“I never once claimed to be a hero, Jala. You are the only hero in Sanctuary. The rest of us are all damned,” Neph whispered to the empty room as he slowly slumped against the wall. Silently he slid down to rest heavily on the floor and pulled his knees up against his chest.
He knew he should be moving now to release his people from stasis and fortify the city, but that would have to wait. His shoulders shook as the first of his tears broke and a muffled sob escaped his throat. If he woke his people now they would put him to the sword for weakness, and he wasn’t sure he would even try to stop them. Death sounded better than life to him at the moment, and the only thing that was keeping him from that path was the knowledge that Seth was waiting below. Madren had been right. He did have penance coming and the thought of Seth delivering his punishments was too much for him to face in his current frame of mind.
Chapter 19
The Darklands
The vertigo of the transport spell made her stomach heave and Zoelyn fought back the desire to vomit. She had been crouched near Foster when the explosion hit and the blast had caught her full on the side. Pain laced every part of her, but the worst was her throbbing head. With every step Seth took, the pain grew worse and she knew he was trying to be gentle. It was taking everything she had just to remain conscious, but she knew enough about healing to know sleep was her enemy right now. Head wounds were dangerous and by the gummy feeling on her scalp and the raw pain, she knew the gash on her scalp was a serious one.
“Do you have any idea what you have done!” a woman screamed as Seth pushed the doors of the palace open. It wasn’t a voice Zoelyn knew, but it was one she would remember forever. Just the volume alone made her want to sob, but the anger filling the words kept her silent.
“Get out of my way, Fiona. I am not in the temper to deal with you,” Seth warned in a low voice. He shifted Zoelyn carefully to one arm and placed his free hand on his dagger hilt to emphasis his words.
“The Divine are not to partake of mortal struggles and you slaughtered an entire city of Rivasans. They will tear Finn apart for your actions, you selfish bastard!” Fiona snarled and Zoelyn caught a glimpse of the woman as she moved directly into Seth’s path. She was pale with dark hair and would have been beautiful if not for the twisted expression of fury covering her face. Fiona’s hand dropped to her sword hilt and she shook her head slowly at Seth. “You will not simply walk away from this, Seth. You will pay for these sins with your miserable existence. I have watched Finn let you run wild these past few months, but I will not let this pass. You have gone too far.” Her voice dropped lower as her anger gave away to resolve.
“You will allow me to pass and see to the girl before we settle things,” Seth corrected with a snarl.
“Let him pass, Fiona.” Finn’s voice silenced them both. He hadn’t spoken loudly, but there was a power to his voice that neither of them could ignore. “Seth, see to Zoey,” Finn ordered as he approached. “Fiona, this will be resolved on my terms, not yours,” he added as he stopped between the two of them. His tanned face was creased with worry, but he smiled down at Zoelyn despite his obvious stress. “You will be fine,” he promised softly as he motioned once more for Seth to go.
“Finn, you can’t simply let him walk from this. Do you realize how bad this is?” Fiona hissed as Seth pushed past her and continued for the tower stairs.
“What is going to happen to you?” Zoelyn whispered as the voices behind them faded. Seth had picked up his pace and she missed Finn’s response entirely, but from Fiona’s words she doubted it could be good.
“Nothing,” Seth assured her with a smile and she could see the lie on his face. He wasn’t scared, but he did seem uneasy. “Don’t forget, I saved Jala’s life with my actions as well, and Finn can forgive a lot when Jala is involved,” he added with a faint smile.
“I don’t want you to suffer for me,” Zoelyn murmured with a soft shake of her head. She regretted the action at once and a soft whimper escaped her lips as the pain intensified.
“I will be fine, Zoey,” Seth promised as he paused in front of his door.
Zoelyn had no idea how they had reached his rooms so swiftly, but she was grateful they had. Her head was throbbing and she was growing dizzier by the moment. Closing her eyes, she slowed her breathing and tried to center herself as Seth carried her into his rooms. Nausea rose in her stomach once more and she clamped her mouth shut until the feeling passed and by the time she finally reopened her eyes, Seth was laying her gently on the bed. His hand brushed against her hair softly and she tried to keep from flinching from his touch.
“It’s a bad one, but it will heal. You will have a scar from it, though,” Seth murmured as he examined the wound more closely. He straightened and let out a harsh breath. “Let me gather a few things and I will get you stitched up so you can rest.”
She watched him in silence as he left the room and her mind returned to the last moments of the battle as she stared up at the ceiling.
Seth’s accusations rang in her mind and she swallowed heavily at the memory of his words. It had been Neph that had cursed her, but from what she had overheard it hadn’t been something that was done in malice. Zyi Delvayon, the name echoed in her mind and something stirred deep inside her.