Chapter 381: The Weight of Victory (Part One)
Time passed, though Heila wasn’t entirely sure how much. Everything after she unleashed her killing spell on Ropati felt blurry and indistinct, leaving her unsure what had been a dream and what really happened. She had vague memories of Ashlynn descending directly from High Lady Erna’s private box to the arena below, walking on a stairway made of drifting willow leaves, but perhaps her mind had been playing tricks on her at that point and she’d already lost consciousness.
All she knew was that she’d won, and more importantly, she stopped the men from the Cauldron of Flame before they could unleash any truly devastating magic that threatened the lives of everyone in the arena that night. That realization had been enough for her to slip into a deep slumber filled with hazy, half remembered dreams for the past... well, she wasn’t sure how long had passed.
When her pale, grass-green eyes fluttered open, she found herself lying in an ornate bed that seemed to stretch forever in all directions, its luxurious size making her diminutive form appear even smaller amid the sea of silk sheets and plush pillows. A fire crackled softly in the hearth, its warmth keeping the brisk autumn day at bay while heavy curtains had been drawn tight against the bright midday sun. Near the fire, Ashlynn sat at a small writing desk, her quill moving steadily across several important-looking letters until she noticed Heila stirring.
Heila’s body felt stiff, like she’d been in the oversized bed for more than just eight to ten hours since the conclusion of her battle in the arena and the dry feeling in her throat made it even more apparent that she’d been asleep for quite some time. All of which suggested that this wasn’t the day after her fight in the arena, but, perhaps the day after that? Had she really worn her self out so much that she’d slept an entire day away?
"Good morning," Ashlynn said gently, setting down her pen and leaving the small writing desk in Heila’s chambers to come to her friend’s side. "Here," she said after pouring a small cup of weak herbal tea. "It’s not hot, but it’s one of Amahle’s blends to restore strength after a long rest."
"How long of a rest?" Heila asked after drinking almost the entire cup of tea at once. Now that she was awake, her memories of her final moments in the arena came back in a flood, pulling another, far more pressing question from her lips.
"Those men, the ones Ropati tried to... harvest. Was I able to...?" Heila’s voice trailed off as she couldn’t bring herself to ask the words. In her final moments before she lost consciousness, she’d done her best to ensure that Ropati’s horrific ritual was completely dispersed and that it couldn’t claim the lives of his companions but she had no idea whether or not she’d succeeded.
"They survived," Ashlymm said gently while she refilled Heila’s cup with more tea. "They will never recover what that man took from them, and their lives will be much shorter because of it. They are lucky to have had you for an opponent," Ashlynn added.