It will keep her safe. That thought remains the only one that truly matters.
I gather fallen branches from the forest floor and begin constructing a crude barrier near the entrance, weaving them together with vines and leaves until the opening becomes partially concealed. The structure will not stop a determined attacker, but it will obscure the cave from casual sight.
Elowen watches me work.
“You’re building a fort.”
I glance over my shoulder.
“I am improving our chances of not being discovered.”
“That still sounds like a fort.”
Despite myself, I feel the faintest edge of amusement.
“Demons do not build forts.”
“You absolutely just did.”
I finish securing the last branch and step back.
“There,” I say. “Temporary shelter.”
She moves deeper into the cave and sits against the stone wall, drawing her knees slightly toward her chest. For a while neither of us speaks. The quiet stretches between us, broken only by the distant sounds of wind stirring through the forest canopy outside.
Eventually she lifts her gaze to meet mine.
“Threx.”
The nickname still catches me off guard.
“Yes, princess?”
She hesitates for a moment, studying the bond as though she can feel its quiet presence the same way I do.
“Earlier you said the bond channels my fear into hell-born power.”
“That is correct.”
“And if it responds to fear…” she continues slowly, “could it respond to something else?”
My attention sharpens immediately.
“Possibly.”
Her brow furrows.
“What would it take?”
The answer is simple. But saying it aloud changes something between us.
“For the bond to answer with deliberate intent,” I say quietly, “you would have to accept it fully.”
Her eyes narrow slightly.
“I thought I already did.”
“The first time we joined, the bond awakened between us,” I continue quietly.
