There had been a man in the cage beside mine. Rows of cages stretched into the shadows, each holding a huddled, faceless figure, but this cage, this slave, I remembered. He’d saved my life, after all.
I didn’t know his name, nor had he spoken to me more than once. That had been the time I angered our master, and she’d broken my ribs. I’d lost so much blood, and when he saw I hadn’t the will to staunch it, ordered me to do so. I remembered trying, but the pain was too great, and he ended up reaching through the bars and tying the bandage himself.
That was the last time I’d heard from him, but now, as I lay on the edge of death, I could hear his voice again. The words had long since faded, but I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to move.
I tried to open my eyes, only to wince and squeeze them shut again. The air stung the sensitive tissue, and the meager amount of light I’d glimpsed transformed into blurry starbursts on my pupils. The ringing in my ears had stilled, but sounds around me remained elusive, converting into a disorienting buzz.
Fable was far away, the bond suppressed by whatever it was that made my mana difficult to use. I couldn’t even sense what direction he was in or how he was feeling, only that he was alive.
I whimpered, biting my lip. I had taken a step of faith and trusted Fate when she said I could find joy, but here I was. Alone. Always, I ended up alone.
Slowly, I smoothed my hands down my skirt, breathing a sigh of relief as I found the fabric bloody and torn. Beneath the torn fabric, I could feel the raw scrapes of wounds on my legs. The damage, however, allowed my shaking fingers to tear strips from the weakened hem.
With a few makeshift bandages secured, I struggled into a sitting position, wincing as the motion sent a stab of pain through my back. It faded quickly, only to flare up every time I shifted my left shoulder.
From there, I gingerly lifted my tail into my lap, following the streams of blood to find the cut. The laceration was long and jagged, nearly two feet long and deep to the bone. I felt at the four or so strips I had and selected the largest one. Wrapping it around my tail proved difficult with my shoulder, but that pain was nothing compared to the absolute agony when I tried to tie it off.
My consciousness swam as I tugged at the knot, desperately cinching it down. The next bandage was even harder, but I persevered. Whenever the pain became too great, I allowed myself to stop, taking unsteady breaths in a vain attempt to recover some strength. While I caught my breath, I used whatever scraps of mana I recovered to heal myself, replenishing just enough blood to keep me alive until I could finish.
By the fourth bandage, the spurts of blood had turned to trickles, no longer soaking my hands with every heartbeat. I felt a small surge of hope, but it was overshadowed by a wave of dizziness. My hands shook, finding it difficult to grasp the knots. I’d long since lost feeling in my tail, but now all of my extremities were beginning to feel fuzzy.
At last, I finished tying the final bandage and collapsed. I touched the rim of the cut, letting out a breath as I felt no fresh blood wet my fingertips. It wasn’t much, but now that I had made it this far, I would be able to hold on to any blood I replenished with magic instead of losing it immediately.
But for how long was I safe? It had taken me ten or so minutes just to bind my tail, during which time I could hear or see nothing. The occasional shockwave shook me, but beyond that, there was nothing from the outside world. I could vaguely feel Fable in my soul, but he felt far away and distant. R’lissea, too, had vanished, never mind Borealis, Luke, or Jessia.
A few more minutes passed, and I decided to try my eyes again. My eyelids were sealed shut with tears and dried blood, but after some gentle massaging, I coaxed them open. My heart skipped a beat when I first saw nothing but darkness. I turned my head, heart fluttering in my chest, and squealed when a shaft of light struck me, bringing stinging my eyes with tears.
I ducked my head, covering my eyes with my hands. I rubbed my eyes again before risking peeking out, keeping them covered with my fingers. It was still dark, but faint light flickered through the cracks in my fingers.
I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, and tears filled my eyes. I wiped them away while still shielding my gaze, letting myself adjust to the low, almost negligible light. As that became tolerable, I slowly spread my fingers and unveiled the world. The skies were a black haze, with only a hint of sunlight tainting the western horizon. The Grand Aegis had fallen, and no stars twinkled in the sky.
Dark shapes loomed around me, lit by the vague flashes of light. I squinted and winced as my tail twitched, sending a spike of pain up the appendage. Everywhere I looked, there was...nothing—just blotchy shades of gray and black, with a few vague shapes that looked like buildings.
I raised my hand and was barely able to make out the individual shapes of my fingers. Analyzing myself fared no better, though the sheer amount of red covering my body was alarming. Only a few of the biggest cuts and scraps stood out amongst the haze, but, by feeling around with my hands, I determined I was no longer bleeding anywhere.
I let out a long sigh, rubbing my sore shoulder. After a moment to think, I reached out to summon my staff. A few stars materialized in my grasping fingers, but they dissipated like flurries in the wind. I tried again, but the more mana I drew, the harder it was to focus. After a few seconds, sweat beaded on my brow, and I lowered my hand, panting slightly.
I sank against the wall, hugging my knees to my chest. Everything ached–especially my tail–but the immediate danger seemed to have passed. Even so, tears welled up in my eyes. Without my staff, I couldn’t call for Fable. I might be able to see now, if barely, but I was alone. Very, very alone.
A sob shook my shoulders, hurting them, but I buried my face in my arms, letting the tears stream down my face. This section of the city was abandoned, but at that moment, I yearned for someone to come. I wanted to hear someone’s voice, see their face, and feel their arms around me—anyone. I just didn’t want to be alone.
A stiff breeze whipped through my torn clothes, raising goosebumps across my body. I ducked my head, blinking at the blurry shapes of buildings around me. Another gust, and this time, I felt it—the unmistakable tingle of magic, the pressure of displaced air.
A shockwave. Someone was still fighting!
The small thrill of hope sank as I shivered, hugging myself tighter. I couldn’t stay here, exposed . The empire had perfectly executed their trap, and I found it hard to believe they had no plans to follow up. It was already lucky no one had found me yet, but that didn’t mean no one was looking. Besides that, if the battle got any closer, I’d be in serious danger. Without my wards and in my current state, it wouldn’t take more than a fifth-circle shockwave to–
My wards? What happened to my wards? Judging by the setting sun, I hadn’t been unconscious for a long, maybe twenty minutes at the most. I had a few sixth-circle spells active, not to mention the magic I had working in the Nexus. And right before the end, R’lissea had cast a Celestial Grace on me. That should have lasted for a few hours, at the very least.
I stood, gritting my teeth as my body groaned in protest. Something wasn’t right here. My spells were gone, and as I started paying attention, my mana was recovering far slower than it should have. I hadn’t noticed when I was fighting to stay alive, but after resting for nearly twenty minutes, I’d barely recovered enough for a second-circle spell. I was tempted to use it but quickly dismissed the thought. A healing spell would soothe much of my pain, but I didn’t have enough mana to address my sight, hearing, or serious wounds. Using it now would be a waste in the long run, and that’s not even considering what struggles I might have surviving the city.
My first step was agonizing, the cut on my thigh burning with every movement. I hesitated, my gaze drawn to the blood staining my leg, before trying to summon my staff again. I had more mana this time, and my soul no longer ached quite as acutely as it used to, but the stars stubbornly resisted my call. I forced more and more mana, burning almost half of what I accumulated before the staff finally materialized in my grip.
My lip quivered as the smooth, glassy haft slid between my fingers, and I gazed at the star floating at eye level. I could just make out the beginnings of its points. I had just enough mana to flee to Haven. Perhaps Fate would–
"Come on," I muttered, blinking back tears. "This is the risk you chose. What would she say if you go running back to her now?"
But, the truth was, I couldn’t. My mana had lost its edge, refusing to respond to my will. Summoning my staff normally took a negligible amount, but just now, it had taken as much as a second-level spell. How long would it take me to gather enough to open a portal? Summoning Fable or fleeing to Haven would have to wait.
Maybe that was for the best. As I rose, making my way from house to house, I felt a growing certainty that if I had the chance to hide, I wouldn’t ever come back out again.