by Rhavensfyre
“But, Alex, what if you're bleeding inside? I don’t know what to do.”
Alex closed her eyes. Silently, she had to agree with Rohanna. She was hurt badly. There was no doubt she had more than one broken rib. Her head throbbed and her entire body ached fiercely. She could feel the damp earth seeping into her joints, and she was staving off shivering like a lost puppy by will alone. She wanted nothing more than the heat of her forge to warm her and a soft bed to lie in while she healed.
Opening her eyes, she captured Rohanna’s concerned gaze.
“No hospital, Rohanna. Please, just get me home.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Rohanna awkwardly dropped the phone back down on the table and resigned herself to the wait. She was too exhausted to do anything else. It would take her grandmother a little over an hour to get there.
She looked up without even bothering to try and raise her head. Rohanna just wanted to close her eyes and sleep but she could barely stand to blink, not when the inside of her eyelids felt like sandpaper. Trying to focus on the view from the picture window made her eyes hurt. The normally peaceful scene was a blur of colors and shapes, but that didn’t matter, she couldn’t look at her hands any longer. Her fingernails were filthy, a stomach churning combination of dried blood and dirt that stubbornly clung to her despite scrubbing them twice in the kitchen sink. Alex’s blood.
Rohanna knew she was approaching total exhaustion. Her whole body trembled with a bone deep level of fatigue that made even the thought of moving from her chair a daunting idea.
Before she called her grandmother, she had managed to start a fresh pot of coffee. Now it called to her, enticing her to drag herself up from the kitchen table and over to the counter where the steaming pot awaited her.
After almost losing the entire carafe to barely working fingers, she managed to pour a cup, then stood at the counter and started ruining the coffee so she could drink it. A few healthy spoonsful of sugar, followed by too much creamer. She didn’t stop until the coffee became unrecognizable, a creamy light toffee color that didn’t just mask the bitter taste, it overwhelmed it into complete submission. Even complete exhaustion wasn’t enough of an incentive to drink her coffee black. She inhaled deeply before drinking, then almost gagged when the scent of old blood and peat overwhelmed her.
The cup almost broke when she dropped it back down on the counter.
“Dammit.” Ro squeezed her eyes shut and clung to the countertop while the world tilted and whirled around her. “Keep it together, Ro. You’ve got to hold on to yourself.”
The pep talk echoed hollowly in the tile-lined kitchen, mocking her weakness. For the third time today, Rohanna ran the water as hot as she could stand it and hung her hands under the faucet. Steam billowed up towards the ceiling but Ro barely felt the heat, not even when her skin started taking on a bright pink hue. She scrubbed at her hands, desperate to remove the reddish brown lines etched into the creases of her palms. Tears came and she couldn’t stop them from flowing down her cheeks. Washing her hands wouldn’t take away the scent of fear burned into her nostrils, or remove the taste of iron sitting at the back of her throat.
Ro gave up and returned to her coffee. Her hands shook horribly, bad enough to form circular waves across the surface. It took both hands to steady her cup enough to make it to her lips.
“Fuck.” Rohanna scowled. The coffee was too hot. It burned going down, but she gulped it eagerly, even though she could tell she was scalding her tongue. The coffee didn’t do anything for her, but at least the foul taste was gone.
Ro left the mug on the counter and found her way back to Alex’s bedroom, thankful that the narrow hallway was pretty much devoid of any obstacles. More than once she reached out a hand to steady herself before she stumbled over her own feet.
Alex was far too still. Rohanna rushed to her side, her heart skipping a beat before she caught the subtle rise and fall of her chest beneath the blankets. She had never been so attuned to the simple sound of someone breathing as she had over the last twenty-four hours.
It had been a hellish night. After dragging the taller and heavier woman up and down the treacherous trail back to her vehicle, she had driven back to Alex’s, white knuckling it the entire way. Alex was slouched over, barely conscious in the passenger seat, and each time Ro hit a bump she would moan and start mumbling something. None of it made any sense to Rohanna, hell, she wasn’t even sure if it was all in English. By the time she got Alex into the house and bundled in to bed she was exhausted and Alex felt like she was burning up.
She collapsed onto the bed and hadn’t moved since then. Ro had spent the entire night awake, watching and waiting, too afraid to leave her alone. She had managed to clean most of Alex’s wounds last night but it was her ribs that worried her most. Swollen and tender, the entire flank was a mottled palette of red, purple, and black bruises. When morning came, Ro was able to wake Alex long enough to get a couple sips of water into her. That had made her brave enough to leave Alex’s side and call her grandmother.
If anyone knew what to do, it would be her.
Rohanna made sure that Alex was comfortable, fussing with the blanket and checking her bandages, before heading down the hall to the bathroom.
A quick check in the mirror showed Ro what she already knew. She looked horrible. Her clothes were grass stained and filthy, moving stiffly against her skin as she walked. It was a decidedly unpleasant sensation that made her long for a hot shower. Rohanna plucked at her shirt, grimacing in disgust. Her grandmother would be there soon and Ro didn’t want to answer the door looking like a survivor of a major disaster.
No one would begrudge her a quick shower.
***
“Well, hello again, sleepy head.”
Alex woke instantly, thrusting out her hand and grabbing Shyann by the front of her shirt before she could move out of the way.
“Shit, Alex, let go!”
“Shyann? What are you doing here?” Alex asked, then winced when the slight movement made it feel like her brain was beating itself against the inside of her skull. “Dammit. That hurts.”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t move too much, Alex. You’ve got some broken ribs and a nasty cut on your forehead. Probably a concussion too,” Shyann told her a second before she tried to sit up.
“I’m fine,” Alex made a second tentative attempt to sit up, then started coughing. Wracking pain circled her chest and clamped down on her lungs like a vice, making her eyes water.
“Hurts to breathe, does it?” Shyann asked, gently prying Alex’s fingers from the front of her shirt. Alex took the hint and released her. “Here, drink this. It will help the pain.”
Alex narrowed her eyes at Shyann, then gave the drink an equally distrusting glare.
Shyann shook her head. “It’s just juice with a little something to ease your pain, Alex. I’m not trying to poison you.”
Alex let Shyann place a straw between her lips, sipping gingerly before deciding it was safe to drink. The drink hit her stomach cold, but soon sent a warm flush through her body that chased away the worst of the aching. Her vision was still fuzzy, but it was clear enough to recognize the figure watching her from the doorway.
“You must be Maeve,” Alex spoke by way of greeting. Her voice was rough, and it hurt like hell, but the juice had soothed her throat enough to speak.
“This is Rohanna’s grandmother, Alex,” Shyann corrected her softly.
“Is she now?” Alex asked, keeping her eye on the other woman.
“Yes, Alex. For all intents and purposes, that is who I am,” Maeve answered. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Alex with eyes as ancient as time. “But that is a conversation for another time. Right now, we have other problems. Alexandria, where is Rohanna?”
“What do you mean? She’s here. I mean, she brought me here last night.” Alex tried to sit up. Sharp pain lanced through her middle, pulling the oxygen from her lungs. Breathless, she fought to remain conscious.
“Patience, my dear. Let’s see what Shyann can find. She is good at such things.”
“I don’t think so, not where Rohanna is concerned,” Alex practically growled. “Why isn’t she here? She would have told me if she had to leave.”
“I think I have the answer.” Shyann walked into the room and held up a familiar silver chain. “I found this in a pile of dirty clothes on the bathroom floor. It was tangled up in her shirt. The clasp had fallen open.”
“Rohanna’s pendant? I don’t understand.”
“You will, Alexandria. But for now, you need to rest and get your strength back.” Maeve took the silver chain from Shyann’s hand, cupping it gently in her palm before closing her fist around it. “Sleep now, we will talk when you wake up.”
***
Alex woke up alone in a darkened room with a dry mouth and no concept of how much time had passed. What the hell did she give me? I don’t even remember falling asleep.
Tossing the blankets away from her, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the sharp twinge of pain across her ribs. She took an experimental breath, then a deeper one, expanding her lungs fully. It hurt, but not bad enough to keep her in bed. She heard Shyann and Maeve talking in the kitchen so she turned her feet in that direction.
“Have you found Rohanna?” Alex asked, leaning heavily on the doorframe. Two pairs of eyes turned towards hers, one shocked at seeing her upright while the other mildly observed her over the lip of her coffee cup.
“You shouldn’t be up,” Maeve said. Her chair scraped across the floor as she stood up. “Sit. Let me make you something to drink.”
“And you shouldn’t be keeping me from finding Rohanna,” Alex said, waving the other woman away from the coffee pot. “I’ll make my own, thank you. I don’t need another nap.”
Maeve’s eyelids fluttered just the tiniest bit, acknowledging Alex’s shrewd assessment. Her eyes glittered in amusement before lowering herself back onto her seat.
“Tell me, Alexandria. Did you dream about Rohanna today?” Maeve’s unexpected question almost made Alex drop her cup.
“What?”
“Let’s not dissemble, Alexandria. We know you are Merefolk. Rohanna told me what happened last night.”
“Really? I don’t think you know as much as you think you do,” Alex said, looking away.
She didn’t want to talk about the Merefolk with these people. She had gone to her aunt asking for help and had been turned away, in the worst way possible. She was no longer a part of the tribe. Just like her mother before her, she was now an outcast, regardless of Epona’s blessing.
True to form, Kaleigh had chosen safety and isolation over risk of exposure. She didn’t want to expose the tribe to Belinda or help her protect Rohanna. That was made very clear to her last night. The cuts and bruises she bore didn’t hurt nearly as much as her heart did right now. There was only one thing keeping grief and sorrow from overwhelming her, and that was Rohanna. She had lost everything else; she couldn’t afford to lose her, too.
“Okay, fine. So you know about me. The answer to your question is no, I did not dream about Rohanna today.” Alex pulled out a chair and sat down. She was sore and tired, and these two were holding something back from her. “Now it’s my turn. I want to know why you keep dodging my question. I want to know why Rohanna isn’t here. You said she called you and told you about me, and now you are here, in my house. Tell me, Maeve, how is it the two of you are in my house and Rohanna is not?”
The two women, young and old alike, gave her a look so akin to the other it made Alex want to beat cold iron. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she tried very hard to keep her temper in check. Laying her palms out on the table very carefully, she closed her eyes and just breathed for a minute, concentrating on the simple task of taking air into her lungs and exhaling.
“Tell me. Did she leave because of last night, because of me?” Alex finally asked the question she had been avoiding.
“I wish it was that simple, but it isn’t,” Maeve answered. She dropped Rohanna‘s necklace on the table between them. “Do you recognize this?”
“That’s a stupid question. You know I do. It’s Rohanna’s necklace.” Being drugged into oblivion was making her a very cranky woman.
Shyann scowled at Alex. “That’s not…”
Maeve held up her hand and Shyann fell silent. “Peace, Shyann. She doesn’t know what I was asking. It’s not her fault. I have a feeling a great deal of knowledge has been lost over the years, whether by design or negligence, I cannot say.”
“My apologies, Maeve.” Alex bowed her head. “I am not usually so rude.”
“Tsk. It’s nothing, Alexandria. This is more than just a necklace,” Maeve said, pushing the plain stone cross across the table toward Alex. “This is a Faerie stone. It was given to Rohanna many years ago, the first time she managed to activate a circle on her own. It was meant to protect her from harm, a gift from the Fae.”
“Protect her from what?” Alex was beginning to dislike the direction their conversation was going.
“Actually, it was from who more than what,” Maeve corrected her.
“Belinda! You’re talking about her stepmother.”
“Partly, yes. Really it is to protect her from any who would wish her harm.”
“What kind of harm?” Alex asked.
“Magic, Alex. You know this.”
“There isn’t supposed to be that much magic here,” Alex growled, finally understanding why her Aunt feared it so much.
“And yet you’ve met two in as many months with more magic than you thought possible.”
“So without this?” Alex pointed at the Faerie stone.
“She is without protection.”
“And?”
“More than likely, Belinda has called her back,” Maeve said.
Alex launched from her chair so quickly it bounced across the floor behind her. “Ro’s stepmother is dangerous. How can you be so calm about this? You know what she is, you have to know.”
“Yes, Alex, we know, probably better than you. But think, you can’t do anything right now. Despite the fact that you are actually vertical, you are still badly injured. You can’t just bull your way past Belinda and take Rohanna, not in your weakened state.”
Maeve’s words barely registered with Alex. She had been preparing to do just that until a gentle hand touched her shoulder.
When did she leave the table?
“We need to get you well and then we need to work together. Belinda won’t do anything to Rohanna. Not yet anyway. We have a little time.”
“How do you know?” Alex demanded, pulling her shoulder away from the older woman.
“I just do. Alex, please. Just sit and listen to me. Then you can decide for yourself what you think is best.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Alex had tried, she really had. It was only after Maeve’s story revealed just how bad it was for Rohanna that she retreated to her bedroom. It was either that or throw the two women out of her home; she was that angry.
She needed time to process what Maeve had told her. She couldn’t do that though with Shyann slouching against her door frame, arms crossed and doing her best to look inconspicuous.
“Following me in here might not be the best thing to do right now,” Alex warned her. She wasn’t ready to continue discussing Rohanna, prophecies—or Belinda for that matter with Shyann.
Shyann raised one cinnamon-colored eyebrow at her and shook her head before returning her attention back towards a particularly interesting knot in the floor. “You shouldn’t be that hard on her, you know.”
“Why not?” Alex asked, picking up the argument right where it had left off. “Sh
e knew Rohanna was in danger all these years and did nothing. Absolutely nothing. Do you have any idea what it’s like inside Rohanna’s head? What Belinda has done to her? Not only is she completely unaware of who she is, you can’t even tell her that she’s Fae. Her mind runs and hides every time something happens around her that she can’t explain.” Alex threw her arms up in the air, not in frustration, but because she needed to do something physical. Even if that something was an ineffective gesture, it was still action.
“Maeve told you why, Alex. It’s not that she didn’t want to help. She was not allowed to help, only observe,” Shyann said. “She wasn’t aware of who Belinda was for a very long time. It was only after Ro’s father died that we figured out that she was actually Bellaria. By that time, Bellaria had shipped her off to boarding school, and was using every human law there was to keep us from her. As soon as we were able to find her, Maeve sent me to her, to protect her as best as I could. Can you imagine? Me stuck at a prep school? Do you have any idea how much glamour it took to make me look like a teenager?”
Shyann shuddered. “It was emotional roller coaster hell. I have no idea how humans ever survive adolescence.”
While Alex appreciated the humor involved in Shyann’s admission, it only left her with more questions. “So, who are you really?”
“For all intents and purposes, I am Ro’s cousin. Maybe a few more times removed than most, but still, we do share common blood.”
“You’re like Bellaria, aren’t you? You aren’t from this side of the veil.”
“I am nothing like Bellaria, she was human once and still holds on to all the worst characteristics of a human. Greedy, power hungry and shouting unfair at every twist and turn in her life. She is jealous of our nature and wants to be like us, not fade away into the dust like most of her kind.”