I nodded.Shit, fuck, damn and hell.I’d hoped that he might have lost the memory. I’d heard it happened sometimes with a brain injury, and that would have been a mercy. I should have realized the gods didn’t take mercy on Mageia.
“I’m so sorry, V,” I whispered.
He looked at me, confusion apparent on his face.
“Why areyousorry? Maalik was the asshole,” he said.
I felt tears spilling down my face as I whispered, “I promised I wouldn’t let them take you there. But I…I couldn’t stop them,adelfos. I couldn’t stop them.”
I gripped his hand and dropped my head, beginning to sob in earnest. I hadn’t been able to save V. I hadn’t been able to save Erix, or Mitera. I was truly cursed.
“Kat, it wasn’t your fault. Yousavedmy life,” he said.
I shook my head, unable to look at him.
“If Maalik had… had done to me some of the things I saw him do to you…” I felt him shake his head and heard V swallow hard before continuing.
“The Calling was for three days,” he said hoarsely. “I would not have survived three days with Maalik. I doubt anyone could have. If you hadn’t taken the first half of the Calling, I’d be dead right now. I’m never forgetting you did that, either, you ass,” he continued, a weak smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “No going behind my back to protect me. We protecteach other.Got it?”
I raised my head and looked at him, this brother I knew I didn’t deserve.
“I promise you,” he continued, “We will make them pay. Someday, somehow, we will overturn this fucked up system.”
I took a deep breath. Tall order for two really fucked up Mageia, but it was a goal.
“No surrender,” I said.
“No retreat,” he responded and squeezed my hand.
???
Weeks passed, and eventually Vlakas and I were released from medical and returned to our cell and to our training.
The first couple of days were rough. Figuring out what worked and what didn’t around our injuries made us feel almostas helpless as kittens, but in a way, they made us become even more creative in using our powers to support our weakened bodies. It took weeks for us to return to something close to our former physical condition. Eventually, all that remained outwardly were the scars. The mental damage was far worse.
Vlakas and I both began having nightmares. They’d happened before, occasionally. Now, they were a nightly occurrence. We didn’t really talk about it, but we took turns waking each other from them. One night I woke to the sound of the earth groaning, something vibrating deep in the ground. Plaster and dust began raining down on my face, and I saw a crack appear in the ceiling above me. In the bed next to mine I heard Vlakas moaning; light from the hallway shining through the door and across his bed. He was tossing and turning, his face was contorted in a rictus of pain and rage.Fuck. This was the first time one of the nightmares had caused him to use his powers.
“V. V!” I whispered urgently, moving to his bed and trying to shake him awake. The last thing we needed was one of the Elusians on duty deciding to punish him.
Finally in desperation I whispered “Luke!”
He twisted in my grip before suddenly opening his eyes. For a moment he stared right through me, then slowly seemed to focus on my face.
“K-kat?” he asked, looking around, confusion evident on his face.
“It’s alright. You were having a nightmare,” I reassured him.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” he whispered, he said, sitting up. “What—” he started to ask, seeing the plaster dust on my face, then looking up at the ceiling over my bed.
“Fuck. Did I do that?” he asked, his eyes wide as he nodded towards the crack in the ceiling as he sat up.
I nodded. “I think so.”
“I— I’ve never done anything like that before,” He let out a breath then said, “Lucky the Elusians didn’t realize.”
“Well, we do sometimes get earthquakes in this area. It’s not like most Earth Mageia could cause one,” I said.
He nodded, but his face held a touch of fear as well.
