“Rynna is my friend!” Calli slammed an open palm into Kaelith’s nose, sending him reeling, his grip loosening just enough for her to break free. She kicked off the ground with a grunt and shoved him backward with her forearm. “If I could save her, I would!”
“Guys…” Rynna croaked, her throat dry as sensation slowly returned to her body. “I’m…I’m fine.”
Calli and Kaelith froze mid-strike, fists suspended in the air. The tension of the clash lingered a beat before their heads turned, almost in unison, wide eyes fixing on her where she lay sprawled on the ground.
“Rynna?” He scrambled away from Calli, his legs buckling as he collapsed to his knees beside her, scooping her into his trembling arms.
“I thought…I thought…” His words fell lost as he cradled her gently, his hands frantically moving over her, checking every part of her body for injuries.
“I’m fine now,” she whispered, though the raw anguish in his eyes pierced her. What had it done to him when she vanished without a trace? The thought cut deep, harsher than the pain still throbbing in her own body.
“You were dead.” He pulled her tighter.
Never again, Rynna. Never again.His words fluttered through her thoughts with every shuddering thud of his heart.
For a moment, she gave in and let herself drown in his embrace, pressing her face into his chest. She’d promised herself focus, distance, discipline, but she couldn’t tear away. Not now. Not when the simple act of holding him felt worth every lash of pain the Weaving might demand in return.
Her fingers tightened at the nape of his neck as she burrowed closer, drawing in the scent of him—earthy, like wood split open under a storm’s wrath, cut with the crisp bite of night air.
“I’m sorry,” she started, but the word barely left her lips before his weight vanished. Something tore him away, and she dropped with a jolt, slamming against the ground where his body had been a heartbeat before.
“Get off her!” Calli’s voice rang out as she hauled Rynna into a sitting position, glaring at Kaelith, who lay sprawled on the ground beside them.
“Are you okay?” The young woman asked, her hands already moving over Rynna, checking her for damage as she rambled on. “He didn’t do anything to you, did he? I know his Source is locked down, but still. Great Phoenix! You wereactually dead, you know? No heartbeat, no nothing.”
Rynna let her friend’s words blur into the background, her attention drifting to Kaelith. He sat a few paces away, looking disheveled and a little lost, a flicker of hurt crossing his face at Calli’s sudden interruption.
But when his eyes met hers, something changed. She wasn’t sure what her expression held—she was still reeling from the punishment that had just passed inside her—but whatever he saw, it wasn’t what he’d expected. His features eased, the tight lines softening, and the annoyance melted into something else, something startlingly warm.
A smile tugged at his lips, one she hadn’t seen on him since…
Since he told me he loved me, by the sacred spring, under the rising moon.
The memory hit her like a punch to the gut. Her eyes flicked upward to the sky, where the same moon now hung high above them, casting its glimmering light over the clearing.
Kaelith followed her line of sight, and his smile bloomed brighter as recognition dawned. He knew what she was thinking, what she was remembering. His eyes sparkled with a sudden gleam, and his lips curved into something playful, the edge of his mouth quirking up just so.
And another memory flashed through her mind. The grassy glade behind the spring, and the way she’d shown him how she felt in the only way she could, since the words had failed her.
Her cheeks flushed hot, and she quickly turned back to Calli. “I’m fine, I promise.”
“If you say so,” Calli replied, her lips pressing into a thin line.
“We should probably get going.” Rynna turned, catching the muted light of dawn stretching across the horizon. The sky was beginning to pale, a gentle glow chasing away the darkness. “There should be enough light to start walking, at least.”
Calli glanced around, extending a hand down to Rynna, then pulled her to her feet. “Yeah, things are bad for the Third. We need to do something about these dead hollow-born.”
“Is that why you’re here?” She winced as she worked out the kinks in her back and neck, rotating her shoulders with a groan. “Do you know about Skarn?”
“I only know I’m supposed to find him. That’s why they sent me.” Calli began walking, carrying both her and Rynna’s packs.
“And how exactly do you plan on finding my former apprentice?” Kaelith stepped in beside them, slipping Rynna’s pack from Calli’s grasp and shouldering it himself with quiet ease.
“I’m not entirely sure, but I…” Calli trailed off, glancing sideways at Kaelith. She stopped, then gently nudged Rynna, lowering her voice as she leaned in. “What’s with him anyway? He’s been acting odd. Something you want to tell me?”
“Odd?” Rynna echoed, her attention turning to the man who walked beside them. His face remained neutral, but his posture was a little too stiff, his eyes too focused on the path ahead.
“He saved me, first of all. Odd. Then, hauled us both out of whatever fire pit you made back there. Double odd,” Calli began, counting on her fingers. “And at first, I thought I’d have to be grateful for it, which, you know, would suck. But then…I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like it. Grief like that…” She paused, glancing at Rynna. “When he thought you were dead just now…”
