Behind His Weary Eyes (Novella) ✔️

14 ✙ Fallen from Grace

The next day sweat stuck to her scales like Ludis' hands in her mind. His demanding words played on a loop. Even as Asa unpacked her items onto Renvir's table, her surroundings blurred, far away from perception.

Wikev males were known for being forward with their advances when a female was fertile. Despite this, every touch had landed erroneously. Her body yearned though her mind wished nothing more than to place her fangs into his flesh.

The medic fumbled with the settings on the vitals machine. Her fingers punched in the wrong settings. Shaking her head, she reset the device, eliciting a high pitched beep. The wind caught the door, banging it against its loosely fitted make-shift frame. She clenched her teeth and reinput the sequence. With another shrill signal, she winced.

"Dirt-caked piece of-" she muttered under her breath.

"Is everything alright?"

Her gaze lifted to meet Renvir's. He had barely spoken since she arrived. She'd awakened him from his attempts to sleep. Seeing as he had traveled in the middle of the night back, she couldn't blame him for being tired. The medic sighed, hands gripping the device tighter.

"I'm fine."

The Celest shifted in his chair. It leaned to the left, digging the left leg further into the ground. She hadn't thought of it before, but she couldn't imagine the rickety wooden chairs could hold his weight long. Yet they had all visits prior. Even though Phoeli may not have been right on how poor he was, she seemed correct in her assumption of his weight.

"It is not good to deny what you feel."

Asa's tail thrashed to the side. She wanted to check him over, then be done. Even passing the other medics and Core Reformers in the Core Center had set her on edge. She didn't need this, not today.

"It's also not good to pry into someone's business."

"I am merely trying to help."

"I don't need help!" Asa clenched her jaw. The clanging of the door became more frequent and intense. "And could that be any louder!"

Renvir rose from his seat and placed one of his various pots against the door. While it still rattled, the clattering dulled to a low thud. His curved talons on his feet grazed the dirt floor, not holding their usual high position.

"When I first found out about my disease, I felt similar," he began, lining up more pots to aid the other, "The Two had placed me in a position to lead others. I was not supposed to be the one who needed help. So I hid my disease."

There were multiple places a Celest could lead. Overseers lead groups with a caste; Heads, like Zienna, lead the rank; Ryus oversaw the Heads. And the Arisen led their Eulian nation in the absence of an Ascendant. Asa set down the vitals machine, weighing the multiple options.

"But I became sicker the more I tried to cover it. The sicker I became, the more I pushed others away so they would not see," Renvir continued. He turned to her. His eyelids hung low, and silver eyes glistened. "It is a lonely path that I do not wish for anyone."

The medic's stomach turned. The Celest stood still, gaze fixed on a spot on the ground in front of him. She caught glints of tears falling down his face into the dirt below. Curiosity overtook her.

"What happened?"

"The Celestial Authority, the Arisen and their Ryu, found out. They even tried to help at first until they found out its origin."

Asa shot out of her seat, slamming her hands on the table. Her fangs threatened to descend, and she let out a series of clicks.

"You know its origin! If I knew that I could get closer to healing you. Why in the stars haven't you told me!"