Musical Recommendation Jacob Lee-Demons (Acoustic /Philosophical sessions)
"...didn't he snap her here himself?!" I can hear some one yelling not far from me.
'Who the hell is yelling when I'm trying to sleep? Ugh!'
I roll over to go back to sleep, when the memory of Peru's refugees comes rushing back to me.
"SHIT!"
I'm sitting straight up, not sure how I got here.
John comes running into our room at the stronghold in Norway.
"Mary?! What the hell happened?"
"Did we get everyone out safely? How long was I out?" I ask my eyes darting around trying to get my bearings straight, feeling slightly dizzy in the process. "When did everyone else get back from Peru?"
"About an hour ago..." John started.
"My lady Lacroix, if I may intervene?"
I look over and and see a satyr who looks vaguely familiar.
"Don't I know you from somewhere?" I feel groggy and disorientated still, trying to get my brain to work through the fog.
"Viekar, my lady. I am Master Bavarthos's personal aide. Master showed up with you and his pets. Master Bavarthos said you had a panic attack and wouldn't respond. He calmed your mind for you and instructed me to take you to your husband. I did just so and your husband snapped us here for you to rest, away from your head quarters mission command. Your husband has been asking me questions since then, but I really must return and take care of Master Bavarthos. My Lady?"
My brain has started to clear and seeing the questioning look on his face, like a child asking to go to the park, I nod.
"Yes, you may leave. Thank you Viekar. Tell Bavarthos thank you as well please."
Viekar bows, "Thank you, I will Lady Lacroix."
Just like that, it was me and an irritated John.
'I take that back, he's fuming.'
I sigh internally.
'What is his problem? I'll figure it out later...'
I have to make sure of something else first. I rub my eyes and ask John.
"What happened to the rest of my team? Did we get everybody out of there?" I double check to make sure I'm remembering things correctly.
His tone is soft and gentle as he sits down on the bed next to me but the tension in his body betrays him.
"Yes, you and your team helped save the people there and got out of there safe. You have a few team members at the medical stronghold though. One member Turkoas... he's not doing so good. He's in a coma at the moment. He had some blunt force trauma to the head that causing fluids to swell around his brain. Apparently he was still conscious enough to snap him and the girl he saved to the medical hold, but passed out immediately afterwards."
"I've got to go to the medical hold then." I start pulling the covers back and move to get up but the firm grip on my arms has me stop moving. I meet his eyes, searching for possible answers.
"Mary, you can't do anything for him right now. They are draining the fluids as we speak. You can go later when they inform HQ that he's out of surgery. Alright?" He asks peering in to my eyes studying my reactions.
"Alright." I concede still looking at the troubled expression on his face.
"I thought you were doing better with your attacks. It's unlike you to freeze in that kind of situation.... What was it that set you off?" Johns query has me shifting uncomfortably in the bed. He releases my arms and I readjust my posture.
Gripping the blanket, I start to twist it and think back.
"Air support was coming right at us, we had soldiers firing at us and a armored Humvee was coming our way. Bavarthos wouldn't leave without his pets and he had to be able to see them to snap them with us...." I take a breath to steady myself.
"Air support started dropping the bombs and all I could think was, 'I don't want to be blown up again.' I couldn't think anything else but that." I close my eyes, take a deep breath and release it, feeling the ache in my eyes that want to shed tears that I'm fighting off.
A warm hand wipes my cheeks, that are now wet with tears, making me open my eyes. John stares at me, love and pain in his eyes.
His voice breaks, "You're fi....fine now, Mary."
The tangible pain in his voice makes me think.
'There's something else wrong with him.'
"What's the matter, John? What happened?" I'm studying his eyes again and can tell he's hurting holding something back and in. That there is something he hasn't told me yet.
"Futere..... He.." John starts before his voice breaks and tears well up in the corners of his eyes. He leans his head back and takes a strained breath and lets it out before looking back at me.
"He didn't get to come back from one of the mining towns... His team were in Chicran helping to evacuate civilians when the Erl's army descended upon them. He and a few others....." He stops struggling to get the words out.
"They ..... they didn't make it. They were with a group of civilians. The place was being bombarded and air support was diverted from you to them, trying to give them some more time...." He stops, unable to continue. I pull him closer to me and hug him tight. My own heart heavy from the pain of losing someone we called a friend. My tears flow more freely now.
'That explains the late air support. Damn it.'
'Then why did it take so much longer? Why was there not more air support when they knew what we were going up against? He said they were stretched thin? We have thousands of aircraft ready to use from the American continent countries. How? '
My lips are set in a thin line thinking about it as John pulls back from me.
"Mary, I was terrified when you didn't come back with your team. I thought that you might have been caught. I can't believe..."
He pauses giving whatever he was about to say, more thought. His face showing his irritated thoughts making him angry. "No wait, it's him so I can believe that he would take you somewhere else with him. He probably did it on purpose just to get under my skin again. Even if he didn't..... He could've at least sent word." His clipped tone is harsh, it's not directed at me though, so it doesn't make get upset. It does the opposite.
' My mother hen....'
Adoration for how this man can still worry so much about me fills my heart, making my chest tight.
'When nothing can kill me..... wait that bullet!'
My sudden thought has me go rigid, shuddering with the memory of the pain and how impotent and vulnerable I was in that time frame.
"Mary? What is the matter?" John glances over at me, brows furrowed together, confusion evident in his question.
"I will tell you everything, but first we need to talk with Bavarthos."
He goes to speak and I raise a finger to his lips. "It will be easier for him to explain the majority of it than me. Also, I have a few questions that I need answered myself."
"Just couldn't stand being away from him for more than an hour." He huffs out, aggravated and making it evident that he's jealous again.
'What in the actual fuck?'
"What the hell is wrong with you John? Are you being serious right now?"
Now, I'm upset.
"IF he wanted me so badly for himself, WHY in the HELL would he have found a way to BRING YOU BACK?"
"You know that I love you more than anything else in this world. But YOU need to fix this jealousy issue you've been having lately, John. I get it, to a point, but I will not let you sit there and be spiteful towards me when I am doing NOTHING WRONG. You are not acting like the Johnathan I fell in love with, or the one I know."
I lean back realizing what I just said.
'What if this isn't really my 'John' after all? What if he's been playing a very show?'
The fear must have flashed through my eyes as well.
John flinches, like I had physically wounded him. With a pained look from the side he turns and gets up looking and sounding utterly crushed.
"You don't have to or have anyone else explain anything to me, Mary. Go ahead and go talk to Bavarthos about whatever you need to."
'Shit, I hurt him and I didn't want to get my point across to him like that.'
He starts to walk out of the room and I call out to him, reaching for him. "John, don't be like that please? Where are you going?"
He stops to look over his slumped shoulders, defeat written all over his face.
"Out to clear my head. I'll be back later. Just take care of whatever you need to, Mary."
He walks out and I hear the door creak shut to our place here in the Norway stronghold. I sit stunned in the silence that surrounds me.
'What in the hell is going on lately with him? I just don't get it.'
I climb out of the bed and look down at myself, still in the majority of my battle gear from Peru.
'Ech....Shower first. I'm not going anywhere without cleaning myself up.'
"OH!" I mentally facepalm myself. "The bed..." I groan looking at the dirty sheets.
'Oh well'
After a quick shower and taking care of the bed, I write a quick note for John. Asking for him to call me when he gets back, so we can talk. I gather some of my gear, taking my Katana and a few other weapons before writing a little note to Bavarthos.
I blinked and I'm suddenly in a large circular room, with earthen floors and plush, antique, velvet furniture. Old books, even scrolls, line and fill an assortment of bookshelves around the room. There are ornate, glass cabinets filled with various scientific instruments, relics and various other objects are placed between the bookshelves. Light fills the room from a skylight and filigree, iron lanterns along the walls.
I find Bavarthos at the large table in the middle of the room, that is littered with books, equipment, and pieces of used paper. He's sitting down, facing away from me one hand cradling his head to the side, the other swiftly writing something down in a book.
He sighs, throwing the pen in the book and closing it, and pulls a little sheet of paper up.
"B. Need to talk. Sin." He hums, "hmmm... She's awake sooner than I thought she would be." Bavarthos mutters.
"Yes, I am." I alert him to my presence, puzzled.
'Didn't he snap me here?'
Bavarthos jumps and turns, wide eyed and seeing me breathes out a sigh of relief. "Shit Sin, you nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought you'd be asleep for at least a few more hours."
Annoyed, I inform him why I'm not still sleeping.
"Well, I woke up to John yelling at Viekar."
My previous query comes back to the forefront of my mind and I have to ask.
"How did you not know I was here though? Did you not snap me here?"
Bavarthos shakes his head, "No, I just read your note. You probably snapped yourself here not realizing it. It happens sometimes, if you're strong enough and the will is there." He shrugs it off and rises to walk over to the plush velvet lounging area, waving me over to sit with him.
I sink into the chair next to the lounge that he falls into with an exhausted sigh.
"You haven't slept at all yet." I scan over him, noticing the fresh clothes and his long, jet black, damp hair.
"I will be when we're done." He yawns wide, stretching his arms out before dropping them heavy to his sides. "SO Sin..." He looks at me lazily an eyebrow raised over his tired, bloodshot eyes. "What is it that you need to talk to me about? I'm shocked you're here by yourself. I figured John would have a conniption fit over you being returned to him, passed out."
'This mother.... Of course he would know that it would piss John off.'
Embarrassed, I avoid his gaze as I began. "You're not wrong about John being upset, but that's between us. Now..." I return my gaze to his and ask him in all seriousness. "What did you do earlier to give that power rush? I've never felt so.... " I struggle to find the right words to explain myself.
"Vigorous, intoxicated with bliss?" He finds some words that I have to nod, hesitantly, but growing with conviction as I think about it.
"Yes, with the golden lines." I begin to rub my hands together thinking about it, feeling a phantom tingle spread through my hands.
"It wasn't obvious?" He raises a brow, skeptically keeping a blank expression.
"I know it was from the soldiers you killed in the circle, but how did you do it? How long does this last?" I still my hands. I was starting to mimic Golem, minus the phrase my precious and the horrible skin and hair.
"Yes, it was from the soldiers... It'll last as long as you don't use that magic but I can't tell you how."
He looks disappointed at me and then away, stiffening up his body.
I cock my head to the side, reading into his body language. "Can't or will not tell me?"
He replies flatly. "Both."
'Oh really?'
"Why not then?" I can't hide the disappointment I'm feeling.
"Can't because it involves dark magic. Will not because it's like a drug. Unless you have strong willpower, you'll end up becoming addicted to it. Using it carelessly and without concern for the lives it takes. That is until you have become what everyone warned you about dark magic users. Evil, vile, heartless creatures who only care for power... Now, is that all you came to talk about now?" He says this leaning his head back to rest, closing his eyes.
The dynamic of my voice crescendos with my one word response. "Noo."
This makes him raise a single eyelid up, revealing one of his bloodshot eyes. "Well, get comfortable. I'm taking a nap." He tells me, irritation and exhaustion heavy in his voice.
He closes his eyes again, leaving me with my mouth slightly ajar as he starts to softly snore.
'How in the hell did he fall asleep that fast?!'