"Fuck!"
The crack of splintering wood echoed through the room as The Sage slammed his hand down through the table hard enough to shatter it apart. Broken pieces scattered across the floor, some skidding across the stone while others toppled beside his feet. The outburst lasted only a second before it was interrupted by another violent coughing fit. He doubled over slightly, clutching at his throat as harsh coughs tore out of him one after another.
"Got it out of your system?" The Vampire asked dryly from nearby, their arms crossed loosely over their chest.
The Sage shot them an irritated glare through watering eyes. "Shut up! You're not the one who's—" Another cough interrupted him hard enough to force him to pause and steady himself against a nearby wall. "Suffering from this!"
The Succubus watched the exchange from off to the side, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her cheek while observing him. Ever since the portal had been closed, they had realized something was wrong. The pain in The Sage's throat had never faded. If anything, it seemed to be getting worse the more he spoke.
"Look at the bright side," she remarked casually. "A normal mage probably would have died doing what you did. That's most likely why Zerakhea gave you the word in the first place. She expected it to kill you."
The Sage turned toward her while still gripping at his throat tightly. "Yeah, no shit, Sherlock!" he snapped before another series of coughs wracked his body. "How do I get it to—" he coughed again, harsher this time, "—stop?"
The Succubus gave a small shrug. "I don't know. Speaking magic and curses aren't exactly my specialty."
She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking over the problem more seriously.
"Since she technically caused this," she continued after a moment, "maybe Zerakhea knows how to stop it?"
The Sage stared at her in disbelief.
"Maybe?" he repeated slowly, irritation immediately creeping back into his voice. "So it isn't even guaranteed that she knows?"
Another coughing fit overtook him before he could continue further. This time a small amount of blood splattered onto his hand when he pulled it away from his mouth. His expression darkened immediately upon seeing it.
The Succubus simply nodded once. Whether he liked the answer or not, it was the only possibility they currently had.
"But finding her is going to be difficult," The Vampire remarked while casually patting The Sage on the back, which only seemed to irritate him more. "We let her leave in a hurry because of the Demon Knight situation."
"Fucking shit!" The Sage snapped, slapping The Vampire's hand away before straightening himself up again. "Fine! I'll get—" he coughed harshly into his arm, "—I'll get Drave to track her down."
With that announcement, he turned and stormed out of the room, boots striking heavily against the floor as he disappeared down the hall.
The other two watched him leave.
"Well," The Vampire remarked after a moment, "he's certainly angry."
They glanced over toward The Succubus.
"And for once, it's understandable."
The Succubus let out an amused chuckle. "He's a British man from Birmingham. He has the right to be constantly angry." She theatrically shivered afterward. "I wouldn't wish such a fate on my worst enemy."
The Vampire tilted their head slightly. "It feels unfair that the two of you get to speak in your own secret language."
They gave a small shrug before walking over toward a nearby window. After pushing it open, they casually stepped up onto the ledge and left through it without another word.
The Succubus watched them leave briefly before pulling out the communication device from her pocket.
"Now that all of that is over with," she muttered to herself, "let's see how Amara's doing."
She activated the device and attempted to contact her.
No response.
The Succubus raised a brow slightly.
"Is she in the middle of fighting?" she whispered to herself, since those were usually the only moments where Amara failed to answer immediately.
After waiting another few seconds without a reply, she slowly lowered the device.
"I'll just… wait for her to respond," she decided quietly, putting it away again.
Despite her words, she could not quite shake the feeling of unease settling in her chest.
She shook her head once as if trying to dismiss the thought entirely.
"She'll be fine. This happens sometimes."
With that, she finally left the room herself and began heading toward her chambers.
Meanwhile, outside the room, The Vampire had heard every bit of it through the wall with their sharper hearing.
A faint smile spread across their face before they finally continued walking toward their own chambers as well.