Aloth wakes up to find his arm is around Cera's waist and her back pressed against his chest - and then everything that happened yesterday comes back to him. What really catches his eye, though, is Cera's expression - completely calm, like she doesn't have a care in the world.
Most of the time, she's either on guard against the minds of the dozens of strangers in whatever town or city they're in, or they're fighting for their lives - this peaceful, serene look is rare, it's the first time he's actually seen her like this. So lovely when she's like this.
Cera shifts a little, moving just enough that her head is in a new spot on the pillow. After a few more moments, he clues in to the fact that she's awake now when she moves just a little closer to him. Aloth can't fight a grin forming on his lips for a moment or two, then presses his mouth to her neck and is rewarded with a gasp from her.
Cera squirms on the bed until she's facing him, and jokingly asks "Is that your way of saying it's time to wake up?"
"It could be. Seeing as you're the one of us that can connect our minds."
Cera curls up until her head is tucked under his chin, saying "But I like it here. It's warm, comfortable, I don't particularly feel like I'm going crazy at the moment…" Dammit, time to get up now. Eder's just starting to wonder where we are.
Let's not let him find us here just yet. Not until after we stop Thaos.
Aloth's just finished getting into his armor when Eder starts knocking - pounding really, with those big hands of his - on the door. "Hey, Aloth, you in here?"
"Yes, Eder, why wouldn't I be in my room?"
Cera's voice whispers I'll go change. You keep him occupied.
Done. Because there's no way Aloth's letting Eder get any ideas in his head - the ones he talks about are bad enough, Cera refuses to go into detail about the ones he doesn't talk about.
"Well, Cera's not downstairs, Pallegina and Sagani haven't seen her yet, I was kinda hoping you'd have any ideas on where our psychic Watcher friend might'a wandered off to."
Aloth rolls his eyes, and says "I found her on the balcony last night, Eder. You might try there."
"Right, I'll try that. Say, Aloth, you positive Iselmyr's not gonna come back out again? Because-"
"Yes, I'm sure Iselmyr isn't going to make another appearance. And no, I'm definitely not going to call her out and risk undoing yesterday just to get a laugh out of you, Eder. Or to make Kana fluent in Hylspeak either."
"Oh, c'mon! Not even for a few minutes?"
"No. Weren't you going to go look for Cera?"
"Yeah, c'mon. She's got to be around here somewhere."
Cera's voice whispers into his mind I'll find you guys down there. Don't worry, I'm in no danger of getting lost in an inn, Aloth. Promise.
Sure enough, Cera finds the two in the common room about ten minutes later - with Pallegina and Sagani in tow, to boot. "You guys ready? We still have to find Kana, though. Then, it's off to the Maw to break up a standoff." She looks and sounds alert, Aloth's starting to consider using that spell on her again tonight.
Eder says "Your looking better, Cera. Either that Mead you had helped quite a lot, or-"
"Morning! Is everybody ready to depart?"
Kana's interruption comes at the best possible time, and Cera brightly says "There, all accounted for! Let's go get some animals to fight each other."
Sagani says "You're in a good mood, especially since we learned we have to jump into a massive pit to find Thaos. And to not die at the bottom of that pit, we have to break up an animal standoff that may well end up getting us killed. So, why are you in such a good mood?"
"Because I had a good night's sleep last night. Don't remember a thing after I closed my eyes until I woke up."
Pallegina says "Fair enough, Amica. Let's be off then."
Cera's jaw drops open when she sees two Stelegar cubs wrestling with each other behind their mother - no wonder she won't go out and face the big bear. She's staying to nurse her cubs! And the Bear and its partner don't want to come in and fight - resulting in the never-ending standoff they've been sent to end.
"This isn't going to end well for anyone. Two cubs might lose their mother, and no matter what we do we're going to tick someone off. And we may well displease a god as well."
Sagani says "Normally, a hunter goes to find their prey. I know both of these creatures are first-class hunters, but a new hunter going into established territory doesn't have any advantages - they have to make them, and make do without in the meantime. That's how it works out in Nasitaaq, anyway."
Cera hesitantly asks "So…we should get the bear in here?"
"I'm no expert in what Galawain would like, but I'm thinking he's pretty satisfied with how hunting and such has turned out. Why not follow the pattern?"
"Good as anything else I can think of. Anybody got any objections?" Nobody does, and Cera quietly says "Everybody's going to want to stay back. Including the cubs."
Maybe a minute later, after everyone is at the far side of the area and the cubs are safely out of the way, the huge bear that's challenging the stelegar-mother comes dashing in.
Cera mumbles "And…here we go."
After a long, bloody battle, the Stelegar wins, and starts tearing into the bear carcass and eating it - the cubs, after a moment, follow suit.
Cera quietly says "Well, battle's over. And the vicious, clawed family over there will have plenty of food for a while. Let's hope Galawain isn't mad about the outcome." Because all she did was get the fight going, then pull away and watch as it unfolded.
They manage to get Galawain's blessing, and then it's off to Burial Isle - and the thought crosses everyone's mind that they're going there to bury themselves.
When they get to the island, Cera's jaw drops for no apparent reason.
Eder asks "Trying to catch flies, Cera?"
"Souls, maybe. There's dozens of them, maybe hundreds!"
They can't see anything, right up until Cera starts almost buzzing with some kind of power - the souls Galawain granted her.
Unfortunately, as they make their way through the island, Cera continually stops in her tracks - an expression of pure horror growing stronger on her face each time she does. Aloth takes her hand after a minute, pulling her along - entirely uncaring about Eder's smirk and comment of "Are you two ever going to get a move on?"
Come on, Cera. Almost there.
Sagani watches as Aloth pulls Cera past the farmhand, and whispers "Something tells me this particular comment is a little late, Eder."
Eder's smirk widens, and he snorts a laugh out and says "'Bout time."
Aloth pulls Cera into a shaded spot, out of sight of the others - Eder's been taking glances at them for the past ten minutes, and especially whenever Aloth has to gently pull at Cera's wrist to keep her walking. They've been going all over the island, collecting souls so that they won't die upon reaching the bottom of the pit they have to jump into, and Cera's been getting paler and paler as the day wears on.
Cera mumbles "At least the Delemgan said Sun in Shadow was pretty far away from Teir Evron - we aren't too far behind Thaos then."
Aloth rests her head on his shoulder, whispering "We'll find him, Cera. We're almost there. You said we've got all the souls we've found so far?"
"So far. There's probably some at the pit though." She sounds like a completely different person from this morning, haunted now where before she was almost carefree.
Cera presses her hands to her ears, trying to block out the whispers that only she can hear - the screams now, agonized screams of victims burning and being tortured. They sort of fade into the background in her mind, though, when she feels Aloth's hands take her own as he whispers "Let me help, Cera."
"You can't. Nobody can. Nothing helps anymore. They follow me no matter what I try. Telling me what they're feeling. How it's my fault they're in so much pain…"
Aloth makes her look at him, alarmed beyond anything he ever even thought possible. "Cera. It's in the past. These memories aren't feeling anything now. It's just like with Maerwald, they're stuck in whatever moment your remembering. The soldier's mother, from when he was a child. The painted elf, planning an attack. Cera, listen to me. We're so close. You just need to hold on a little longer."
"I swear I can feel myself going insane. Every time I see someone on a torture rack, or tied to a pyre about to be lit…" She squeezes her eyes shut, burying her face in his shoulder.
Aloth gets an idea, and says "Then don't look. I'll guide you."
That gets a confused look from her, and she asks "…What?"
"Keep your eyes closed. Or tie a blindfold over them. I'll guide you. Or you can merge minds with me."
"No! That could have you hearing what I'm hearing, I don't-"
Aloth stops her frantic objection by putting a finger to her lips, saying "Cera, listen to me. If I hear what your hearing, then so be it. Maybe sharing the burden might ease it a little. But listen to me, I'll do everything I can to keep you with me, got it? Safe, sane, alive, all of the above. But you have to let me help, please."
After a moment, one where Cera bites down hard on her bottom lip and fights with herself hard, she finally nods her head and whispers "If it gets too much, tell me."
"Cera, you've been dealing with this far longer than a few minutes."
"It's gotten worse since Defiance Bay. Louder. That's different." She looks at the necklace he gave her in Defiance Bay so long ago, which he now realizes she's never without anymore - how didn't he notice that? He's not sure, but the realization makes him even more determined to find Thaos and get some answers out of the old man. And take back all the souls he stole.
Cera digs a piece of fabric out of her bag, and he ties it around her face so it covers her eyes. "Ready?"
She swallows, and says "No. But I wasn't ready to be Awakened and made a Watcher either. I wasn't ready for any of this."
She presses her forehead to his, and Aloth can almost feel their minds mixing - what they feel, what they're thinking, everything. So neither of them are entirely sure who mentally says Let's go.
AN: Hey, everyone! Yeah, we're getting right down to the end here! Kind of silly with the blindfold - but, considering this is supposed to be the point where the Watcher's sanity starts really slipping, I figured I'd put it in. Besides, I think its cute. Anyway, more chapters are coming soon! Happy New Year! Please review, they're always welcome on any story...hate to add this in, but if your criticizing, try to make it constructive instead of 'this sucks' as I've gotten some of those and they really aren't helpful. If you don't like the story, just don't read it then! Anyway - sorry about that, everyone else! - enjoy!