Hard Light (NaNoWriMo15)

Chapter 23 - Conscious of Reality

Leah woke, breaching the surface of consciousness slowly, her body cold despite the blankets and full force of the midday sun beating down on her through the crystalite ceiling.

Her thoughts were muddled as she tried to push herself upright and collapsed right back down on the bed.

"Careful," said a familiar voice. "Take it easy, Leah."

In her delirious state, Leah thought for a moment that it was Shade, but the rapid blinks to clear her vision revealed Kieran sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. It was a medical room too, but she knew she hadn't fallen asleep here. In fact, she'd been down in the temple with Sef, and they'd opened the door, and--

"Oh sunlight," whispered Leah, memory winding her. Her eyes stung as a hand went to her mouth. "Sef. Sef, he's--I--"

She'd killed him.

He'd Shattered, and she'd killed him.

Kieran was on his feet and beside her bed before her breaths turned to sobs. Her mind felt fuzzy, clearing the slightest bit as Kieran's hand on her shoulder helped her sit up, steadying her.

"Leah? Leah, I need you to take a deep breath." His skin was so warm, so much warmer than hers, and it was enough for Leah to find a small measure of comfort. "Good. Just keep breathing. Focus on it."

It helped. Soon enough, Leah had her composure back, even if she couldn't help the tear that slid down her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Considering the state I found you in, I don't blame you," said Kieran.

"No," said Leah. "Not about that--I'm sorry for what Illiya said yesterday. I wasn't lying to you when I said I wanted to be on the expedition team, I just--with Dale and everything, it scared me, and I--"

"It's okay," said Kieran, fingers squeezing her shoulder. Leah breathed and nodded. He released her. "But that wasn't yesterday. You've been out for almost two days."

"Two days?"

"I found your note," said Kieran softly. He took his hands away when she was steady enough on her own. "I went to your room. Your door was open and you weren't in there and no one at breakfast had seen you, so after seeing your notebooks on your desk about some hidden temple, I used them to find it." He stopped for a moment, a distant look in his eyes. "When I found you I thought you were as dead as the Shattered on top of you. You were so pale and the blood, I..." He cut off with a shake of his head. "I pushed the Shattered off and looked you over, but it was the strangest thing. The skin around the wound on your back had crystallised."

Leah couldn't help it. Her hand went to her back where Sef--the Shattered had ripped her skin open and found it nearly perfectly smooth.

"It's gone, isn't it?" asked Kieran, taking her stunned silence as the affirmative. "Since I couldn't wake you up down there, I carried you back up here and got you on supportive care. The medical team were stumped, but I figured you'd wake up when your body was done healing, even if that crystallised skin thing is a new one." Kieran's gaze shifted behind her. "I thought it might have something to do with your little friend, though."

Leah glanced behind her to find the orb still hovering behind her. She'd mistaken its Light for the sun, but now she'd noticed it, it was back to being obnoxious from the corner of her eye. "It's still here?"

"Leah," said Kieran matter-of-factly. "What in the name of the ancients happened down there?" When she didn't answer straight away, he leaned forward. "Where did you find a Shattered?"

Leah managed to choke a few words out. "That--that was Sef." The truth of everything was slapping her in the face. If Kieran had been around, would that voice have Shattered him instead? Losing Sef was hard enough, but if it'd been Kieran? She was ashamed to admit her relief. "I, um, found that temple when I was exploring the League and saw the symbols but the inner door needed two Radiants to open it and I couldn't find you so I brought Sef down and..." She buried her face in her hands. "Light, Kieran--I killed him. I killed Sef."