Thayla
Gods, I’m going to puke.
Not because of the perfectly preserved bodies of the Attendants we’re about to go see, but thanks to this raging fucking headache.
Every nightmare that assaults my sleep leaves my head pounding the next morning, and I’m so over it. It’s happening more frequently and that makes no fucking sense to me.
Not to mention, waking up feeling like shit does wonders for my pissy attitude.
A deep groan slips from my lips at the knock on my bathroom door, and I slam the faucet off.
“Come in.”
“It’s about time to…you okay?” Kyzen asks when I don’t bother lifting my bowed head from above the sink.
“Fine. My head’s killing me, but it’ll quit. Eventually.”
“You had another nightmare?”
“Unfortunately.” I grit my teeth at the bark in my tone and pat my face dry. “I’m sorry for how that sounded. But yes, I did, and I’m over this shit happening.”
“I know you are. Do you want to tell me about it?”
His understanding wraps around my coiled muscles, and I release a deep breath. Do I want to talk about it? Absolutely not, but I’m going to because for some odd-ass reason, talking about it always helps.
This has happened several times now. When I open up, it’s like the tension in my mind relaxes since I’m not holding it all in. In the occasions I decided not to tell them and chose to suffer in silence, the headaches lasted for hours.
I can’t do that to myself today. We have too much to do.
“It started just the same as the others. Haunting green eyes stalking me, but this time, I kept running through doors that never seemed to end. Over and over, I ran, while Mellcom and Seduction chased me. It makes no fucking sense to me. I didn’t even run through doors in Seductions or in the imitation room. ”
My head rests against his chest when he tugs me to him, and I focus on the beat of his heart.
“I don’t mean to sound cliché but…” I snort and a small smile curls across his lips. “You know the old mortal saying, when one door opens, another closes. Maybe your mind is trying to tell you something. Do you think about him, or them, more than you’ve told us?”
“Not really. I have had nightmares that I haven’t told you all about, but other than that, they truly don’t take up space in my mind. I don’t allow them to. The only time I do is when I see Mellcom and can’t help it.”
“I’m happy to hear that, but obviously, they’re taking up some unconscious space.” His fingers trail down my cheek, and I lean into his hand. “Maybe you should reconsider talking to—”
“It’s time to go. We need to do what we’ve got to do at the healing villas, then get to the Court. I don’t want the Attendants waiting too long for us. I’m sure they’re already nervous as it is.”
I briefly glance at his pointed stare and arched brow. I was willing to discuss my nightmare. Not about opening myself up to Iric’s power.
Thankfully, he drops it and ushers me out of my bathroom, then my bedroom.
Amick, Creed, and Riven are standing at the counter, waiting for us, and I give each of them a tight smile as their gazes roam all over me.
“What’s wrong?” Creed asks.
“Nothing, I’m fine.”
“She had another nightmare and is fighting off a headache.”
My eyes cut over to Kyzen and his shrug.
“That’s why you just pushed your food around your plate at breakfast.”
“Aww, dear Death. Were you afraid she didn’t like the way it tasted?” Riven picks, earning himself a deadly glare.
“No. She likes everything I cook, but I could tell something was off since she wasn’t eating.”
“Well, I’m better now. The headache is easing and by the time we get to the Court, it’ll be gone.”
The four of them just stare at me, and I roll my eyes with a harsh huff. A responding hoot flutters through the air as V flies over to Amick’s shoulder. He uncurls his claws from around a vial and Amick steps toward me with it.
“Drink. You need to be at your best today. No sense suffering through a headache for nothing.”
“Those are supposed to be hidden with the Binding,” I say, pointedly staring at my Vedarya, who either did as Amick asked, or planned this himself. He ruffles his feathers and flies back to his nook rather than explain, so I focus back on Amick.
“Willow left us a limited supply of those magical tonics and I’m pretty sure she did that for a reason. I’m not wasting one on a silly little headache.”
“There’s nothing silly about you being in pain. You’re going to drink this, or Sevryn can take your pain away when we step outside.”
Valories, I love when he’s stern with me.
Riven, Kyzen, and Creed chuckle low when I squirm. If those are the only options he’s giving me, I’d rather not deal with Sevryn devouring my pain today.
It’s such an odd feeling.
“Fine,” I say and tilt the vial back without any further argument.
The effects are immediate. The heaviness around my brain lightens and every muscle in my body relaxes and wakes up at the same time. I blink my eyes repeatedly now that I can open them fully.
Damn, Willow’s grandpa is talented.
“Do you have an Angel Aura Amethyst?” Amick asks, and I pat my pocket. The pokey-ass spheres are driving me insane. “Good. Time to go.”
He laces our fingers together and drags me through the house without another word.
“My dearest little burden,” Riven says far too sweetly in my ear as we approach our front door.
“What do you want, my little psycho?”
“One of those vials.”
My feet slam to a stop, and Amick sighs as he releases the doorknob.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. I’m perfect. I want to take one to Vullie and see if he can replicate it. Maybe spruce up the ingredients to fit us gods.”
My lips part as a huh falls from them.
“That’s actually a really good idea.”
“I don’t like the shock in your tone. I’m full of great ideas that are too easily dismissed.”
I force my laugh to stay in my throat. It’s very difficult to do as he stares at me with true offence written across the wrinkles in his forehead.
I smirk. “I’m fine with you doing that. Just don’t tell him where it came from.”
“Deal. He’s going to be thrilled. I can’t wait to see the freebies he gives me in return for this.”
The other three find no amusement in that, while I find it hilarious.
“About damn time,” Sevryn scoffs, then coughs as Yemi elbows him the moment we step out our door.
The sight of her standing between him and Iric in training armor makes nerves bubble in my belly. She and Rose had zero helpful advice for me yesterday about how I should handle teaching the Attendants.
I chalked it up to their shock over the preserved bodies revelation and all the gossiping we did. The single piece of advice they gave me before leaving the house was to treat and teach them the same way I’d been doing with them. That brought me no comfort.
Yes, I’ve helped them in our private workouts, but Creed leads that. I just follow him.
“We’re going to starshoot to the healing villas, then everyone will go where they’re needed. Ready?” Amick asks, impatience coloring his instructions.
I don’t argue.
My powers may not be as unruly as they were, but they’re the reason we’re having to do this. They’ve also added to his stress that he’s desperately trying but failing to hide.
We all nod and call our powers forward. In the blink of an eye, my Valtrue, myself, Yemi, Sevryn, and Iric stand feet away from the healing villas’ double doors.
I swallow down my unease and doubt.
It doesn’t get by my men, though. They each, even Amick, close in around me and lay a hand on my body. I suck up their silent support and step through the door as Iric holds it open for us.
The knot in my throat grows tighter as we walk down the hall. The closer we get to the turn we’d need to take to reach the imitation rooms, the faster my heart pounds.
Luckily, before we reach it, we take a left through a different illusion wall. This is the first time I’ve noticed the sign above it.
Departed.
That makes sense. Sadly.
The whole layout of the Hailtorium, more so the healing villa side, not the dining hall side, is still utterly confusing to me.
It’s been explained that certain walls will lead you to certain halls.
Then, at the opposite end of those halls, another illusion wall will lead you directly outside like how Kyzen, Yemi, and I walked out on my first day here.
Crafty, yet the intricate workings of illusions are puzzling.
I’m not exactly sure what I expected to see when we walked into a room dedicated to the ‘departed,’ but this is even sadder than I imagined.
It’s basically a plain white room with no windows, no decorations, dim lighting, and bare stone slabs. Well…most are bare aside from the two that have white sheets draped over the bodies.
“Would you all give us some space? I’ll walk Thayla through everything.”
I give my men a clipped nod as Yemi steps toward me and links her arm through mine. Her trembles tumble through me, and I squeeze her bicep with my other hand.
“It’s going to be okay. Just a real quick switcheroo with our barriers.”
“You’re way calmer about this than I thought you’d be,” she says, blowing out a breath.
“I’m not calm at all. I’m just ignoring the reality of the situation. Do we have to…do we take their…fuck.”
So much for ignoring it.
“No, we don’t have to pull their sheets back. Just hover our hands over them.”
Gods, that’s still creepy as fuck.
My stomach sinks as we stand in the middle of the small space separating the two Attendants. I choke back the bile trying its damnedest to crawl up and out of my throat.
Although every inch of them is covered by the sheet, the perfect impressions of their bodies are on full display.
“Put your hands out like this and call your power of Boundaries forward,” Yemi says.
Her arms stretch out on either side of her with her palms hovering about a foot above the men. I do as she instructs and a tingle spreads down my spine. My shoulders straighten as the warmth of my power flows through the rest of my body, halting at my fingertips.
“Okay.”