The Lady's Assistant

When Lara returned, she watched Silas leave the master's bedroom from down the hallway. She wanted to glare at him, but unfortunately she had to feign respect, even though she had none for the slimy little roach.

"Countess Lara, what brings you here?" Silas greeted casually and kindly.

"It is the duty of all young ladies to be at the Luna's side. I'm merely trying out the position. You know my father" Lara lied effortlessly, as though she had done it her entire life. The way she played off her knowledge would have made her a fantastic actress in the human's time.

"Sounds like your father's ambition that is for sure - we share similar parentage," he said with charismatic lightness, like everything was normal. "Well, unfortunately our Luna is not feeling well. I don't think she will need an attendant today."

"Her grace just asked me to return after taking some soiled clothing. She said she really needed a bath. It was not more than a few minutes ago. May I send the doctor for her?" Lara answered innocently.

"No" Silas said a little too quickly.

Lara raised an eyebrow and poked her fingers together and put on an innocent face, "Please your grace - my father will punish me. Can I at least just read to her or something? Just for the afternoon - please?"

She wanted to vomit from having to speak to him so respectfully.

"Very well. Just don't let her walk around or exert herself. She's very tired," Silas said with a sigh and walked past Lara without so much as a farewell.

'I'm going to save her from you, you evil little goblin!' Lara said to herself bitterly as she watched the false alpha walk away. 'Yeah, get our of here you fucking fraud.'

The snow-haired countess helped herself back into Syrana's room and frowned. "My lady, oh goodness...." Lara cooed and came to the older female's side as she started to wretch into a nearby bin someone had left for her.

"S-Sorry. I'm feeling worse, and I don't know why" Syrana replied with a chalky voice.

"Don't apologize to me - you needn't to. Have you eaten?" Lara asked as she came to Syrana's side and held her hair back as Syrana let another bout of bile leave her stomach.

"Mmmmhm. It's not staying down" she answered pathetically.

"Do you want me to go look for Veltar alone?" Lara offered and braided Syrana's hair to keep it from falling back into her face again.

"No. If I'm going to die - I want to die on my feet. I'd rather die looking for Veltar than lay in this bed anymore."

Syrana took in deep breaths and composed herself until she felt stable enough to put the bucket down.

"I'll tell Jyriah you said that. He told me to tell you he loves you, and he's getting backup. You'd be proud of him, he didn't react violently immediately," Lara tried to give Syrana something to smile about, so she finished with the good news. "Syri is safe, Syrana. She's with Joss - who knows about everything. She's going to be in great paws until you come back for her."

"Mm...mmhm.." Syrana agreed with a soft smile, and nodded weakly. "Come on, let's go - time isn't our friend."

******

It was only a little bit frustrating to have to escort Syrana all the way back down to the place she had been last night. Lara knew she was injured, sick, and broken - but it was still so difficult to maintain her patience as each step Syrana took was agonizingly slow.

"Did you bring keys?" Syrana asked in worry.

"I have the only key I need, courtesy of Metas. Like I said, this entire thing was his idea - he's always been a romantic," Lara answered, and pulled out a soft, gold-glowing crystal in her palm. As soon as she put her hand on the door, it unlocked.

"What is that?" Syrana had to know - she had never seen magic so powerful.

"It's a blood stone. It can be used for a limited time to open the doors in the castle. Metas gave me some so we could search," Lara answered as she peeked into the dark room.

It was just a nice dungeon. It was absolutely a cell with the way it was set up, but there was a nice bed, a fancy basin, and an area for bathing and relief.

"They probably keep important P.O.W.'s here. Let's keep looking," Lara encouraged the shaking Syrana.

One by one they went through each empty room until they got to the very end where a putrid smell wafted from the crack in the door the barely even opened.

"Ooof-" Lara let out and covered her nose.

"Wh-what is that" Augh, it's awful..." Syrana groaned and covered her mouth and nose.

"It's stink smear... it masks the scent of things, and is used as a deterrent in battles. Someone has to be in here," Lara assured and pushed the door open further.

It was so dark, and the lack of light from the hallway bleeding in wasn't enough to illuminate anything.

"Veltar?" Syrana asked weakly, and with a voice filled with tremors.

"Hmm? Who...?" a male voice replied in confusion.

"You-you're not Veltar?" Syrana sobbed through her words.

"I...don't remember who I am...." he answered in a daze.

Lara squinted through the darkness and tried to make out the shape chained to the bed that had sat up upon the door being opened.

"Do you know...where I can find him?" Syrana choked as the smell and her crying made it hard to speak.

"I only know the darkness. I'm sorry," the male replied sadly.

"It's okay, Syrana - we can try another room. Come on, we're not done yet," Lara said with a hoarse whisper.

"Syrana?" the voice suddenly piped up. "I know that name - she's the angel that makes the darkness go away. She's beautiful - and her eyes are like two lights of gold. She hasn't visited in a few days...but neither has the other man," the male said dreamily, despite using the slur 'man' to describe Silas. To call anyone close to human was a huge insult.

"Veltar - it must be you - it has to be," Syrana trembled so much that her voice warbled as she walked forward.

"You're not real, are you? Will you disappear again?" he spoke as though he were talking to an insect or small pet.

"No," she answered sweetly as she got closer to him.

"Good. It's dark when you leave," he said with relief.

The smell of the 'stink smear' was absolutely overwhelming, but nothing could mask the touch of a mate, no matter how small. As she blindly pushed through the dark, the male from the bed reached out to search for her in return until they met and grabbed onto one another's hands as though a storm was going to wash them away into the chaos of the darkness.