The Stone

The Relic

We get to our room and Vance breaks down.

"I am not ok with this at all." He says, and sits down on our bed.

I strip off my blood covered clothes, although it wasn't an easy task as the rips and tears on my skin catch or are stuck to the fabric opening the wounds further. Vance runs his eyes over my bruised and tattered body.

"We have to train hard, Vance, I would expect the same from you when we train with magic."

I pull a robe from the closet and throw it over top my bloody body, the fluid seeps into the fabric showing every wound given.

He places his head in his hands.
"I don't think I can do that, and I don't like Kit beating up on you."

I sigh, if he can't do it, then it shouldn't affect my training as he is only my temporary teacher until we reach Ashura.
"It's ok, if it's too hard on you Dione will take over once we get to Ashura."

I smile up at him, he still doesn't look at me.

"I feel like...I...just..." he chokes on his words.

I sit painfully down beside him watching him fall apart.
"What is it?" I rest a hand on his back.

"I feel like I'm losing you....you're different...everything is...so different..."

I sigh.
"Since Emeriss."

He lifts his head.
"Yeah....what happened to you?"

I swallow hard as he stares at me. I can't tell him right now, it just isn't the time, so I play it off as if I had taken on too many injuries and gasp at the pain and double over.

"Fuck...I'm sorry Bri, you need some healing... let's get you fixed up. We can talk about this later."

He lifts me in his arms just like before and carries me out the door to the bathing quarters.

The bath was heavenly and sunk into my wounds, closing up the torn flesh and reducing the swelling. Vance had taken his time and effort to put something together for me, even red flower petals. But this time he doesn't join me, this time he sits on the floor with his back turned to me leaning against the side of the tub. It for some reason reminds me of the first time I had Roan in the same bathing room as me, although the feelings were different, the longing was the same, and so was the distance growing between us. Speaking of Roan...I had almost forgotten what happened at the life tree with Evanora.

It may be a good time to tell Vance, it might take some focus away from everything else.
"Vance."
He turns his head slightly.
"Hm?"

"I need to tell you something."

I can hear his breath hitch.
"I feel like I already know what it is."

"Roan came to me at the life tree."

I can see the muscles in his back tense up.
"What?" He turns around to face me dead serious.

"Tell me how..."

"I was kneeling before the tree, Evanora had gotten up pacing as she spoke, then all of a sudden I felt a cold chill. The torches behind us blew out and although I couldn't see him, I could feel him, even smell him. He spoke to me." I pause for a minute trying to remember the exact words.

"What did he say?"

"He said the next time I see him he will kill me. It was mostly just threats on my life. It was horrible."

His brows furrow.
"Well at least it was something we already know. But this may not be a good thing. He most likely astral projected, which means he knows exactly where we are right now."