Seventy-eight

When I wake up, I'm blinded by a bright white light, chatter drifts to my ears, and just the general hub-hub of a very crowded and busy place. The smell of steriliser wafts to my nose, and I know I'm in a hospital.

" She's awake," Laira shouts from next to me, loud enough to alert the entire district.

" Jesus Laira," I croak and push myself on the bed. The feel of gauze wrapped around my neck brings back memories of my fight with my brother. Pretty much everyone I'm close to rushes inside the room and surrounds the bed, looking at me expectantly.

" Hello," I rasp, and everyone waves. I see Marie, Riley, David, Louis, and Carter but no Mason. He is the one I want to see.

I turn to look at Laira, and she shrugs, knowing that the only one I'd like to see is him.

" I don't know. He could be anywhere," She sighs, and I nod.

" How long have I been out of it?" I ask as Marie slides on the edge of the bed and wraps a hand around mine.

" A week. You lost quite a bit of blood on the way to the hospital," Laira informs me just as everyone finds a spot to settle themselves down.

" When can I leave?" I ask and look around the room, at the faces present. They had plenty of time to get her. I'm surprised that after everything that happened, they have bothered to come and see me.

" The doctor said if you can walk, you're free to go. They did a blood transfusion and did a few tests on you, but Dr Button has taken over the moment he arrived," Laira puffs her cheeks and lets out a deep breath.

" Is he still here?" I ask, hopeful and Laira shrugs. I'm getting a lot of that and I don't like it, not even one bit. I've been meaning to speak with him for quite some time, but it's just one of those things that you kind of push back at the end of the list to take care of more urgent matters.

" The Daiō?" I ask and Laira sighs again.

" They all made themselves scarce as soon as your brother died. We don't know where they went," She shrugs, with a little pout on her lips. I don't see Eric either.

" I have to go," I pull all the wires attached to me, and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. There was a time, when something like this would have knocked me out and sent me into a tailspin.

Laira stands, and so does Marie both frowning at me," Sorry everyone. Thank you very much for taking the time to come all the way here. Much appreciated but I have to go," I pick up a hospital robe on my way out of the door, and drape it over my shoulder just as Dr Button turns around the corner with his nose in a clipboard.

He does a double take when he sees me charging his way, " Lily, darling. You shouldn't walk around like this in your condition," He stuffs the clipboard under his armpit and reaches for my shoulders. 

I take a step back," Lovely to see you too, Dr Button. I'm fine. I have questions. Mason? Where is he? If you're here then that means you have spoken to him. Where did he go?" By the time I finish, I'm out of breath.

" He called me almost two weeks ago and told me to be here a week ago, prepared to save lives," He frowns at me, and can't help but feel relieved and more worried than I was.

He places a gentle hand on my arm," You should go back to bed. I was on my way to check on you. We need to talk," He says calmly, but I see the strange look in his eyes. Whenever someone says we need to talk, it's never something good.

" I can't," I hedge, and he sighs defeated.

" Alright. You're a big girl. You're pregnant. The loss of blood has put the baby at risk," He drops the news with the tact of a bullet. 

I already feel sweat beading on my upper lip," Is the baby alright?" That is all I need to know.

" For now, but you need to rest and recover properly before storming out of the hospital. I haven't told anyone else," He licks his lips and looks over his shoulder.

I follow his line of sight, " Thank you. I'll find you once I track down Mason," I pat his shoulder and leave him there standing in the middle of the corridor.

I slip out of the hospital, in a very normal-looking town. There is nothing strange or impressive about Tilloch. It's a blend of everything, from big to small, luxurious looking to average looking. Nothing notable about Tilloch, except that it is the least impressive out of the cities I've visited.

I have no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going. But I start for the street barefooted, looking like I've escaped an asylum. It takes a while to get my bearings together and create a pocket. If I find the blade, I know I'll find Mason. I have to. They have to be in the same place. At least that's what I tell myself so I don't lose my mind over it. Mason is a big boy, he can handle himself. It's the what-ifs that scrape against my skull with a grating cadence.

The pocket is smaller than anything I've made so far. I've learned the hard way, the more complex they are, the more energy they require to maintain.

It is empty and with slightly greyish hues.

" Apple," I call, and the Manani makes a prompt appearance.

" Mistress," He greets me with a curt bow.

" Cut the crap Apple. Where is Mason?" I don't have time to dwindle about and cut straight to the chase.

" I'm afraid that your merciful deed has had certain unwanted consequences," He says sheepishly and looks sideways.

" Your brother didn't die. I told you the Daiō can be killed only by blade, or by striping their powers. You've refused. Bartholomew is alive and well and has taken Mason with him," Great. I can't help but feel angry at myself. I've put Mason in harm's way and everyone else for that matter.

" So dumb," I mutter under my breath, and Apple tilts his head at me. I can feel the judgement in his gaze as he scrutinises me.

" Never show your enemies mercy. They will only look for another opportunity to end you. And you have offered your brother the perfect bait. Pray that he never finds out about the child," Instinctively, my hand goes to my stomach. I've screwed up big time, and now I have to fix it.

" Can you take me to him?" I ask and Apple shakes his head at me.

" Only Sarteri can transport others with them. Not without risks though. I'm merely a Manani, mistress," He says it as if it's a small thing.

" Do you know where they are?" I ask and he nods. That makes me feel slightly better.

" Kush. The caverns under the city," He offers and I nod. Good enough. I can work with that. I vaguely remember the meeting I had with Balthasar in those caverns and I'm willing to bet all the blood money Anika and Hector have left me that he is hiding there.

" That is all," I say and Apple nods.

" Very well, Mistress. In that case, I bid you farewell until next time," He says calmly and I hope that there won't be a next time.

" Thank you, Apple," I say just as he disappears in a ball of black light.

 It takes me a while to wrangle my powers and carve the path that leads to Morston. I don't have much but I focus as much as I can keeping in mind that it's not just me at risk anymore. There is another being growing inside me, and even though my brother has Mason, doing god knows what to him, I can't help but smile at the thought of telling him that I'm pregnant.

By the time, I slip out of the pocket, I'm completely drained, and sweating profusely. 

I've gambled a perfect plan, by showing mercy. My mistake. Won't happen again.

I storm inside Laira's barack and rummage through the piles of mechanical parts, wires and other miscellaneous materials, trying to find what I'm looking for.

The girl is a hoarder when it comes to gizmos. And I know that she has made spares. I only need one.

When I find it, I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm done playing fair. I'm done playing nice.

Grabbing a bag I throw the metal plate in the bag, along with the last decahedron, and storm out of the door.

I walk past Shay's barrack like a storm, but on second thought, I backtrack and make my way inside. Nobody has let him out. He raises his head the moment I step through the door, but the moment he sees me, he drops it back down, huffing as if annoyed.

" Sorry bud," I stand in front of the cage, and sigh," It will be over soon and you can leave," I blink away the tears that pool in my eyes, " I wish you wouldn't have chosen him," I wipe the tear that streaks down my cheek, turn on my heels, and leave Shay behind. It is time to accept the fact that, he has made his choice, and that choice wasn't me.

The next stop is the barrack that Mason and I shared. I need clothes and some supplies. Food and water, mainly. 

I pick up some from a pile on the chair. It's one of those things, they are not dirty but not clean either.

Once I'm dressed, I swing the bag over my shoulder and step out of the barrack, fueled mainly by my anger. I'd like to say if Mason dies I don't know what I'm capable of, but I do and I'd like to avoid all costs

I slip into the pocket and begin to carve the path towards Kush. I have a vague idea where I'm going, so, it will be a hit-and-miss. 

Evidently, I miss the target but not by much. I slip out at the mouth of a tunnel into the side of a mountain. I look over my shoulder and from there I can see the lush, gigantic, overgrown vegetation surrounding the walls of Kush District.

Sadly, I don't have time for sightseeing. I slip into the tunnel and rummage through the bag for a torch. I pull it out and just as I'm about to turn it on, something catches my eyes winking at me from deeper within the tunnel. I move forward until I am immersed in complete darkness and admire the little pink glowing dots, lining the cave walls. As much as it's dreary, it is equally beautiful. I touch one, and it vanishes under the press of my finger. So, they are living organisms. I turn on the torch and shine the light over one of the dots to have a better look. They are tiny, little pink mushrooms, lighting up the tunnel, glittering like the stars in the night sky.

With a deep breath, I move away from the wall and continue my trek. I'll admire those mushrooms later, now I have someone to kill, namely my brother and whoever stands in my way. Busy, busy, busy.

The tunnel opens up into a round cave, and from there, it spreads into a network of more tunnels. There are seven of them, and I look up to check if I can see any distinctive marks. I need to know what built those tunnels. Was it water, or something else? With disheartening dismay, I realised that water had nothing to do with the existence of the tunnels. 

With a deep breath, I play eeny-meeny-mini-mo and take the one in the middle, and down I go. I know that at one point, I'll have to veer off and make my way towards the city, but until then I walk straight. It will take me forever to find my way into the central part of the tunnel system.

Luckily, I've had enough common sense and packed food and water. I rub a gentle hand around my neck and feel the sore spot on the side of my neck. It is healing, faster than expected.

I roam in the tunnel, all the while keeping my ears perked up for any unusual sounds. Last, I was here, I heard it. This is its home and I really don't want to see it but at this point it's unavoidable. We are bound to bump into each other unless it is actively tracking me.

I slip out of the tunnel only to be faced with a vaster cavern than the first, with even more tunnels. There is a good chance I'll grow old in these tunnels.

A clicking sound echoes in the tunnels, followed by the sound of something dragging on the ground. I hear rocks fall, and that is my cue to choose one of the tunnels. I slip into the nearest one to my right and pick up the pace. Not that I've been walking leisurely thus far, but let's just say that the creature that's on my tail, added a pep in my step.

It takes forever to cross the tunnel, whilst in the distance the clicking sound keeps echoing in the tunnels behind me. Hard to tell where it comes from. I know it is using echolocation to track me, but for now, as I keep moving in random patterns it will be hard for it to pinpoint my exact location.

Tunnel after endless tunnel, I continue my descent. Luckily, the angle of incline is slight, and I have no trouble covering the distance with ease. Granted, it's hotter than the devil's arshole the deeper I go.

I slip out of yet another tunnel only to be presented with another hard choice. One tunnel veers off to the left while others point in different directions. I know I have to go back towards the city so I poke my head in every tunnel and shine a light to see further down. 

Granted, I don't have much time to make a decision. It's one of those things where you have to think on your feet. I take the one that veers off to the left and begin jogging. I need to put as much distance between the creature that's been on my tail, and I, as much distance as I can.

It brings back a lot of memories from a time when I ran circles in Zareen for Graham's amusement.

Those were the days, when I slow my jog to a slow canter, trying to conserve as much energy as I can.

A spot of purple light shines from the end and hope blooms inside my chest for a split second before I realise that it is far too easy.

I emerge in a chamber bathed in purple light coming off the same type of crystals that I saw that day when we met Balthasar. It doesn't matter that I'm not there yet, it just means I am heading the right way. On the other side of the chamber, there is an entry to another tunnel. It saves me wasting time making decisions since it is only one entry, one tunnel.

I slip into i and carry on forward, ignoring as much as I can the muscle cramps, the sweat soaked clothes and how the air keeps getting hotter the deeper I go.