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Aydin

The sound blared, filling the cave, filling my head, making me dizzy. I covered my ears, shrinking from the sound. It throbbed and echoed, laughing at me, forcing me to hear it. It was too much.

It echoed and re-echoed, pounding at the walls. A crackle of electricity skittered across my arm.

Slowly, the sound faded, leaving behind a headache that seemed to mock the throb of the sound. Everyone was dead silent.

Qatar and whatever Liorah’s anemic victim was called stared in bewilderment and Liorah looked ready to commit a murder. I didn’t know who on yet, but I wasn’t going to let it happen.

She was clenching her fists, shoulders tense with anger. The entire cave seemed to quiver, the slightest shake in the floor almost felt real.

I stepped between her and the others, shooting her a glare which she met with vehemence. I didn’t back down. I was sick of this and especially sick of her.

Some of the conversations had resumed so it was safe to talk again.

“What’s wrong with you?” I hissed.

“What do you think?” she spat back. She probably didn’t even know what I was talking about but she had never really cared.

“I think you’re trying to get us killed. You can’t just fight anyone who insults you.”

“Watch me.”

“I know you do, I mean you shouldn’t.”

“Why not? What’s it to you?” Liorah challenged.

I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t backing down on this. If Liorah was acting like an idiot by herself that was fine but this was dragging me into fights I didn’t want.

“Because we have unfortunately found ourselves in this inconvenient thing called ‘friendship’ which means that if you decide to get yourself killed I’m going to have to stop them and I don’t want to, so stop trying to execute your heaven-given right to die.”

“It’s not my fault,” Liorah said, crossing her arms.

“I didn’t see anyone forcing you to kick him,” I said, sarcastically.

“He deserved it.”

“And it’s still going to make you enemies, so stop doing that. Honestly, you have the self-preservation instinct of a hamster.”

Liorah was annoying me more with every passing second and I barely managed to bite down the annoyance. It was probably also a result from being over-tired, having a headache, and a nightmare haunting the back of my mind, but to me it mostly meant I wasn’t going to put up with any more of Liorah’s issues.

I felt something on my right arm and glanced down. It looked like a crackle of pale blue light flickered across my arm but it was gone as soon as I looked. Another hallucination.

“Oh, do I? What makes you say that?” Liorah challenged. She seemed to be enjoying this argument but I certainly wasn’t. It felt like everyone was staring even though I kept my voice low. Why couldn’t she make something easy for once?

“Liorah, I’ve seen you. You once insulted someone who had a sword at your neck. Multiple times.”

“And let me remind you who got me in that position,” Liorah retorted, instantly.

I rubbed my temple, trying to force back the Liorah-induced headache.

“I know, I know! You throw it in my face at least twice a week, I’ve apologized a hundred times or more, when will it be enough?”

Liorah’s eyes went hard and her shoulders tightened. I could see her thinking, ‘when the life you took from me is restored. So, never.’

“I’ll apologize again if it makes you feel better but please, I want you to stop making enemies.”

“I can fight my own battles,” Liorah said, shortly.

I raised an eyebrow.

“If we’re going by previous events–”

Liorah seemed ready to snap something resentful but caught herself at the last moment.

“If anything happens again I won’t draw you into it,” she said, articulating carefully, trying to keep her anger down.

I shrugged. It wasn’t going to get better than that.

“Fine. Try to be nice.”

“That’s a lost cause for both of us,” Liorah retorted, sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes and turned away. There was only so much of her I could take at a time and that had been too much. My headache wasn’t going away anytime soon.