Chapter 19

Mumbles. Growing into voices, terse and conflicted.

"How do we know she didn't just lead him there? Thaili's been mortally wounded because we trusted some human!"

Rai's voice stabs at my head and reflexitly, I move a hand to my pounding head. The voices silence as I pull the mask off my face and breathe in warm muggy air. The details on the ceiling remind me of Celestial architecture. With a groan, I push myself up and shut my eyes against the nausea. The warmth of something next to me appears to be Mimas, telling me for sure I'm back at Epyra.

"I was with her Rai," Centauri sounds angry, and I'm not sure why she bothers defending me, "give her some credit for trying."

"Yeah while every time it ends up in people dying or almost dying." The sound of his boots fading on the marbled floor brings my newfound hate for him with. The feeling must be mutual.

I curl up around Mimas and absorb the warmth radiating off of him. Yet I'm wide awake trying to remember when I had closed my eyes. The Astridian's big sharp eyes meet mine and he makes a croaking noise before stretching a paw in my face.

"Thanks-" I mutter and roll off the bed, falling onto the floor in a heap of wings and limbs. Waiting for the motivation to get up, I watch Centauri look in the doorway with a concerned frown. She stands over me and rubs an arm, probably wondering how I got here.

"He uh- he got through. He shut the wall down and we were blocked out. Not like we could go after him anyways." She starts, looks down at my expression and sighs. "Probably not what you want to hear but what can we do anymore?"

"So you're giving up?" I pull myself upright and back onto the bed. She sits beside me with eyes downcast and slightly ashamed.

"We," She scratches at a spot on her jaw and finally looks at me. "We were mostly following you. None of this would've happened without your whole..." She waves a hand absentmindedly. "Arrival."

With a sigh, I meet her wide blue eyes with that slightest glow. I've never been this close releasing how tired she really is. Y'know maybe she should stop throwing herself at the slightest possibility of dying.

"I'm sorry Ceceilia." She murmurs.

"No." A laugh, a little forced maybe, escapes. I rub my arm and inhale deeply. "Distrusting me is completely justified. I mean my father's a dick and I humans tend to mess some shit up."

Centauri purses her lips and smiles a little. "You've done nothing but try to help. So not all of them try and raise chaos on purpose."

"Not a lot comes out of me helping."

She laughs dryly, and does the thing where she grabs my jaw to make look at things. More specifically her. "I would've been executed Ceceilia. Me and all of those other innocent prisoners. You didn't give up on me, you didn't even have to come after me! But you did- with my people and wings!"

I pull my chin from her hand and watch her eyes scan the length of the scar she gave me, her demeanor changing to downcast again.

"Listen." I clench my jaw and sigh. "I have lost a lot. Everything I know has been turned upside down and shaken into Hell. I lost my friend Kade, lost any remnants of parents... but,"

"So it's just as hard for you to trust too. I get it. I didn't know any kind of... friendship until Cain showed up and then... you."

My heart is nearly on the verge of imploding and even though shit is going to hell, even though Earth is being overrun and Thaili's hurt because of me, even if this whole thing will never work out, I take her hand and clench my jaw again.

It's awkwardly silent for a couple seconds and I lean in and kiss this purple alien lady with all I have left. She pulls away after a second, visibly confused.

"What in Syph's name are you doing?" She proclaims.

A little giggle becomes a sharp laugh and I feel the burn on my face. "I'm so sorry- I didnt even think about-"

"No, no what did you do?"

I force myself to meet her eyes and struggle to hide a stupid smile. "It's a human custom, to show affection I guess."

"Disgusting." She mutters, and then smiles. "Do it again."

Pulling her in, I kiss her again. Her lips emitting just as much heat as the rest of her and it's like kissing an actual star. Her fangs catch my lip a couple times and when I lean back I taste blood on my lip. Centauri swipes it off with a finger and stares at me for a while.

"So... do Celestials have any customs?" I cross my arms and keep licking blood off of my stinging lip, trying very hard not to touch it.

She thinks for a moment before shaking her head. "Not big on... affection."

"Makes sense, do you just like... spawn."

Centauri cracks up and shakes her head. "No!"

"You sure cause-"

"No no no," She puts a her hand on my face to silence my dumbass comments, "no spawning."

She stands and stretches her wings behind her. "I better go check on Thaili," when she sees my face she shakes her head, "he'll be okay, he's seen worse. My brother is just a big infant man."

I accidentally snort as she leaves and slam my face into a pillow. Turning to look at the ceiling again, I think of the Gray Wall incident again, trying to push Centauri out of my mind.

Another, bad and impulsive, plan comes to mind and I look to the door. Wondering if it's just better that I don't risk them anymore. It's tiring to keep losing whatever I have.

Sitting up now, I look over at my sprawled out wings and sigh, the sword Thakur had given me sits propped up against the doorway and the headpiece on the bedside table. I pick up the jeweled piece and study the teeny tiny inscriptions and decorations. The whole thing glimmers in the fire oranges and reds of the sunsets outside. I place it on my head and run a hand through my tangled hair, stepping over to the sword and slinging it over a shoulder.

The hallway remains empty, the sounds of faint voices and boots the only sounds. I move through the halls until I reach an beautiful fountain. The sculpture is a woman holding both a sword and a bucket. Silvery liquid pours out of the tipped bucket and into a pool at her feet filled with glowing creatures. On closer inspection I realize that it is in fact Faye, Centauri's mother then. The pool resembles the one she took me to and I nod at the symbolism despite being alone. Moving on, I finally find a small ship and journey inside to the cockpit.

"Here we go. Bad Idea number... I lost count." I mutter and use what knowledge I'd learned from Cain about operating these to start it and chart a course for Xero.