Ivy looked up at him, almost bending backwards to do so. Her eyes were bright from the green void-glow. But it faded fast, leaving only her natural green behind.
“The vial that hangs from my uncle’s staff,” she declared. “That’s the antidote!Hells! We could have grabbed it off of him!”
Vale was suddenly glad that he hadn’t crushed that irritating vial when he had the chance. There had been several times where he had considered it, watching it swing infuriatingly with each movement of the staff.
“We will,” Vale said, stroking a claw down her pollen-heavy neck. “If we manage to find our way into the mortal realm.”
Ivy’s grin grew. She sat up, gasping as he slid out of her. Then she turned to him, so full of giddy confidence that Vale had to stop himself from kissing her.
“The void isn’t just dying,” she said delightedly. “It’sbreaking.”
“I take it there is a reason you are happy about that.”
Ivy nodded, her disheveled braid falling out of place from its circle atop her head. “It’sbreaking! That means there arecracks.”
“Into other realms,” Vale realized. “And if we find a crack to the mortal realm?—”
“We can get through and find the cure!” Ivy yelled. She stood, her pollen-stained dress falling back down her legs as she whooped and jumped. She whirled in a circle, arms outstretched. Trees bent weakly to touch her, leaves leaping from their branches to touch her skin on the way to the ground.
Vale watched her, spellbound. He had never seen anything so beautiful. If only he had the time to appreciate it. Then again, if her plan worked, they could have more time than he dreamed. If he fixed the silver pool, one of their first stops after hunting down that vial would be to his Anderfel brother to extend Ivy’s lifespan to match his own.
Vale climbed to his feet. At first, all was well, still feeling the rush of the pollen. Then his head swam, and he hit the ground once more.
Ivy stopped spinning and knelt in front of him, concerned. “Vale?”
She grabbed his arm. She could not pull him up. She could not even steady him. But Vale appreciated the effort.
Vale pushed himself to his feet again. His vision swam, and his legs threatened to give out again, but he held firm until the dizziness passed.
“The crack to the mortal realm,” he said. “Do you know where it is?”
Ivy nodded wildly.
“Good,” Vale said. “Lead the way.”
Fifteen
It had been three days of walking, and Ivy’s feet still weren’t sore.
Ivy ran her hand over her heel as she sat on a bony tree trunk. The skin was soft and pink, nothing like what she would have expected. She had been a nomad for most of her life. Trekking through forests, mountains, and the like. The only reason her feet were so soft when she entered the wilderness void was because her uncle insisted on it.
You must be a good offering, he had said as he handed her a rough stone to sand down her tough feet during her last bath.Something worth taking.
Ivy’s lip curled. She forced the memory away and stood, flexing her toes in the dark dirt.
“Vale,” she called. “Are you ready? We should keep going.”
No reply. Ivy craned her head, trying to spot him through the dense trees. The white rot had not reached this far into the void, and everything was still dark and lush.
“Vale?”
Still no response. Ivy chewed her lip and reached inside her head for the void. However, before she could sense anything butits ever-present exhaustion, she heard heavy footsteps through the trees.
Vale stepped through the bushes carrying a handful of frostberries.
“For you,” he said.
Ivy beamed, ridiculously pleased. Frostberries didn’t grow in the small area where she had been working those first few weeks. They had only stumbled on them on their last day of walking. Even though Ivy was connected to the void, she had explored so little of it.
