A double update for you my lovelies! A gift from me to you! I thank you so much for reading my story thus far, I am so incredibly grateful!
~Ashlee
〰〰〰
Delia tosses and turns, exhausted, but unable to sleep. Every time she closes her eyes all she can see is Dacqa's red-violet eyes watching her. She's terrified that she'll be sucked back into that place, where she walks an eternity with Kip and a zombie Kagon by her side.
Finally, Delia gives up and rolls out of the comfort of the furs and on to the dirt. Getting to her feet, she pulls on her boots and exits her tent. Kagon sits alone at the fire, appearing deep in thought. As not to bother him, she moves quietly past him.
I'll just take a short walk, once I muster my courage, I'll try to fall asleep once more.
She treks on the dusty terrain, the motes of dry dirt tickling her nose and causing her to sneeze. For a moment, the dryness to the air and ground reminds her of Lanthos.
I wonder how Iglesias and Maya are doing? I hope they're doing well. She misses her friends, especially Maya. She's the first real girl friend that I've had.
After awhile of walking, she decides to head back to Zoya's encampment.
The memories of Iglesias and Maya have given me courage to face my nightmares. I've faced far worse.
And with that, Delia heads back to her tent. However, when she gets back to the fire, she sees that Kagon is not alone. Zoya sits beside him. Not only that, but he's leaning close to her. Their lips connect, the kiss lasts seconds before Zoya shoves him away.
However, the damage is already done. Delia's heart plummets to the floor, fragmenting into millions of tiny pieces. All can do is run.
Why does it always hurt?
Tears run down her face in fat drops, it feels as if a part of her has been ripped to in half and she is now aching for her missing piece.
Her feet hit the hard packed Earth as she runs to nowhere in particular. She just want be away.
Why does it always hurt?
It is then that she finally realizes something, something that she has been denying for a long time.
I'm in love with Kagon of Pik.
The realization is a whole new kind of agony.
〰〰〰
Delia does not need to wake up the next morning because she's been up all night. For the first half of the night she cried until there weren't ant salty tears left to fall, after that she laid awake, thinking about nothing and everything all at once.
Despite the great ache within her, she hefts herself from her bed of animal fur and goes to meet the others.
The morning darkness encompasses her, only a few glowing logs light her path to the bonfire where most everyone is waiting. The only one still asleep is Maude.
And Kip...She adds forlornly.
"Good morning, sweetheart. How'd you sleep?" Tavius asks when she takes a seat beside him.
Delia shrugs, casting her eyes to the pebbles at her feet. She feels as if she can't look at anybody and that if she does, then everyone will see through her like glass or worse, she'll break into tears. "What about you?" Her voice cracks.
A finger touches her chin and lifts up her face. Tavius's sea foam green eyes assess her. "I know that look, it's the same look that brings strong men and women like ourselves to our knees. What, or rather who, has you so hurt, love?"
Delia shifts away from him, feeling exposed and afraid the others can hear every word that they're saying. However, when she glances up, she sees that Maude has arrived and that they're all wrapped up in their own conversation. A flash of hurt whips through her like a lightning strike as soon as she sees the stubble along Kagon's jaw and the quirk of his lips. She looks back down, studying the lines on her palms.
Tavius makes no move to inch closer to her and take advantage of her vulnerability nor wrap his arms around her in a consoling manner. Instead, he chuckles.
Delia can't help but peer up at him and the sideways smirk on his face. This time though, it appears sarcastic and unlike its usual mischievousness. "Ah, I saw you look at him. I should've known."
His laughter feels like a slap to the face.
"Cordelia, I have met many men and women that are like your hero. These kind of people will tear you in half and continue tearing those pieces into halves until all that is left of you is dust. Then, you alone must collect all the motes and assemble them into something human once more."
Delia can't help but find herself defending Kagon. "He would never-"
Tavius swiftly cuts her off. "The depressing thing is that he might not even know he did it." Something about the pirate's tones causes her to believe that he speaks from experience.
"It seem to me that you are speaking of you're own experiences." Delia returns, a flicker of anger burning her insides.
"Clever of you." Tavius responds, however there is no scorn in his voice. His lack of anger causes her own to die out, replaced by shame.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
Silence hangs between them. Then, "Just be careful. I don't want to see you in the same state I was in, Delia. You don't deserve it. There is no use pining over someone that doesn't see you for who you are."
Her throat closes up with unshed tears. All she can do is nod.
"Okay!" Kagon claps his hands, grabbing the two's attention. "We're heading to the site of the shipwreck."
Both Delia and Tavius stand and begin making the long, arduous walk back to where The Sea Sorceress wrecked with an unconscious Kipdale being carried by Kagon.
It takes them over an hour to reach their destination, by that time the sun has already made its ascent into the bright blue sky. The sunrise streaks of red, orange, and yellow have long since disappeared, leaving only a clear cyan horizon.
Delia can smell and taste the brine Lividia Ocean before she sees it. When she does, the sparkling sea nearly blinds her. When her eyes finally adjust, her spirits impossibly lower even further. Delia was passed out when she was carried from the wreckage, she never was able to see the disaster zone in front of her.
Splinters of wood impale the sand. What is intact is scratched and broken beyond recognition. The whole hull of the ship has been worn from scraping along the coral reef. It is a wonder that they all survived.
How can the ship possibly be repaired??? Delia wonders, her feet sinking into the coarse sand with every step.
"I see you've all made it." Leona says, stepping out behind a large section of the broken boat.
The old woman is dressed in a collaboration of vibrantly dyed material. She wears a wreath of shells on her brow and her short hair is braided with dyed animal sinew and thick grasses, each plait of hair is embellished with white and red wildflowers.
She sends a wink towards Kagon, that manages to get Delia to smile.
Leona ducks back behind the section of ship and comes back out with arms Kadeem's with clay bowls. She dumps them on the beach, but is careful that none of the contents inside each bowl spill. Then, she takes some of the herbs from one of the bowls and smears it on her neck, chest and arms.
"What, do you want to smell nice or something?" Maude guffaws with a roll of his single eye.
"Haha! Come over here and get a whiff of this mixture and you'll see just how wrong you are!" Leona cackles.
When Maude doesn't move, she shoves the bowl in his face. Maude falls backwards on to the sand, holding his nose and coughing. "What in Gahenna's rumbling belly is that?!"
"The stinkiest and most potent smelling herbs in all of Roaria." Leona sniggers. "It's to keep away any negativity that might want to interfere. I want you to slather it on yourselves as well." She dumps a portion on Maude's head from his position on the ground and then slap it on to the rest of them.
Delia's nose wrinkles as the smell wafts from where Leona sprinkled it in her neck and chest. As an adventurer she had oftentimes not smelled the best, but never before has she been not able to stand the scent of herself.
Once finished, Leona dips her hands into one of the bowls and rubs the thick green liquid on to her hands. She waves them around until they dry and then finally says what everyone has been wanting to hear. "Let us begin." She cracks a toothless grin.