Darkness & Light: Book 1: Shatter Our Fates [COMPLETED]

27 - Tiber

Lydia brings him to a cave, which is darker than the outside world, and colder. But as they walk inside and away from its opening, Tiber hears voices. He stops, and Lydia turns to him, a confused look on her face. She blinks, then waves a hand, trying to tell him to follow her.

She walks ahead, and slowly, Tiber follows her.

The two of them walk toward the voices, and he sees a man and woman hunched over a fire. He hesitates, and Lydia turns to him then.

"Corvo, Lyrrha, I've found a newbie. Tiber."

Corvo, the man, looks at Tiber. "We don't need him."

"Yes, we do, Corvo," says Lydia. "He needed help, anyway. I saved him from the oasis."

"The fucking oasis? Are you serious, what were you doing there?" Corvo demands.

"Corvo, please.  Tiber here needs our help, and maybe we can help him, too. We can get out of here, before they find us again."

"We don't need more dead weight," Corvo snaps.

Lyrrha pipes up. "He's a mage, Corvo. And he's looking for someone."

"How do ....?"

But they all ignore him, as they start to talk louder.

"So what if he's a mage? They're dangerous, Lyrrha!"

"No, he needed my help! He's not ... I'm not going to abandon him, Corvo. I'm not gonna let them find him and ... and ...."

"Who are they?" Tiber demands.

"He's a fucking mage, he's one of them, Lydia! You know that!" Corvo shouts.

"So what if he's a mage? He's not a danger," she snaps.

"And how do you know that? Lydia, we don't know him!"

"So, what?"

"He could betray us. You forget what happened last time, when we trusted someone like him!" Corvo hisses.

Lydia scoffs.  "Not all mages are evil, okay?"

"Guys, stop. He's in need of help," Lyrrha says, as she walks up to Tiber. She has dark skin with a tattoo on the back of her hand, but Tiber doesn't know what the symbol is. Her amber eyes are hooded, and her short, white hair is dusty. Lyrrha places her hands on his shoulders, and Tiber tenses.

But then, he feels warmth slide through his body. He feels the soothing sense of magick, as it slithers through his body, and as it does, he sighs. He feels exhausted, but the feeling of magick in his body is enough for him to feel a bit more awake.

He looks at Lyrrha, who smiles a crooked smile at him.  "Well, he's healed."

"Wait," says Tiber.  "You hate mages, and yet, your friend here just healed me?"

Corvo glares at him. "She's a healer, not a mage."

"Ooohhh," says Tiber. "Like that makes a difference. It's still magick."

Lydia sighs and sits on a big rock by the edge of the fire. She looks up at her friends and Tiber. "Well, I say we keep him here for a while. He could help us get out of here."

"Help us?" Corvo scoffs.  "More like stab us in the back."

"Enough," Lyrrha snaps.  She is fidgeting as she stands there, staring at Tiber intently. "Corvo, he is a mage, but you know that he's not going to hurt us. He's not going to hurt any of us."

"How do you know, Lyrrha?"

"Because I sensed who he is when I healed him," she says. "I am sorry, Tiber Moon. I didn't mean to pry. But when I healed you, I learned about you. He's a child of the gods."

Corvo scoffs. "Hah. Yeah, right."

"He is," Lyrrha snaps.  "You doubt me?"

"No. I doubt him," Corvo says sternly.

"Yeah, we've all got that, Corvo," Lydia mutters. She shakes her head. Then, she faces Tiber. "Who are you looking for?"

"His sister," says Lyrrha.

The three of them turn to Tiber. He sighs. Apparently, it is against these people to keep anyone's secrets, once they learn it.

"Yes, I'm looking for my sister," he says. "Why?"

"If she's here, she's likely dead," says Corvo.

Anger swells in Tiber's chest at that. He stands up.  "No, she isn't. And I get that you don't trust me, I really do. But don't assume to know all about me before you truly know anything of me or my past."

Corvo, to his surprise, looks shocked and impressed. "Well, then. Fine. We will help you search for your sister, at first light. But for now, we rest. Eat. Because it isn't safe to go out at night."

Tiber wants to object, but he knows he better not. His sister is more resilient than he'd admit. She is gonna be okay, even if she's here. He can find her tomorrow, and then, they can return home to Espynn, and find the others. So, he sits by the fire, and so do the others.