Chapter 205: Death comes for all

AYLA

I was dying.

I knew it with a kind of certainty that left no room for fear.

I was on my knees in the middle of an open field, blood rapidly soaking through my clothes.

My breathing was shallow and every breath hurt.

My body felt heavy, almost as though someone had tied weights around my limbs.

There was a man standing several feet in front of me, his back was turned toward me. He was standing completely still.

I tried to rise but my hands trembled underneath me and my knees kept bucking of their own accord.

My vision swam at the edges and I could feel it in the cold creeping up my limbs. I was going to die here, in this field, with my blood soaking into the grass but I had every intention of taking him with me.

I gritted my teeth and slowly forced myself to stand.

The man must have sensed my movement because his head tilted slightly and then he chuckled.

"You cannot possibly still be coming for more, Morgana."

I froze.

Morgana? Why was he calling me Morgana?

I stared at his back.

"Who are you?"

He laughed again and turned.

My heart stopped beating in my chest.

I knew him.

Half of his face was charred, the skin burnt beyond recognition on one side but I knew those eyes, that face.

"Lucius." I stared at him. "How are you still alive?"

Lucius eyebrow pulled together like he was confused about something then his expression changed.

"The little Omega returns." He said. "Pity"

...

I woke to Cassian’s hands on my face.

"Ayla. Ayla... oh, goddess, you passed out. Are you okay?"

I blinked up at him.

My skin was standing on end, every hair on my body raised as the ceiling of my room swam into focus

"Yes, I..." I coughed, my throat burned.

Cassian immediately reached for the glass of water beside me.

"Here."

He helped me sit up enough to take a small sip.

"What happened?" Cassian stared at me. "You were unconscious and you were talking but I couldn’t understand most of it."

My skin prickled.

I still remembered the dream... the one of Lucius and the field.

Unlike the others, every single detail of this one was branded in my mind.

It wasn’t possible. Lucius could not still be alive. I had killed him... no one comes back from the dead.

This was just a figment of my imagination. The fever was taking my worst fears and twisting them into nightmares, feeding them back to me ... that was all it was.

"It was just a dream," I told Cassian, pressing a hand against my forehead. "The fever must be making me dream strange things."

Cassian’s thumb brushed over the back of my hand.

The door opened in that moment and Master Aldric hurried inside.

"Thank goddess." Cassian said, rising to his feet. "She passed out."

Aldric moved toward me.

"I brought the potion." He said.

Cassian helped me into a sitting position, one hand bracing my back, and brought the cup to my lips. The potion was bitter, so bitter it made my eyes water, and I gagged against it, trying to turn my head away.

"Drink it all," Aldric said. "Every last drop."

I drank, letting the foul liquid slide down my throat.

My mind worked as I downed the liquid.

I needed to speak to Amara.

She would understand and she knew more about magic than anyone I knew. She would know if dreams could mean something.

She would know why I had seen Lucius and why he would call me Morgana.

More importantly, I needed to continue my training.

I had allowed myself to become distracted by everything happening around me and let myself believe the worst was over but if there was even the smallest possibility that Lucius was alive... I couldn’t afford to be weak.

"Ayla?"

I looked up to find Cassian was watching me.

"You look like you are thinking about something." He said softly.

"I’m just tired." I gave him a small smile. "I am fine."

He didn’t look convinced but he didn’t push.

"You need to rest" Master Aldric said, gathering his things. "I will return later to check on you."

"Thank you." I nodded as he left.

The room became quiet again.

Cassian sat beside me, squeezing my hand gently.

I squeezed back.

I did not try to close my eyes again because I did not want to see Lucius again

Just turn, moments later, a shout came from outside.

Cassian and I immediately looked toward the door.

"What was that?" I muttered, my heart had already begun pounding.

Cassian stood.

"I will check it out." He walked toward the door. "Do not move."

Seconds passed then minutes and Cassian did not return.

I shifted beneath the blankets, straining my ears to hear anything at all that would give me an insight to what was happening.

Another shout echoed from somewhere outside and I pushed myself up, ignoring the way my head swam and my stomach pitched.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood, swaying and then catching myself on the bedpost.

I couldn’t stay in bed...not when something was happening outside.

I reached for the door, opened it stepped outside.

I used the walls for support as I moved through the corridor.

I could hear voices and I hurried forward as much as my weak body allowed.

When I finally reached the courtyard, I stopped.

There were people everywhere.

My eyes immediately found Cassian.

He was standing together with Ares, Damon and my father. They were all gathered in the courtyard, clustered around something on the ground, their backs were to me.

What had happened? Why were all of them here?

I stepped forward.

"What is going on?" I asked.

Every head turned toward me at the exact same time.

Cassian started toward me immediately.

"You need to go back inside, Ayla. You should not be here."

But my eyes were already past him, fixed on the figure lying on the stones.

It was Soren.

He lay prone, his arms splayed at odd angles, his face turned toward the sky. Even from a distance I could see the blood...