Mission: NYX || ONC2023 Shortlister

Chapter 13: Cake

At least thirty minutes must have passed with Lucinda just doing nothing but sitting outside the church and letting the two healers patch her up. Fortunately, or maybe not, she didn't receive any open wounds from the fight. The only scars she had were the several lines on top of her arms and the crescent-shaped marks when she dug her nails so much just to gather more blood. They weren't bleeding as much compared to earlier, but it still did whenever she moved her arms, even a little bit. One of the healers passed her her coat, and she wasted no time putting it on and covering her arms from the cold air of the night.

Earlier, she insisted they stay inside, but being inside seemed to be better; the fresh cool air helped her relax her shoulders and remove the heavy weight in her chest. It was better than the blood-stenched, musty smell of the church's floors.

She took a deep breath and sighed. Whether it was injuries from blunt force or something sharp like a knife, her healing would still have made her feel better within a few minutes. Maybe ten if she really was that injured. But thirty minutes had passed, and it seemed like she only felt worse.

It was difficult, but she placed her hand in front of her. Still shivering, like what she thought. At least now, she could close it to a fist without feeling like it was stretching her fingers.

Smudges of blood still coated her fingers, however. Usually, she could feel if the blood was hers or not. Even if it was just a small drop, it was easy to tell if it was just within her hands. But now, she wasn't even sure which one was hers and which one was Nyx's.

She lowered it and hummed. Twenty years of being an assassin, and it was the first time she was this hurt. It was amazing that this job still managed to surprise her.

When she shut her eyes, she couldn't tell if she was sleeping or not—while she could still feel her surroundings and hear the people around her talk, what they were actually saying never reached her ears. She could hear Poseidon and Lucia talking to the healers, and it sounded like Poseidon dismissed them both. When the healers left, they started talking to each other, voices in low, hushed whispers.

The sound of footsteps heading towards her direction made her open her eyes. Poseidon stopped where she was, while Lucia took a few more steps closer. She knelt down to her height and placed a hand on her forehead, then her neck. "Well, it doesn't seem like you have a fever of your own," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible, but maybe better."

It was difficult to tell what Poseidon's expression was, but her pointy ears perked up when she hummed. "You're insane, you know that? Not everyone can manage to kill a Fury and live afterwards. I won't be surprised if this paints a target on your back."

"Guess that means Lu and I owe you a thousand gems each,"Lucia added with a laugh. "I told him you'll probably die, he said you'll get kidnapped. If neither happens, we agreed to give you the money instead."

"My life was on the line and you and Lu decided to make bets on it?" Somehow, Lucinda managed to chuckle. Unfortunately, her laughter was cut short when her lungs burned, and coughs immediately replaced it. She sat up and clutched her shirt, nails nearly tearing the fabric as she tried to scratch her skin. She placed her hand in front of her, sighing in relief when there was no sign of blood.

"I was never going to die," she said, facing her sister. "Nyx had one rule in her game, and it's that she's not allowed to kill me. She had multiple opportunities to do it, but she never did. And honestly, I doubt I'd still be here if she didn't have that rule."

Lucia furrowed her brows. "If he's not going to kill you, then what did she want you for?"

"I don't know. But frankly, I don't care anymore."