Chapter 215: South

Author’s note: Hey guys.

Enjoy the chapter! Next one on Thursday. :)

Chapter 215: South - link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/123067043

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Chapter 215: South

"I didn't think you'd actually do it," Blaine muttered, rubbing his wrist now that he was free. "This is Marcus' empire."

"Wouldn’t have, if he hadn’t said I could."

"Ah, that coward - didn’t even have the guts to show up himself." The bitterness in his voice scraped against my skin.

'Coward? Was he, though?' He was a healer, sure, not one for a fight, but cowering in some dark corner? That didn’t sit right. The bits and pieces I had picked up, his number of sigils, his mentor - well, I assumed he had gone through the Mind Wars along with them.

Deckard’s hand landed firm on my shoulder. "Don't mind him. He’s just pissed they kept him tied up."

"More pissed at myself than anyone," Blaine muttered, the bite in his voice gone. He stretched his neck, exhaled hard, then gave me a once-over before locking eyes with my mentor. "So that bitch… what do you think? Cognizant?"

"Definitely. Had the arrogance to match."

"Yeah, the mind-sweep didn't strike me as something from a mere Cognitum. And...?"

"An Anchor."

"Tits! Of course. Which Labyrinth?"

"She wasn't that stupid. Made damn sure I didn’t see the runes."

"What about Ward?"

"Same."

"I see. Well, I would assume what he used wasn't Fallen's Cry's Anchor."

"No. Had to be one of the imperial labyrinths or - the one in the Kingdom of Arid."

"That tracks. Hangman’s Bliss, Hero’s Sorrow, or Arid Widow’s Wrath. Couldn’t be any of the Terr’den ones—too dangerous. Bleeder’s March is the only one still under their hold."

"Considering he cut a deal with those Mind Bastards and they promised him a title in Arid, doubt he’d go anywhere west of Sahal."

"There’s always the South."

"The South," Deckard growled, both their voices thick with deep resentment.

"The South?" The words left me before I could think better of it. If there was a place best left alone, I wanted to know. Not that I have any plans to visit there - or to leave Castiana anytime soon.

My mentor let out a dry chuckle. "Ignorance is bliss, isn't it? That’s where the mind mages come from.”

"More like where they gathered their armies and launched their attacks on the Sahal Empire," Blaine corrected. "As far as we know, there's not really a place they come from. They just always... were."

"Best steer clear of that place, girl," Deckard warned, his words ringing in my ears. "After the war, Sahal didn't have the strength to clean it up. There's still a lot of remnants of their armies left there. Mind-fucked beasts, beasts that can fuck with your mind, thralls under their control, and some roaming freely."

A chill scraped down my spine. "Wait - you mean there are still thralls? Like, actual humans who..."

"Humans, Terr'dens, Gnomes, Elves, basically any race with a brain," Blaine listed, unfazed. I, on the other hand, felt sick.

"And you're just leaving them there?"

"Unless they approach the borders of the Empire, yes."

"Why? You could help them." Marcus made it clear that putting together a shattered mind wasn't entirely impossible.

Blaine and Deckard shared a look - one full of pity. "She's your apprentice, Deckard. You tell her."

"Not worth it, girl. Might sound harsh, especially with families still waiting, but it’s been too damn long. What’s left of them - if anything - is just a husk. Bringing them back would only bring more pain."

'Would it, though?' My family inevitably came to mind. When my mum lost her battle with cancer, it was painful - so painful - but it came with closure. No wondering, no unanswered questions. The same could not be said of my disappearance. A wound that would never scab over, a nightmare with no end. If they let go of me, I wouldn’t blame them.

And yet, I held onto the hope that they’d welcome me back, even after everything. Even after what I had become. Hell, when I was locked up in Dungreen's cellar, I would have sold my soul for them to come. But should I end up like they told me I did when that shoelace bitch shattered my mind, savage, beast-like - thought of them having to keep me caged, tied like some rabid hound, twisted a knife deep in my chest.

"I see," I whispered, the words slipping from reach.

"Don’t dwell on it, girl," Deckard said, giving my head a light pat, careful not to brush the moss. "This isn't something we can change. And YOU - first and foremost - should be worrying about yourself, not anyone else."

If I didn’t know better, I would be baring my teeth at him. Almost sounded like he was telling me to forget the Scoresbys, Ria, and everyone else I would come to care about in the city.

"I know," I sighed, lifting my head to meet his eyes. "So what now?"

"Now? You take a nap."

"W-what?" Of all the things I expected to hear, that wasn’t one of them. Surely there was something more pressing - a proper debriefing under true enchantments or something, and... and... so much I wanted to do - talk to Scoresbys, make sure Ria knew I was fine and enjoy the presence of the little kitare.

Deckard smirked, reading between my ears. "Some things can wait, girl. If it helps, think of it as training."

"The nap?"

"Knowing your body - and your weaves - matters more than you think," he laughed when he saw exactly what he wanted, my confusion. "[Indomitable Will], your regeneration and who knows what else can make you feel that you can push through anything. And sure, for a while, you can. If needed, I could march for days or weeks without rest. Does that sound smart, though?"

"No, sounds like a nightmare."

"And it is," my mentor said, voice thick with something close to reminiscence. "In a way, what Blaine here was trying to do. Rushing into the fray just after they reattached his arm."

"Sometimes, you don’t have a choice," the Swordmaster mused, stretching out the arm in question.

"Fair," my mentor allowed. "But if you do it, you’d better be ready to pay the price."

"Which, naturally, I was."

"But she’s not," my mentor said, leveling me with a knowing stare. "Girl, you need to ask yourself - are your weaves truly keeping you going, or just covering the cracks? It's great that your muscles won't feel fatigued, but what good is it if your brain is off duty? Maybe your weave can make you stay fully focused all the time, and that's great - until your brain fatigue exceeds that ability. Or..."

"Alright, alright, I get it," I sighed, throwing up my hands, wings flaring. "I'll take the damn nap - before I give myself a permanent brain fart"

Both men laughed, Blaine giving me a pat on the back. "You do that, Grey. But I’ve had enough lying around. See you tonight."

With that, he was gone, leaving my questions trailing in his wake. One, louder than the rest: ‘Sleeping sounds great, but where the hell am I supposed to do that?’

My eyes inevitably fell on the infirmary beds, especially the one left by Blaine. Leather straps dangled from the sides, sending a shudder down my spine.

"Uh… anywhere else I could…?"

"Already handled, girl. Travis talked to the quartermaster. Come on, I’ll take you to your room."

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