As she stepped forward, her power brushed against Fael’s.His rage throbbed within her mist, and she saw him emerge from the shadows.Seven brigands lay dead around him, his sword dripping blood.Steam rose from his glowing skin as he approached the next group, a feral grin twisting his features.Flames danced through her mist, their tongues intertwining with her shadows.
An approaching guard froze mid-step as Ren’wyn flicked her fingers, shadows gripping him at the knees.Blue flames consumed him, and his screams tore into the gathering dusk as he clawed at his burning clothes.
Behind the southern cart, Esrin’s power exploded.The druid’s magic unfurled like the branches of a mighty tree, wind gusting fiercely through the camp.The Void surged toward it, mist and shadow clinging to the currents.Ren’wyn’s eyes widened as the forces intertwined—black, green, and red—connecting her to the brigands’ lives.She felt their blood pumping, their hearts pounding in terror as they breathed Esrin’swind.
Fael continued cutting through the brigands with terrifying efficiency.His sword burned with pale blue fire, shadows dripping from its blade like liquid night.He thrust the weapon into one man’s stomach before spinning and slicing cleanly through another’s neck.Blood sprayed across the muddy ground.
Ren’wyn moved again, her fingers curling as she reached for the lives scattered across the camp.Some raced toward the unguarded stream in a desperate bid for escape, and their frantic breaths coursed within her magic.Closing her hands into fists, she squeezed.
Esrin and Fael both cried out, falling to their knees as her magic drew on their power.The camp erupted into chaos.Shadows, flame, wind, and rain fused into a single destructive force.Brigands screamed as flames devoured them, burning through flesh and bone with relentless hunger.The fire thrived despite the rain, its fury unquenchable.
Ren’wyn’s power coursed through her, electric and all-consuming.She squeezed tighter, drawing out the brigands’ suffering with cruel precision.
“Ren’wyn!”Esrin screamed, his voice filled withpain.
She turned, seeing him clutch his chest, reaching for her.Fael knelt nearby, a dark smile on his blood-streakedface.
Her stomach dipped, and she clenched her hands tightly one final time, ending the brigands.With a sweep of her arm, their bodies decomposed, dissolving into ash as the mist seeped back into the ground.The shadows released Esrin’s and Fael’s power, which flowed back into their auras.
Drained, Ren’wyn’s knees buckled.She collapsed into the wet, muddy ground, coughing violently as a metallic taste coated her tongue.Her vision blurred at the edges.
Fael staggered toward her, his usual grace replaced by heavy, uneven steps.He dropped to the ground besideher.
“Holy hell, Ren’wyn,” he rasped, his voiceraw.
“I know,” she replied weakly, her words interrupted by a deep cough.She looked down at her hand, now speckled with blood.
“Ren’wyn,” Fael said urgently, his eyes wide with concern.He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly as her eyes flutteredshut.
The last thing she felt was Fael dragging her from where she lay, his warmth and strength the only anchors against the encroaching darkness.
Ren’wyn woke to the sound of Esrin and Fael arguing in hushed, tense voices.They had clearly fared better than she had since exhaustion still pressed her down.Nearby, Lia and Sorya lay silent, their dirty clothes clinging to sunken frames.Ren’wyn shivered at the sight of them, her stomach turning.The tent smelled of unwashed bodies, blood, and horse, made worse by the foul blanket beneathher.
“We can’t risk moving them,” Fael whispered.“I have no idea how to treat Ren’wyn’s condition, and Lia and Sorya are drugged and injured.Until the drugs clear, we won’t know what shape they’re in.”
“We can’t stay here, Fael,” Esrin replied sharply.“What if there are more brigands?My power is only a thread after what Ren’wyn did to it.I don’t know when I’ll be strong enough to fight again.”
“What Ren’wyn did was save our asses,” Fael snapped.“Don’t act like it wasn’t the most incredible thing you’ve ever seen.Don’t act like it wasn’t unheard of—our powers responding to her, intertwining withhers.”
“Incredible?You’re sick, you know that?”Esrin’s voice wavered between fear and anger.“She used to be kind and gentle, and now—because of you—she’s a killer.You’ve destroyedher.”
Fael’s steps came quick and quiet, followed by the sound of a sharp intake of breath.
“Don’t you ever call her that,” Fael growled, his voice trembling with fury.“She is still kind and gentle, but she’s strong too.I won’t take credit for her courage—she found that herself.And I don’t know if she’s going to wake up,” he admitted, his voice strangled.“I won’t let you insult her unconscious form out of your own insecurity.”
The rough shuffle of boots reached her ears.Deciding her thirst was worth interrupting their fight, Ren’wyn croaked, “Fael?”
The argument stopped abruptly, and warm hands touched her face before Fael’s worried expression hovered aboveher.
“I’m thirsty,” she whispered.Her throat felt as though she had swallowed broken glass.
Fael grabbed a waterskin and helped her take small sips.The water burned her cracked throat, but the relief was worth the discomfort.His brows knitted with concern as she drank.Ren’wyn brushed her fingers along his furrowed brow, and he caught her hand, kissing and nuzzling her palm.Having softened his expression, she nestled her head into his lap, her body finally relaxing as he rested a protective hand on her shoulder.
Esrin eventually conceded the futility of moving the group.He and Fael took turns patrolling while the three women slept through the night.
Just before dawn, Sorya stirred awake, followed by Lia.Ren’wyn roused as well, her body less stiff and her magic faintly fluttering in her soul—a sign the Void was beginning to mend her.Snagging her pack, she crawled to Lia and Sorya, who looked pale and fragile, as though death hovered overthem.
Lia trembled under her blanket, while Sorya stared with vacant eyes.Ren’wyn gave Esrin a pointed look, and he left the tent without argument.She turned to the two women.
