Shadowseeker

chapter twenty-eight

Aelia slumped against the wall, her limbs becoming weaker. She squeezed her eyes shut. Her breathing was getting out of control, and it was making her feel light-headed. Images of her parents were flashing through her mind, and she drew her knees to her chest, rocking as she struggled to banish them from her mind. She had to struggle to keep her powers contained, knowing that any light would mean that she would immediately be found.

Aelia barely noticed that her cry for help was echoing back at her, a low hiss that filled the air, surrounding her. The shadows seemed to be whispering as they repeated Draven's name, slowly at first, but quickening as her words rippled outwards.

She pushed her back against the brick wall, ignoring the cold that was seeping in through her thin t-shirt. Resting her forehead on her knees, Aelia gritted her teeth to stop them from chattering as another wave of nausea flooded over her.

Faint footsteps drifted through her stupor, and Aelia realised that she was shaking uncontrollably. She wrapped her arms around her knees, locking her hands together to try and conceal herself from whoever it may be.

To Aelia's horror, the footsteps were making their way towards her at a rapid pace. She hunched her shoulders, pressing against the stack of crates and desperately hoping that nobody would find her, especially as she was in this vulnerable state. It had been a foolish thing to do, to venture outside, she thought bitterly.

"Aelia?" 

A harsh voice cut through the air, coming from the other end of the alleyway. Aelia shakily lifted her head, wondering who was approaching. Was she imagining things? Surely it couldn't be-

"Aelia!"

A tall figure came into view, his black coat billowing out behind him. 

"D-Draven?" Aelia managed to say between breaths, though her vision was too blurry to make out his face. "Is t-that you?"

Draven lowered his arms, which had been raised in case Aelia had encountered any enemies. He dropped to his knees on the concrete in front of her, his coat trailing on the ground.

"Aelia, my dear, listen to me," Draven murmured. Strands of hair fell across his face, but he ignored them as he stared at Aelia.

He prised her hands away from each other, holding them in his. His hands were freezing, which was a relief to Aelia, who was burning up. Her hands instinctively curled around his, and she used the contact to ground herself in reality.

"Look at me, Aelia," he urged softly, squeezing her hands in reassurance. "Breathe in time with me."

Aelia lifted her chin, blinking away warm tears as she forced herself to focus on his face. His eyebrows were furrowed, his gaze softer than usual as he watched her with a concerned expression. Draven took an exaggerated deep breath before slowly releasing it. Aelia forced herself to focus on his face, the knot in her stomach starting to unwind as she followed his lead.

"You're doing great, my dear," Draven reassured her. His low voice was soothing to Aelia, and she could feel herself calming down as they sat together. Her breathing eventually slowed down, and she weakly squeezed his hands back in a silent form of thanks. He stayed quiet, waiting to see if she would tell him what was wrong.

"Where were you?" Aelia asked faintly, taking a shaky breath as her dizziness started to subside. She wasn't quite ready to tell him about her feelings, so she tactfully changed the subject. "How did you know I was here?"

"I heard your voice," he murmured with a small frown, rubbing circles on her palms with his thumbs. "Very faint, but still there all the same. Echoing, louder and louder, calling out to me."