A Shade of Midnight

TWENTY

I was wounded but I couldn't care less. Nasa loob kami ng isang tent. I had already wrapped my wound with a scrap of my clothes and I went straight to the tent where Raven was brought. Naabutan ko siya sa kwarto niya, blood soaking the bed and a familiar woman stood beside him. 

I looked at Raven at agad akong tumakbo sa gilid niya. He was half conscious. Kinuha ko ang kamay niya at hinawakan iyon. 

"Raven," I said and he looked at me. There was no half-smile or a sly comment--and it pained me to see him like this. Rage was still boiling in my veins and I just have the urge to let it all out. 

"It's nice to see you here again, Lady Summers." 

Napatingin ako sa babaeng nagsalita. She looked familiar and then an image flashed into my mind. "You're the seer," I said. She nodded. Siya ang manghuhula noon na nakita ko sa Hamris. 

"Please," I pleaded. "Please save him." 

She looked at me as though she wants to tell me something. But she stopped herself and started getting the materials she needed. I didn't ask whether she could manage to treat Raven but we don't have a choice. Kung kaya niyang gumamot, then so be it. 

Nanatili akong nakaupo sa gilid ni Raven. I was squeezing his hand as the seer started to take in the situation. 

"Stay with me, Raven," I said as I looked at him. "Stay with me." 

He looked at me and then he opened his mouth and said weakly, "Not going anywhere." 

My lips quivered and I nodded as I continued to squeeze his hand. 

"This is going to hurt," the seer said and I looked at her. I nodded and the seer held one of the arrows and then pulled. 

Raven held my hand tight that his knuckles went white. Two arrows pierced his back. Nakuha na ng manggagamot ang isa. She then went to the other one and pulled it too. Raven closed his eyes firmly as his hand remained to hold my hand tightly. 

Agad na kumuha ang babae ng maligamgam na tubig at tela. She started cleaning Raven's wounds and placed some Sandovian medicine on them. She then proceeded to Raven's legs where he was shot.

 "Talk to him. Try to keep him awake," the seer said and I nodded. Napatingin ako kay Raven. What happened earlier was an ambush. And Aliana had said that those were Liberian soldiers. They had hurt Raven, made him like this. Hinding-hindi ko sila mapapatawad. 

"Did you know when I was a kid, my mother died? Samara was the one who took care of me and nursed me hanggang sa lumaki ako. And then when started to learn how to write, I would write all sorts of things," I said and Raven grunted as the seer started taking out one bullet from his leg. 

"I would write about the flowers dancing with the wind in the gardens, I would write how lonely my house was, I would write about how lonely I was." Another grunt came from him as the seer took another one.

"Even as I grew up, I was still writing. I started writing in my journal, about how my day went. I started writing about the boy I liked at school, the teachers I hate, the friends I had." His hand tightened around mine as the seer moved to his arm. I was trembling. Trembling with rage as I saw him suffering. But I went on. 

"But most of the time, I would write about the night." 

The seer started wrapping bandages around his wound and I could see him looking at me, and despite the cold, his sweat trickled down his face. 

"Why?" he breathed. 

"I wrote about the stars, the moon, the clouds, and just endless, dark sky." The seer looked at me as she wrapped Raven's arm at last with bandages after putting on some salve on it. "I never knew why. I rarely go out at night. But then I realized that perhaps it was the night that had been my company when I was alone. That perhaps it was an indication for me of what I will become. It was as if something inside of knew that I would never be someone that is a gentle grower of things, or someone that glowed like fire. Perhaps my old self knew that I would be quiet and enduring as the night sky. That I have beauty in the eyes of those who knew where to look, and even if people didn't bother to look, I didn't particularly care for them, anyway. I wonder if even in that loneliness and sadness, I wonder if I was actually looking for you--for Varsis--for all of you." 

The seer finished wrapping Raven's arm with a bandage and I could see the High Lord looking for me. The High Lord of Darkness. The High Lord who leaves darkness in his wake. The High Lord whom I have been looking for even before I knew him. 

He didn't look half-conscious like before. He looked at me better and I never felt so relieved. I placed my hand on his head as I caressed his hair gently. 

"Rest," I said and looked at the door where Bryen, Az, and Aliana were standing. I was about to walk to get a blanket when he gripped my wrist before I could rise. His eyelids lowered. Consciousness is being dragged away from him. 

"I was looking for you, too," Raven murmured. 

And then he passed out. 

*** 

I planned to stay in his room for a while but the seer had asked me to remove my clothes so she could check my wound. Saka ko naman naramdaman ang sakit ng sugat ko. The seer shook her head as she examined my wound.

Maya-maya pa, she gave me something I could chew. It was a flower. Agad ko namang sinunod ang sinabi niya at kinain iyon. I couldn't feel any pain afterwards as she stitche my wound. Nang matapos siya ay nilagyan niya rin ito ng benda. 

My eyes were still on Raven, lying on his stomach on the now clean bed. Agad iyong pinalitan ni Aliana ng bedsheet dahil puno ng dugo iyong kanina. 

"So you heeded my advice, after all," the seer said. Napatingin ako sa kanya. My brows lifted in silent question as to what he was trying to say. 

"It's been a year since we first met, Lady Summers." 

Indeed. it has been a year since we first met. Nakita ko siya sa isang festival noon sa syudad ni Maxim. Kasama siya ng kapatid ni Tyrell na si Kier. Naalala niya pa na napagkamalan niyang manloloko ang babae. Turns out, seers are real in Sandovia and they are pretty accurate. I have witnessed it firsthand when that seer we consulted predicted about Ares Magnussen asking for our help. 

"Naaalala mo pa ba ang sinabi ko sa iyo noon?" tanong ng babae sa akin. I racked my brain for that time when we first met. She had guessed my name without me telling her. Nalaman din nito ang naging kalagayan namin ni Maxim. An arrangement. All of it started when I got arranged with Maxim. And then...

My eyes widen. "You told me that the courts will gather in one place one day. You told me to stay with the High Lord. You told me that I should have followed the advice of the masked wolf sigil. You were warning me about the coming threat." 

"And you stayed with the High Lord."

I let out a bitter laugh. I guess not all seers can see the future, huh. "I did stay with Maxim. Not because you told me to but because he was the man I loved before. And his court was in danger. I loved him and he was in danger--" 

"I did not say which High Lord, though." 

I froze. Napatingin ako sa kanya. The seer was grinning as if she knew something that I don't. Words paused in my mouth. 

"You didn't mean...Maxim?" 

The seer shook his head and then looked at Raven. "The High Lord of the North was the one I was talking about." 

I was speechless. I couldn't say anything. Paano ko malalaman na si Raven pala ang tinutukoy niya noon? I was brainwashed that Raven is the enemy. I was made to believe that he shouldn't be trusted. And yet he was the one who went to me. The one who made a bargain just so he could have an excuse to help me. Raven he--

"The High Lord was looking for you even before he met you, Delta Summers. He knew your mother." The seer stood.

"Ano?" 

"I believe my job here is done. I should take my leave." She walked towards the door. 

"Wait! What do you mean he knew my mother--" I grabbed her hand and she faced me. My mother died when I was born.

"The High Lord will be the one to tell you that story, Delta Summers. And he shall tell you about the truth." 

"Truth? What truth? What do you mean--" 

Ngunit hindi ko na natapos ang nais kong sabihin nang agad na nakalabas ang manghuhula sa kwarto. Napatingin ako kay Raven na payapang natutulog. Hindi ko maintindihan kung anong ibig sabihin ng babae. R

The High Lord was looking for you even before he met you. 

Bumukas ulit ang pinto at pumasok naman si Al. She looked like she had been outside, training. Her face was splattered with mud and her figting leathers covered in dirt. 

"How is he?" tanong niya sakin. I looked at Raven who was peacefully sleeping. 

"Better." 

Al sighed. "He'll live. Sandovian medicines are wonders. He will heal in no time." 

Bigla ko namang naalala ang nangyari kanina. When he shielded me with his body and when he pushes me off the cliff para hindi ako matamaan ng mga bala. It was painful to watch him almost bleed to death. I don't want to imagine what it had been like if Mor, Bryen, and Az didn't come. I would have no choice but to fight those trespassers. I am confident I could defeat them all but by the time I was done, it would have been too late for Raven. This might be the most traumatizing moment of my life. 

I shook away the thought. Ang mahalaga, ligtas si Raven. We killed all the Liberian soldiers who managed to penetrate the northern mountains. Hindi ko alam kung ilan silang nakapasok but Al had told me that Azrael and Bryen had been hunting them one by one while Al was left to train the Valyrian girls. 

And it was as if Al had sensed my thoughts that I felt her hand on my shoulder. "Raven is going to be fine. And when he does, he won't stop until all of these forces are on their knees."

No doubt. With his scream of pure wrath earlier, I could already imagine how he is going to kill his enemies. It wouldn't be a swift and merciful death.

Then I remembered what the seer had said.

"The seer told me that Raven had been looking for me ever before he met me," I said and looked at Al. "Do you know something about what she meant?"

Nakita ko naman na naging malumanay ang mga mata ni Al. For a moment she was just silent. And when she was about to open her mouth to speak, biglang bumukas a pinto at nakita namin si Cidran.

A mocking grin was on his face as he beheld Raven on the bed.

"The strongest High Lord of Sandovia almost died?" he asked but his voice was laced with mockery.

Al and I just looked at the newly arrived man.

"Other than your habit of proving anyone with eyes that you're a strong man when in fact, you're just a piece of s**t, what do you want here, Cidran?"

Tumingin naman si Cidran kay Aliana and regarded her as though Al doesn't deserve to be standing there. Aliana knew that at alam kong pinipigilan lang niya ang sarili niyang huwag gulpihin si Cidran . Raven did tell her to try and stay out of trouble.

"I will only talk to the men of your court," Cidran said. 

And I saw how Aliana clenched her fists. "Then leave. You can come back if there are men in this room willing to listen to whatever that is." 

"But I need to tell this now--" 

"Then say it," Aliana faced Cidran. "I am the third in command of the High Lord of the North Court. As you can see he is recovering. And the second in command is not here. If you want to speak to the men in this court then go and find Azrael and Bryen while they hunt for those bastards who managed to infiltrate this territory because of your negligence." 

Cidran was about to say something else when Aliana continued, "The girls have been busy training and doing the chores you made them do. What has the men in this place done so far? Oggling at your muscles in the mirror? If you claim you are so strong than the girls in this place then perhaps you should prove it and not just all talk. You can't even do your own chores." 

Cidran gritted his teeth as he looked at Aliana. His weapon was strapped on his waist, within a casual reach. If a fight should break between them, I would have no choice but to stop them. But I knew Aliana knew better than to fight Cidran inside Raven's room where he's recovering. 

The man sighed and looked at Aliana. "Very well," he said, as though what he was about to say is something Aliana couldn't handle. 

"The girls have done their training and some are protesting not to do the chores." 

Aliana smirked. 

"I wonder what you told them for them to revolt. They have always been submissive. These training are making them rebellious." 

This time, Aliana laughed. "Lord Cidran," she said. "I did not tell anything to those women. I simply demonstrated to them how to be strong. They are not rebellious. They simply don't want to do those tasks anymore. Maybe you and your men should learn a thing or two to those women." 

"Are you f*****g--" 

"Careful now, Lord Cidran. You are speaking to the third in command of the noble North Court. If you can't even do those simple chores while training then that speaks a lot to you. If women can do it and you can't, what does it say about you?" 

Nakita kong naiinis na si Cidran. And I stopped myself from laughing hard. Cidran is the perfect example of someone who has fragile masculinity. Hindi na ito nagsalita pa at agad na umalis sa silid. Tumingin naman si Aliana sa akin and we both burst in laughter nang makaalis ang lalaki. 

"I will have to leave here, for now, Delta. I need to see those girls and give them a reward." Ngumisi si Aliana sa gawi ko. I just nodded before she took off.

Napatingin ako sa natutulog na lalaki sa kamang naroon. Naalala ko ang sinabi ng babae sa akin kanina and the words that Raven told me before he passed out. 

He was looking for you even before he met you. 

I was looking for you too..

Hindi ko alam ngunit pakiramdam ko ay may dapat sabihin si Raven sa akin. I clenched my fist as I realized that Raven was not completely honest with me. And somehow, it bothers me that he did not tell me anything. What could be stopping him from telling me about it? How important is it? But most importantly, why was he looking for me? How did he knew my mother when she died the moment I was born? Had all of that been a lie? Ano ang totoo?

I looked at him sleeping peacefully. 

You will have to answer all of my questions when you wake up. 

* * *