My Darkening Ember

Chapter Twenty - Four

My eyes drifted to Xander's who just cleared his throat, and rose.

"The capital, " he responded and furrowed his brows.

I blinked away my confusion, embarrassed I even asked. I should've known or more so I shouldn't have forgotten.

"Right," I nodded and exhaled, raising myself before immediately losing footing, my vision blurring. He grabbed me before I went down, carefully placing his hands on my shoulders, and steadying me.

"Maybe you should rest." He suggested.

I didn't argue and just nodded again as I let him lead me away from the fire. I offered a gentle smile to the people sitting there watching me, but only Gaia returned it with compassion. We passed more tents, going deeper into the tunnel before we reached a small bed with an overhead of fabric. His hands fell from me, but before he could vanish I grabbed the sleeve of his coat.

"Can you wait?" I asked, feeling my stomach rise to my chest. I had kept my composure for long enough.

He looked at my hand, on him, and I removed it before he could say anything. He stayed in place.

"How long..." I felt myself swallowing my words, I didn't want to say them. How horrifying would that be? What did they mean? "How-," I choked on them again.

"Seven hours." He quickly responded, sparing me from completing my sentence.

I swallowed a deep breath.

"I...I was..." I was breathing hard, and my eyes were getting blurry but I didn't feel faint. Tears began. I took a step back. His reflexes were fast, quickly grabbing for me, thinking I was stumbling. But I stood steady, the shock was washing through me. The realization was like a punch to the gut. I had been dead, for hours. How was it even possible? Why was I here, breathing, feeling, standing in front of him?

"Breathe." His voice was calm and his eyes beheld me all though they were full of nothing. "You must not panic. I will explain when you have rested and when your head is clear. But, you must...rest." He said slowly so I would hear him.

I barely did but my knees bent and I let myself lower. His touch vanished when I sat down.

"You can find me when you wake." He said and turned away.

I leaned back and turned on my side. "Thank you for the necklace" I whispered, unsure if he heard me. I rested my head on a pillow, I watched him walk away. His back, the black hat, the coat whipping back...I was fast asleep.

When I woke up later he wasn't there. My arms were still stinging but the pain wasn't anything I hadn't endured before.

I looked to my side, finding the snow coat I had worn, neatly folded on a stool. The tunnel wasn't cold at all but I still put it on, noticing the sleeves had been sewn together. They must've sliced them in a hurry to bleed me and taken the coat off me later.

Slowly I got on my feet, ready to fall over but I stood firmly. My head was hurting but I felt better.

The rest of the tents around me had closed their entries and the fire burners smouldered slightly. I had no idea what time of day it was as I began moving towards the slight breeze that had followed me around.

I had felt it before around the fire and then again when Xander had led me back.

I was calmer now, rest was truly the best medicine, though it hadn't dulled the thoughts, all the questions slamming into my head. The cuts, the visions...death. I had been dead. I had seen my mother, talked to her, and I had lived. The poison hadn't killed me. I had beaten the seven-day curse. Was it over?