Reflections Of Angels

The Threshold

He opened the door to find Alysha on the doorstep, a nearly unconscious Nyx clutched in one arm and dragging the pram behind her with the other. "You're supposed to look after my sister!" She rolled her eyes as he opened his mouth to speak. "Help me!" Immediately, he reached for Nyx, but she stopped him. "Ah, no. You get that; I don't want to touch your spawn more than I have to." She pointed a finger at Grizelda in the pram, before scooping Nyx up in both her arms and carrying her over the threshold.

Alysha hurried into the living room, placing Nyx down on the settee. Nyx was ghostly pale, moaning softly every time she moved too much. "She's bleeding a lot- I haven't seen the wound yet. It was a draugr, slashed her up." She explained as he followed her into the room, Grizelda held securely in his arms; he tucked her safely into the playpen at the other end of the room before coming to Nyx's side.

Alysha ripped apart the lower half of Nyx's blouse, a wide spread of red staining the fabric. Alysha sat back on her haunches as she looked at the mess before her. "Oh, that's bad. ...Don't worry, I'm sure I can fix this." She pulled a face at the great claw-mark lacerations across Nyx's midriff. "Fortunately, I don't think she's likely to change- a blessing from her mother's side. Small mercies. But she's not going to feel good either."

She pulled out from her pockets a small handful of stone chips from the strange rock in the caves. Scattering them around Nyx, she hovered her hands over her sister; eyes going silver under her eyelids semi-closed in concentration, the skin on Nyx's stomach slowly but surely beginning to knit itself back together.

"Something strange is going on." Alysha spoke, almost conversationally. "Her energy is... somehow different. She feels more like you. Perhaps that's why I couldn't find her. Is this your doing?" Suddenly she was looking at him, accusation in her eyes.

He said nothing. Instead, Nyx chose this moment to stir, coughing weakly, the colour coming back to her cheeks. "Alysha?" She looked almost sweetly confused.

Both of them rushed up to her; Alysha clutching Nyx's hand. "I'm here, I'm here."

"Wha's... goin' on?" Nyx suddenly tried to sit upright, causing two lots of hands to push her back down. "Where's... baby?" Nyx fished uselessly for the name, half-thoughts only forming in her mind- they all knew what she meant.

"She's fine, she's safe." He reassured her. "You protected her."

"Good." Nyx smiled sleepily, closing her eyes again.

Alysha ran a comforting hand through Nyx's curls. Then she frowned. "Did you cut your hair?"

Nyx nodded, eyes closed.

"Aw. I liked our long hair."

"Sorry." Nyx chuckled.

"It's fine." Alysha caved, shrugging lightly; resting her head beside her sister's on the couch. "It's cute."
She looked back up at him after a moment, beseeching. "Help me get her upstairs to her room?"