When A Life Is Lost (NaNoWriMo 2013)

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Ania woke with a start, her body shaking. She was in hysterics from the dream, but she tried to calm herself before anyone noticed. She looked around, and what she saw did not help her hysterics at all. Or, rather, what she did not see.

She and Malus were alone.

“What’s wrong?” Malus asked, hearing her tears. He opened his eyes and looked about. He didn’t have the same reaction as she did, but he leapt up, looking around the carriage as if Alykana and Eoius were hiding in plain sight. Once he had made sure that Alykana and Eoius were definitely not there, he made a movement as if he was going to throw his hands up in exasperation, but then figured out that he was handcuffed.

“Where are they?” he asked furiously, looking down at Ania as if she held the answers. He seemed to finally notice that she was crying. He walked over to her, crouching in front.

“Ania,” he said, softly. She only cried harder, and he had to struggle to make her listen, “Hey! Ania. Everything will be alright.”

Ania shook her head, tears continuing to flow without stopping.

“Nothing will be alright,” she said between hiccups and tears, “It’s all my fault they’re gone. They could be dead for all we know.”

“Ania,” Malus’s voice did not change, although Ania knew that he should be angry with her, “They’re not dead. I’d know it.”

“You can’t tell if someone is dead or not,” she cried, “You won’t be able to know,”

“I can tell,” he told her, “And it isn’t your fault that we were separated.”

“It is my fault,” she sobbed, putting her head into her hands, “It’s my fault you were dragged into this.”

“Ania,” he repeated softly, laughing softly for a minute, "You didn't exactly have a choice as to whether I came with you or not."

Ania made a gurgling sound which may have been an attempt at a watery laugh, but it soon stopped. Ania started to wipe the tears away from her cheeks, putting her cuffs down when she'd got most of them.

Malus sighed, using a finger from one of his tied hands to wipe off the remaining tears.

"I know I won't miss these stupid handcuffs," he cried angrily, bashing his fist - or combined fists - against the wall.

Ania sighed, drying the few tears which escaped. She’d calmed down slightly, but she didn’t search around the carriage. She knew that Alykana and Eoius were gone. If they were dead or alive, she did not know. She hoped it was the latter, but she couldn’t be sure.

“We’ll probably reach Geramina soon,” Ania said quietly, making Malus turn his head towards her sharply.

“We’re not going to reach Geramina,” Malus assured her, “We’ll leave first.”