Betrayed
The worst thing that's ever happened to me has already happened.
Life had a way of testing the limits of that mantra. Especially since Matilda died and Laudna was born.
She wasn't even sure if Bor'Dor was his real name any more, all she knew was that yet again, someone who she'd thought was her friend had betrayed her.
She remembered the first friend, that little Tal'Dorei girl who'd been the first person not to be frightened by her, and how in the end, her parents had refused to let her see Laudna, and she hadn't put up much of a fight. She remembered how betrayed shed felt, enough to run away to another continent.
She remembered Dusk, the very first person to ever express interest in her, or at least, in a genuinely romantic way (she was a dead girl, people had their fetishes). And yet, that had turned out to be nothing more than a ruse, a strategy for getting closer to the group so they could get access to Fearne's parents and kill them. None of it had been real.
She remembered FCG, who'd attacked her in the very way she was least prepared to suffer. He'd gone after her very soul, her deepest insecurity, when he was supposed to be her best friend, the one the party went to for support. And yeah, maybe it hadn't been entirely his fault, but that didn't make it sting any less.
And then there was Bor'Dor.
He'd claimed to be just a simple sheep herder. He'd claimed to be trying to find his way back to his sick brother. He'd claimed to know nothing of these abilities he'd had this whole time. He'd claimed to be on their side, that he'd act as their healer. And yet, he'd betrayed them. He'd lied, pretended to be their friend, for days.
He deserved death.
The worst part was, Laudna remembered when they'd first met. He'd complimented her, told her she was cool despite how scary she was, and she remembered getting somewhat flustered in a way that reminded her of how she'd felt when Ashton had told her how obvious Imogen's feelings for her were.
Imogen.
Watching Bor'Dor stand up, the cracks in his skin, the hateful expression in his eyes, had triggered a memory that had apparently affected Laudna more than she realized. Of Ashton asking their friends who had a chance of turning on the rest of them. And she'd raised her hand, understandably. She had an evil necromancer in her head, after all. But... Imogen had raised her hand too. And the idea of Imogen betraying her... that hurt. That hurt more than being hung from a tree. How could Imogen love her if she was openly admitting the possibility that she could turn on her? Maybe it was all Laudna's fault, maybe this was just how she was, and how she was always destined to be.
So, with minimal prompting from Orym, Laudna disintegrated Bor'Dor's body. And for the briefest of moments, she felt a familiar presence at the back of her mind.
And for a moment, a scary thought entered her mind: at least you'll always be here.
Within moments, Bor'Dor was gone. And the worst part was, she didn't regret a thing.
The worst thing that's happened to me has already happened.
It was barely a few months ago, and yet she missed that poor, innocent version of herself more than she ever expected to.
She tried desperately not to think about it that night. She failed. Miserably.
She would see Imogen tomorrow, for the first time in almost a week. And it had been such a long week, she genuinely didn't know how she could ever explain it. She wondered if Imogen had been on her own adventures, with that little gnome woman and that metal man they'd seen when they scryed on the other group. She wondered where they'd gone, who they'd met, who they saved, and if they'd been betrayed the same as her. If when she returned, she'd have somebody to talk about this with.
But if Imogen could turn on the group, turn on her, could she risk talking to her? She'd had her neck broken, her chest run through, her brain hijacked, her whole world destroyed multiple times over. Her heart was all she had left. If she lost that... there may not be anything else left over besides Delilah. And the last thing the world needed was two apocalypses.
"Are you all prepared to go?"
The voice of their druid friend pulled her back to reality long enough to nod, and she watched as he lifted his arms, splitting the tree in half. She took a shaky breath before making eye contact with her companions.
Are we ready?" she asked.
Orym nodded, reaching up to take her hand. "Let's go get your girl."
Laudna was surprised to find tears welling up in her eyes. She was excited, yes... but she was also terrified. What if Imogen had changed? What if Imogen's feelings were different? Most terrifying of all... what if Imogen betrayed them?
She forced a small nod, despite everything, and Orym gave her a smile before leading her through the rift, through to Jrusar, and towards the love of Laudna's life, the one who held the fate of her very soul in her hands.