I was as infinite as time itself, bound to no realm and no tide. Created to drift between worlds and aid my creations when they veered too far from their path.
Maybe I’ll take a few thousand years off, disappear into the ether, and let humanity bumble about for a bit.
I hummed at the thought, my soul itching at the prospect of leaving mortal creatures to their own devices without any divine intervention.
Fixing the resulting mess would make it worth it . . .
My straying thoughts were interrupted by the creak of the library doors as they swung slowly inward, illuminating the cavernous space with the eerie blue light indicative of the Mage Orbs this realm loved. Shuffling steps followed the bobbing light as it slowly—ever so slowly—proceeded into the empty room.
A deep sigh preceded the softthunkof a large tome connecting with the solidwood table. I drifted closer, floating in my half-corporeal form, still encased in thick shadows, until I could see the old woman clearly.
Her hair piled high on her head was completely white but still held the coarse curl of her youth. The lustrous light-brown hue of her skin was darker from the sun and paper-thin from age. Black inked runes still dotted every exposed inch of skin, but they’d faded with time, no new marks taking their place. My eyes flitted to the Bonding Mark on her right forearm, still pulsating, though the cadence was off and slowed.
She knows.
“You can come out, Fate. I know you’re there.” Faylinn’s voice was reedy and raspy, but her mind was still sharp.
Gradually, I released my hold on the shadows, silently mourning their loss as they faded back into the ether. I kept a small hold on them, a solitary diaphanous strand danced between the talons on my right hand, just to reassure myself of their presence.
Faylinn never moved her gaze from the book in front of her, one shaky hand caressing the glossy gold cover that shone brightly even in the small light.
“My love? Are you here? Are you alright?” Rohak’s voice floated from the open doors, his limping shuffle echoing through the dark space as he moved to join his wife.
Wife was too small a term for what they were to each other—friends, lovers, mates. Soul Bonds. Each other’s perfect half, their flaws and strengths complementary.
While their lives were finite, their love was anything but, and it would echo through time and space, this age and the next.
They deserved as much.
“I’m here, Rohak,” Faylinn called, her tone betraying nothing of the knowledge she held both beneath her palm and in her mind. “Come to me.”
As if drawn by an invisible string, Rohak followed the call of her voice and the sound of her heart until his thin arms banded around her belly, soft from childbirth and age, pulling her gently back against his chest.
“What are you doing in the library so late?” he whispered into her ear, a question meant only for his love, even in the vacant space.
“It is finished.” Her returning whisper was both reverent and sad as she tapped the book lightly.
Rohak hummed against the sagging skin of her neck before placing a chaste kiss on her pulse point.
Faylinn drew to her full height before slowly turning in a circle, until she faced her husband. Her arms banded around his neck as she pulled his face down tohers, their lips touching briefly in a motion that conveyed more than words could ever say.
“It’s nearly time, my love,” Faylinn mumbled against his lips.
I saw Rohak’s stooped body tense slightly before his muscles relaxed completely, his head falling to rest against Faylinn’s shoulder.
“I know. I feel it in the Bond.”
They clung to each other for a few moments, basking in the warmth of each other’s presence and body, not knowing or understanding what awaited them in the ether when their time came.
Their souls were Bonded—where one went, so did the other, both paying for each other’s sins in life.
It would be a cruel thing to bestow upon anyone but those whose souls were crafted just for the other.
“Whatever happens, we’ll be together. Wherever you go, I will go. You are my home, your soul is mine, and mine is yours.” Faylinn’s voice hitched at the end of the vows she’d uttered so long ago.
Rohak’s shaky hands came up to cup her cheeks, his thumbs drawing soothing lines on her cheekbones as he laid a kiss against her brow.
“Your purpose is fulfilled. When the time comes, let me guide and keep you, ease you both into the ether,” I finally spoke for the first time, my voice reverberating in the empty space with ethereal authority. The tone and tenor would have spooked any others, but Faylinn and Rohak remained impassive, locked in each other’s gaze and embrace.
