Bereft: Demise

35 | Of Moments Kept in Glass

Anzel stood at the entrance, his body held stiffly without his characteristic grace. In the brighter lights of the foyer, it was possible to note the faint blush of purple left by bruises beneath his chin. The rest of his neck was covered in the fabric of a turtleneck, another uncharacteristic choice for the Vytian. His hair was unbound, framing his peaky face in a dark, satin curtain.

I froze, unsure of how I should react. "Yes?"

He stepped nearer, and I noticed he held something in his hands. It was an ether infusion and, judging by the color, it was most likely one of the infusions I'd been receiving from the Vytians every morning for several weeks now. 

"I, ah—." He paused, swept a hand across his mouth in silent contemplation, then tried again. "Are you alright? After...after yesterday?" 

My teeth ground together as I stiffened. "You saw what happened?" 

"Heard would be more accurate. Elias and I heard." He fiddled with the ether infusion, realized he was doing so, then held it out for me to take. "I'm sorry." 

I lowered my gaze, hating his contrition, hating that I felt appeased by that weak apology when—in the long run—it meant nothing. I had many questions I wanted to ask both Anzel and Elias about who I was, how Elias knew my family, where my ancestors were from—but it didn't matter. It wasn't needed. 

Perhaps I was only upset, but the experience at the ward had reiterated what truly mattered in my limited time. It wasn't learning about other worlds, dining with werewolves, or indulging in friendships with people like Anzel and Elias. I needed to learn magic, needed to learn how to save Darius's life.

Nothing else mattered. Not with Envy always so near. Not with my death looming so large and imminent.

"You told me once that Vytians aren't afraid of the Sins." I snorted and flipped my hair over my shoulder. "I guess that was a lie."

Something near anger flared in his eyes when my statement struck a nerve. He stepped closer again, his footstep resounding with a heavier thud. "Do you fear fire? No. And yet, you won't stand in the path of the wildfire, will you? Don't spit on me because I did what was logical to protect all of us. My presence would have only aggravated the situation."

"I'm not spitting on you," I said, holding the books against my chest as I refused to look into his eyes. "I'm not."

He came forward again with softer motions, arm fully extended. "Take this," he urged as the ether infusion glowed between us with pure, white light. "If you don't wish to speak with me now, I understand. I did what was best, not what was brave, not what was righteous. Be disappointed in me if you must, but please take this."

My hands tightened until I could feel the harsh thrum of my blood pulsating through my cramped joints. "I don't need it," I said, being deliberately cold. "I've somewhere I need to be. I'll talk to you later."

His body tensed as if to stop me, so I hurried out of his reach and started down the narrow hall.

"Sara!" he called—but he didn't follow. Anzel must have known me well enough to know it would be unwise to push me in this matter.

"Just leave me alone, Anzel!" I shouted as I stormed on. Quieter, I added, "It'll be better for you if you just leave me alone."

I didn't know where this hall led. In all my meanderings throughout the manor, this was one of the passages I had specifically avoided, as I disliked how it was even narrower than most of the other corridors. I walked, and my chest felt tighter and tighter as the walls seemed to creep steadily closer and the ceiling dropped lowered.