Chapter 22
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β Malkuth - The Pure Virgin. The reward of the Magister Templi.1 β
"My selfishness is like an incandescent, sharp storm that, ruthlessly, wonβt be stopped by anyone.
Once awake, this burning monster opens paths never seen before,
demanding a world of his own, a world I know that doesnβt belong to me.
Even so, the impulse that drives it forth is pure and, like such, irresistible ...
This is the true voice of my heart.β
In a silent agreement we waited until he left, to be sure we could talk without being overheard.
Lea smiled happily and hugged me again.
βThank you, Mari! Thank you so much!β
βWhat for?β I asked, holding his small, apparently frail body against my chest and he looked up at me, his eyes looking even brighter.
Once more I remembered how much Iβd missed him. How much Iβd missed the smell of wet dirt after the rain of his hair, or his mischievous smile. I didnβt know for sure how many times Iβd hallucinated, hearing the sound of his golden bell echoing all over the house, or even his fast running footsteps on the stairs.
βFor letting us stay.β
βYou have nothing to thank me for. To tell you the truth, Iβm being very selfish right now,β I confessed and smiled at his puzzled expression. βIβm doing this for me. Because I donβt want to be left alone, again,β I admitted and he looked at me with a serious expression. And I knew if anyone could understand the true meaning of my words, that person was Lea.
βYou wonβt be alone anymore, I promise! And you donβt have to worry about anything. Weβll protect you!β
The absolute confidence in his voice left me slightly embarrassed and I tousled his hair as if that could maintain the image of the small child I tried so much to hold on to.
βI know that! And Iβm sorry. Iβm sure Iβll only end up making everything much more difficult for you all. And that you would all have it easier if you would just leave. But even so, I donβt want you to go! I know Iβll never forgive myself if anything happens to any of you because Iβm being stubborn. But still, I canβt make it weigh enough to change my decision.β Lea seemed to seriously ponder my words for a moment.
βItβs not really like that,β he said. βAlthough I might not have liked it all that much in the beginning, and sometimes I still struggle against it, the truth is that your presence has a big influence on all of us. These last few days were ... very difficult. Master was always in a bad mood, hardly speaking to us unless to talk about ways to destroy our enemies, even though he never wanted anything to do with this war before. He never smiled and rarely slept. All he did was give orders to everyone,β he lamented with a sorrowful expression. βI missed being here a lot.β
I recalled the letters Steph had given me and smiled.
βBut he never stopped thinking about you, not even for a moment. He knew you missed me,β I told him.
βEven so, he kept telling us we were never coming back,β Lea said with a sigh. βEven when he was hurt. He forbade me from bring him here, and I waited for him to get better, hiding him while Alexander distracted our enemy. But he didnβt get better at all! And I didnβt know what else to do. And I thought that if I disobeyed him heβd get mad and punish me, that he probably wouldnβt want me anymore.β The anguish in his voice told me exactly how hard it had been for him to make that decision. βBut I just couldnβt watch him suffer any longer. And so I decided I didnβt care what would happen afterwards, if it meant heβd get better. Not even if he decided to kill me. But then ... everything changed. He didnβt get angry at all, or even punish me for disobeying. He began smiling again and playing with me. I think heβs also much happier here. I guess Master also missed you very much, but of course, heβd never say anything like that,β he added, lowering his voice to a whisper as if he were afraid someone other than me might hear him, and I couldnβt help laughing at his secretive expression.
βI guess itβs hard for him, dealing with things like feelings,β I supposed after our previous talk and Lea nodded.
βI suppose. Because Master rarely deals with other people and heβs kind of indifferent to everyone around him.β
βExcept you.β Lea smiled at that, his eyes alight with pride.
βWhat about you, Mari? Did you miss us?β
βI almost died from missing you so much!β I confessed. βI guess I donβt know how to live without you anymore. Which is probably not good at all. But I donβt really want to think about that right now. I was also really, really happy to see you all again. Even though you scared me to death!β I scolded him and Lea smiled.
βI knew you would help him!β
βI didnβt do anything special. Iβm quite sure that if heβd been Human, heβd be dead without a doubt.β
βEven so, you did help him!β he insisted and his expression became more serious. βAnd by the way, letβs see it.β
βSee?β I asked unable to understand, and Lea poked my ribs with his small finger, making me cringe in pain as I tried to avoid his touch.
βYou were hurt yesterday, when Master threw you across the room.β
βItβs fine. Itβs nothing, really,β I told him, but I still placed a protective hand over the area that hurt, so that he wouldnβt poke at it again just for the sake of argument.
βLet me see.β
βReally, Lea. Itβs fine.β
Lea folded his arms and gave me a threatening look, but still I wouldnβt capitulate.
βFine then! Iβll just tell Master to come and take a look,β he decided, nimbly jumping from my lap, and I hardly had enough time to get ahold of him, stopping him from walking away.
βWait! Fine! Iβll let you see,β I conceded and took a deep breath, pulling my pajama top up.
I looked down at the area that had been hurting since last night. I still hadnβt had the chance to do it myself, and couldnβt help feeling impressed by the large purple area that covered the skin over my ribs. No wonder it hurt so much, I mused as I noticed it had even spread to my back. Leaβs grave expression made me smile and pull my top down again.
βItβs not as bad as it looks,β I assured him. βWe Humans bruise easily.β
βBut itβs so big.β
βItβll be fine in a couple of days,β I insisted but he looked unconvinced. βYou canβt tell him about this, Lea. Heβll be angry and heβll use this as another excuse to go away. And you donβt want that, right?β I urgently added and he shook his head. βSo please,β I pleaded once more, knowing he never hid anything from Gabriel, hoping that the idea of having to leave would be enough to persuade him to keep one small secret, and Lea sighed.
βI wonβt tell,β he promised me, but his expression remained grave. βBut now you have to take care of yourself, Mari. Okay?β I nodded trying to reassure him and he sighed again. βI better go and see what Master is doing. You get some rest. Iβll come and call you when lunch is ready.β
βOkay.β I decided it best to play the good girl, wondering if a lunch at four oβclock could still be called a lunch, and Lea gave me a last worried look before leaving me alone.
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