33. THIRTY-TWO

THIRTY-TWO

" R on, what are you doing here?" Davina sniffed, quickly wiping her cheeks of any tears.

"I came to see if you were okay. You seemed upset when you said goodbye to us." He rubbed the back of his neck as he approached her.

Davina grabbed her bag by its handle. They hadn't had a real conversation for almost a year. She wanted to know more about him and how he was able to overcome all of his emotional storms. She wished to delight in his embrace, missing the alleviation that his warmth brought her. She felt okay. She felt confident. He was a refuge that she had to avoid.

As much as she wanted to stay, she had to leave. For Isaiah's sake.

"I'm fine, I just had a stressful day." Davina chuckled. "Thank you for checking up on me."

He nodded. Davina could see that he didn't know what to say either.

"I should go," she said.

His lips curved down. "Of course."

Davina nodded as she sent him a small smile and headed for the garden exit, wishing she could drop her bag and run into his arms. As she brushed past him, she looked into his eyes.

He was no longer giving her his usual hard stare. All the anger, revulsion, and sadness was gone from his expression. Something about him had changed, that much she understood.

Her legs obeyed the command that her mind had given, to run away from him as fast as possible when her heart was screaming for her to run into his arms instead.

Not wanting to go home and bring her emotional problems to Leilani, she headed back into Castellum and loitered around the corridors for just a few more hours.

After she realized the guard watch of the Apprentices had ended, leaving the posts clear, Davina decided it was time to head home. She grabbed tight onto her duffle bag and jogged off the courtyard's stoned staircase to Basalt Bridge. The night was high and mighty with stars twinkling above. The moon shined its light across the islands with a majestic pearl glow.

As her heels clicked on the stoned arch Bridge, Davina couldn't help but feel like she wasn't alone. A shiver ran down her spine as she stopped at the highest point of the Bridge and scanned the ocean's ripples below the stone railing.

She rubbed her arms as she quickened her pace toward the edge of the Bridge, but fog began to grow quickly around her. Davina scrunched up a brow. Her eyes turned to the waters beyond the Bridge which were covered in white mist as well.

"Why do you seem so surprised?" she asked. "You couldn't possibly think that I wouldn't be at your trail."

Davina stopped as Raven stood before her, she quickly dropped her bag on the Bridge and conjured her fists of fire. "What do you want, Raven? I'm not in the mood."

"I can see that," Raven quirked, her voice a bit muffled from the mask. "I'm only here to deliver a message to you."

"Get with it," Davina spat. Her violet fire reflected brightly over Raven's iron mask.

Raven hid an arm behind her back, Davina clenched her fists even tighter.

"Relax, princess," Raven mused.

The Dark Mistress pulled out a white card with gold foiling surrounding it. The card shined under the moonlight.

"How did you get your claws on that?"

It was the invitation card for Val and Beacon's wedding.

"Let's say I have my ways." Raven shrugged.

Davina could almost imagine Raven's smirk.

"I want you to go to that wedding and I want you to stay there a long time," Raven sassed.

"What's it to you?" Davina asked, sensing the presence of six others behind her.

"You're going to the ceremony and the celebration. I know parties aren't your thing, but I have plans and I can't have you ruining them."

"You're delusional if you think I'm going to do anything that you ask of me," Davina deadpanned.

"Because I know how much you care for those creatures you call siblings. And I also know where to find that Mistran freak with the lightning," Raven said, leaning her elbow on her waist, the card dangling between her long black nails.

Under Raven's white porcelain skin, Davina was able to glimpse what seemed to be dark ink across her forearm. It slowly traveled from her forearm to her wrist and then colored her fingertips a deep black. The white parchment turned into dark particles above her palms. Raven wiggled her fingers; the wind pushed the ashes into the sea that surrounded the Bridge.

"Do what I asked, and they will be left untouched," Raven warned. "I truly don't wish for those children to suffer more than they already have."

Davina contemplated her next moves.

"I see you have your thinking face on. If you so much as send someone out of the party to spy on me or you try to trick me, there will be consequences. And trust me, I will find out."

Davina sensed the figures behind her get closer. She pulled both of her star knives out of her holster and threw them into two Main Predator's chests. Their dark blood splattered on her arm. Davina hissed as their ichor fell over her skin. She then pulled out a small dagger and marched to the nearest Predator. The young female Predator ducked Davina's slice, Davina used the moment that the Predator was pulling herself back up to lodge the knife into her throat.

She then kicked the other's neck, causing it to crack under her boot, before giving her full attention to the last two standing Predators. The Basalan Predator came forward and did a right hook, Davina ducked and grabbed the Predator's face then slammed him onto the stone Bridge.

The last standing Predator wore dark orange clothing, an Aurisan. He had a long sword in his hand and began to slice at Davina. Davina could feel the Main Predator growing tired. The young Captain felt hot liquid drip from her left cheek.

Davina kicked his hand, but the sword remained tightly gripped in his large hand. The burns of the Predator's blood on her skin throbbed with intensity before the Main Predator made a successful gash across her thigh, she gasped.

She sent a wild blaze at his free hand. The sword dropped from his grip as he groaned and swatted the purple flames that leeched his flesh.

The Captain decided to use her fire and incinerate him completely until he was nothing but ashes. The last remaining Main Predator dropped to the floor with his skin and leathers charred and scorched.

Quickly, she ripped a hidden dagger from a hidden holster and threw it in Raven's direction. Only to find black smoke where Raven once stood.

Her chest convulsed as she panted and the pain of the gash in her thigh screamed.

Davina pulled onto her fire, her hands becoming enflamed with violet light, but the wounds didn't disappear like they usually did. She unlit her fire and let it crackle again, but the lesion didn't heal.

Davina sighed in frustration, tears brimming her eyes as she bit down on her lip, ripping open one of her sleeves and wrapping it around her thigh, almost shrieking from the rupture of her skin which felt like it ran deep into her bones.

She grabbed her duffle bag and began to limp home, feeling blood pouring out of her leg whenever she put too much pressure on her left leg. Leilani and she didn't live too far from the Bridge, she'd make it before she died out of blood loss.

Davina pushed her door open, an uncomfortable heat paling her lips and her face, sweat dripped from her forehead and neck, and exhaustion settled down inside of her.

"Lei—" she gasped. "Lani!"

She hoped Lani wasn't still too mad to allow Davina to bleed out.

Davina's bag slipped out of her hand, rattling the wooden tables near the entrance, and causing pots filled with soil to crash onto the floor. Davina stumbled through the foyer and into the living room. Kicking away the carpet and coffee table, vases fell everywhere.

"Davina? Davina?" Leilani asked, worry laced in her tone. "Are you okay?"

Davina fell into their emerald satin davenport. Hopefully, her blood wouldn't stain the couch much.

"D!" Leilani exasperated. "What happened?"

The entire room spun as Davina fought to keep her eyes open. She could hear Leilani's slippers pattering around the living room, opening ironed boxes, spilling out all of her healing supplies.

No, she couldn't go through this again. What was it with Raven always trying to bleed her to death?

"Talk to me, Davina. What happened?" Leilani asked as she settled down on her knees beside the davenport, ripping open Davina's trousers from below her knee.

"R-Raven," Davina whispered. Leilani pressed her hands over her wound, and Davina immediately cried out.

"What did she do?" Leilani questioned.

"She—she visited me."

"What did she tell you?"

"I—I don't know. Some crazy talk," Davina said, the room still spinning as she looked up at the ceiling.

"You need to stay awake," Leilani ordered.

"It's hard."

"No, it's not. Stay awake!" Leilani yelled.

"Because you don't know what it's like to lose so much blood," Davina argued.

A sharp sting ran through her thigh, Davina shrieked as she sat up.

"What was that for?" Davina yelled.

"You wouldn't stay awake, so I poured alcohol on your wound!" Leilani yelled in response, shaking her head while softly jabbing a small gauze over Davina's wound.

Davina growled and glared at Leilani.

"Hey, do you want me to save your life or let you die of blood loss?" Leilani retorted, pulling out a black suture and a pair of sharps.

The blonde-haired Basalan threw a gag at Davina. "Bite onto this, this is gonna hurt. Also, please don't incinerate me."

Davina pulled the cloth into her mouth, just in time to feel her skin being pierced and her opened flesh being forced to close.