The Mirrored Souls

19.

Muffled voices come in and out while my head is bobbing back and forth as I'm being carried bridal style with random bandages wrapped around the areas that are cut open.

Limp, cold and almost hallucinating from the injuries I'm suffering from has me hold onto the person carrying my body to a place I cou-

"What the HELL happened!" Darce roars out in anger as Leon brings Oriana to him weak from saving her.

"My father fou-" Neriah hems Leon to the wall as Darce grabs hold of Oriana.

"You're going to leave her here with us and get back to daddy dearest. Understood?" Neriah says threateningly, wanting to show Leon he wasn't joking around.

Leon pushes Neriah off hard and they start to swing at each other but Marv gets in the middle breaking it up, "Enough! Let's just focus on getting Oriana healthy again. Can you two agree on that?"  Both scoff, raising their hands up walking away to the opposite ends of Moribund.

****

I woke disoriented, shook and afraid of where I was still seeing Darce dressing my wounds.

"We're in Moribund?" I ask weakly.

Darce nods low, handing me water as he keeps his other hand on the bandage fixing the corner of it.

"Neriah almost tore Leon apart for bringing you here like this," He says with stifled anger, not wanting to show how upset he was.

Thinking for a minute I try to get up but Darce stops me roughly, worried I'm not rested enough. "I need to focus on my mom's journals...if I do that I think I can finally embrace and unlock more of my abilities and hopefully be safe from Leon's dad." Darce sighs, placing his hand on my knee, "You keep putting yourself in harm's way Oriana. You need to stop for a sec and actually heal before you go out onto the battlefield again." Looking into his eyes I say, "I have too much to lose to just sit here and do nothing," I move his hand and get up slowly, almost limping from my legs being wrapped. "Oriana," Darce says, standing wiping his hands on a cloth he had. "Tell Neriah and Marv to bring me these things and don't let anyone in after," I hand him a piece of paper with a few things written on it.

Taking the paper he nods going down the stairs to Neriah, Marv and Leon still looking like pissed off zoo animals that have to stay in the same space together, even though there is enormous amount of room for them to move around.

"Oriana needs this," Darce hands the ripped piece of paper to Neriah then turns to Leon, "She asked if both of you can find these things then to leave."

Leon tries to go upstairs to see me but Darce slams him into the ground hovering over him while pinning Leon's scrawny but built body down.

"When you brought her back-" He bares his arm into Leon's throat, "When you brought her back you gave up the right to watch over her."

Leon glares at Darce and wanting to do right by the situation he waits for Darce to get off him and dusts himself off.

"Fine."

****

Edur violently rips out pages to a grimoire he's had while Vega and Charles watch from a distance. They go and find Leon, seeing him try to read but breathing out heavily every minute he's turning a page and holding his head. "Your dad is going crazy trying to find a way to locate Oriana..." Charles says, Vega sits on the edge of the couch looking at Leon saying, "You said you would help us and you got yourself kicked out of where our help is." Leon shuts the book with a loud thud and gets up walking past Vega pissed, "I know," Vega walks behind him still talking about how he messed up her and her brother chance to move on making him stop losing his grip on his temper saying, "If you're so damn desperate to get her help go and visit her like you're fucking Casper or something!" Vega's nostrils flare, having her fists ball up in anger and her eyes narrow in on Leon tired of him dragging his ass not taking her and her brother's situation seriously.

"Who's father had us killed for his selfish ass reasons? Who let their father do it without a reason of doubt?"

Vega's anger starts to show like a poltergeist as things start to shake and rattle with every word and movement.

"Vega-" Charles goes to stop his sister but she pushes him out of rage and he falls backwards landing on his elbows so that his back wouldn't crash onto the floor.

"You go and beg! No! Get on your knees to see Oriana and have her powered up and ready to help me and Charles!"

Leon speechless, wide eyed and feeling frightened by Vega's actions for the first time has him nod and make his way back to Moribund.

****

Marv wipes the bar down then turns to Darce drinking at the end of it playing with the ice that's left at the bottom of his glass.

"This is all getting complicated," Darce says, low on the brink of being drunk.

Marv takes a glance around as he shelves a bottle of vintage wine before saying, "You can't let your feelings get mixed in with what you already set in motion." Darce looks to Marv, "I got to know her," is all he says tapping on the glass for a refill.

Neriah, listening in, stops at the end of the stairs wanting to know his brother's true intentions.

"Know her? Are you listening to yourself right now?" Marv asks Darce.

"You had the idea and it was a good one until this little voice popped into your head to be the good guy, you're not the good guy Darce, not when it comes to certain things."

Neriah, fully curious to as what Marv means, walks up and folds his arms standing in front of his intoxicated brother.

"Don't tell me it has Oriana involved," Neriah coldly says.

Darce shrugs, "You wouldn't get it Riah."

Marv scoffs under his breath, making both brothers look up to him.