Leoake stepped through the gateway, vanishing from sight. Dyna followed with Cassiel. She looked back at the boulder where his wing was still pinned, blood soaking the sand. Zev met her gaze and nodded.
Dyna slipped into the Elder Tree. It whisked her away, stealing all direction. She opened her eyes at the cool ail on her skin.
The hot sands of Red Highland vanished, leaving the misty forests of Greenwood before her. It felt like stepping into another world.
Save for the gentle patter of a drizzle, the ruins were still. The destruction of the flash flood was still apparent. The sound of water crashed within the waterfalls, the scent of dynalya flowers strong in the air.
Dyna ran for it.
The cold water splashed as she waded inside and brought Cassiel with her. She released her hold on him, and he sank into the water. Leaning him against her chest, Dyna staggered under his weight. She could feel the stump where his wing used to be.
What he did for her ... that was an undying sacrifice she could never repay.
A sob caught in Dyna’s throat. She sat on the shallow end and wrapped her arms around Cassiel, bringing him to rest on her lap. Red petals in the water lapped around them.
“This will work, won’t it?”
Leoake stood by the bank, surveying the area with disinterest. “These waters will aid you in healing what remains of his body, but not his mind.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not only is his body broken,” the Druid looked back at her. “But also his spirit. He doesn’t wish to stay in a world where he has lost everything. If you want to save him, you must show him he still has something to live for,dream walker.”
With that, Leoake strode away for the trees, still singing that same tune that tugged at somewhere deep in her soul. Because her soul was connected to Cassiel’s, and the song meant something to him.
Shutting her eyes, Dyna followed the melody into his mind. The whistle turned into a gentle hum as the dream smoke took her away. There were no flashes of memories or muddled voices.
The next blink of her eyes opened to a scene of a little boy with black wings. He was perhaps three or four, standing on a terrace with a beautiful woman. She wore her black hair pinned up, her gray eyes glittering as she chased her son. Cassiel’s small wings flapped excitedly as he laughed.
“I’ve got you!” Elia caught him up in her arms. He squealed with laughter as she nuzzled his cheek with kisses.
He tried to wiggle out of her arms, but she tickled him, and he gasped with laughter. “No fair!”
“Well, if you wish to escape me, I suppose you will have to learn how to fly, won’t you?”
Cassiel’s giggles faded.
Setting him down, Elia kneeled in front of him. “You can do it, Cassiel.”
“Papa said he would be with me the first time.”
She sighed and smiled at him sadly. “Your father is a little busy now. But I am here, and I think you’re ready.”
He looked up at the sky anxiously, his eyes welling up. “What if I fall?”
“Oh, darling.” She hugged him tight. “I promise I will catch you.”
Dyna then stood with Elia as Cassiel drew the courage to climb onto the banister and leap. His mother cried tears of joy as he soared across the sky painted with a sunset, and yet, they were tears of sadness, too.
Elia watched him grow in that sky, and every year he flew further and further away. His mother would often sit by the window with a book on her lap. On the cover was the image of a volcanic island, and Dyna sensed she was dreading the day she had to say goodbye.
When night came, Cassiel cuddled with her in bed. He was only six years old. His little fingers clutched her dress as if afraid she would disappear.
“Mama…” Cassiel mumbled as his sleepy closed. “Don’t go.”
Elia’s lip quivered, but her voice was steady. “It will only be for a little while, darling.”
“Don’t leave me behind. I want to be where you are.”
