Limbo (Part Two)

Chapter Fourteen: Part Two

A/N: Dedicated to @ValeriBeatrix for being so supportive of this story and for the lovely comments! 

Chapter Fourteen Part Two

"I think you should go in and talk to them first," I told David as we approached shape-shifter territory.

 He shook his head. "I'll talk to them, but I'm not leaving you out here alone. More vampires or goblins might show up to kill you. You're coming with me."

Pinching the bridge of my nose and sighing, I snapped, "The shape-shifters hate me just as much as any vampire or goblin here. If I go with you they are just as likely to kill me, maybe more. But if you explain everything to them first, they may be willing to keep me alive long enough to see this plan through."

David stared at me for several seconds. "Moroi tried to burn all your bridges, didn't he?"

I snorted. "What do you mean 'tried'? I'm sitting in the middle of an isolated rock surrounded by smoldering ash. There's no one left for me to turn to now. He didn't just burn the bridges; he took away any resource I had to rebuild them."

He smirked and pointed to himself. "Not entirely. You've still got me, Thea. And I'm going to help you rebuild what you've lost."

Tears welled behind my eyelids and I turned my face away so he couldn't see.

"Thank you," I whispered, my lower lip trembling.

He grinned in response and nodded. His blue eyes looked brighter than I had ever seen them: hopeful. I prayed I didn't disappoint him.

I could feel eyes on us as we made our way through the darkness. Without a doubt, I knew shape-shifters were surrounding us and cutting off our exit. Thankfully, David couldn't be harmed, and even if he could have been, they probably still recognized him as one of them.

"It's going to be okay, Thea," he reassured me, but the stiffness in his jaw told me a different story.

He was watching the shadows as much as I, both of us knowing they could jump out and attack at any moment. The only hope I had of surviving this was if the shifters decided to be reasonable and take me prisoner instead of just killing me on the spot. It wasn't likely.

Just as I felt like making a break for it, a voice called out of the shadows. "David?"

I didn't recognize the speaker, but apparently David did because he smiled bright enough to practically light the entire hallway.

"Dad!"

Dad. Dad?!

I couldn't help but stare as the two of them shared grins and chatted away, generally acting as if they hadn't seen each other in years.  It took a slight hissing growl to my left for me to notice that the others weren't as pleased to see us as David's dad. They closed in around us, their expressions murderous.

"Why is she here?" someone voiced.

"She's Moroi's puppet! Kill her before she can report back to him!" another shouted.

David's eyes widened and I bestowed him with a look that said, 'I told you so'.

"Woah, wait," he cried above the angry voices, "Let us explain!"

"Explain what, David?" his father snapped. "What possible reason could you have to associate with your brother's killer?"

My heart lurched in my chest. David's eyes turned to me and the look of betrayal on his face was an exact replica of the one I had seen on his brother's the day of the attack.

...

"Hold the line!" a familiar voice cried out from among the clashing monsters.

I knew it was Darren before seeing his face. Word had spread to us that he had been the one chosen to lead the shape-shifters after we had killed their last leader. Moroi had sent me to kill him, but I wasn't sure I could do it.

Darren and I had never been friends, but I did respect him. I just couldn't understand why he and everyone else refused to see that Moroi's plan was what was best. If they would only stop fighting and obey him there wouldn't be any need for this war.

"Darren!" I called, peering through the fighting monsters to try and find him. "Stop this madness! Meet with me so we can discuss terms!"

Before I could take another breath a blade was pressed to my throat and I was forced against the wall.

"The only terms Moroi accepts are eternal slavery or death. You'll have to excuse me if I don't find either of those appealing," his voice rumbled next to my ear. "Not all of us want to be mindless drones like you, Thea."

"I'm not a mindless drone," I argued, trying to throw him off. "I just know that his way is best!"

Darren scoffed and shoved me harder into the stone. "Are you listening to yourself? You think this is what's best for us? Mara's right, you aren't the same person anymore. He's done something to you. Moroi's somehow brainwashed you into believing his lies."

I snarled, offended that he thought so little of me. "He hasn't done anything to me. I just know the truth and know that he has a plan is to create order out of all this insanity!"

"Yeah, he plans to create order, alright, even if it means he has to kill us all to achieve it."

He shoved me away from him, sending me careening into the mass of bodies still fighting below us. Somehow I managed to get free of the chaos and when I did, an unfathomable rage erupted in my mind, and no matter how I tried I couldn't shake it. The anger and bloodthirst became overwhelming to the point of madness and I lunged toward him with one sole purpose.

To rip him apart piece by piece.

...

"David," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I thought you knew about Darren. I wasn't trying to keep it from you. I assumed Mara had told you."

He looked away from me and stared at his shoes. I could see his shoulders shaking, despite the obvious effort he was putting into hiding it.

"I'm so sorry," I continued, despite the lump in my throat. "So very sorry."

"I know you weren't in control of your actions," he replied, his voice rough with anger and grief. "And I'll explain everything to the rest of them, but I can't be near you right now. Okay? Just go...go meet up with the goblins or something."

I nodded, willing him to look at me but his eyes remained fixed on the ground. After a few moments I turned and forced myself to walk away. My movements were jerky at best, as if I were a tin man coated in rust.

There was some protest over my leaving, voices that demanded I be stopped or killed, but David managed to talk them down. I wondered how long that uneasy truce would last.