Chapter 61
VIOLENCE IN THE STREETS
Dim light filters through the windows in the flower room where I am currently sitting.
I’m surrounded by books as I continue to research weather magic for the boys.
I have been distracted and struggling to focus on reading, though.
A few days have passed, and I am still unsure what to think about the interaction I had with Dio.
He agreed to a fresh start, but he was still glaring at me, and his expression certainly wasn’t friendly.
Gods, I’m bad at this.
Since then, things between us have still been awkward but not openly hostile. I guess that is some improvement, at least.
Suddenly, I feel a familiar tightness in my chest that I haven’t felt in a while. The map flashes suddenly and violently in my mind, and without pausing, I stride to my bedroom.
Reaching under the bed without the need to look, I grasp the hilt of my sword. As I stand without slowing, I give it a quick twist, which removes the sheath. It falls to the floor as I stride back out through my bedroom and towards the front door.
With instincts screaming at me, I control my breathing, walking quickly but not running. I stride through the door with bare feet, ignoring shoes. My instincts pull me to the left towards the alley along our building, and I follow that pull, moving forward into the increasing darkness.
What I see both surprises me and doesn’t, as the path on the map has somehow already acknowledged this. In the shadows, against our building, two angels are attempting to subdue someone. As I get closer, I realize it is Dio.
Rage pours through me, and without pause, using their distraction against them, I slam the point of the sword through the spine, between the wings of light, of the angel closer to me. As he falls, I pull the sword free with a twisting motion.
Dio looks at me, one eye wide, one swollen shut with blood running over it. I tear my eyes from him and look toward the other angel. The element of surprise is gone as he, realizing I’m a threat, takes a step back. Still facing me as he pulls a sword from the sheath at his hip.
Dio makes a desperate sound and attempts to move between us, but my instincts tell me he’ll be unable to rise.
I see the instincts are correct as he stumbles slightly and remains where he is.
I feel relief that I won’t have to restrain or disable him, even as fear regarding the severity of his injuries tears at me.
Dragging my attention back to the fight at hand, I stalk toward the other angel who, momentarily caught off guard, is stepping back to give himself space.
I am happy to put him on the defensive.
I take two running steps and launch myself forward at him.
He slams his sword up roughly, but he clearly didn’t expect it.
He barely deflects my blade in time, and I feel his arms shake as he counteracts my strike.
I land neatly, counterbalanced against his defensive movement, and immediately twist the swords up.
Pressing my momentary advantage, I manage to draw blood with the tip of my sword.
As though the pain cuts through whatever was holding him back, he finally comes at me. I neatly meet his blows with my sword and allow him to press me back a few steps. My feet moving in the familiar pattern, my blood singing with the familiar feeling of this dance.
He presses, I press, we both defend, but in the end, I’m better. As I pull my sword from his gut and he slumps to the ground, I see open surprise on his beautiful face before it goes blank at the end.
Even as he drops to the ground, the intelligence in me is running through options. Settling quickly on an answer, I step back, away from the body, and say Malam’s name quietly. He arrives in the familiar cloud of shadow and whispering sound, and for a moment, I see him prepare to save me.
Then he looks around the alley behind me. When he focuses back on me, his eyes are wide, and his normally olive complexion is paler than normal.
Before he can do or say anything, I say, “I think maybe it's best their bodies aren’t found here so close to the mansion. Can you help with that?”
He doesn’t say anything for a breath, and then he wordlessly gestures to where I know Dio is sitting.
“He’ll be fine, I will take care of him,” I say. As I wait for his response, I register belatedly that I am ready to defend Dio from Malam should I need to.
Malam finally shakes himself out of whatever muteness had hold of him and says, “I will take care of this, get him inside.”
“Thank you, Malam,” I say quietly, meaning it deeply.
Dio watches me as I approach, only one eye able to open. As I get closer, he coughs weakly, clutching his abdomen, and then turns and spits blood onto the ground beside him.
“Can you walk if I help?” I ask.
He nods, and I reach out to him. He hesitates a moment, looking at my hand. I see him looking at my fingers, which are still taped. I’ll be damned if I’ll set the sword down, though, until we get someplace safe.
“Come on, Dio,” I say.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he slurs past a swollen lip.
“And I want to get you medical attention,” I manage to say past the tightness in my throat.
As though that snaps him out of it, he takes my hand carefully and leans heavily on me as I help him up.
He groans and winces, but with his arm over my shoulders and me taking as much of his weight as I can, we manage. Leaving the alley, we make it slowly up the steps and through the door of the mansion. As we arrive in the entry hall, I call for help.
After I shout, he mutters into the resounding silence that he’s really fine.
I scoff and must make a sound because I hear him growl something about not needing help. I ignore him.
Reem comes striding into the room, clearly concerned. When he sees Dio injuries, Reem’s face goes white. Then he sees the sword in my hand and the blood on my clothing, and he freezes.
“Dio’s been hurt, where’s Fem?” I ask quickly.
That seems to snap him out of it, and without saying anything else, he leaves, presumably to find Fem.
I support Dio into the office and get him sitting, slumped over on the couch despite his weak, mumbled protests.
As we wait, I check my sword again, ensuring that no angel blood remains on the blade.
I can’t help but glance at Dio. His injuries are significant, and I want nothing other than to help him.
Despite that, I’m not trained in first aid.
I also know that I won’t be able to control the emotions I’ve been hiding from him, and I’m not ready to share them.
Then Fem strides through the doorway, his face white.
As he walks toward me, I say, “Dio’s hurt, I’m fine.”
He hesitates, looking doubtful, but then Dio coughs again. Fem redirects his attention to him. He quickly moves to the couch and begins triaging Dio’s injuries. While he’s occupied, I bring him his medical kit. As I set the medical kit down beside Fem, I glance at Dio again.
He meets my eyes for a moment.
We both freeze, and everything else seems to fade into the background. Dio opens his mouth as though he wants to say something. Then Fem does something that makes him gasp and look away.
Feeling nauseous suddenly, I drag my eyes away from him. Then I force myself to leave the office. I know I can’t stay and see him in pain. Especially not right now with this much adrenaline still flowing through me.
Reem meets me in the entry hall, his face white. He’s staring at the dark blood on my skirt, and I say, “It’s not mine.”
He looks briefly at the sword in my hand, and if possible, he goes even whiter. “Please tell me you didn’t kill someone again.”
“Would you believe me this time if I said I had?”
Some color returns to his cheeks, and I can tell that anger is beginning to push past his initial shock. “Tell me plainly, Chaosta,” he says, his voice grating, “did you just kill someone?”
“It’s better if I don’t tell you,” I say as I move toward my room, heading past him.
He steps in front of me as I get close, his body blocking mine.
I feel the fingers of my left hand wrap more tightly around my sword, and I breathe slowly, pulling my instincts back from the brink.
“If you put us, our work, or our name at risk with your actions again, I will have no choice but to remove you from this house and our support,” he hisses at me.
I remain where I am, meeting his eyes without saying anything.
“Do you even understand that you can’t just go around hurting people?” he nearly yells.
After a moment, perhaps when he recognizes that I’m not going to respond, he moves aside and I stride to my room. I want to make sure Dio is alright, but I am not willing to wait in the entry hall with Reem in this mood.
As I close the door behind me, I lean back against it for a moment.
After I catch my breath, I fully clean and re-sheath my sword.
The aftershock of those instincts leaving me makes my body shake.
With too much adrenaline still pulsing through me for me to rest, I pace instead.
As I move, caged in the room, all I can picture is Dio looking up at me as I held out my hand to him in the alley.