"You brought her home," Bala told him. "She's okay."
"Yeah," he sighed. "Broken and starving when I promised her she would never have to face this war on her own."
He clapped Bala's shoulder and didn't allow her to speak before he left the room. Nyssa watched him go, knowing he had not meant for her to hear what he'd said, and it broke her to know he was beating himself up over it.
Nyssa caught the solemn expression in Bala's eyes when she turned, and Bala pushed off the door. When she sat on the bed, Lex pulled back, and Nyssa hugged Bala. The two strong women in front of her a part of the home that had driven her out of that void.
They stilled in front of her, Lex's face streamed with her silent tears, and Bala shook her head at her.
"Let's not do that again," she said to Nyssa.
Nyssa couldn't help the soft smile. "Yes, my King," she managed.
For the remainder of the afternoon, the four sat on the bed and told her about what was happening in their realms.
Nadir returned with food and water, both of which she took slowly, savoring it as she savored their stories. Despite how tired she was, she didn't dare close her eyes. She wanted to memorize their smiles and laughs. The touch of Nadir's hand behind her, her lying back against his chest when sitting up became too much for her. Lovi dropped by late in the afternoon, but Nyssa hardly remembered the visit. He'd made a tonic for her to take, insisting it would let her to sleep without the nightmares.
She'd eyed it for a long time after Lovi left, until she heard the Ulfram howling over the wind.
"I forgot they were awake," she managed as she hugged her knees into her chest.
Nadir sighed as he sat in the chair by the bed. "Quieter this round," he said. "Take the tonic. I don't know how you're awake."
The mere thought of it made her heart skip. Seeing those eyes in the mirror. The void around her. Alone.
"I'm too afraid to sleep," she admitted.
Nadir's hands creased on his knees, and for a moment, he didn't speak.
"Can I tell you something?" he asked after a minute.
"Please," she replied, and she was almost begging for him to talk and keep her awake.
"I'm afraid for you to sleep too."
She met his scared eyes, and she knew it was the truth.
"I am terrified you'll go under, and that creature will try to take over again," he continued, staring at his hands. "I know it's trying to protect you from your own horrors, but I can't..." He paused, hands stretching over his face as he sat up and bent over his knees. "I trust Grand," he decided as he caught her gaze again. "And if he says that tonic will help you sleep without the nightmares, then I know it will."
"If it doesn’t?”
"I'll be here," he promised. "Also, Bala is in the other room. I can have her fly you through the window on the wind and throw your flaming body in the ocean."
She hiccuped with the soft chuckle daring to come from her. "And if I fall into the void before the ocean wakes me?"
"I’ll find you."
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
THE THREE STAYED at the cave another day to recover before setting back for Dahrkenhill. They hadn't woken until late in the afternoon on that day and were so exhausted they had hardly spoken more than a few words over dinner. At least Dorian hadn't.
He sat outside at one point and tried to reach his sister again, but every time he did, all he felt was fire eating inside him. Not his fire, but one stronger and more chaotic. Clawing and gnawing his core. Those glowing amber eyes stayed in his mind, and he only hoped she was okay.
As much as he wanted to run to her rescue, the fact remained she was at least five days ride away. So he clung to that image of her, and he held the two in the cave with him a little closer.
They'd looked over the Scrolls Reverie had found. Eleven of them in total. Including one she said she'd had to scuffle with two Infi over. They'd been guarding it in the Elder's study. Dorian had a feeling it was the one Hagen had told him he had to find.
Two red circles bled the paper behind writings he couldn't read.
