Echoes

Chapter 21

"Look, I think she's waking up!"

I blinked slowly, adjusting to the light. Wow, did my head hurt. I squinted, trying to make out the faces of the four people hovering over me.

"Oh, thank Audral," the woman on the right said.

"Shae?" I croaked.

"I'm here, don't worry," she said gently. "We're all here."

The world came into focus. Pix and Sanus stood over me on the left, with Gavie and Shae on the right.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Try to remember," Sanus urged. "We need to make sure your memory still works."

I thought back, sifting through the gaps of darkness dotting my memories from the last few days.

"There was a funeral," I started, my throat tightening just thinking about it. "We came back to the Cathedral." I scanned the room, realizing I was in the back room.

"What else?" Shae asked.

I bit my lip. "There was a crowd...they were upset. Someone threw something at Shae, and I..."

"You protected me, Nisa," Shae finished for me. "If that stone had struck me, I could have lost my memory, or worse. I'm forever in your debt."

I shrugged. "It's my job, I'm supposed to protect you. Besides, I heal."

"I'm still thankful, though," Shae persisted.

I sat up, finding myself on one of the couches.

"I know you just woke up," Sanus started. "But we need to decide on what our next move is. There is a council meeting soon and we need to decide what comes next before they convene."

Gavie and Pix took to the other couch, while Shae sat next to me, Sanus standing behind her.

"What happened after I..." I trailed off. Some hero I am, getting knocked out in front of a crowd.

"Sanus had to restrain them from further attacks," Shae explained. "Gavie picked you up and the four of us escaped into the Cathedral."

"I'm sorry," I blurted out. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so, sorry." I buried my face in my hands.

Shae put her arm around my shoulder but it didn't help.

"This is all my fault. My blood, the Beasts, all those deaths. I'm such a fool. Charl, oh Charl," I sobbed into my hands.

"Nisa, you didn't know," Pix said gently.

"It's no one's fault, Nisa. The Beasts attack all the time," Sanus stated. "Charl knew what he was doing."

"That doesn't make what I did any better!" I cried. "Why did we even come here, I just bring trouble wherever I go."

"Nisa, you know that's not true," Gavie said. "You know we're here to put an end to this, to stop the Beasts so this never happens again."

"Besides, so far you've done nothing but save people," Pix chimed in. "You saved me and Gavie on Drakkon, saved all of Krie, saved me from drowning, and protected Shae."

"But there were so many I couldn't save, so many lives lost because of me," I muttered.

"Nisa, you can't save everyone," Sanus said. "Believe me, I know better than anyone."

I looked up at his face, and saw so much sadness behind his dark blue eyes, all the lives he couldn't protect over the years. He was right.

I wiped my face. "Thank you guys."