Chapter 23
WINDY
I wake up in the dimly lit inn room, my head throbbing with a dull ache, remnants of the restless sleep I barely managed. The flickering light from the small lantern on the table casts shadows that dance across the walls. I stretch, feeling the stiffness in my limbs, and immediately notice the eerie silence. The usual clamor of the inn is absent. A chill runs down my spine as I push the blankets aside and swing my legs over the edge of the bed.
My eyes darted around as I left the room, searching for any signs of disturbance. Then I spot them – Wallace and Warrick, sprawled on the floor, their faces bruised and their bodies limp. Panic surges through me. I scramble out of bed, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.
I stumble over to them, my breath catching in my throat. “Wallace? Warrick?” I kneel beside them, checking their pulses and feeling a wave of relief when I find them still alive.
My fingers tremble as I check for injuries, but it’s clear they’ve been in a fight.
I hear the creak of the door, and I turn to see Willow standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable. He’s composed as if the chaos around him is nothing more than a minor inconvenience. “Windy,” he says, his voice smooth and cold. “I see you’re up.”
“What happened?” I demand my voice tight with anger and fear. “Why are they like this?”
Willow steps into the place, his movements deliberate and controlled. “They were getting in the way,” he says with a hint of casual detachment.
I can barely contain my fury. “You could have seriously hurt them! What were you thinking?”
He shrugs nonchalantly. “Sometimes you need to make tough decisions. When I came to talk to them this morning, they started threatening me about how I better not turn on you. They started it. They asked for this. What else could I do? They were going to slow us down from defeating the Crimson Covenant.”
My gaze shifts back to Wallace and Warrick, both of whom are beginning to stir.
Wallace’s eyes flutter open, and he looks up at me with confusion and pain. “Windy… what’s going on?” His voice is hoarse, strained.
Warrick groans as he regains consciousness, his eyes narrowing as he takes in Willow’s presence. “What the hell, Willow? Why did you do this? We were supposed to be a team. We were starting to trust you.”
Willow’s eyes narrow slightly, his expression hardening. “If you want to survive, you have to make difficult choices. Sometimes that means dealing with people who are holding you back.”
Wallace pushes himself into a sitting position, wincing as he does. “And you think attacking us was the answer? We’re supposed to be working together.”
“I understand your anger,” Willow says with a trace of condescension. “But you have to understand the bigger picture. We’re on a dangerous path, and we need to be pragmatic.”
Warrick rubs his sore muscles, his voice filled with bitterness. “So what now? Are we supposed to just forget this happened and keep going?”
I meet Willow’s gaze, trying to find some semblance of empathy. “We need to address this, but right now, Wallace and Warrick need attention. We’ll talk about what comes next after I’ve made sure they’re alright.”
Willow actually listens, moving silently out of the doorway.
Why did he do this?
As I begin tending to Wallace and Warrick’s wounds, the weight of the situation presses heavily on me. The journey ahead is fraught with uncertainty, and the cracks in our unity are apparent. Amid the chaos and tension, one thing remains clear – I must find a way to mend the rift and ensure we stay together, no matter how treacherous the path ahead may be.
As I tend to Wallace and Warrick's wounds, the tension in the room thickens, a heavy fog of unease hanging over us. Wallace winces as I clean a particularly nasty bruise on his cheek, his face contorted in a grimace that mingles pain with frustration.
"Windy," Wallace says through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse but determined, "we need to talk. This whole situation with Willow... it's a disaster waiting to happen."
I glance up from the wound, meeting his eyes. "What are you talking about? Willow's skills are invaluable. His knowledge of the Crimson Covenant will be useful."
Warrick, now sitting up and rubbing his sore shoulder, chimes in with a snide edge to his tone. "Invaluable? More like a ticking time bomb. The guy's a blood mage, for God's sake. You think that's going to end well?"
I frown, trying to suppress the rising anger. "He's been a help on the journey. He says he wants to be better, we can't just abandon him now. Right?"
Wallace's expression darkens, his eyes blazing with intensity. "Do you even know what blood mages are capable of? They're dangerous and unpredictable. They wield their power with a ruthlessness that usually leads to death or destruction. And from what I've seen, Willow's no exception."
"Let me remind you," Warrick adds, "that he knocked us out without breaking a sweat. How reassuring is that? Do you think he's just going to sit back and let us achieve our goals? What if he’s playing us?"
I shoot him a sharp look. "He didn't do this just to hurt you, he thought it was necessary. He wants the Covenant destroyed just as much as we do. We've seen the way he operates – he's driven, yes, but he has his reasons."
Wallace lets out a harsh laugh, a sound that's more bitter than amused. "Reasons? You mean excuses. He's a blood mage with his agenda. We're nothing more than pawns in his game. And believe me, pawns get sacrificed."
"Wow, that's some uplifting perspective," I retort, my frustration boiling over.
"Maybe you should also tell me that my dreams are pointless and that all this effort is for nothing?"
Warrick shakes his head, his eyes glinting with frustration. "I'm just being realistic. And by keeping Willow, a walking catastrophe, leading the charge, I mean what's next? A dragon?"
Wallace rubs his forehead, his eyes filled with desperation and earnestness. "Windy, listen to me. We've all seen the consequences of meddling with forces we don't fully understand. We're not equipped to handle a blood mage. I don't want to see us all end up as collateral damage."
"I get it," I say, my voice softening as I take a deep breath. "But abandoning Willow now would mean giving up on the quest entirely, not to mention him. I need him to break the curse. Without him, everything we've done so far will be for nothing. I also know he can be good, I feel it inside him.”
Warrick leans back, wincing as he adjusts his position. "And if Willow decides we're expendable? What then? You think he'll just turn around and help us out of the goodness of his heart?"
I meet his gaze, my eyes steady despite the storm of emotions inside me. "I don't believe he's entirely driven by malice. He's complicated, but I've seen glimpses of something more beneath the surface. Maybe we can find a way to make this work, to keep everyone safe while we achieve our goals."
Wallace's frustration reaches a boiling point. "Glimpses? Windy, we're talking about life and death here, not some philosophical debate. This isn't about seeing the good in someone; it's about ensuring our survival."
I pause, letting his words sink in. The room feels colder, the shadows longer, as if the weight of our decisions is pressing down on us all. "What do you suggest we do then? Just turn our backs on him and hope for the best?"
Warrick scoffs, his voice tinged with dark humor. "That's a great plan. Just hope for the best. It's worked so well so far, hasn't it?"
I glare at him, the sarcasm cutting through my resolve like a knife. "You think I'm taking this lightly? I'm trying to balance everything – the dangers, the risks, and the goals. It's not easy, and it's not going to be perfect."
Wallace shakes his head, and his frustration is evident. "Then figure it out. But know this – if Willow leads us to our deaths or betrays us, it'll be on your head. And don't expect any sympathy from us when that happens."
The room falls silent, the tension palpable. I take a deep breath, trying to steady my racing thoughts. "I'll do what I can to ensure that doesn't happen. But we need to move forward. The quest isn't over yet, and we can't afford to be divided. We have to go find another moon bloom and figure out how to harvest the power to cure me!"
As I finish tending to their wounds, the room remains charged with an uneasy tension.