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Pain.
Radiating from her torso. Wrapping around her organs, she was left gasping from this feeling.
She had tried to not to show her sister just how badly this was affecting her, but it didn’t matter since she lost consciousness shortly after it started.
Tally was familiar with various forms of pain, but this was different. It didn’t feel like her own, but at the same time it felt so real. It was as if the knower in her picked up on the pain and it was transmitted to her body.
All these thoughts raced through her mind as she laid in her stiff cot. You would think a bed intended for the sick would be more conducive to not causing back pain. This was not the case as a twinge of back pain started unrelated to the phenom made physical manifestation of angry blistered adorning her abdomen.
Despite the debiddifaction, Tally still did not feel fully herself. Part of that was due to the vast amount of past trials and tribulations she was forced to process as a biddie. She wasn’t even close to processing everything the general and her past biddies had gone through before they were disconnected. However, even that short amount of time left her reeling at the sheer volume of memories.
Her starry eyed view of the general shifted as she saw how much pain the women had gone through. The mile high pedestal she had placed the mythic women on had been obliterated. Now in her psyche she could look the women in the eye and see her for who she is behind the impenetrable armor of the General Alder title.
She was able to see Sarah. A woman who had gone through unimaginable loss, and kept going despite the weight of witch kind on her shoulders. She could now see the fear in her heart at the outside world, at humanities fickle nature to destroy things it does not understand.
The agony of each witch’s soul that joins the mother year after year.
The uncertainty of binding witches to war, and the defeat of knowing no other way to protect their kind against the outside world.
This and much more began to compound in her mind in regards to the general, that it started to make her head hurt.
These memories from the general, provided her with much incite, but also many more questions.
It had been a few hours since she woke up in the infirmary. She had sent her sisters back to their bunks to get rest for training the next day.
Part of her regrets doing this as now as her mind spirals down dangerous roads regarding Sarah Alder.
Speak a witch's name and she shall appear.
Tally must have been very deep in thought to not notice the focus of her mind entering the room.
General Alder cleared her throat in order to gain the cadets attention.
This sudden noise pulled Tally from the deep recesses of her conscious mind to the present. She looked over at the general.
The woman always seemed to be standing at attention floated through Tally’s mind as she took in her superior body language.
“How are you feeling, Craven?” The words felt detached, but Tally could feel her concern through their not so disconnected bond.
“It still hurts, but more in a phenom limb kind of way if that makes sense?” She tried to let out a chuckle at the end of her phrase, but a shooting pain stopped her laugh.
The general lurched forward, but caught herself before getting too close to the young woman. Tally could see the other mask slip for a moment as the woman's eyebrows dipped up and a frown marred the normally stoic face.
“Please be careful Tally.” Came in the softest voice Tally had ever heard from the general.
Alder took a seat on the edge of the bed to her right. The cadet watched as her superior slowly moved her hands across her thighs before settling on her knees.
After clearing her throat the general continued, “I am sorry for placing this burden on your shoulders. I know my memories can be a heavy weight for one to hold. What you are going through right now did not happen with the last person who went through this process, though they were not a knower such as yourself.”
Tally was in a state of shock. The great and powerful General Alder was sitting before her rambling out an apology. The light dusting of crimson that adorned her cheeks was not helping, Tally from melting a bit on the inside.
Before Sarah could continue, Tally cut her off, “Thank you for the apology General. I appreciate the gesture. I know having your memories shared without your control must be unsettling, but on my part I am glad.”
Sarah furrowed her brows and her frown became much more pronounced, “What! How can you be glad to be going through this pain? No one should have those memories.” A small crack entered her voice towards the end. The blue of her eyes became more pronounced with pink starting to over take the whites of her eyes.
A gentle smile graced the cadet’s face as she looked over at Sarah, “Exactly. You shouldn’t have to bear that burden alone.” This was declared as Tally reached across the ocean of space between them and gently caressed Sarah’s hand in hers.
The light dusting of crimson was now a storm of ruby that spread from the cheeks to the rest of Sarah’s face.
The normally stoic woman was nowhere to be seen as the hunched over figure before her was glazing at the floor and lightly brushed her thumb across Tally’s hand. “Thank you Tally. That means more than you could know.”
Raelle would be making gagging noises if she could see the look Tally was currently giving Sarah.
Yes her star-struck wonder for the great Sarah Alder was gone.
But now she looks upon the wounded and scared women before her and has a different kind of wonder.
One that makes her want to protect Sarah no matter the cost.