Sun & Moon

Chapter 43 - Bianca

The air shifts around me as I stand watching from the door. A woman dressed in a flowy kaftan is escorted in by the mage with the dark skin, Souleymane. She cries out and falls to the unconscious body of Rio as Astrid clutches his hand on the other side of the bed. The woman wails out his name but Souleymane assures her that he's still alive. My eyes trail from Rio's chest slowly rising and falling, towards Astrid.

"Corinthia," Souleymane says, "your son is a strong man. He will pull through."

"What exactly is he pulling through from?" she asks, her voice now stoic and steady.

He pauses for a second, but his head tilts towards Astrid, quietly in search of an answer.

"I don't know."

Nobody really knows what happened to Rio, not the mages nor, I think, Astrid judging by the way she watches him intently and expectedly as if waiting to catch any sudden movements. I could tell them it was the song she sang, but there would be no further explanation. Even Astrid, who sang the song, couldn't say what it did. It was a shot in the dark.

"I am never leaving your side," Corinthia whispers and places a kiss on Rio's forehead.

Souleymane exits the room and prompts me to follow him as he closes the door. The last thing I see is the twitch on Rio's brow as Corinthia leans back from her kiss.

"Miss Greywood," Souleymane speaks as we walk down the hallway. "Do you have the ring?"

I reach inside my jeans pocket to retrieve the ring I took from Valentina as soon as the mages brought down the barrier in fear that the First Son would return. However, by the silence that followed from Astrid's song, something told me he wouldn't be returning any time soon.

"What will you do with it?" I ask.

"Destroy it."

I hand it over.

"We never should have forged it to begin with," Souleymane says, closing his fists tightly as he receives the ring. "All creation has a price to pay and we saw for ourselves how that turns out."

"Do you think the First Son paid that price again?"

I study Souleymane's expression, a deep scowl protruding from his brow. His face looks like it's used to worry, the type that carves itself out on people with high responsibilities.

"I have this sinking feeling that Rio is the one paying the price right now," he replies.

"What does that mean though?"

Souleymane shakes his head.

"We'll see when he wakes up..."

...if he wakes up.

I finish his unspoken words in my head.

Souleymane takes me through the foyer towards a room from which I hear faint laughter. The sound startles me from the lack of life and joy of the past couple of hours. Souleymane tells me to join my friends, bows and takes his leave as I notice his fist turning white from clenching the daylight ring.

I enter the room, a dining room, with a long oval table around which Alex, Ganzorig, Demi and Kobe are sat.

"Bianca," Kobe calls, all smiles. "Come join us."

"Where's Valentina?" I ask.

"It was thought best to leave her resting in the hall," he replies. "Don't worry, she's comfortable. I made sure of it."

"I should go check..."

"Stay!" Kobe exclaims, abruptly standing up. "Please, eat something at least."