A House Filled With Night
Blood Pumping Through Our Heads

Runa couldn’t remember feeling more useless in her life. Why couldn’t she do anything? Why didn’t show know how to shoot a musket? Why couldn’t she fly, stop time, or disappear into smoke? Why was she stuck inside the House, safe and sound, while the brothers had to face Lord Cargan alone?

She shoved the ramrod down the neck of the gun furiously, driving it up and down with greater and greater force. She should hurry.

Another boom went off in the distance. Lala, who had wormed her way in-between Runa’s legs, growled.

Runa had never been in a battle before. Was this what it sounded like? It wasn’t exactly an entire army against the Sons of Midnight, but it even so, the noise seemed unbearably loud. Every gunshot made her flinch. Any one of those musket balls could have found its way into a heart. They were outnumbered fifty to one. There was no promise the brothers would safely return, except for the words Torin had spoken before he left. Words felt terribly empty just now.

She finished the last of the muskets and scooped them into her arms. Casimir had said he would come back to retrieve them, but she hadn’t seen or heard from him since. She would just take them herself. Lala jumped up and scampered forward, ready to brave the terrors of the outdoors with her human companion.

Just as she was approaching the door, it swung open, making her jump and drop one of the weapons. She gasped. Casimir hauled in a bleeding Fiske over his back. Torin sprinted in at his heels, eyes strained, every muscle in his body tense. He was holding himself back.

“Good lord, what happened?”

“He was shot. Help me.”

She and Casimir eased Fiske onto the couch. The blood hadn’t clotted enough yet, dripping all over the floor and splattering the pale blue couch with brilliant read. His breathing came in and out rapidly, dangerously shallow. Lala jumped up and down along the edge of the couch, whimpering and stretching her neck to reach Fiske.

Casimir cursed under his breath. “This is worse than I thought. He’s lost a lot of blood. I’m going to have to treat this myself.”

“Okay,” Runa said, nodding. “Tell me what you need. Just tell me, I’ll do it.”

“Go get me some clean cloths and a vial of alcohol from the next room. And then…” He looked over at Torin, breathing out slowly. “And then take Torin to the black room in my place.”

Torin’s head shot up, a terrified look in his eyes.

“You’re insane!”

“What, would you prefer for Fiske to die?!” Casimir shouted.

Runa blinked back her surprise. She had never heard Casimir raise his voice like that.

“What do you want me to do, Torin? Huh? He’s bleeding to death here, and you’re too scared to let Runa take care of you for once? Get ahold of yourself.”

“But, Casimir—”

“Don’t you trust her? Or are you too proud?”

“It’s not that—”

“What do I do?” Runa interrupted. They turned. “Tell me.”

“Go to the black room. Find the starry ribbon, it should be there. It already has my sleep within it. Cover his eyes with it as quickly as you can. Before it’s too late. By then, he should be contained enough, but you’ll want to shackle his hands behind his back just in case. Watch him until it’s over. I’m asking you to do something dangerous because I don’t have a choice. I’ll come as soon as I can. But if you find yourself in trouble, scream. I will hear you.”

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Runa…” Torin started, his voice pained.

“Please, Torin. Please let me do something for once.”

“Hurry,” said Casimir. “You don’t have much time left. Neither of us do.”

She left before he could reply, hurrying to bring the supplies for Fiske’s wound. When she returned, Casimir was adjusting Fiske’s position, and Torin was gone.

He looked up. “Torin went ahead of you. Follow those stairs you see leading downward. It will find you.”

She nodded.

“Good luck, Runa.”

“Thank you.”

Her legs were like water as she stumbled down the steps. It grew darker and darker with each footfall. At the very bottom of the stair was a small, black door. It awaited her approach. She looked at her hand, which had alighted upon the doorknob. It was shaking. You have to go in. The doorknob whined as it turned. She stepped inside.

Torin was kneeling on the ground, hands fisted against his knees, body shaking. Nothing in his demeanor betrayed any hint of acknowledgement as she entered. He remained exactly as he was.

Runa breathed in, then out. She looked around, finding the twinkling ribbon crumpled on the floor, just between her and Torin. She approached, picking up the twinkling ribbon from the ground and crouching down in front of him. She hugged her knees to her chest and leaned forward to try and get a glimpse of his face.

“Torin…”

He did not lift his head.

“I’m going to cover your eyes now.”

Still, he refused to look up. He let out a great sigh and buried his face in his hands. “Runa, please,” he whispered, “Please don’t watch me like this again. I can’t stand it.”

“But I—”

“Why didn’t you leave? Why are you still here with me, when you know what I am? I’m such a twisted creature. I’m horrifying. I’m a mistake. I’m—”

She grabbed his face and demanded his gaze.

“Don’t say that. Never again.” She wanted to sound stern but knew she was about to cry. Her voice came out as breathy as a feather. “I have never thought less of you since the moment we first met.”

Torin’s mouth fell open to let out a choked breath, and tears began to fall.

“How can you…”

He didn’t finish his sentence, because his body suddenly jerked forward, knocking her onto her back. She gasped as all the air in her lungs escaped in an instant, knocked out of her by the sheer force of his movement. Her eyes rolled backward as her mind clambered to comprehend what was happening. She gripped the silky ribbon in her fist. She had to get it onto his eyes, but her arm seemed incapable of moving. Her eyes blinked wildly, finally clearing to reveal the two wildly spinning eyes of Torin. She pulled at her arm again. It didn’t budge an inch. It was caught in the vice of his hand.

“T-Tor—” Her throat gasped for air. She couldn’t get any sound through. All of his weight crushed against her chest, making it almost impossible to breathe. But she had to say something, had to do something, had to stop him before he destroyed her—or perhaps everything.

Her head swam. Spots of her vision were starting to go dark. Between them, she could see his face, horrifyingly strange and familiar at once. Were there cracks of inky blackness seeping from his skin, or was it the dark spots forming in her rapidly fading mind?

“T-Tor…”

The pain ripped up and down her body—crushing her ribs, her wrists, her heart. She squeezed her eyes closed, focusing on that pain, willing it to keep her conscious for just a few precious seconds more.

“Torin!” Her voice finally escaped, excruciating and desperate. “Torin, stop!”

His wild eyes faltered. Those horrible colors flickered out for just a second, and in that second, she felt his grip loosen.

She moved.

In an instant, Runa pulled her arms away and shoved the ribbon onto his eyes with both hands. His body trembled, then collapsed to one side. She had to scramble to get up and secure the ribbon behind his head before it slipped off.

In a sluggish daze, he tumbled to his feet, and for one horrible moment, Runa thought she was too late. But then she remembered what she had seen before—even with his eyes covered, the beast was never completely asleep. She ran to retrieve the shackles from the wall, links of the chain clinking behind her. It took every ounce of remaining strength to pull Torin’s arms back and restrain him. He staggered forward, pulling against her grasp. She had to hug one arm to herself so she could hold him still while she secured the first shackle. Even after the other clamped over his wrist, he continued to pull against his bonds, making the chain go taut. But the shackles didn’t give.

A sigh escaped Runa’s lips. She fell onto the ground.

This time, she didn’t hide in a corner. She pulled herself up and sat down just beyond his reach, as close as she could possibly sit without touching him. He continued to pull against his chains, head sometimes bowing, sometimes looking up to the ceiling. Occasionally his arm would reach out, fingers almost brushing Runa’s nose. She sometimes let out a little gasp in those moments, but still she remained. In this way, Runa waited as he toiled through his nightmarish trance.

When he fell back to his knees, she knew it was over. He made no move to pull against his restraints, nor to shake off the blindfold. She opened the shackles and kneeled before him to pull the ribbon away from his eyes. The black streams coursing down his cheeks were wiped away by cool fingers, the damp hair brushed from his eyes, the sweat on his forehead patted dry.

Torin gripped her hands, stopping their movement. His fingers brushed the hem of her long sleeves down, revealing bright red marks. He brought her wrist to his lips. She stopped breathing.

“I hurt you,” he said softly.

He leaned in to wrap his arms around her. Every muscle in her body stiffened for a moment before she fell into his embrace and returned it, grasping onto the folds of his shirt. He was with her again—Torin. The Torin she knew. The Torin she felt safe with. She wanted him to know, though she had not the words, that she forgave him, that she always would, that she cared for him, that she wanted him to never hurt again. So she held on as tightly as she could, and didn’t let go.

Torin felt her tears falling on his neck. He pulled back so that he could wipe them away, returning the favor.

“I’m sorry, Runa. I’m sorry for everything I’ve put you through, ever since the beginning. I want to take care of you, but I only hurt you. I want to give you the world, but all I can give you is a broken heart. I’m so ashamed, Runa. I know I should let you go, and I try, but—all I really want is for you to stay by my side. I’m amazed at my selfishness. I’m…sorry, Runa. I’m so, so…”

She reached up and held onto the hand resting upon her face.

“Don’t be sorry, Torin. I’ll stay with you as long as you want.” She paused. “And longer.”

These last words came out hesitantly. Both could feel the weight of them falling in the space between, like a gavel falling on its block.

He wasn’t avoiding her gaze anymore. He was staring so deeply into her eyes she was sure the air itself was burning. She would have to look away any moment now. How long could she hold such an unrelenting gaze? She felt his hands brush up from her cheeks into her hair. His face was coming toward her. He reached her. He kissed her.

Millions of colors exploded inside her head—Runa had never imagined it was possible to feel that many sensations at once. She froze first, paralyzed by the overwhelming rush in her body. Without thinking, she moved into the kiss. She felt his tears splattering upon her cheeks. She felt the heat radiating off his skin. The sound of blood pumping through her heart, through her brain, into her fingertips, filling every inch, making everything pulse and hum.

And then Torin’s hands slipped down her shoulders, his mouth away from hers, and he collapsed onto her, totally unconscious.

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~ A/N ~

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