Ayda's Point of View

Library

“When she awakens,” My teacher began as she pulled away from me and helped fix my hair. “Please come to the Temple. There are some things we need to discuss, and I would greatly appreciate your opinion.”

“Cassidy as well?” I inquired.

The Priestess nodded. “Cassidy as well.” She confirmed.

“Should I also assume you wish us to make our way there as soon as possible?”

“Very astute, as always, Ayda. We will be waiting for both of you once Cassidy wakes up.”

With a bow, I answered. “Once Cassidy awakens, we will make our way to the Temple, Priestess.”

With the promises of coming along once Cassidy had awoken, my teacher and Lady Rennal left with the guards. I waved them off as my heart pounded so loud in my chest that I thought for sure they would’ve heard it. Once they had gone far enough, I slowly went back inside and closed the door behind me before sliding down it onto the floor. My breathing was fast as sweat started to pour down my body.

“Awck…!” I let out violently as I hurled on the floor.

My back curled as I tried to stop but couldn’t. Never before had I ever felt so sick to my stomach. So afraid and exposed. Memories of the night my father passed resurfaced, and my eyes widened for a moment before I was able to start calming down. Shakily, I got to my feet as I had almost no magic. There were supposed to be no plans for today.

Stumbling through the library, many different scenarios started to play through my mind. The biggest issue was my magic. I am extremely low on my reserves. Thankfully, the Priestess didn’t seem to notice, but I can’t use magic to help our situation that much. It would be minuscule at best.

Opening the door, I looked at the second issue. Cassidy was naked on the floor with blood surrounding the entire area. Rubbing my face as I tried to think how to proceed, part of me considered just coming clean. Then I realized that would probably be the worst thing I could do. Especially without anyone else here to provide sanctuary for us. We should’ve waited until Arthur returned, but his eyes were a problem. He’s very sensitive to magic, so it’s very possibly he would’ve sensed it and interrupted the ritual.

There were almost no options, so despite my exhaustion, I moved to the kitchen. “I hate manual labor.” My mumbles of annoyance merely helped me through the process.

Boiling water was the first step, but fetching a few rags, towels, bandages, and most importantly soap, took a bit. Now everything was ready. Everything except for Cassidy. There was the possibility that she wouldn’t even wake today. I had plans to go look after Austin while she rested, but now I need to have faith in her perseverance and vitality to wake up. However, in the meantime, I needed to do everything in my power to make sure she was ready.

Given my state, and my lack of usual physical exertion, getting Cassidy onto a chair was a chore. A grueling, and difficult task far more irritating than it needed to be. It didn’t bode well that she barely even stirred as I stumbled about with her body like a burlap sack before getting her situated. Taking the rags and soap I prepared, I dipped them into the water and began cleaning her body. I was careful to leave her back alone until the end.

Cleaning the room would have to wait, but as I readied to do her back, I looked at all the ointments and medicinal herbs I had coated it in. They still held strong. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean much when there was blood still everywhere. So, I took care to gently dab it as lightly as possible. The second the rag hit her back, Cassidy began screeching, and I had to cover her mouth.

It turned into a bit of a wrestling match as I struggled to even keep my hands over her mouth. “Cass!” I hissed in her ear as she began to sob into my hands as my chest was resting on her back. “My magic has worn out! You cannot scream!” Maybe it was the tone of my voice, but she whimpered as she nodded after a moment.

“Ayda?” She let out in an exhausted tone.

Moving to her front, I placed my hands on her cheeks. “Listen to me very carefully, Cass.” Her eyes looked to me with such a haze that made me wonder if she was even coherent. “We have little time.” The front of my clothes were now covered in blood and medicine, so I started to take them off. “Priestess Arceana and Lady Rennal came here looking for us.” That got her attention as she looked up just a little more.

Breathlessly, she spoke in a confused tone. “Rennal? Is she okay?”

“She is just fine, but we are not. The Priestess wants our presence at The Temple as soon as possible.” I told her. “This is not what I had planned, Cass, but there is no other choice. You are going to have to pull yourself together and do your best to look like normal. If we get caught now…”

“That’s why ya started touchin my back?” Her voice sounded so tired, and I could relate.

“It is.”

After a moment of silence, she took as deep a breath as she could, and I saw her lip quiver. “Do what ya need ta do.”

This morning was more of a continuation of that hellish night we previously had. Both of us were in no shape to head to the Temple. None of this was supposed to be happening. Yet, there was no choice. Neither of us would get the rest we would need. Biting my lip as Cassidy sobbed quietly and trembled, I looked at the blood coating my hands and felt the urge to vomit once more.