Hard Light (NaNoWriMo15)

Chapter 24 - Accusations

The next few hours dragged on agonisingly slow.

After everyone she passed gawked at the orb following her around, Leah retreated back to her room. She considered the idea of dismissing it but couldn't make herself do it. Instead, she simply stared into it, searching for answers in its glowing depths.

She still got the sense of... otherness from it. That there was a second energy mixed in with the Light. Despite the minutes she spent trying to decipher it, it only gave her more questions. Why had its summoning been engraved into the walls of the ritual room? What in the name of the sun was this thing? Why did she feel attached to it, and why did she get the feeling that it was watching her?

It was frustrating, but without her notebooks, it was the only thing she had to keep her mind off Sef's discarded body in the temple below her. When that armour slipped, she found her eyes stinging and alleviated it by digging her fingers into her arms.

Dead.

The word didn't seem like it was real.

Given her involuntary nap over the last few days, Leah couldn't keep her eyes closed for long. Instead, she curled up in the corner with her blankets, staring at her orb until the bells rang, signalling the gathering's commencement.

Deciding her attire was good enough--Teridian leggings and boots with a Radiant style blouse over the top--Leah made her way to the gathering, ignoring the stares that followed her.

There was a crowd outside the gathering hall when she arrived. Leah hung back, waiting for it to filter inside when what looked like one of the guards caught her eye.

The guard made her way to Leah. "You are on Kieran's expedition team, correct?" Leah nodded. "Follow me. Team members are required to sit in a separate stand."

Leah followed.

The guard returned to her post once Leah was seated beside the others from the expedition team. Even though at the best of times they weren't exactly friendly, this was different. No one spoke or shared smiles. The sullen atmosphere draped over them like a heavy, wet blanket, and Leah was left fidgeting in her chair, trying to catch sight of Kieran. Aside from a few glances, they ignored her.

Eventually, Leah's curiosity won out over her shyness.

She leaned over to one of the girls beside her, forcing her to acknowledge her presence. "Where's Kieran?"

"He'll be out the back," murmured the girl. May, wasn't it? "They interview the leaders of the teams."

That was that mystery solved, then. "Thank you," said Leah.

May nodded, chewing her lip before, softly, she said, "Leah... is it true that Sef Shattered?"

Leah's heart clenched. "Yes."

May's eyes closed. She was no longer the only one listening, but she seemed to be their mouthpiece. "How? He was always so careful with his Light. What happened down there?"

"I--I don't know," said Leah. She knew it wasn't good enough. "He didn't run out of Light. We opened the room, and I was looking at the walls and when I turned back, he--he was..."

"People don't just Shatter for no reason," said a girl with red, puffy eyes that Leah didn't know the name of. "You just expect us to believe that he Shattered for no reason? That you were conveniently the only one around in some hidden temple for only the shadows know how long? Sef wouldn't--"

"Wirani!" said the guy beside her. "You seriously think she'd Shatter one of her own?"

"Who knows!" said the girl. Her gaze ignored Leah's orb, focusing entirely on her face. "Who knows what these purebloods are capable of? Someone said she was after Kieran first but he didn't trust her so she went after Sef instead, because he trusts way too easily."