Requiem

5. Sirena & Rachlan - At the Start

Sirena

I can feel you so clearly now, it is almost like touching your lovely skin.

Soon enough, we will be together – and we will rule for eternity.

My queen.

The last declaration startled me awake.

I was choking.

The more I coughed the worse the knot in my throat became. Water spouted from my mouth. The heaving of my chest made my side ache so badly that I started to see stars lining the edges of my vision.

"Breathe," Rachlan's voice floated to my ears a second before he was facing me, "you're not choking, just breathe."

Despite the protest of my ribcage, I inhaled deeply. The air wavered as it left my lungs in short bursts. Finally, I swallowed, and my airway opened fully.

"Good. One more deep breath." I obeyed him and his gaze anchored mine as he breathed with me. "You were starting to worry me."

"What happened?" I could still smell the same faint scent of cedar and something other in the air around me.

"You passed out when we hit the water," Rachlan explained, "I couldn't risk getting back ashore anywhere near that castle, the entire coastline was crawling with guards. So, I swam us East. I scanned the stretch by the shoreline, this place seemed safer."

'That place'... which was where exactly?

I noticed then; that we were in the open mouth of a cave. It was not too deep, but it was wide, and the dark stone darkened the opening enough that it would be shielded from sight. I whirled back to Rachlan.

"Where are we?"

"I was hoping you would answer that question for me."

"How would I know? One moment I was in the Cavern, the next I was on the floor of a strange throne room."

"You didn't summon the portal?" He questioned me.

"You thought I carried a pouch of salt into the Cavern? Obsidian salt no less?" Rachlan blinked. Hopefully realizing the absurdity of his question. "Gods, it's cold." It was freezing and the low temperature was making my body ache even more.

I reached a hand around my side, feeling the blood from the wound that was still staining my torso. It was no longer flowing freely but it was still open. Like it hadn't healed at all.

"I think something is happening to my magic," I said, "I could barely feel it at the castle, and now I'm not healing."

"That is what I was worried about. I tried to close it, but my magic couldn't touch it," Rachlan said, nodding to the cut at my side, "I could not use it at all at the castle with all that Gorsian stone lying around." So, that was why he hadn't killed those guards on sight. "But you did – "his eyes narrowed but did not continue his sentence. Instead, he said "Your leg, will have to be healed once you Shift back. If you're not healing properly, I think we should wait until we can get back, or at least find a medwitch."

I was still in my mer form and it seemed I would be staying in it for some time.

It was absurd. I was a healer. A healer without the ability to heal herself. I could use my magic on others, but not my own wounds and ailments. And while I still recovered faster than humans, it was slow compared to the other Vanir.

"Those people in the castle – they had demon wings. No feathers." I spoke.

"You think we are in Hel" was Rachlan's response.