“My name is Sacha.” Sacha howled once more and turned, then ran back into the darkness, the five others following.
The mist evaporated as they left.
Chapter 32
Seda
The crackle of the fire surrounded them eerily as the last of the beasts left, leaving a scarred forest floor streaked with blood and fallen Lobison.
Roya, Seda, and Suza worked together to pull the dead monsters further into the trees and away from the camp. Cahir remained asleep on the ground, his eyelids thrashing back and forth.
Seda ground her teeth together when she heard Elco’s whimpers as they worked. He whined like a hurt puppy as he lay next to the fire beside Cahir, softly crying with his eyes closed and body curled into a trembling ball.
The first thing Seda did when the monsters left was rush to him and smooth her palms over his back, avoiding the gnarled skin below. He promised her he needed time to heal, that he would be fine, and encouraged her to dispose of the bodies with the others.
When they pulled the last one into the trees, Seda asked Roya, “How do you know Cahir will be okay?” She glanced at Royabefore looking over her shoulder, watching Cahir’s sleeping form on the ground.
Cahir tried to protect them—to protecther. But he didn’t need to. He was repeatedly asked to lower the shield so they could handle the situation. But he refused.
Seda felt irritation envelop her as she recalled his panicked eyes staring at her, refusing to listen to them.
Did he not realize how powerful they were together as a unit?
“It’s the way of magic. You can only use as much as you have before your body gives out,” Roya replied as she wiped her face free of sweat. She looked at Seda, “This goes for you as well, Seda. You need to pay attention to how you feel as you use it. It’s not endless. I saw how you focused your magic on the Lobizon who injured Elco. You need to learn to reserve as much as possible for when you need it in battle.”
In battle? She hadn’t thought about battling anyone, besides various monsters, but that was just protection. Why would she need to fight? Her goal was to collect the stones and open the door. That was it. What came after that, she wasn’t sure. The Wisps never mentioned anything further.
She averted her gaze from Roya’s and stared into the campfire in the distance, avoiding a response. That beast got what it deserved by hurting her friend that way. She would do it again, too.
They made their way back to Elco and Cahir, and Seda squeezed herself between them, reaching out to both and placing her hands on them at the same time. Elco’s whimpering mixed with purrs, and she looked over at him with a small smile. He was slowly healing himself. She watched as his shredded scales slowly mended back together.
Her gaze shifted to Suza, who randomly played with a stick as she chewed on her bottom lip.
“Thank you,” Seda said to her, watching as the woman idly began to poke the fire. “Elco would’ve been more injured if you hadn’t gotten him out of there.”
The Amaru’s eyes flicked to Seda, and her cheeks pinked as she nodded with a pursed smile.
Seda glanced down at Cahir and furrowed her brows.If he had only listened, he wouldn’t be out like this right now. What if something bad happened while he was down, and they couldn’t take care of the Lobizons as they had? Cahir wouldn’t have been here to help at all, orworse, he could have been killed and unable to defend himself. It was a lesson for them all, and she was sure as hell going to talk to him about it when he woke up.
She helda diamond-shaped sapphire in her hand, the deep smoldering blue resembling the twilight depths. It was Somnium’s color, the stone a part of him, representing the now failed promises they made together. The Mother Goddess gifted it to him for his harmonious intentions, a show of love that went beyond the creation hierarchy.
Their love flourished after uniting to stop Supay, the god of death, from usurping the Mother Goddess. Together, they transformed his flesh into a mortal form. Their defiance of Somnium’s god led to his own death, marking the ultimate blow to his plunder.
“He is gone, child,” a lullaby of a voice drifted through her.
She looked around, at the glittering of the river and the white deer that drank from its water. She dropped to her knees and pressed her hands against the base of the withering, massive purple-pulsing tree.
“I need him back. I cannot live this life alone.” Sparking tears dripped down her cheeks as she pressed her lips against the base of the tree, begging and pleading for his return.
“You are not alone,” the voice echoed through the bark.
She glanced over her shoulder at Elco, who lay in the sun on his back in a deep bed of florals, with small, wing-borne kittens jumping on his stomach and biting at his toes. Her lips curled into a small smile as Elco’s laughter rolled along the ground, but it wasn’t enough to ease her pain. She needed tosee Somnium’s piercing gaze as he looked down at her. She needed to feel his gentle touch on her skin.
“I need him back,” she said as she looked back at the tree. “I love him. Please, I beg you. Make this my one wish, the one wish you said I could have.”
The Mother Goddess’s whimsical voice chuckled through the tree. “I will grant this one wish and bend time and space for you, my child. It is my gift for containing Supay. But you will seek another one day, and only the Wisps will grant such a wish, as I will not be there to give it. Love knows no bounds or limits, but sometimes, over time, things change. I know what comes next, I know what came before, and I know what power you contain. Unity and balance supersede all. Never be selfish in your wishes, child, for darkness consumes and in its place only weeds will flourish. I will only grant this, for it is the love of another that you desire.”
The wind began to blow around her, causing the white leaves of the tree to float down to the ground. Elco and the kittens looked up and peered at the tree, one kitten still gnawing on his toe.
