Page 29 of Splintered Shadow
Sarah woke to complete darkness.Moonlight through windows could not pierce the shadows in the room. Her heart raced from a half-remembered dream.
I was running through the forest.
The sensation of miserable rain and searching for a lost someone lingered.
Rain pounded against the windows. Thunder rumbled. The storm must have wormed its way into her dream.
She heard something. Vekele’s unnamed karu prowling in the dark? She held her breath, listening to the sounds of the house and the storm.
“Vekele?” she whispered. He slept on the fainting couch, or whatever fancy people called it, but the couch was empty.
No response. She was alone.
Gradually, the light came back, or her eyes adjusted to the dark. Moonlight collected in faint pools by the windows.
She stumbled into the bathroom, filling a glass of water from the tap. The lights flickered on.
In the mirror, a black-eyed reflection of herself stared back. Inky black pools spread from her eyes like spidery veins of decay.
The glass fell to the floor, shattering. Water and glass shards flowed around her bare feet.
“What is the matter?” Vekele shoved his way into the room.
“I—” She pointed to the mirror. Her eyes were her normal brown. She didn’t know how to explain what she saw moments before. “Nothing. I’m half-asleep. Where were you?”
“Patrol. I cannot constantly be at your side in case you have unpleasant dreams,” he said, sounding annoyed.
“Yeah, well—” She bit back her retort because he was right. “Sorry for the mess.”
She crouched down to pick up the broken glass.
“Leave it. You will injure yourself.”
“I’m perfectly capable.”
“Must you always argue?” he muttered. That was all the warning she had before he scooped her up like a sack of potatoes and carried her out of the bathroom.
She wasn’t upset about the whole sack of potatoes thing because being carried was kind of nice.
He sat her on the edge of the bed and lifted her chin toward the light. He turned her head from side to side, frowning.
“What?” she asked.
“It is nothing.”
“Yeah, I’m not buying that. It’s the parasite, isn’t it? It’s in my eyes.” Just the thought of it made her want to claw at her face to get it out.
“I cannot say.” He stepped back, putting distance between them.
She groaned. “You’re making it worse. Tell me.”
“I cannot say because I am not a medic. He will examine you tomorrow. Now, sleep.” He punched the pillows on the couch and laid down.
Fat chance she’d be able to sleep now.
* * *
Vekele drewthe curtains back with enough force to create a cloud of dust.
