Pain lances its way through my chest at just the thought of her body being torn apart by the very beasts who have been mysole comfort. My nostrils flare beneath the mask that hides my truth.
I am weak.
I am a coward.
I’ve long known this. But here and now, I face it again.
I will keep her. I will sacrifice for her. Because even a half-life is more bearable than none. I am not capable of giving her up.
We enter our nest, and she sits on the furs without a word, curling her arms around her body.
“Tell me,” I say finally. Unable to wait any longer to know if we are doomed. I would gladly die with her. Forget the world. I only want her.
“She…” Her voice is quiet as she begins, but there is no new fear laced with the sound. “She’s in the dungeon. She’s going to die”
Fear strikes like a viper, its sting a surprise even though I should have expected it. Lina looks up at me. The sadness in her eyes causes physical pain to pulse through my chest.
“The seer said I have a long future here, as long as I don’t let my compassion distract me.”
I release a breath. Tension seeps from my limbs like poison. “She did not know of your rebellion?”
She shrugs. “Or she is giving me a second chance to reconsider.”
“They do not give second chances.”
She bites her lip, gaze distant. Something is wrong.
“Is there more?”
She looks up at me, as if I hold her very hope in my hands. It is a precious thing that I do not deserve yet want so badly it hurts.
“I can’t let her die.” Her voice quakes.
My brow furrows. “You would choose death, to save a girl you’ve met once?”
She shakes her head quickly. “Not her.”
I frown, unsure what she means.
I slowly lower myself to sit beside her, stomach twisting. “Who?” I pray she doesn’t mean the girl the coin belongs to. Her friend, who she loves so deeply, is a witch. Only a witch would have owned that coin.
A witch will not be allowed to live long in the den.
“Astella,” she whispers the name with irreverence.
“Is that the girl you protected in the forest?”
She whips her head to look at me, but I keep my gaze steady at the floor.
“Yes.”
“She sacrificed herself to save you,” I say, mostly to tell her that I understand. I hear what she is telling me. She will not give this girl up.
I might even find myself jealous, if I didn’t know the name belonged to a child. The love Lina holds for this girl may be more important to her than life itself, but it is not the same kind of love I have for her. Both can exist. Both can flourish.
My eyes flutter closed. My head spins.
I imagine what I would do if the person I cared for most was in the dungeon.