Chapter 20:
I went down to the next deck of the ship without a word, only to find myself in a bedroom. Which was strange. I should've been on the second deck, right? Also, I hadn't seen this room before. And I'd walked around, looking at everything. Surely, I would've happened upon this, right?
"I crafted this room for you. For a few hours." The ship's voice floated around the room softly.
"Oh. Thank you." I moved toward the bed, sitting on the edge of it.
And that's when the tears started. I bowed my head, burying my face in my hands, and sobbed. Overwhelmed as the shock wore off, and the emotions threatened to drown me.
I didn't hear him approach, but I felt his hands on my thighs.
"Eira..." He murmured, concerned.
I just shook my head, unable to speak.
He sat beside me, a hand on my shoulder, guiding me to lay down on my side. My head on his lap. Lowering my hands, I instead buried my face in his legs. He stayed with me, silent, while I got it all out. Eventually, I couldn't cry anymore, my tears seemingly used up.
I took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I... I was... I don't..."
"It's okay." Fingers raked through my hair, a comforting motion. "How are you feeling, now?"
"Better. I think." I slowly sat up, moving onto my knees, and kissing him.
Pouring everything I couldn't find the words to say into it.
"Either I die before you, or we die together." I whispered. "I can't experience that again."
His arms wrapped around me as he nodded. "I can agree to together but not before me."
"I love you. So much."
"I love you." A slight smile. "More than you could ever know."
We sat together in comfortable silence for a while, before he squeezed me.
"The Lady Vengeance made this room, huh?" Looking around.
I nodded. "Yeah. Though, I'm not sure why. But I'm not going to complain. A nice, comfortable bed. Yeah, definitely not going to complain."
His eyes met mine again, his hands traveling down my sides. "I can think of a few reasons."
A tilt of my head. "Yeah?"
"One being to give us a space for just us. A private room. Where the others can't just walk in on us."
"That makes sense, I guess."
He sank deep in thought, and I waited, wondering what he was thinking so hard about.
"Will you..." He took a deep breath. "Let me show you how much I love you."
I blinked, confused. Before it hit me like a truck. My whole body felt warm at the realization of what he was saying.
Unable to keep the stupid smile off my face, I nodded, pulling back. My hands going to the hem of my tunic. He stopped me, and I was a little taken aback. Wasn't this what he wanted?
"Let me."
His words melted me further, his hands replacing mine. The tunic was tossed off to who knows where.
...
I woke up with our bodies tangled together, feeling a sense of peace and calm. I snuggled against him, relaxed.
He chuckled, and it rumbled through his chest, against my cheek. "Good morning."
He sounded so happy.
A quiet hum left me. "Good morning."
We laid there for a time, just enjoying each other's company, pushing all thoughts of our continued journey from our minds. Simply existing together.
"I suppose we'll have to get up soon." I eventually said, my voice soft.
His arms tightened around me for a moment, before I slowly pushed myself up to hover over him. He grinned up at me, a hand tangling in my hair, guiding me down to kiss him.
"If we have to." He sighed after we parted.
"Just think." I playfully tapped his chest. "After everything is said and done, there will be plenty of time for just us."
A fire lit in his eyes. "I'm holding you to that."
Together, we got up and dressed, making our way to the door and stepping out into the second deck. The door disappeared after it shut behind us.
...
An hour or so later, there was a great shaking of the ship, and I looked around in alarm. Before I could even think to do anything, the sound of splintering wood filled the space. Moments before the ship broke apart, pieces flying everywhere. I was sent flying, hitting ground hard.
Hard enough to nearly knock me out, the pain blinding.
Hands touched me- my arms and back- fluttering around seemingly anxiously. It took me a few minutes to remember I could heal, and it made me wonder if I had a concussion. I could fix that, right?
"Are you alright, lass?" Beast asked.
I sat up, looking at both him and Ifan as they stood over me. "Uh. Yeah. I think." I shook my head to clear it, only making the ache worse. "Are you guys? What about the others?"
"We're all fine. Sore, but fine."
I let the magic flood me, wiping away all pain, before getting to my feet and healing everyone else.
"What happened?" I frowned, glancing around.
We were on a cliff. I moved to the edge, looking down. The ship was in pieces, scattered everywhere at the base of the cliff, some parts being swept away with the movement of the water.
"There was a problem bringing us back to Rivellon from the Hall of Echoes." Ifan explained. "Malady told us. She also said everyone else on board are okay."
I let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad for that, at least."
"She also said that the Lady Vengeance is still around in the Hall of Echoes, and that we should be able to reach it, if we talk to her and get her to take us there." Lohse chimed in.
Weird, but I wasn't going to question it.
"Okay."
"Ah, but there is something."
The others shot her looks.
"What is it?" I frowned.
"That little girl and her cat are missing. Mals isn't sure where she ended up."
My heart started hammering. I had to find her. I had promised to help her. I wanted to help her, regardless of that.
I opened my mouth, but Sebille beat me to it. "We know. We will all keep an eye out for her."
That was the best I could ask for, though it killed me.
"Okay."
A thought occurred to me, and I turned to the Red Prince.
"Do you still have the hilt and blade?"
He nodded, tilting his head slightly.
"Can I have them?"
After pulling them out, he asked. "What are you planning?"
I grabbed the tablet out of my pack, holding the three items in my arms. "I'm going to give them to Almira. She'll know what to do with them. I think."
I went over to the succubus, handing over the items.
Her eyes lit up. "You're a miracle worker, you know that, dear?"
I smiled, shrugging. "My friends did all the work. All I really did was give them to you."
"Still." She winked. "Thank you."
Turning away, she started reading the tablet.
...
Before we could get into Arx proper, we'd had to help the paladins fighting voidwoken. When it was over, I'd healed them and handed out most of the potions I'd been carrying, hoping they would help them stay on their feet.
Once inside the city, we came upon an execution. A woman was weeping nearby, distraught. I went up to her, asking what was happening, and she told me that her wife- the woman being held- was being accused of helping the enemy, because she's a healer and just doing her job for everyone she came across. I understood where the woman was coming from, having helped the Lone Wolves countless times, even while knowing what they got up to.
Without thinking, I rushed toward them, standing between the victim and the would-be executer. That was when I realized it was Lord Kemm. We just kind of blinked at each other for a few moments, both at a loss because of the surprise of seeing each other.
"Lord Kemm." I stared up at him.
"Eira." He nodded slightly, jaw clenched. "What are you doing?"
"I don't want you to kill her."
"Step aside."
"No."
"I don't wish to harm you." Eyes narrowing.
"What would Lucian do?" The words tasted bitter on my tongue. "Mercy? You don't need to do this. Not for what she's accused of." I paused, before asking quietly. "Would you do the same to me?"
He studied me coldly, and it felt as if he was seeing into my soul. I struggled not to fidget. Eventually-
"Very well." He sheathed his sword. "She shall not die today." It was his turn to pause, his voice low. "I expect you to make time for me."
With a jerk of his chin, he motioned for his men to walk the woman away, probably back to her prison cell. I'd done what I could, without challenging his authority outright. If this wasn't enough, I wasn't sure what else I could do.
The wife of the prisoner was overjoyed that her love wasn't going to die today, that I'd managed to convince Kemm otherwise. She tried giving me coin for it, but I shook my head and closed her hands over them, telling her to keep them for herself.
...
We got a few rooms at the tavern, and I retired for the night while the others drank for a bit. Eventually, Ifan entered the room, looking at me like I was prey. I wasn't sure what was happening, and I froze. He stalked forward, climbing onto the bed and hovering over me, before kissing me. The action was much softer than his body language suggested it would be, and I melted under him.
When we parted, he grinned down at me, and my body began to feel warm, anticipation curling in my stomach. After warning me to be quiet, he lifted my tunic over my head.
...
I looked up at the building, curious about how we were supposed to get into a wedding we weren't invited to. Luckily, the bouncer recognized Beast and let us in. After wandering a bit, we wound up outside, where what was left of the cake that had exploded sat.
From the sewer grate, I smelled something foul. Something familiar. My eyes widened.
"There's Deathfog under our feet." I muttered, just loud enough for the others to hear.
At that, we decided we needed to explore the sewers. Not that we could find a way in that was out of sight. Luckily, that was when Eir showed herself again, leading us to a pipe that we could use to get in.
After what felt like an eternity of walking the winding tunnels, we came across crates and barrels with the Deathfog symbol, according to Ifan and Beast. Not something I wanted to hear. The discovery only solidified Lohar's claims that Justinia was trying to kill everyone in Arx, something that Beast was just now telling us. There wasn't anything we could do, other than find her and put a stop to her plans before they happened.
Something moving out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Breaking away from the others, I cautiously walked over to whatever it was. Turned out to be the spirit of a dwarf. She watched me approach with wide eyes.
"Do you know how to get to Justinia?" I asked softly so as not to startle her further.
She nodded slowly, mute.
"Will you show us?"
After a few moments of hesitation, she left her little corner and walked to the door opposite the one we'd come in from, beckoning me to follow.
"Guys." I got their attention. "This way."
She led us through trap after trap- thankfully, Sebille had that ability to jump across large distances. With that, and her holding one of the pyramids, we were able to get through all the traps.
After a short while, we stood in front of a staircase leading down. She pointed to it, before turning and leaving us.
"This is it." I murmured, looking to Beast.
He nodded grimly, taking the first step toward it.
The conversation happened very quickly, darkness claiming me while Isbeil was still talking. I collapsed in a heap, unconscious.
...
"...How strong a dose can a Godwoken handle?" A voice broke through the fog in my mind and, with some struggle, I opened my eyes. "How long does it take for one to succumb? So many questions!"
Isbeil stood above us, staring down with a cold gaze. Detached.
I tried to speak, but not a sound left my lips. I also realized I couldn't move. I had no way of knowing my friends were here with me, and I was effectively trapped.
"Don't fight it. You'll only make things worse." Amusement flickered across her face. "Oh, but I've been so rude. You should know the real me." She took off her mask, revealing her to be undead. "It's good to give myself a rest. Those masks can be darned pesky."
Her eyes wandered the space I was in, and I could only hope that that meant the others were here, too. But that also made me panic. If they were in the same position as I was... what did that mean for us?
"Do try to relax. The harder you fight, the harder the experiment will be on you."
The moment she was done speaking, a poison cloud washed over me, filling my nose and mouth, my lungs burning and aching from the haze. I wondered if this was how I was going to die.
A hum left her. "That dose proves quite alarming for my... normal subjects. Let's try a new approach, shall we?"
I wanted to scream for her to stop but, again, nothing came out.
"Let's see, now... Oh- I have just the thing! Just a spritz, mind you."
More poison flooded into the space, this time liquid. It burned every part of me it touched, my skin reacting violently to it. I only breathed in more and more, unable to prevent it.
"Interesting. Some of the results are quite unexpected. Now," She leaned forward, eager. "let's move on to Deathfog. Live or die," At this point, I was practically blinded by panic. "you've already proven most... well, I was going to say 'useful', but perhaps 'entertaining' is the better word."
Several moments passed, but nothing happened. Suddenly, a hand entered my field of view- Ifan. He pulled me to my feet, and I leaned heavily on him while the paralytic spell faded. Once I had my wits about me, I cleared the space of the poison, healing us as a group. Something I didn't know I could do.
"What's wrong with the..." It was a valve she was using- to poison us. "guards! Come! The Godwokens' broken free of my spell!"
Sebille jumped out of the pit we were in, and we teleported to her, just as the guards started readying their weapons. Everyone was angry about what had happened, channeling that rage into their attacks. Which I bolstered.
Once everyone, including Isbeil, was dead, we took a few minutes for a breather. Collecting ourselves. That had been... beyond awful.
Only to be met with an even more awful situation- the pipes that contained the Deathfog in the city were leaking, and we had a choice: kill everyone in Arx, or release the fog into the ocean. Really, it wasn't a choice, but the fact that, if we hadn't been paying attention, everyone would have died... Or if we'd failed to break free... I pushed the thought from my mind.
While I was looking around, I spotted a false portion of the wall. Pressing on it, I watched as it swung inward, revealing a hallway.
"Guys." I called them over, and we cautiously started inside.
Only to be stopped by the wall opposite us bursting open, Justinia stepping over the rubble. She and Beast talked and, when it came to deciding her fate, he took a deep breath and shook his head. Told her he wouldn't kill her, that she should atone for her crimes by serving the people better. She left us, then, and we pushed forward. Into Isbeil's laboratory. I turned away, fleeing from the room, and vomited in the hall. It was just as awful as she'd shown herself to be.
After the others looked around, they came back, checking on me.
"I just want to leave." I muttered.