Kissed by Chaos

Kissed by Chaos (37) - Endings... and beginnings.

Kissed by Chaos Chapter 37

Raafi stumbled through the damned corridors, cursing them yet again for being so winding and complicated. Trying to plod through the narrow passageways was infuriating especially at a time like this. The throbbing of his freshly bandaged head only added to his frustration. Finally, he reached the advisors’ quarters and only slowed down when he came face to face with a closed door. He tried to convince himself that he didn’t really want to know what was inside. His body rebelled against him, trying to force him to turn around and leave the room of despair behind. Yet his heart told him to stay, to see his friend for what might be the last time.

He knocked briefly on the door and was answered by a half muted voice to “come in”. When Raafi stepped inside a tired looking woman rose from her seat next to the bed and bowed her head. “Your Highness,” Sami’s mother said in a trembling voice.

“Khala, please do not insult me with these formalities,” he said quietly, taking her gently by the shoulders and sitting her back down again. She watched wordlessly as he kneeled beside her in front of Sami’s bed.

It was unusual to see Sami’s mouth fixed in a grim, straight line instead of his signature grin. If anything, it was proof that over the past few months the world had turned on its head. Raafi reached for one of Sami’s hands, resting by his side. As he picked it up Raafi could not help but feel a painful burst of hope at the warmth that flowed his friend’s veins.

“He’s still alive,” said Raafi, trying to convince not only Sami’s mother but also himself. “Why are we all acting as if he has already died?”

Yet the answer stared him in the face even as he asked the question. Sami’s left eye was patched with white cloth, as was his right arm. But even worse than that was the layers and layers of bandages wrapped around Sami’s stomach, hiding a gruesome injury from a sand soldier's scimitar. How could someone possibly be alive after losing all that blood? Raafi tried to find whatever solace he could in the fact that Sami still breathed, no matter how shallow those breaths.

“I’m sorry,” Raafi breathed quietly, so low that only Sami could hear. “If not for me, you would not be lying here today. You would not have had to fight with creatures far beyond what we trained for. All I can say now is thank you. Thank you for laying down your life for me… and… of course, you know I would do the same, time and time again.”  As he spoke, Raafi forced his eyes to stay open, afraid that if he blinked tears would spill over. Raafi squeezed Sami’s hand and hoped that he had not imagined Sami’s fingers tightening slightly around his own.

The walk to the next room was too short. Again, found himself stuck in front of a door, afraid to wrench it open and expose himself to the truth. He had not seen Claire since the soldiers had taken her unconscious body out of the cave. She had been awfully pale, and the map of blue veins running across her eyelids had frightened him. He had been able to brush his hand against hers for a brief moment before she was gone. It had taken only that moment for him to realise how horribly cold her skin was.

Before he could even knock, Susannah opened the door for him. Her eyes were red and swollen, but she managed to grant him a small smile. “I heard your footsteps,” she said simply, and disappeared out the door and down the hallway. He remained frozen in the doorway as his eyes fell on the girl sitting up in the bed. She turned her head slowly and looked at him. The skin of her face clung to her cheekbones, and her eyes were much like Susannah, red with sorrow and filled with pain. Even so that was Claire - his Claire - and despite what he had feared, here she was with her eyes wide open and her heart beating steadily.

 “Claire… you… you’re safe,” he concluded finally.

“Yes, but I-I have no idea what happened. How is that possible, Raafi? And what happened to Dunya? Where did she go? Is she coming back?” she blurted frantically, her eyes growing wider by the moment.