Blood and Water - The Darkling

Chapter 16: Won't be Sad

*Unedited

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𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 I wake up, it's late afternoon. Most of the others are still sleeping soundly. Natalya is looking at Adrik's arm again.

I find Alina and Mal, the latter carrying a bag full of grouse.

"I thought we'd stay tonight," he says, "make a fire. We can leave for Dva Stolba in the morning."

"But shouldn't we keep moving?" Alina argues, eager to get moving.

I shake my head, "No, everyone can use the rest. We don't know when our next fight will be so we better take advantage of peace while we can."

She hesitantly nods.

Male seems to agree with me, "I'm afraid if we keep pushing, one of them will break."

She finally gives in, "I'll bring some kindling down."

He touches her arm, "Alina-"

"I won't be long," she pushes past him.

I sigh and move after her. We make our way up to the woods surrounding the mine. This far south, the trees are different, taller and more sparse, their bark red and porous. We silently collect lumber and then head back to the mine, arms full of the driest branches we can find. Then I feel a tingling sensation, similar to when the Darkling is near but not quite.

Alina must feel something as well because we peer between the sunlit trunks in sync. The silence is dense as if every small creature is holding its breath. Then we hear it - a soft rustling. Our heads jerk up, following the sound into the trees. Our eyes fasten on a flicker of movement, the silent beat of a shadowy wing.

Nikolai is perched in the branches of a tree, his dark gaze fastened on us.

His chest is bare and lined in black as if darkness has shattered beneath his skin. He's lost his boots somewhere, and his bare feet grip the bark. His toes have become black talons.

He has dried blood on his hands. And near his mouth.

"Nikolai?" Alina whispers.

He flinches back.

I reach out, "Nikolai, wait -"

But he leaps into the air, dark wings shaking the branches as he breaks through them to the blue sky beyond.

Alina screams. She tosses her kindling to the ground, presses her fist to her mouth, and screams until her throat is raw. All I do is hold her. That's all I can do because my own pain has come back in the form of tears. The sound of our sobs, silent, racking gasps permeate the forest. I keep thinking of Nikolai's torn trousers and the foolish thought that he'd be mortified to see his clothes in such a state. He's still following us. How much of him is left inside that tortured body?

I feel it then, the vibration. I push away from it. I lock it away. I will not open myself back up to the Darkling now. I won't ever do that again. But still, I know wherever he is, he is grieving. Same as me.

A small thud jolts us from our haze. I glance up to see the bloody head of a goat. Nikolai lands soon after. He nudges the trophy closer to me and tilts his head as though waiting for my response.

I wipe away my tears and try to paste a happy smile onto my face. He purrs and comes closer. I reach out and run my fingers through his hair, similar to what I used to do jokingly when he was human. Then with a puff he flies off once again.