79. Scotlind
SEVENTY-NINE
SCOTLIND
My body ached, and my head was screaming when I finally came back to myself. The last thing I remembered was Tezya holding me, and I was okay with dying in his arms.
I slowly blinked my eyes open and was blinded by bright lights.
Crystal blue and silver eyes were staring into me. “Tezya?” My voice cracked, unsure if I was imagining things.
He leaned forward, his bone-white hair covering his forehead. “I’m right here.” His calloused hand cupped my cheek too gently, and I couldn’t decipher the expression on his face.
I looked down and saw I was lying on a cot. A scratchy, cream blanket was folded neatly over me, and Tezya was perched on the side of the mattress. He looked so tired, so exhausted.
“What happened?” My throat felt like sandpaper, making it difficult to get any words out. Tezya leaned forward, grabbing a glass of water from the table next to me, then helped me sit up with his other hand.
“Here, drink first.” He tilted my chin as he guided the water down my throat, and I gulped greedily. He refilled the glass from a pitcher, then brought it to my lips again, before pressing a tiny white circular pebble into my mouth. Why he wanted me to eat a rock—
He laughed gently, reading my thoughts. “It’s not a rock. It’s a pill. It’s mortal medicine. Savannah said it will help ease the pain. Too many were injured that the healers are only tending to vital wounds… for now.”
I nodded, then swallowed the tiny rock—pill—before meeting Tezya’s gaze again.
How am I alive? I asked into his mind. I knew what I was doing on that mountain. I knew I went past my reserves.
Tezya hesitated for a moment. You need to rest— he started.
Show me, I said, grabbing his hand. I needed to know what I missed. I needed to know what happened and who was still alive.
Tezya hesitated for a second, before he obliged, and I started seeing everything through his eyes. I soaked it all in as if I lived through it myself. I’d been out for days apparently. After the King died, Brock healed Sie enough to make him conscious. Tezya fought him over it, but they needed a way to get back to the castle. Tezya kept holding me—screaming, and crying, and begging Brock to heal me. Then, he was pleading with the goddesses. I’d never seen him so distraught, so out of himself.
I was terrified I was going to lose you, he said into my mind before continuing with what happened.
Sie teleported us until he collapsed a mile out. He shouldn’t have been able to teleport at all, let alone, teleport all of us. He was pale and sickly and covered in too much of his own blood to even be standing.
We didn’t have a choice, Tezya commented. If we did nothing, you both would have died on that mountain.
Is he— I couldn’t finish my thought, but Tezya knew where I was going .
He’s alive. I sprinted the rest of the way to the castle, and Dovelyn flew Kallon to where Brock was waiting with you and Sie. Kal portaled you both to the medical ward in Tennebris.
I nodded as I watched what else happened through Tezya’s memories. Some of it he witnessed himself and others were from what everyone else told him.
The battle ended shortly after that, but it was brutal. There were some soldiers who didn’t stop fighting, regardless of the news that the King had died. They wanted the ranking system and believed in what they were fighting for. Tezya said a lot of the army had been brainwashed into brutality and that half of them were dead by the time they finally surrendered. Most of the remaining Luxians cooperated, although the high ranks didn’t take the news as easily as the Tennebrisians.
Arcane and Savannah managed to stop the mass compulsion serum. The humans who were still alive were healed, fed, and then compelled to forget everything that had happened. But out of the thousands of humans who were captured, not many were still breathing.
Kallon and Savannah brought them all back to their home territory. The two of them were purposely staying busy and went head first into any task that needed to be done. I could feel Tezya’s worry for them. I knew the mortal lost her father, but Kallon’s girlfriend died too. Raeya. I’d been so consumed by losing Tezya that I never anticipated anyone else losing the person they loved.
How did it happen? I asked.
Three Luxian soldiers charged her at once. Rainer took out two of them with his lightning, but the third got to Raeya before he could.
I could sense he wanted to keep the rest from me, but it was too late, I already saw it through our bond. She died because of me. Kallon left to help me and now…
It’s not your fault, Tezya said. I was the one who asked Kallon to leave, not you .
It still doesn’t change that you and I have each other, and she can’t say the same. Kallon left her girlfriend to help me, and while I survived, she didn’t.
I talked to Kal, he said after a moment. She doesn’t think it’s anyone’s fault. Everyone that was fighting knew the risks, and even if Kallon stayed with Raeya, the outcome could have been the same.
Tezya’s words hit me, but I saw it for what it was. He didn’t even believe it himself. The guilt was eating away at him too.
Is she okay? I asked.
No, but she has Savannah, for now, and Rainer. His words “for now” had my mind racing. Did that mean we were leaving? That we were going back to Allium?
Yes, he answered, knowing exactly where my thoughts drifted. We’re leaving in a couple of weeks to go back.
What about everyone else? Peter and Vallie instantly flooded my mind next.
All okay. Everyone else is okay. Peter was badly injured at the end, but he’ll live.
And Greyland? I started, but stopped, knowing it was Tezya’s little brother too.
Alive.
I nodded, relief flooding me because I couldn’t stomach any more death. But in reality so many lives were lost because of this. How many families were suffering now? How many lost their parents, siblings, significant others? I prayed it would all be worth it.
I hope so too, Tezya said gently. The fighting stopped, but there’s still a large number of people that aren’t happy with the changes. Everyone has agreed to return to Allium, but once we’re there it’s going to be difficult. We’ll have to implement our new plan for governing immediately and pray more wars don’t break out because of it.
I nodded, now understanding this was what Dravenburg meant when he said we needed to be prepared before we fought. The Advenians were split down the middle. Most agreed with us, having lived through some of the suffrage, but the ones who benefited before—the ones who were high ranked and thrived from the old system—they’d be harder to convince. This was far from over.
Athler? I asked, realizing I hadn’t seen the King’s second during the battle.
He was the one controlling the humans while we were with the King. Savannah and Arcane were able to capture him.
Capture? I repeated. So he’s alive?
Tezya nodded. Everyone agreed there were too many deaths to add more right now. He’s in the dungeons with five Alluse users and two air users. Plus, Sav has been giving him heavy sedatives so he doesn’t wake up. Once we get to Allium, we’ll figure out what to do with him and everyone else.
What about your brother? I asked.
He’s also someone we will have to figure out what to do with.
You mean you’re keeping him locked up? Shock coursed through me. I knew Arcane was technically a prisoner prior to everything starting, but he helped us, he fought with us… I saw it through Tezya’s memories. All the humans would have died if he hadn’t agreed to come back with Kallon to help.
I know, Tezya said. I don’t like it either. But he’s not in the dungeons at least. He’s being confined to his room with an insane amount of luxury and endless wine so he’s fine for now.
I shifted on the bed, sitting up even higher before slowly removing the itchy bedding. I wanted to see everyone. I had to see they were alive with my own eyes.
“Rumor, wait—” Tezya started, and I jumped, shocked at him speaking out loud after being inside my head. “There’s more.”
“What?” I asked, slumping back down onto the cot, mentally preparing myself as I held my breath.
“You and Sie, you both saved me.” I waited, terrified for where he was going with this. “You locked onto the ring through our bond, and you were using all your enhancement on me. I didn’t realize what you were doing until it was too late. I thought I was going past my own reserves, but I wasn’t…”
“But I did,” I finished for him.
He nodded. “You used up all your reserves. You’re lucky to be alive right now, but…” He paused.
“Tezya just spit it out and tell me,” I said, hating the hesitancy.
“Your enhancement is gone.”
His words settled into my core, but I couldn’t fully comprehend them. Not yet anyway. I reached into my powers and immediately the call to water came. I could feel it in everyone’s bodies behind the curtain that was pulled shut, in the pitcher of water next to me, I could sense the little bit of sweat down Tezya’s forehead. But whenever I tried to access the powers around me—I came up blank. My enhancement was gone. It felt like I was searching my mind for a memory I couldn’t remember.
The only other powers I could sense now were Tezya’s fire and his summa sensibus. But everyone else around me… I felt nothing.
“I’m so sorry, Scotlind. I’m so fucking sorry… If I had known what was happening…”
“It’s okay, Tezya,” I interjected. “It was all worth it. You are worth it. I’m just happy you’re alive.”
Tezya’s expression didn’t relax. He didn’t believe me, but I meant what I said. I would give everything I had in order to keep him alive, and if sacrificing my ability meant that, then I was fine with it. I’d learn to deal with the part of me that now felt hollow and empty. But for now, I was happy.
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I’m happy you’re alive too. I don’t know what I would have done if…” He didn’t finish his sentence but kissed my forehead again. “You need to eat something, and then we can go see the others.”
I smiled at Tezya and pulled at his shirt, tugging him down toward me, and I kissed him.
I kissed him simply because I could.