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

40 - Hayley

I come to in a ton of pain. Indari is crouched beside me, her worried eyes on me, on my face. She stares, her expression somber.

A soft sound escapes my lips, and I groan as I try and sit up. But Indari gently lays me down once more, shaking her head slowly. "No, Hayley. Lay down. You've been out for two days."

"Two days? Where's... Tiber? Kieran?"

"They are with the friends we were searching for," she says. "We are in a tavern, on the other side of Tempyria. They're downstairs, talking about things and eating."

"We should join them," I say, trying to sit up again. "Uugh, can I... at least go to the bathroom?"

Indari chuckles. She helps me up, and we walk together into the small bathroom. She helps me along, even with my cane, I am weak. Aldrea is still sleeping. I can sense her exhaustion.

After we are done, I limp back to the bed Indari had me on. She faces me as I sit, her worried mother hen look making me feel a bit odd. She clears her throat. "I'll go get them, and bring you something to eat and drink. Just wait here."

Without waiting for me to respond, Indari leaves. I sigh and lean back against the headboard, my body wracked with pain. I'm not tired, as I've apparently slept two days. But I am not able to breathe without agony lancing through my chest. Chronic pain is no fucking joke.

Moments later, I hear thundering footsteps, and Tiber bursts into the room. He is panting as he hurries to my side, hugging me close.

"Hayley! I was so worried about you. What happened?"

"You're squishing me," I mutter, and he releases me. I sigh and rub my chest, which hurts worse.

"Oh, your meds," he says. He takes off his satchel, sets it on the bed, and hands me my tonic and meds. I down it in one long gulp, and sigh as I hand him back the vial.  "I'll need to make more tonight when we go back to Drecca's place. He actually said he'd give me an alchemy lab! Oh, that would be amazing!"

"Tiber," I say. He looks to me, his wistful expression fading. "I don't know what happened. I just ... I fought those guards, and then I... passed out."

"It's okay, Hayley. It's fine."

I study his face. There's something he's not telling me. I need to find out what. But if I ask him outright, he will deny it, and then, he will be onto me. So, I keep my mouth shut. Tiber sits down beside me, and then the others come in. Dax, Delta, Atlas, Kieran, and Indari all gather in here, Kieran and Indari holding food and drinks for me.

Dax hugs me carefully.  "I was worried about you."

I smile. "I was worried about you, too, Dax."

"Hayley, you look like shit," Atlas says, snorting.

"Gee, thanks, Atlas," I scoff. Delta chuckles and elbows his sister, and she sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Sorry, I just.... I was worried about you, too."

"We all were," says Delta.

"Oh, right," says Dax as Indari hands me some soup and bread. I begin to eat as Dax paces. "So, uh, Tiber told us about that hellscape that you were in. And he mentioned the other people he was traveling with. I think Corvo, the guy who was so wary of you, Tiber, is actually a friend of mine that went missing years ago."

"Really?" Tiber asks.

Dax nods. "He has a sister. Uh .... fuck. What was her name?"

Delta looks at him. "Uh, how would we know?"

Dax scowls. "Emmeranne. Her name's Emmeranne. She went missing, too. And Corvo went looking for her. I don't know if he ever found her. "

"Let me guess. You want to help him?" Kieran asks.

"If we can find him, yeah. I owe him my life," says Dax.

Kieran scoffs. "You guys are insane. Going out of your way to help people who won't lift a finger to help you."

"That's not true," says Dax. "Corvo is likely just scared. His sister's all he's got left."

"Anyways," Tiber says. "We should head back to Drecca's home, because we need to regroup."

"I'm not sure if you can return to that hell world, Tiber," says Indari.

"Oh? Why not?" Tiber asks.

"Because the portal has been closed for too long. It could be reopened, but if it is, it's likely... I don't know. More dangerous than it was before."

"Well, maybe we can find out some way to save Corvo and Emmeranne both," says Tiber. He is staring at me. "After all, Drecca's got a library full of books. Im sure one of them will help us."

"Yall are crazy," Kieran grumbles.

"We aren't asking you to go," says Tiber.

Kieran smirks. "Good. 'Cause I sure as fuck am not going."

"Anyways," Indari says, clapping her hands together.  "Lilith gave me a way to open a portal to the mansion. So, all I have to do is open it, and we can be there in seconds. Are you all ready?"

I set down my empty bowl and nod. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Tiber helps me up and we all walk into the portal. There's a kaleidoscope of magick and colors that swirl all around us, and then, we are standing in the dining hall of the mansion. But there's no sign of Drecca, or Lilith.

I smell blood on the air.

"Took you all long enough," says a gruff, male voice. We all turn around.

The man that sits at the head of the table is flanked on either side by bleeding and bruised Lilith and Drecca. The man grins at us.  "Welcome home."