A Court Of Night and Fire

Chapter Fifteen

Articus eyed the crowds around him nervously as they wound their way back to the inn. He checked their tail numerous times but there were too many people to keep track of. Seeing a back alley, he took it. Celia walked numbly beside him.

"I need you here with me," Articus whispered.

The words weren't reaching her and it worried him. She had always been a strong woman in his mind. Seeing her now struck a nerve.

He worked his way through the twists and turns of the back alleys with only the map he had memorized as a guide. Thrice he wasn't sure if he was going the right way but, after a turn or two, he got his bearings again. Pausing randomly, he listened for footsteps behind him but no such sound came to his ears. Two thoughts came to his mind as he rounded the last turn to their inn.

They either already know already where our inn is and are planning to ambush us there, or in route to the portal...or they don't intent to attack us again.

Articus's mind raced through the possibilities as he looked both ways down the main street that stretched out in front of their inn. He saw hundreds of faces that he swore he'd seen before, a bad sign.

I'm loosing my nerves. I can't think. I— Clenching his teeth he killed the thought. Shoving the voice into an imaginary box, he nailed it shut and dropped it into a void of thought.

Now's not the time Articus. Taking three deep breaths, he scanned the crowds once more. No eyes met his or any bodies that seemed out of place. Everyone seemed to have a place to go. Waiting it out a few more minutes, until he was sure everyone he'd first seen had passed and no one was lingering, he led Celia into the front doors of the inn.

Smiling politely to the innkeeper, he went through the common room and up the stairs to their room. Parking Celia by the door, he pulled out his sa'dka and squatted by the door. Using his foot he eased the door open and peered in from knee level. No one.

Pushing the door wide open he pulled back from the doorway, expecting a bolt to fly through at any moment. No bolt.

He spun passed the doorway to the other side, minimizing his attackable surface. Forcing his breathing down to a calm rhythm, he peered into the doorway again, this time with an angle toward their bathroom. All clear.

Articus grabbed Celia's hand and hauled her in, shutting the door. Mechanically he checked the bathroom and the closet. Still no sign of an ambush.

Propping a chair against the door, he sat Celia down on the bed and knelt down in front of her.

"Celia?"

Her eyes were still unfocused but he thought he saw a faint hint of recognition from her.

"Celia, its Articus. You are just in shock. Can you hear me? Listen to my voice."

He had seen men in the same state before. While everyone had their own way of copping with what they had experienced, some just shut themselves off from the real world. It happened usually after a nugget goes through their first real battle, after all their adrenaline leaves them and only a shell remained. Almost always they came back out of it and after a few more battles the nugget got the hardness... almost always. It was imperative to Articus to get her out of that state.

"Celia?" She nodded absently. Thank the Gods.

"Are you hurt? Do you feel pain anywhere?"

Although she shook her head, he methodically checked her body for any cuts. None. They had lucked out.

Celia blinked and then lowered her head into her hands. "That poor boy... He-"

"Celia, listen to me," Articus said patiently. "I need you. I want you to think about everything that just happened objectively. We aren't out of the woods yet. Can you do that for me?"