Rudimentum: Oracle

Chapter 26

The silence weighed heavily on his heart. William remained on the floor, his head hanging low over the bed. He opened his eyes to find the blanket beneath him wet with his tears. He wiped his face and cleared his aching throat. You will never be useless... You are named after the stars, Will.

He forced himself to stand, his body as heavy as a fallen tree. With quiet movements, he lifted her and pulled the blankets from under, laying them gently on her. He dragged the chair from the corner to the bedside.

"Is this how you felt when I was injured?" he said. "I cannot imagine the worry I put you through, but if it is anything like I feel now, I am sorry for putting you through that. Just wake up, please. I love you."

He leaned forward and slipped his hand under the blanket. He found hers and squeezed, her fingers cold against his warm skin.

Elysia stood with her feet in a lake. The warm air caressed her face, but the water tickled her toes with coolness. Where was this place? Was this...

She opened her eyes suddenly as a rush of memories filled her head. Her legs buckled, her heart pounded with oppressive force, and she splashed onto her knees. She cried out as a sharp pain split through her brain like ground cracking open. She shut her eyes as she grimaced and cried out, cradling her aching head. Images fluttered across her mind in quick succession and voices jumbled together incoherently.

She screamed even louder, covering her ears in a vain attempt to silence the sounds.

Then it stopped like a weed pulled from the root.

And she remembered everything.

She opened her eyes as her hands fell into the water gripping clumps of sand. Dark storm clouds painted the sky in purple and blue streaks. Lightning flashed in the distance illuminating the sombre greys beneath. She looked over at the cottage where Evelyn once lived. She remembered Mordrake forcing the elixir on her. She remembered sitting alone in a tower feeling entirely empty. Mordrake's words became lies and there was William, saving her with an anguish in his eyes.

"Wake up," she said. She stood on trembling legs, water dripping from her nightgown. "Wake up. Wake up."

William closed his eyes and squeezed her hand again.

Elysia froze, feeling a strange pressure on her left hand as if someone had touched it. She raised her hand and furrowed her brows.

William felt like he had fallen out of his body. He opened his eyes and found himself standing on grass. Above him storm clouds threatened rain. A lake glistened in the silver light and Elysia stood on the edge, still dressed in her white nightgown.

"Elysia," he said, hoping to the Gods it was not a dream.

She spun around at the sound of his voice. Her eyes welled with tears, her throat aching, and head pounding. "Will?"

They ran to each other, and William wrapped his arms around her. The touch of her hands around his neck once again brought his heart to a stand-still. They kissed, and it felt like the first time, the same sparks running through each of their bodies. They leaned their foreheads together and their faces caressed each other's in an unspoken touch of love.

William took her hands in his, tears running down his cheeks. "I thought I lost you," he whispered. His hands trailed up her chest and cupped her face with gentle fingers as they always should have been. He pulled her in for a kiss.

She breathed him in and ran her finger along the scar on his jaw, his growing stubble a rough pleasure. "I would never leave you."

"You don't know how much I love you," he said.