Firewind

Chapter 10-Althaea/Enialis

I didn't feel anything different at first. Just that the voice in my head had faltered. Suddenly I felt warmth in my hands return. The warmth spread through my body, heating me up, chasing the cold and the dark away. I gasped. The heat was becoming too much. Burning my hands. My eyes flew open and I didn't see any hallucinations. I saw two bright blue eyes full of concern before I passed out.

I don't know how long I slept for but it was a deep dreamless sleep. I was comfortable and warm. I felt safe.

I woke up later, feeling feverish and thirsty. My throat was raw and dry from all the screaming and crying I had most likely done. I opened my eyes to an early dawn. I was laying on my thin bedroll with my ragged blanket tossed over me. A cloak was balled up for me to use as a pillow. I used my hands to push myself up and immediately regretted it. I gasped in pain. I looked down to find my hands red and raw wrapped in cloth. They were burnt and already starting to blister.

"Are you feeling better?" a voice across from me asked. It was Enialis.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice cracked and I coughed into my elbow. I coughed up blood.

Enialis's bright blue eyes widened and he quickly stood up, strode to my side and knelt beside me. He passed me a water flask. He ripped a piece of his shirt and began mopping up the blood from my face. Then he stopped suddenly and just quietly handed me the cloth. Why was he acting so weird?

"So you don't remember what happened?" he asked, his voice sounded strained with emotion but I couldn't pinpoint which emotion it was.

"Not everything," I winced. "I remember the dark and..."

"Do you remember what happened after the wodasheus left?"

"I remember warmth. And..."

"Anything else?"

I tried to think back to what happened after the cold left my body. I couldn't sort through what was real and what was a vision.

"I don't know what was real and what wasn't. What happened to my hands?" I asked, looking down at them.

"Oh. That was the sunleech fruit. I couldn't think of what else to do so I put your hands in the citrus. It seems that heat can chase them out to some degree."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. You should eat something."

He tossed me a mendid fruit and I eagerly bit into the light blue fruit, its blood red inside sweet on my tongue. As I finished the delicious fruit, I pondered all that had happened. Apparently, the headless monster that haunted my nightmares and my every breath decided to finally make an appearance after all these years.

***

Althaea had slept for two days. We were running out of water and out of time. But I couldn't bring myself to rush her for my sake. Not when I'm bringing her closer to her death. On the third night, Griffin had shown up. Althaea had woken up that day and fallen back asleep after eating and drinking some water. I followed him reluctantly back to the ruins of the crumbling village. I didn't want to leave Althaea after what had happened last time. Griffin offered to stay with her.

So I went on to the courtyard to face Viola and Valor alone. But I was ok with that. As much as Griffin is my friend, sometimes he could ruin all of my fun. I grinned as I walked into the courtyard to find Valor pacing anxiously.

"What's wrong Val?" I smirked. "Is your master getting restless?"

"Don't forget your place breezy," he said unfazed, "you serve him too."

"I don't serve anybody."

Val shrugged.

Viola rolled her eyes.

"What is taking you so long?" she whined.

"Getting sick of the lovely desert scenery Vee?" I teased.

"Oh, be quiet. I just want to get back to Elidrina and have a nice bath. Just because you guys like smelling like an abarif's backside."

"You've offended me deeply Vee!" I said, placing my hand over my chest in mock shock. "I thought you had noticed with what great care I had run my fingers through my hair this morning!"

She rolled her eyes at me.

"What is this really about?" I asked, suddenly frustrated. If they keep calling meetings like this without making their true intentions clear, I see no point in showing up to them.

"Rocky hasn't delivered the package. So lightning face had to send something else to pick it up," Val looked troubled. Something else wasn't right.

"What's the problem?"

"Well the Silhouette has to punish him."

"Oh."

I had known Rocky all my life and he had always treated everyone fairly. He was a good person. He didn't follow the crowd and that was the problem. It gets him into trouble. And the worst part is he might not make it out of this one alive.

"Is that it?"

"Not all of it," Viola said, smirking. "There's been a change in plans..."

I returned to the spot where I left Althaea with Griffin. He stood up when I got there and the small fire that was there immediately disappeared.

"She was shivering," Griffin said.

"Thanks, Griffin," I sighed. "I really appreciated you staying here."

"I know," he looked me in the eyes and I saw that he understood. He understood my reasoning behind my concern and I appreciated his friendship more than ever in that moment than in my entire life. He smiled, patted me on the back and disappeared in a cloud of storm and fire. I watched the little flame of white fire fly away into the night. In a flash of lightning, it disappeared and I was left in the dark.

I looked to where Althaea was sleeping under my cloak. I had no need for it. I was used to the cold. Her face looked so peaceful when she slept. The muscles on her face relaxed, her breathing calm. She looked so vulnerable when she was sleeping. I felt bad about what I had to do. But what other choice did I have?