I open my eyes, and look around an empty tent. I feel weaker than I ever have, but I'm actually sort of shocked I'm alive. It's dark outside, but I hear the fire crackling, so it isn't too late.
I sit up in bed, and Seph, at my feet, notices. She gets up and barks immediately, and I flinch.
"Seph, shhhh..."
She keeps barking, until Vessel rushes in. She stops as soon as she sees him, and snuggles up to me.
Vessel sits on the bed beside me, and takes his mask off to look at me properly.
"You're okay."
"Okay is a very, very strong word. But I'm alive."
He runs his fingers through my hair, and gently kisses my forehead.
He places a bowl of vegetable stew on my lap, and pats Seph while he watches me eating.
"How long was I out?" I ask him.
He thinks.
"18 hours, maybe."
"That's not too bad. Don't suppose we're closer to knowing who's doing this?"
Vessel shakes his head.
"I'm sorry. But when we know, I swear, they'll more than pay for it."
"Don't they need to have a trial with your god, and not you?"
Vessel shrugs.
"I'll ask for forgiveness, I won't ask for permission.
"I'm really impressed that you stopped me dying. You'd have made a great doctor."
"I wasn't very calm."
"Doctors aren't calm, they just pretend to be. We see people bleeding out, and we move like clockwork, but in our heads, we're like, shitshitshit."
Vessel laughs, and continues to watch me.
Alec pokes his head through the door, and smiles.
"She's okay? Yes! She's okay!" He says, and I smile.
"Thanks for checking, Al-"
He runs in and picks Seph up and spins her around.
"I was so worried, I thought someone was trying to hurt you." He says, and Vessel looks at me, and tries not to laugh.
Alec puts Seph down, who snuggles back up to me.
"Hi, Iris." Alec says. "Good to see you're not dead."
"Thanks."
"I promise I'll help Vessel slaughter whoever tried to hurt my little Persephone."
"I appreciate it."
Vessel glares at Alec.
"Busy. Get out."
Alec does as he's told, and Vessel holds my hand.
"Want to see if you can walk?"
"I can walk, idiot."
"Then show me."
He helps me out of bed, and I wobble and immediately fall. He catches me and sighs.
"I've got you. Maybe some more bed rest is what you need."
I shake my head, and get my balance.
"I've got it."
I take a few steps, and I sit down, exhausted.
"Fuck that."
I look at my reflection in my pocket mirror, and I'm horrified. Pale, dark eye bags, and a huge red scar down my neck.
I tear up slightly.
"It's so ugly."
Vessel frowns at me, and takes a look, himself.
"Scars are sexy."
"Oh yeah?" I say, incredibly sceptical. "And the fact that I look like I've been dead for a week?"
"Irresistible." He teases, and gently touches my face. "Iris, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. A bit of blood loss and a brush with death isn't enough to change that. Nothing is. Now stop worrying."
I go red, and avoid eye contact. He brings me a drink, and I sip it, and try walking again. I'm much more confident, and I smile at Vessel.
"Can we go and sit out by the fire?"
"Sure. But you don't leave my sight." He says, sternly, and I nod.
"Yes, boss."
We sit around the fire, and Ariadne immediately plonks herself beside me.
She hugs me tightly, and tears up.
"I saw Vessel stitching you up. I was so worried."
I smile at her.
"I'll be alright. Will take me a few days to get back on my feet, but I'll be okay."
She breathes a sigh of relief, and hands me a drink.
"Here, it's like a herbal tea."
I take it, and gratefully smile at her.
Vessel gives me side eye, as if he's mad at me. I freeze up, and raise my eyebrow at him.
He kisses me, roughly, with a tight grip on my hair. I drop the tea, straight away, but luckily it lands on the ground, and avoids burning my legs.
I kiss him back, but I'm beyond confused. Once he pulls away, I give him my best "tell me what the fuck that was about" look.
"Just couldn't help myself." He quietly says, and I don't believe him for a second.
What the fuck is going on?
I look away from him, and see Alicia staring at me, nervously biting her nails.
I get up, and run back to the tent to have a cheeky panic attack. I shut my eyes, take a deep breath, and when I open them, I scream.
Opposite me, is the man in the mask, with his head tilted, and a knife in my face.
He tries to stab me, but I jump back, and trip. He misses me, but I'm on the floor, naturally pretty fucked.
I shuffle back, and he slashes his knife at me again, but I'm pulled backwards, and it just misses me.
I feel a kiss on my hair.
"I've got it."
Vessel.
Vessel approaches the man with the mask, and I wonder how this is gonna go down. Vessel wants him dead, but this guy can't possibly want to fight back - the whole point was that he wanted to protect Vessel. I fully expect Vessel to pull a knife out and just slit this guys throat. After all, that's what he threatened to do.
Out of nowhere, Vessel punches him, and knocks him on the floor. I flinch at the sound. Urgh. The mask cracks, and falls off, and it's pretty anticlimactic. I have no idea who that is. Vessel doesn't spend a second looking confused, he just punches his repeatedly until he stops moving.
I'm still shaking, and Vessel sits beside me.
"Is he dead?" I ask, and Vessel shakes his head.
"No. Just unconscious."
I nod, and tear up.
He wipes my tears, and sighs.
"I would have killed him. I could have. But it was in your best interests if I kept him alive."
I raise my eyebrow at him, confused.
"There's something else going on, here. That man's name, it's Louis. I don't know him well. But I think I've got this figured out."
"Explain to me."
"I don't want to scare you."
"Just tell me."
He sighs.
"A girl got it into your head that I was never going to let you go. She was trying to make you run away, again, and she was hoping that it would piss Sleep off enough to get him to order your execution. That didn't work, did it? You stayed put. And they realised that you were probably not going to run for it again."
"But why would they want me dead, at this point? I didn't try and kill you by now."
"I'm still putting the pieces together. If there's gaps, have patience."
"You think.. Alicia?"
"I think she was part of it."
"Bitch." I groan, and he sighs, heavily.
"But I think it gets worse than that." He says, and gets to his feet. He helps me up, and takes me out to the fire, where everyone was still sitting.
Vessel calls Joff and Alec over, and whispers something to them.
Everything is quiet, and there's serious tension in the air.
"Vessel, I'm confused." I say, stressed.
"Do you know, I was always a bit suspicious when we first danced together. You wore a black dress, with red crystals."
I nod.
"I did. The dress was beautiful."
"It was. I loved that dress. But..."
Vessel thinks carefully, seeming unsure of his train of thought for a second. He takes a deep breath, and sighs.
"Look at the colours everyone else wears."
I look around.
"Black and white. Except you. Black and red are your colours."
"Right. You aren't allowed to wear red and black. It's a rule, those are the colours of a Vessel. They wanted you in trouble with me, and Sleep.
"But Alicia didn't make me that dress."
I watch Joff restrain Alicia, and tie her hands behind her back.
Alec restrains Ariadne, and ties her hands, too.
"She's my friend." I say, not believing a word.
"Right. But not so coincidentally, Louis is her husband. And... Your herbal tea had deadly nightshade in it."
"How'd you know?" I ask him.
"Deadly nightshade smells like shit. It's disgusting. You city people will eat or drink anything people tell you is herbal."
I groan, and rub my temples.
"So, Alicia, Ariadne and her husband all wanted me dead?"
"Alicia just wanted you gone. Ariadne manipulated her into believing you're corrupting me, so that she'd help."
Alicia and Ariadne appear to both be silent, and Joff and Alec take them away.
"What's happening to them?" I ask, and Vessel sighs.
"I'm over six foot, I'm strong, and they're tied up. I know I promised to kill the ones that tried to hurt you, but I can't kill a woman. Especially one that isn't in a position to defend themselves."
I nod, in agreement.
"Thanks. I need a break from this scooby doo shit." I say, and I try and head back to the tent, to process everything.
"Before you go and rest, Iris. While everything is being layed out on the table, it's time I come clean."
I turn and look at Vessel.
What?