Chapter 171 The Collapse
Chapter 171 The Collapse
Lucian's pov
The council chamber doors slammed behind me and the sound echoed off the stone walls and the torches flickered and the tapestries moved.
I leaned against the wall and my hands were shaking and my vision was blurring and my stomach was churning. The meeting had been brutal and the elders had been relentless and the pressure had been crushing. But that was not the worst of it. The worst of it was the sickness that had been building in my body for days. The nausea that had been creeping and the weakness that had been spreading and the pain that had been growing. It had started as a dull ache in my chest and it had grown into something sharp and consuming and relentless.
I pressed my hand to my chest and the curse pulsed beneath my skin and the pain radiated through my veins. The curse had been with me for fifteen years and I had learned to live with it and I had learned to ignore it and I had learned to push through it. But this was different. This was worse. This was something I had never felt before.
"Lucian."
I looked up and Kade was standing in front of me and his face was pale and his eyes were dark. He had been waiting for me and his hands were shaking and his voice was low.
"Kade."
"Are you okay?"
"I am fine."
"You do not look fine."
"I will be fine."
He stepped closer and his voice was low. "You are pale. You are sweating. You look like you are about to collapse."
"I am fine."
"Lucian—"
"I said I am fine."
I pushed off the wall and my legs were weak and my head was spinning and my stomach was churning. I took a step and the world tilted and Kade caught my arm.
"You are not fine," he said.
"I am fine."
"You are not."
"I am."
He held my arm and his grip was firm and his eyes were steady. "You need to see a healer."
"I do not need to see a healer."
"You do."
"I do not."
He stared at me and his voice was flat. "You are going to collapse."
"I am not."
"You are."
"I am not."
I pulled my arm away and took another step and the world tilted again and I grabbed the wall. The stone was cold and the corridor was spinning and the nausea was rising. The curse was pulsing and the pain was spreading and the weakness was consuming me.
"Lucian," Kade said.
"Kade."
"You need to sit down."
"I do not need to sit down."
"You do."
"I do not."
He grabbed my arm again and his voice was sharp. "You are going to fall."
"I am not."
"You are."
I opened my mouth to argue and the world went black.
I woke up on the floor and the ceiling was stone and the torches were flickering and Kade was kneeling beside me.
"Lucian," he said.
"Kade."
"Are you okay?"
"I am fine."
"You are not fine."
"I will be fine."
He helped me sit up and my head was pounding and my stomach was churning and my hands were shaking. The curse was still pulsing and the pain was still spreading and the weakness was still consuming me.
"What happened?" I asked.
"You collapsed."
"I collapsed?"
"You collapsed."
I pressed my hand to my forehead and the skin was cold and the sweat was clammy.
"How long was I out?"
"A few seconds."
"A few seconds?"
"A few seconds."
He helped me stand and my legs were weak and my head was spinning and my stomach was churning.
"You need to see a healer," he said.
"I do not need to see a healer."
"You do."
"I do not."
"Lucian..."
"I said I do not."
I took a step and the world tilted and Kade caught my arm.
"You are going to collapse again," he said.
"I am not."
"You are."
"I am not."
He stared at me and his voice was flat. "You are going to collapse and I am going to have to catch you."
"Then catch me."
I walked through the corridors and the torches flickered and the tapestries moved and the wolves stepped aside.
My legs were weak and my head was spinning and my stomach was churning. The curse was still pulsing and the pain was still spreading and the weakness was still consuming me. Something was wrong and I did not know what it was and I did not know how to fix it. The curse had never been like this before and I had never been like this before and I did not know what was happening.
I rounded the corner and Cressida was standing in the corridor and her face was pale and her eyes were bright and her hands were shaking.
"Lucian."
"Cressida."
"Where have you been?"
"In a meeting."
"A meeting?"
"A meeting. A closed meeting. I could not leave."
She stepped closer and her voice was sharp. "I have been looking for you all day."
"I know."
"I found notes. Threatening notes. Someone was in my room while I was sleeping."
"I know."
"And you were in a meeting."
"I know."
She stared at me and her voice was flat. "You know?"
"I know."
"Then why did you not come?"
"I could not."
"You could not?"
"I could not."
She stepped closer and her voice was sharp. "What do you mean you could not?"
"I mean I could not. The meeting was closed. I could not leave."
She stared at me and her voice was cold. "You could not leave."
"I could not leave."
"Someone threatened me. Someone was in my room while I was sleeping. And you could not leave."
I opened my mouth to answer and the world tilted and my vision blurred and my stomach churned. I grabbed the wall and my hands were shaking and my breath was ragged. The curse was pulsing and the pain was spreading and the weakness was consuming me.
"Lucian?" Her voice was sharp and her eyes were wide.
"I am fine."
"You are not fine."
"I will be fine."
She stepped closer and her hand was on my face and her voice was low. "What is wrong with you?"
"Nothing."
"Lucian—"
"I said nothing."
She stared at me and her voice was flat. "You are lying."
"I am not."
"You are."
"I am not."
She pressed her hand to my forehead and her fingers were cold and her eyes were sharp.
"You are burning up," she said.
"I am fine."
"You are not fine."
"I will be fine."
"You are going to collapse."
"I am not."
"You are."
I opened my mouth to argue and the world went black.
I woke up on the floor and the ceiling was stone and the torches were flickering and Cressida was kneeling beside me.
"Lucian," she said.
"Cressida."
"Are you okay?"
"I am fine."
"You are not fine."
"I will be fine."
She helped me sit up and her hands were shaking and her eyes were bright.
"What is happening to you?" she asked.
"I do not know."
"You do not know?"
"I do not know."
She stared at me and her voice was sharp. "You collapsed. Twice. You are burning up. You are pale. You are sweating. And you do not know what is wrong."
"I have been feeling sick for days."
"Days?"
"Days. The nausea. The weakness. The pain."
"Lucian—"
"I did not want to worry you."
"Did not want to worry me?"
"I did not want to worry you."
She stared at me and her voice was broken. "You have been sick for days and you did not tell me."
"I did not want to worry you."
"You did not want to worry me."
"I did not want to worry you."
She pressed her face to my chest and her body shook and her tears were warm. I could feel the frost on her skin and the cold in her heart and the fear in her eyes.
"You are impossible," she said.
"I am determined."
"Same thing."
She pulled back and looked at my face and her voice was steady.
"We need to find out what is wrong with you," she said.
"I know."
"And we need to find out who is threatening me."
"I know."
"And we need to do it together."
I looked at her and the frost was still there and the cold was still there and the fear was still there.
"Together," I said.
The night came and the fire crackled and the candles flickered and the room was warm.
I sat on the bed and my body was weak and my head was spinning and my stomach was churning. Cressida was beside me and her hand was in mine and her fingers were cold.
"What is happening to us?" I asked.
"I do not know."
"Someone is threatening you. Something is happening to me. And we do not know who or what."
She was quiet for a moment and her voice was small.
"What if it is connected?"
I looked at her and the frost was still there and the cold was still there and the fear was still there.
"Then we need to find out how," I said.
"How?"
"I do not know. But we will."