Temptation
Dana's POV
My head felt unbearably heavy as I forced my eyes open. Disorientation washed over me, followed by a sharp, pounding migraine that chipped away at my thoughts. It felt as though my mind had been dragged through mud.
The first thing I saw was Doya.
His eyes were filled with worry, etched so deeply into his face that my chest clenched. He looked exhausted, like someone who had not rested for days.
"Dana... are you alright?" he whispered.
I wanted to answer, truly, but my throat closed up, as if forming words required more strength than I possessed. When I finally spoke, my voice barely carried.
"I'm sorry."
The words scraped down my throat, leaving a burning ache behind. Doya pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me, relief evident in the way he held me.
"I'm so glad you're alright," he murmured near my ear.
But the pressure of his body sent a sharp jolt of pain through me, like a thousand pins digging into my skin. I winced. He noticed immediately and loosened his hold.
"I'm so sorry," worry laced his voice.
"W-Water" I croaked.
Immediately, I watched Doya leave the room to get me water. As soon as I was alone, I tried to sit up, needing to understand where I was. My body protested, aches flaring everywhere at once. My head throbbed harder, and a sudden pain gripped my eyes, blurring my vision.
Fragments of my memory surfaced. The last thing I remember was a figure holding me mid-air and draining all the energy I had left in me.
Who was that?
Could that have been Balshak?
Just as I was trying to piece possible scenarios in my head, Doya returned with water, and behind him stood a guy I vaguely recognised.
The bear guy.
Doya handed me the water, I drank greedily, the cool liquid washed away the dryness in my throat, making me able to form words again.
"Thank you," I said softly to Doya.
Then I turned my gaze to the other guy. "I know you. You're the one who killed that bear in the forest the other day."
"The name's Kumbuye," he said, stepping forward and offering his hand.
I stared at it but did not take it. My body refused. He seemed to understand and withdrew without comment.
"How are you feeling?" Doya asked.
"Awful," I admitted. "But I'll survive."
That was when I noticed the white cloth wrapped tightly around his stomach, stained faintly with blood.
"Are you hurt?" My heart sank.
"Don't mind me," he replied gently. "Just focus on getting better."
The guilt hit me like a blow. I had dragged him into this mess. Hurt him. And yet he stood there pretending it didn't matter.
A woman stepped in, holding a cup. "This potion will help strengthen you."
Before I could reach for it, Doya took the cup and brought it to my lips. The taste was vile, thick and bitter, crawling down my throat, but I swallowed it anyway, if it truly helped.
"Are you alright?" Doya asked as I swallowed the last drop.
"I still feel like shit," I muttered. "It might take a while for the potion to kick in."
"Please could you give us a minute." Doya said calmly to the lady and Kumbuye indicating for them to leave the room.
When they stepped outside, he moved closer to me, bringing his hand to my face.
"I was terrified, Dana."
I swallowed. "Who are these people?"
"They are the ones we met yesterday before going to Balshak's fortress. They've been very hospitable so far."
"And Giselle?" Even after the betrayal, my thoughts still reached for her.
Doya's face darkened. "Captured, I think. I couldn't bring her."
I sighed. "Where are we?"
"They call this place Krythmoor. We're still inside the Invincible Cliff."
Dread coiled in my stomach. My breath hitched, fear creeping in fast. Doya caught the look on my face and spoke quickly.
"Once you regain some strength, I'm getting us out of here, alright?"
I nodded as he wrapped his hands around mine, using his thumbs to trace slow circles over the backs of my hands.
"You know that guy? Kumbuye," he asked.
"I've seen him. Once. The day I left with Bali..." My voice trailed off.
Bali.
Oh no. She was still at the cliff's edge. A wave of worry hit me. I hoped she was safe.
"You were saying?" Doya prompted, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Yeah," I said, rubbing my head. "I saw him three days ago, when I left you and Giselle and rode off with Bali."
As I spoke, it dawned on me that I had been in the Labyrinth for only four days, yet everyone around me had suffered because of it. Maybe destruction really did trail after me wherever I went.
"Thank you for getting me out of there," I said at last. I did not want to sound ungrateful. "I'm sorry I put you in danger."
"Dana, it's alright," he said gently. "You're safe. That's all that matters to me."
I looked down at his stomach, at the wound beneath the cloth. "You're hurt," I said quietly. "Let me use the healing spell on you. It won't fix everything, but it might ease the pain, at least a little."
Then I muttered the healing spell, but nothing happened.
I tried again, still nothing.
And again.
Confusion surged through me. That wasn't possible, I was doing everything right.
I tried once more, almost screaming the spell in frustration, but still nothing. No power moved through me. It was as though I had none to channel.
Doya held my hands, his eyes locking with mine, and whispered:
"It's okay, don't beat yourself up. I'll be fine."
I knew he would be fine eventually, but I wasn't. My powers weren't working.
"My powers aren't working, something is wrong with me." I said to him, tears stinging my eyes.
He leaned closer, trying to calm me, but he didn't understand. I was nothing without my powers. What had that hooded figure done to me?
"I think he took my powers." The tears burned at the edges of my eyes, threatening to fall as I whispered.
"Balshak didn't take your powers, Dana. Relax," Doya said.
"That was Balshak?" My chest heaved.
"Yes. And you need to breathe. He didn't take your powers," he assured me.
"How can you be so sure?" I pressed, gasping. "I don't feel anything in me. I can't channel. Something is wrong."
"You're probably just stressed," he said again, holding my arms.
"No," I yanked away. "It's not stress. I felt it yesterday. He drained my powers. I felt them leaving me."
By then, my heart was pounding so loudly it felt as though it echoed from my chest.
My thoughts spiralled, and the same question kept clawing at me.
Why is everything always taken from me?
My mind drifted to everything I had lost — people, pieces of myself, and now my powers. I hadn't even been given time to breathe. And now the one thing that made me feel important, that made me feel like I mattered, had been stripped away.
"Dana... if you truly believe your powers are gone, let's go to my temple," Doya said. "There might be a solution."
But his face betrayed him. Doya wasn't someone who lied easily, so why was he lying now?
"Why are you lying to me?" I asked slowly.
"Dana—"
"No, tell me," I cut in, my voice rising. "You just want me to come with you to your temple, don't you?"
"Dana, please, listen to me," he said. "Yes, I want you to come with me to my temple. But beyond that, there may be a solution to what's happening to you."
He watched my face, searching for any sign of hope. "There are powerful sorcerers there who might be able to help you."
Desperation flared inside me. If there was even a chance, I had no choice. I wanted my powers back, I needed them.
"Alright then," I said quietly. "We leave at first light."
It was already deep into the evening when music drifted in from outside the hut.
"What's that?" I asked.
"I don't know. Let me check," Doya said.
He stood and pulled on a tunic — one Kumbuye must have given him. Before he could leave, I spoke quickly.
"I'll come with you."
I pushed myself to my feet, leaning forward despite the sharp stab of pain. Doya reached to hold me up, but I nudged him aside. I could walk on my own. I wasn't some helpless lady.
The moment we came out of the hut, beneath the twinkling stars, the bard's tune carried through the night as he told the tale of the Guardians of old, of those who had risen in glory and fallen into legend, and the villagers listened, gathered in a circle. Before long, their voices joined his. Laughter followed, then dancing.
They were happy.
The thought stung. How could they be so happy when I wasn't?
A voice snapped me out of it.
"Come on, join us!" Kumbuye said, grabbing both Doya and me and pulling us into the crowd.
It was awkward. Doya was clearly uninterested. I was too. Still, we forced smiles and pretended. Doya blended in easily, he knew the songs, the words rolling off his tongue. I didn't know any of them. Some of the songs were sung in a foreign language, perhaps the old tongue of the Labyrinth, one I had never heard and did not understand.
After a while, I slipped away to get a drink, hoping it might quiet the storm of thoughts clawing at my mind.
The brew was dark and thick, poured into a rough clay cup, its scent was sharp with fermented grapes and wild herbs. The first taste was bittersweet. When I swallowed, it burned in my throat, followed by a deep, fruity warmth that lingered longer than expected. It was good, really good and strong too.
The strength revealed itself quickly. After only a few mouthfuls, heat bloomed in my chest, spreading outward, loosening my limbs and dulling my pain. My thoughts slowed, everything became hazy. It was the kind of brew that did not wait for excess, its effect came fast, a reminder that it was meant for endurance and hardship, not for idle pleasure.
I staggered, struggling to keep myself upright. Where was Doya?
I pushed through the crowd, searching for him, but my steps were shaky. As I lurched forward, I nearly fell, but a strong hand caught me from behind.
"Looks like someone had a bit too much to drink," Kumbuye whispered in my ear.
I tried to shove him off, but my weak limbs betrayed me. He held me close, and guided me back to one of the huts — the same one I'd first been in.
"W-Where's my friend?" I finally managed to ask.
"He's fine," Kumbuye replied, trying to reassure me. "Probably enjoying himself outside."
He was awfully close to me as he set me down on the mat. I let myself sway, dizzy from the brew I hadn't meant to drink so quickly. The room spun in my eyes, but when I looked at him, the haze didn't matter. He was so close, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him.
He leaned in slowly, his gaze dropping to my lips, giving me space to pull back. I didn't. My breath hitched as his lips met mine. His hands found my face, pulling me closer to him. I melted into his touch. My hands reached up, tangling in his thick, rope-like hair.
I should stop. I barely knew him. I should care about the rules, about what I thought I wanted. But the pull of him, the warmth, the feel of his hands, the taste of his lips, it was dizzying, intoxicating. I liked it. Gods, I liked it.
My knees pressed against the floor as I moved closer to him. He held me by the waist, trailing short kisses down my neck. I didn't realize a loud moan had escaped my lips before his soft lips claimed them again. He twisted his tongue into mine, sending jolts through me.
When we finally pulled apart, my lips tingled, my heart was hammering, I couldn't catch my breath. I stared at him like a fool.
We held each other's gaze, then he smiled.
Damn him.
He liked it as much as I did.
I froze the moment the hut door creaked open. My eyes landed on Doya, standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable at first, but he hadn't seen anything. Right?
I wanted to disappear into the floor. I didn't know what Doya was thinking and it was killing me.
"I've been looking for you," Doya said at last, looking at me suspiciously. "You... you look flushed. Is everything—"
I shook my head. "I'm fine," I whispered quickly, cutting him off. I wanted to explain that nothing had happened, that he had nothing to worry about, but like, what if he hadn't seen anything?
Kumbuye shifted beside me, though he didn't say a word. He just moved a few inches away from me as Doya stepped closer.
"You're not hurt, are you?" Doya asked, inching closer, his eyes scanning me.
"No, I'm fine."
"Um... I think I should leave," Kumbuye finally spoke, getting up and proceeding to leave the room.
The moment he stepped out, Doya asked again:
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Arghhh, why did he have to care so much?
"I'm fine," I mumbled. "I swear it."
"You're drunk," he said plainly, then added, "You should sleep now. Remember, we leave at first light."
---
Author's note:
*Visual reference for Kumbuye below*