Chapter 8

"Verin, it's time to wake up." 

I shook my head, pulling the sheet over top of me, hiding from Saninna who had come to wake me. 

Two weeks had passed since we met, and Saninna had done everything in her power to endear herself to me…and it worked.

She was both unapologetically sweet, and terrifyingly deadly. She barred entry to all, even her father, to ensure my comfort. She would have barred Lycher as well, had he not been the healer tending to me.

Over the weeks, she and I had narrowed down my safe foods. There was, surprisingly, very little I could consume that would not induce vomiting. Water, of course, bone broth, bread, and a total of four fruits, pomegranate being one of them. I was beyond thankful to her for everything she had done to keep me comfortable.

"Go away." I grumbled, trying to become one with the mattress.

"I brought you lichi." She tempted, opening the curtains to my window. "I know how much you like them."

I begrudgingly sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes before glaring at the foot of my bed. My exhaustion had gotten more severe since I arrived in hell, so I had been sleeping incessantly. 

"I thought we had run out." I said, flexing the fingers of my left hand. My broken bones mended, though my hand was constantly stiff when I woke.

"Daddy had some imported." She said by way of explanation. 

I nodded, running my fingers through my hair to work out some of the tangles. I would brush it later.

Saninna walked toward me with a smile, taking a seat on the bed beside me. My breakfast tray, laden with buttered bread, water, and the promised lichi was placed leisurely on her lap. 

I reached for my food, only to have my hand slapped away as a fork full of lichi was shoved towards my mouth.

"I can feed myself." I complained, opening my mouth and accepting the bite of food. 

"I won't be able to do this for much longer." She pouted, stabbing the fruit violently. "Let me baby you."

"You always feed me too much." I frown. "I have become heftier."

"As you should." She glared.

I smiled widely, accepting another bite of fruit. "Two more days." I compromised. She beamed.

She slowly fed me until all the plates were empty. She placed the tray on the table, and looked at me, hesitating. I raised a brow, curious.

"What?" I questioned, beginning to worry.

"Well…" she began, looking at her lap, fidgeting with her fingers. "Lycher's on his way."

"And?" I asked, not understanding her concern.

I had been seen by Lycher daily, so her reaction was confusing.

"Well…" she sighed before continuing. "He's going to check a few things, and talk about the remedy you need to take."

"I know." I raise my brow again at her worried expression. "Lycher and I already spoke in detail about the next few weeks."

She visibly relaxed, the tension faded, and her smile returned. "That's good then. I was worried you didn't know."

"Well, no need to worry." I assured her.

Lycher had been blunt and honest during his visits, and though I had not said one word to the sylph, he withheld no pertinent information, for which I was immensely grateful.

The remedy I was to take was draining; it could lead to a long sleep if I were not physically strong enough to handle the effects, hence why I was confined to my room, doing little more than eating and sleeping.

"If he told you everything, then I guess I won't worry." She smirked. "But, if anything happens to you, I'll kill him."

"You cannot kill him." I scoffed. "If something happens, who else could help me if not him?"

"I hate you." She mocked, looking put upon.

"You like me." I said, barely containing my laughter.

"Correction: I love you." She said, placing a kiss on the top of my head. "Even though you won't let me murder people."

A knock silenced our conversation, and the door opened, admitting Lycher. He looked worn, tired. Expected, given his nightly examinations of my injuries.

"Good morning." He bid, walking leisurely towards us. "Have you finished eating?"

Unable to speak in his presence, I nodded briskly. I tried numerous times, but the words seemed to choke me, so I remained silent.

"Good." He nodded. "Lie back and let's begin."

I fell back on the bed with very little grace paired with a muttered oof, and waited patiently. I was sure Saninna would leave, as she had done before, but she merely moved further up the bed to make room for Lycher.

He began with my neck, as he always did, prodding around the wound. It was more than likely habitual at that point as the bite had fully healed, leaving thin white scarring in its place. 

"Have you been sleeping?" He asked with an edge of concern.

I nodded as he pressed his fingers into my left shoulder, gauging my reaction for any indications of pain. Finding none, he moved lower, inspecting my damaged arm with hums of approval. 

"You'll always have problems with this arm." He intoned, flexing my hand up towards my forearm. "But you'll be able to use it."

I opened my mouth to thank him but just as before, the words got caught in my throat, so I merely nodded in reply.

He moved lower, raising both arms above my head, and pressing firmly on my left underarm. I hissed as pain radiated from his touch. He hummed in disapproval before moving to my right arm and repeating the same process, pain flaring once more.

Finished with my arms, he lifted my shirt and moved towards the scars littering my torso, ensuring all had healed before making his way further, reaching my abdomen and hips. His actions felt rushed as he grabbed my leg and gauged my hip with his other hand. I groaned in discomfort, my hips throbbing in a dull ache. He dropped my leg and immediately focused on the other, repeating the process with a frown as I hissed my discomfort.

I watched as panic settled into his features, and my own anxiety began to rise. I gathered something to be wrong if even Lycher was worried. 

He slowly reached for the waistband of my trousers and lowered it slightly; my breathing hitched and my eyes widened in worry. 

"Shhh." Saninna soothed. "It's okay. You're safe." She grabbed my hand and squeezed gently, smiling sadly. "It's okay.

I nodded and tried to slow my breathing as Lycher's hands pressed firmly from my pelvis up to my navel.

"Damn." Lycher swore, moving away from the bed and running a hand through his hair. "I know I said a month, but you need the remedy soon. Today, if I can get it fast enough."

I looked between Saninna and Lycher, hoping for any clarification, but none came. They both looked downcast and anxious, which only helped to fuel my own anxiety and my breathing began to quicken. 

"Everything is going to be okay." Saninna assured, framing my face with both hands and leaning her forehead on mine. "Lycher will have daddy get the remedy and you'll take it and get all better."

She breathed with me, then, trying to help ease my worry. "It's okay." She kept repeating until my body relaxed and my breathing evened; only then did she help me sit up.

"I'll return shortly." Lycher announced before hastily leaving the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

"Am I dying?" I asked, looking at Saninna with resignation. 

"No!" She shrieked. "No, you're not dying. Never, ever say that." I watched tears well in her eyes as she spoke.

"Why are you two so worried then?" I asked, pointedly. 

"You're not fully healed." Saninna whispered. "This remedy is dangerous and I don't want to see you hurt." 

I understood that fear. Having a loved one hurt or ill was a hard act to watch, especially if you were unable to save them the pain they would have to suffer.

"I'll be okay." I said, determination filling my words. "I have suffered worse, after all." 

Saninna nodded. "I know…but it's not fair."

"Life is not fair, Saninna." I said, petting her silken hair. "We make the best of all situations, yes?"

"Yeah." She nodded, trembling in her worry. 

The door opened and Lycher walked in, a vial clenched in his hand and worry etched  on his face. "We have the remedy. Lucifer had it prepared after my initial examination."

I stood from the bed and walked towards Lycher, reaching out for the vial. He hesitated a moment before dropping the remedy into my hand. It was miniscule in comparison to my palm and a deep, dark purple.

I opened the vial and looked at Saninna with a reassuring smile before downing the contents. It was barely a swallow and tasted strangely of blueberries.

It took less than a minute before pain erupted from my abdomen, bringing me to my knees. Saninna was immediately at my side, grabbing my arm and trying to get me to stand. I shook my head and clenched my hands into the fabric of my shirt, gritting my teeth against the pain. 

She conceded, rubbing my back in soothing circles in her attempt to help. I could not begrudge her this act, as I too would wish to do something for a loved one in pain. 

I cried out, a sharp pain shooting through my pelvis. 

"I'm sorry, Verin." Lycher said, kneeling to face me. "I can't say I understand this pain, but I can say that it will eventually ebb away." 

I clenched my teeth, laboring to take breath after breath, while my muscles contracted and an ungodly amount of pain shot through my lower back. This agony brought with it an intense nausea, and before I could move, I had vomited onto the floor before me. The smell was horrendous and permeated the room as I continued to gag and vomit.

I found myself on my hands and knees, my head in Saninna's chest, gasping for breath. Breathing was all I could think to do in order to alleviate the pain shooting through me, though taking a single breath became near impossible. 

I remember trembling violently though I was not cold, my teeth chattering non-stop. I gasped a few times as Lycher and Saninna began moving me to the bed. I caught a glimpse of the floor and my face paled as I noticed a pool of blood where I had sat. I frantically looked between the two, eyes wide with worry.

"It's okay." Lycher assured. "That's normal."

My heartbeat began pounding in my ears, and I remember black spots swimming before my eyes. I could hear nothing over the ringing in my ears, and I could not focus on anything but the stabbing pain and the blood marring the floor. It was too much for my weakened mind to withstand and thankfully, I fell unconscious.