How was Rhyan going to be able to face that when I healed him?
If I healed him …
“Yes,” Auriel said. “It’s very good. It means he’s known. It means he’s respected. That any akadim we encounter moving forward can lead us to him.”
I scoffed. “Right, because they’re so agreeable. Do you know how many times I had to ask this one for that information? He knew but he didn’t give me shit on how to find him.”
“Maybe we need a new tactic. Maybe we need to cure them first,” Auriel said.
“If we even can.” I looked away, tears blurring my vision. “That akadim was stabbed with the blade. With the shard. It didn’t work—did it?” And that had me far more worried than the news of Rhyan’s new ranking.
“No,” Auriel said. “But I think it’s because it was me. The shard was incomplete.” He lifted his arm, pointing to my heart. “It has to be you.”
My heart pounded as if in response. The light inside me warmed. I was the fire. But I didn’t feel like it at that moment. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am,” he said. “We’ll find him. I can sense him still. It’s stronger now. That’s good. I think it does mean he’s in Korteria. And if not, we’ll go wherever he is. But not until you’re fully healed.”
I knew he’d say that, but I couldn’t even argue with him. He was right. I had to be in perfect fighting condition. And right now I was far from it.
“What do we do?” I asked.
“Nothing. Nothing more tonight. You need to rest. You deserve to rest. You’ll heal faster that way. We’ll train in the morning. We’ll practice with the shard. Make sure your aim is perfect. And we’ll continue on. We’ll go to each town we can find on the map, we’ll listen for any news or rumors of akadim movements, anyone pursuing a moving horde. And I’ll keep my senses open. We’ll do it every day until we find him. Until we track him down.”
I nodded. “Okay,” I sniffled, my chest contracting painfully. Being in a cave, sitting by the fire, having my injuries tended to … Auriel had done this once before already, on the night he’d appeared. But Rhyan and I, for a while, this had been our life. Our own private world. For weeks we’d been on the run, alone like this. Together. And the pain of it, of him not being here with me, of him not being the one to sleep beside me tonight felt like a fresh knife to my heart.
“Auriel?” I said, my voice shaking.
“Lyriana?”
“I miss him,” I cried. “So much.”
“Oh, I know you do,Meka.I know. Come here to me. Come here.” But he was already standing, moving to my side, and pulling me against him in a hug. He let me cry against his chest, and rest my head in his lap when I grew too tired. Then he stroked my hair, and my back, until I finally drifted to sleep. The red shard glowed ever so slightly as it lay beside me, my eyes closing.
The next morning, I woke up early and ready for training. Though the skin on my arms was still healing, the use of my arms, and the control in my hands had returned. For the first time in days, I felt restored.
I used my glamour magic on Auriel to change his armor again. I’d perfected the spell a little more, not having to perform it under as much pressure as before. It was still nowhere near as convincing or detailed as what Aiden could do. He truly was an artist, and I hoped I’d get the chance to tell him that when I saw him again. When I saw everyone again. Wherever they were.
Standing back to check my work on Auriel’s appearance, I decided it was perfectly passable as long as no one looked too closely. Auriel appeared to be wearing the standard silver armor issued by Ka Kormac. I decided to also change his eyes from green to black. They didn’t suit him at all—but he would definitely blend in with the other Korterians.
After doing a quick perimeter check for any threats—animal, akadim, and Kormac, he took the ashvan by himself out to the nearest town. The plan was for him to listen for news, open his senses, and gather food for me. Because he insisted I eat before I trained. Like Rhyan would …
So I did, knowing there was no way around it—even if I felt energetic, even if I was eager to start. Auriel was just as strict as Rhyan, if not more. So, while I waited for him to return, I practiced the Dance of Asherah, holding the sword. It was something I used to do with Rhyan when I was growingaccustomed to even holding a weapon, to building the muscle necessary. He thought it would help if I held it while moving in a way that felt natural to me. A way I had already mastered.
Again, the shard glowed ever so slightly with my movements, like it was attuned to me. And my heart warmed.
Auriel returned to the cave not long after, standing stunned as he watched me dance. My skin heated, and I put the sword down, almost embarrassed. Though I had no reason to be. I was doing an ancient dance—one named after myself. My old self. And by the look on his face, he’d recognized it at once. This wasn’t just an Asherah-inspired dance. This was her dance.
Our eyes met, and for a moment, I remembered the way he’d looked at me in my vision. His eyes had held a similar intensity on the hill.
But he quickly shook his head, and the blaze of warmth that had accompanied his aura seemed to calm. He set down the breakfast he’d found, proudly reading off the menu he’d created. I was impressed. It was his first time having to go out on his own since he’d returned. And he’d brought back a proper feast, and most importantly, coffee.
We settled down to eat, but not before I made a point of un-glamouring his eyes, and his armor.
A little while later, when I was fed—and by the Gods, caffeinated for the first time in days—we began training. Hours were spent parrying and thrusting our blades, moving through basic exercises. I was already accustomed to holding the red shard, thanks to my earlier dance session. But I needed to wield the sword, not just hold it. I was paying attention to everything, wholly focused on every movement, every step, every turn. I had to understand the shard’s weight and its precise movements. I had to know the speed in which I could use it. The force a stab required. And most importantly, I had to perfect the art of hitting my target.
The heart.
I was determined for the shard to become an extension of my arm, to become as much a part of me as the light inside had been. And with every move I made, I was growing closer and closer to making this happen.
