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8
ANYA
By the timewe reached the door to Kiango's chambers, we were both breathing hard and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. It had taken every bit of strength I could muster to get Silas to his feet after that performance, and I wasn't sure we could make it upstairs at all. Fortunately, we managed to stay upright with the help of the wall, and I knocked desperately at the door, praying that Ember was inside.
With our heavy breathing, I couldn't hear if she was coming until the moment the door swung open and I saw the hopeful expression on her face, which quickly dropped into one of shock.
"What happened?" she asked, throwing the door wide and coming to scoop Silas up from the other side. Together, we hauled him over to the enormous bed and let him drop onto the plush pillows with a groan.
I sank down beside him, leaning into the side of the mattress and letting my head hang down while I tried to catch my breath. Ember was already at the table by the window to pour glasses of fresh water for us, and as she handed me mine, she climbed over me onto the bed to help Silas raise his head enough for a sip.
"Sorry to come barging in like this," I said, laughing softly through my exhaustion.
"It's okay. I know he won't be back for a while, but I kind of hoped it was Kiango coming home early."
"Well, hopefully we'll be out of your way before he gets here. I'm sure he doesn't want all of us in his bed."
She chuckled at that, but shook her head with immeasurable sadness as she wiped a cool rag across Silas's face with careful strokes.
"So, what really happened? I thought you were taking him to scrub floors, not fight a war."
When I looked up at her, I found myself struggling to find words. I wanted so badly to tell her what I'd heard, but I still wasn't sure that Silas was ready to hear it. Dragging myself up off the floor, I climbed onto the bed beside her and took the rag from her hands. She scooted down to make room for me, giving me only a brief questioning look when I took my place by his head and resumed where she had left off.
Silas's eyes were closed and his chest rose with slow, heavy inhales. If he wasn't asleep, he would be soon, and that granted me some small measure of relief with which to speak freely, if still a little cautiously.
"This morning in the sanctuary," I began, keeping an eye on Silas's form in case he woke again, "I heard a very concerning rumor."
"Come on, Anya. You can tell me. Kiango will make sure we're all safe."
I swallowed hard, wishing I could just believe her that easily. But it wasn't so simple. It never was.
"Do you know anything about the old cities and how they fell?"
Ember shook her head no, but her eyes went wide with worry. I pressed on.
"Re'Utu used to have followers across the galaxy. They lived in palaces like this one, and many of them grew into large cities. But when the storms came, people grew weak in their faith, turning to other gods. And now, Ke'Thal and Divoron are among the last of them. Except now..." I felt my throat closing, making it impossible to say what had to be said. "I fear Divoron has fallen."
Silas's eyes snapped open and he coughed violently, rising up off the bed before falling back.
"No. That can't be true," Silas protested. "Divoron stands. My people stand. My grandfather would never let anything happen to-"
"Shh," I hissed, pressing him back down into the pillow and glaring at him. "You're too weak to be getting up. Just lay still."
He grunted, but he didn't attempt to rise again. Instead, he stared up at me from beneath the edge of the cool rag with an expression of total disbelief. He wasn't ready, and I couldn't make him hear me out. Worse, I couldn't tell him what I knew of his grandfather, either. It would have to wait.
"Anyway, I might have gotten a little spooked, so we went out to practice the ritual. I don't really know what happened. I've never seen Kiango go through anything like that. It was like the energies were all wrong."
"Th-they were stronger. Stronger than usual. And they felt different. Like they wanted to fight back. They've never done that before." Silas licked his lips with a swollen tongue and I offered him another sip of water before he closed his eyes again.
"What does it mean?"
I shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm afraid we're about to find out. Silas was able to hold up longer than he ever has before. He's getting stronger. But if the storms are close enough for him to be picking up stray energies, it's a bad sign. We need to be ready for whatever happens next."
Ember nodded, but she looked as lost as I felt, and without Kiango here to reassure her, I feared that she wouldn't sleep until his return. Already I could see that she had been up all night and the dark circles under her eyes would only grow deeper with time.
Taking her hand in mine, I pulled it into my lap and squeezed gently, trying to summon what reassurance I could offer both of us. When she leaned in and rested her head on my shoulder, I was momentarily startled, but soon found myself relaxing when I felt the first drops of her tears soaking into my robe.
I lost all track of time sitting there between the two of them. At some point, Silas fell into a deep sleep and I ceased my ministrations to his brow. However, even when the tears had passed, Ember still clung to my hand, sniffling and staring out the window with a dazed expression.
"Listen," I said softly, drawing her attention back to me. "There's more. I think something happened to Priest Nabh. Imrys is hiding something. I couldn't bear to tell Silas, but you have to warn Kiango if I can't get back up here."
"You think he's dead?" she asked.
My eyes darted to Silas before I gave her a quick nod and she gasped, another couple of tears squeezing their way out before she swiped them away.
"I'll tell him as soon as he gets back. I promise."
"Good. Keep an eye on Silas for me, too? I have to go finish those chores before someone notices I've been missing all day, but I don't want him coming after me when he wakes and realizes I'm gone."
Just saying those words aloud made me realize the fondness I was feeling for him already. Arrogant as he might have been, he had come to save me at the first sign of danger, and I had to appreciate that. Now, I just hoped he wouldn't have to do it again anytime soon.
