CH12 - Gabriella

Gabriella brushes Nica's long hair away from her eyes as she feels sorry for the younger woman. Gabriella wants to scold her for careless actions as she acted without thought. If she only dared to peer into the darkness, she would have seen that the child had died quickly. I didn't even have a chance to feel the cold.

The child would die swiftly while her mother, yes, had her fate. Pulling her seat forward, Gabriella sighs as she lifts the torn fabric from Nica's shoulder, "Why did you do it?"

"I just couldn't let her die like that. I had seen her death for months. If there was a way to stop it. I had to try..."

"I wish you hadn't. They could have easily killed you." Gabriella says but falls silent as Nica no longer answers. Caesar had thrown her to the wolves to show why they fight. His carelessness almost got the girl killed. Has it been so long that he had forgotten empathy? That they could only witness destruction for so long before it tears at their soul.

Gabriella pulls the cloth from Nica's shoulder and sees the deep gash within her arm. Caesar would want her to heal, but to do so magically would only hinder her. Such a wound won in the act of courage deserves a scar. It deserves a chance to be remembered all her life.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriella pauses and asks, "Nica?"

Nica sits defiantly as the blood drips down her back and right breast. There is so much that Gabriella wishes she could say. Expects she could share that would tell the young woman exactly how she feels. Gabriella takes a deep breath as she begins to clean the wound; the only sound that escapes Nica's lips is a whimper. As nearly silent tears fall from Gabriella's eyes, she whispers, "I am proud of you."

"Really?" Nica asks in a hushed surprise.

Gabriella nods quickly, and soon the tears fall easily. Within moments, they both cry. Gabriella chokes back her sobs. "I had promised that I would take care of you. You reminded me so much of myself when I was young."

"You promised Caesar?"

Gabriella shakes her head furiously as she bites down on her lower lip. She can't even answer whom she thinks she knows, but she doesn't really. All she knows in her heart is she stumbled upon Nica as a child, and there were whispers in her ears. Stories of a future that only she would know. A promise of something more coming from her fragile life.

"Who did you promise?"

"I cannot tell you."

Nica flinches as the needles pierce her skin. Gabriella begins to stick her torn flesh together after cleaning the wound. Nica wants to know desperately who the witch promised, but there is something about the tone. The conviction in how she said she couldn't tell her was more than enough to know she couldn't find out by asking more. "How is Caesar taking it?"

"He is livid. He needs to understand why you did it. You don't know what you did."

"I saved a child and her mother."

"Saved them from what, Enyo? Our homestead is not the village. We are not protected from the monsters as they are. Rather, we live among them."

"I know, but..."

"There are no excuses. By forcing Lily to submit, you have chosen for her. She is cast out of her home living with us, shunned from her society."

"But you told me, Gabriella. You told me we wanted her to join our family for training."

"I did, but we wanted it to be her choice!"

"It was her choice! She chose willingly to submit to the Gods and you. She chose to give me her strength."

"Nica, she chose out of guilt, out of the guilt of surviving a death she had seen countless times. She chose submission, so you wouldn't leave Sera to die. That isn't a choice! You forced her hand, and now she is trapped."

Nica sighs and almost sounds like a lost child as she quietly says, "But you said you were proud of me."

"I am proud of you."

"But you said it was the wrong thing to do. That I forced her, trapped her even."

"It was the wrong thing to do. But I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes and your age."

"Really?"

"Yes, I would have wanted to. I don't think I would have had the courage to do what you did. I wasn't as strong in my convictions then as you are." Gabriella squeals in surprise as Nica throws her arms around her and holds her tight.

"I wish you were there with me, Gabriella. We could have stopped them together." Nica says as both women cling to one another, terrified to let go. Knowing how close they came to death as it took nearly an hour to carefully clean the decaying flesh imposed by the demons from her arm.

Pulling herself apart, Gabriella finishes the stitches and dresses the wound. Whispering a soft spell not so much to hide the scar but to ensure she wouldn't lose the use of her arm. Gabriella closes her eyes and whispers a silent prayer to her Gods for Nica's safety.

As both of them pulled apart, the younger woman pouted, "Are we in trouble?"

Gabriella cackles out a booming laugh, "By the Gods, yes. Ever heard the saying, spare the rod, spoil the witch?"

"My father used to say something like that but didn't use that word..."

"Don't worry, no matter how livid Caesar gets; he would never use those words."

"Thank the Gods..." Nica says. "Oh shit!"

"What?"

Gabriella is shocked to see the horror in the young girl's eyes, "My sister! We need to save her; she can't be there alone."

"I will pray to the Gods to keep her safe. We will find her before any harm comes to her. I promise." Gabriella swears, terrified of the tremble in Nica's voice and the terror in her eyes.

"Please," Nica begs solemnly, "Please, Gods, I desperately need her to be safe; protect her for me."