The War of The Magi : Book One

Chapter Sixty Five

Senea gripped her hands. Sounds of crashing waves filled her ears. She couldn't sleep, no matter how hard she tried. Even the boat rocking didn't help her. She couldn't get the image of her mother out of her mind.

Tears slipped past her eyelashes and she wiped them away, the back of her hand smearing against her cheeks.

Long hair, tawny in color, wisping around her face. The sweetest kisses she could ever dream of. Slender fingers running against her back, tickling her sides and feet. Coughing, blood splattering against cloth, sickly, almost grey colored skin. Lying in bed all day long, being spoon fed like an infant.

Senea had spent years ridding these moments from her mind. She grasped her forehead, digging her fingers through her hair, shaking her head.

Mother loves you.

The last words she could ever remember her mother saying. She sobbed out and sniffled, wiping at her nose now.

She was three harvests when the fawn incident happened, just a few months after their roof had collapsed.

Had it collapsed?

No! Senea! Don't - oh by Ral! My baby!

Senea shook her head, tears dripping faster and faster. She sunk to the ground, her sobbing growing louder.

The door creaked open and Zephir rushed to her side, holding her by her shoulders and pulling her tight to his chest. "Senea!" She gripped onto Zephir, her head contacting with his chest as she sobbed. "What - what happened?"

She shook her head once, tears snaking down as she did. Zephir wasn't mentally prepared for her to break down in front of him. He hugged her close, nervously glancing at the shut door. He wished that Magnar was here. Magnar knew how to deal with crying women.

"Senea, come on. Talk to me. Why are you crying?"

"I keep hearing my mother," she managed to say through the weeping.

Zephir ran a hand down over her hair, shaking his head. "Senea, sleep."

"I could have saved her."

"Oh, Senea. Is that what's -" Zephir sighed and pulled her back up onto the bed. He stroked her hair out of her face, his thumbs sliding under her eyes. "How did she die?"

Senea's face contorted in pain. She shrugged her shoulders and tossed her head back, sniffling. "Sickness. She couldn't eat, or drink. She got sicker as I got older."

He sat down beside her, his arms engulfing her. Hesitating, he asked,"Do you think that she died because of you?"

"Well, now I do!"

Zephir sucked in his breath as she began to sob louder and louder. "She didn't. Sickness is - it's one of those things that you can't just heal. Anyone can get it. Anyone can die from it."

She sighed and sobbed, curling herself against Zephir. "But why my mother?"

"When I found out that Arene had gotten sick, I was devastated. I wanted nothing more than to flee back to Orriel, not matter the consequences. When I found out she did so because she followed me? I - I wanted to die." The bottom of Senea's lip quivered. "But, I just remembered all of the amazing conversations we had. All the times we kissed. All of the fun she had teaching me about babies," he said with a small laugh. "That's what got me through her passing."

Senea nodded and gripped onto Zephir's hand. "My mother, she told me to heal you."

Zephir glanced down at her, her eyes downcast and focused on her fist. "Well, I guess that's - I guess I owe her thanks for that."