But she didn’t move. And neither did I.
Because if I touched her, I wouldn’t stop.
The silence stretched, taut as a drawn bowstring.
Finally, I dragged in a breath sharp enough to hurt, pulling the shadows back into myself. They recoiled reluctantly, leaving the air between us strangely bare.
“You should rest,” I said hoarsely, forcing steadiness I didn’t feel. “Tomorrow will test us both.”
Her gaze lingered on me, searching, weighing. Then she nodded, though her shoulders were tight, her hands curling briefly at her sides before she let them fall.
“You’re right,” she said. The words were simple, but her voice was rough, frayed at the edges.
I forced myself to take a step back, shadows swirling protectively to build a barrier between us. I could still feel her warmth clinging to me, seared into my skin like a brand.
Dangerous. She was too dangerous.
The forest stirred again, pulling us back to the world outside our fragile silence.
At that moment, a familiar, soft brush of wings against my shoulders made me turn, and I saw Meryn, my loyal snowy owl, swooping down to land gracefully on a branch nearby. Her white feathers gleamed in the faint moonlight, her sharp eyes watching me with an almost knowing gaze. She let out a soft hoot, her gaze unwavering, and I felt a familiar comfort settle over me, a reassurance that I wasn’t alone.
“Your pet?” Elena asked, and I nodded.
“Meryn.” I raised a hand and she settled on my bent wrist, fluffing her feathers. “Meryn, meet Elena.”
“She’s beautiful,” Elena cooed, and I fought to keep the smile off my face as she fussed over my pet.
“Well, Meryn,” I murmured, unable to keep the faint tremor from my voice as I stroked her feathers, “looks like I can finally join you on your trips outside the forest.”
A long moment passed, and then Elena cleared her throat.
“Come, we have work to do,” she said. “There’s still so much we don’t know about the disappearances, the relief grain… everything the Elders have refused to explain.”
I nodded, feeling the familiar intensity return, the determination that had driven me through centuries of darkness.
Only now, it wasn’t a solitary struggle—it was something I would face beside her, with her strength and light to guide me.
“Then let’s get to it,” I replied, meeting her gaze with a fierce, unbreakable resolve. “Together.”
Chapter 11: Elena
We made our way to the village closest to the forest. The mage was due to arrive today, and we would be waiting for him.
Dario walked by my side, and his quiet wonder at walking through the streets of a village after a hundred years was both amusing and heartbreaking.
We moved silently, keeping to the shadows as we approached the house that had been marked by the mage.
Dario waved a hand and the sigil on the door burned brightly again, as it had when the hooded mage had left it two nights before. We settled in to wait near the house, hidden in the shadows, watching silently.
We didn’t have to wait long.
We watched as there was a flash of magic and smoke rose into the air. When it cleared away, a hooded figu re stood in the lane. The same hooded figure we had seen before.
The mage was back.
The figure walked slowly through the lanes, disturbing no one, and making no sound. The way it moved suggested that magic was being used to keep the figure inconspicuous.
The sigil glowed as the figure neared the house it had marked. It knocked softly, and a moment later, the door creaked open.
