locked up already. He grinned at his companions, nonetheless, tried to look proud of himself before starting walking towards the door that led outside the room.