Chapter 49
Chapter forty-nine
Seraphina
Sera awoke to a knocking at her door. She opened it, and Alistair stood, his face grim, dark circles around his eyes.
“Al,” she said and ushered him in. “Come in, how are you feeling?”
He took stiff steps to the bed and sat upon it. “I feel like I was placed in a bag and trampled by a company of horses,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “How long was I out?”
Lying was bad, but she’d decided after the first day he hadn’t woken that it would be better to fib than be barraged with questions about what had happened in those days. “Just a day.”
“I think I pissed for two minutes straight when I got up.”
“Bad wine. Vasso and Ophelia were in the same condition,” she said.
“What’s with the bird?” He pointed to Raven, perched on the corner of her bedpost.
“Funny story that. Apparently, I have a familiar.” The bird made a knocking noise and flapped its wings.
Alistair rubbed his forehead. “I don’t even want to unpack that right now.”
“Let me get you some water.” Sera walked to the basin and poured him a glass.
He grunted, then took a deep breath. “I know I didn’t tell you about the coven being at war.”
“Or the fact that you’re the Mesar.”
He nodded. “And that. But, Sera, there have been casualties.”
Her heart slowed. She lowered herself onto the small desk chair and gripped her knees. Al let out a shuddering breath, his eyes growing damp.
“Who?”
“Colton,” he whispered.
The only thing she could hear was her own beating heart in her ears before she ran to the bathing room and emptied the contents of her stomach. Dominick was alone in the Citadel, and Colton was dead—Colton, good and strong Colton.
When she emerged, Alistair was unraveling. Face in hands, his shoulders shaking under a great weight as he wept for his best friend. Sera pulled his gloved hands away and let his cheek fall to her shoulder.
Poor Alistair.
Poor Dominick and their parents. It was too soon. How had this happened?
Careful not to let her bare skin touch his, she wrapped her arms around his chest and let him grieve.
“Shh, shh, shh, it’s all right.” She rubbed his back in long strokes, doing her best to keep her tears at bay. Al was strong, unbothered, a professional warrior, but Colton was his best friend. “When?” she choked out.
After a few moments, when his breathing became steady, he spoke. “Not long after we left,” he said, letting her go. He wiped his face in the crook of his elbow.
“I am so sorry. I loved Colton, too, but wasn’t nearly as close as you two were. You held on to this the whole time?”
He nodded. “The Council stated there were minimal casualties. But apparently, they had instructed the head generals to move the battalion a few days early. They were in position, ready to strike. I don’t know all the details, only that it was supposed to be a surprise attack. But the demons were ready.”
Sera’s twenty-three years of life had been relatively peaceful. They’d been in a ceasefire for most of it. She, Dominick, and Nora were all too young to have been affected by the early skirmishes. But Colton and Al had lived through them.
“Thank you for telling me.” Her voice trembled. “Can you take a message to Dom for me? Bring me home so I can see him?” Dominick must have been devastated.
“I can’t go back without Ophelia,” he said, sniffling. “Renata was adamant she didn’t want me within the walls without the oracle in tow.”
Sera nodded.
Their time was dwindling, and there was still so much she didn’t know. “Lie down.” She motioned for him to move, and he did. Curling her hands into her chest, she faced him, her hair spread wide on the pillowcase. “Tell me of a memory. One of you and Colton.”
Al pressed his thumb and pointer finger hard across his eyes. “I, uh, I don’t think I can right now, Minnow.”
“Then I’ll tell you one…”
She began. Sometimes her stories involved Al, sometimes they didn’t, and when she couldn’t think of anything else, she lay there in the silence of their grief until Alistair’s breathing grew heavy.
Silently, she cried for Dominick. Her longing to be back in the Citadel’s walls had never been so strong.
She wanted to tell him it would be all right, to hold his hand at the burning.
But if she didn’t get to Nora soon, she’d be doing the same thing.