My mind is a fog of fear and pain, but it finally occurs to me that I can do something too. I walk among the beds, reaching out my magic to the injured. I focus on the ones I can help—those at risk of slipping away before their injuries can be healed. I pour my power into their inner flames, making them flare brighter, reminding their bodies they should be fighting to live.
“Ana.”Leon lays a hand on my shoulder, gently tugging at my awareness across the mooring.“You must come now.”
I resist the pull, keeping my eyes fixed on the soldier I’m currently reviving.“There’s still more I can do here.”
“I know, my love, but your country needs you in other ways,”Leon says more firmly. “Becane is waiting with Vostani and Fairon to speak with you.The Filusian army has the Temple at bay for now, but we need to plan our next move.”
I let him lead me out of the tent, but not before I cast a backward glance at Harman. Alastor is knelt beside him, cradling his limp hand in his fingers. Tears run silently down his face, and I can see he’s muttering a relentless stream of words. The sight makes it easier for me to leave. I know that Alastor will pray hard enough for the both of us.
Leon takes me to Becane’s tent. To my surprise, Tira is already there, speaking to Fairon. They both turn to me as we enter, and I approach Fairon to embrace him. He returns the gesture, if a little stiffly.
“Thank you for coming,” I say, my voice croaky with emotion. “You saved us.”
Fairon frowns. “I haven’t saved the day quite yet. I just heard from the border. General Odaire says the Temple have fallen back, disappearing back into the Miravow, but he suspects they’ll regroup during the night just as your army is doing.”
There’s movement at the tent entrance, and Esther, Harman’s lieutenant, ducks inside.
“Trouble?” Leon asks as my heart skips a beat. Is she coming with an update about Harman? Has the worst happened?
Relief floods through me when Esther shakes her head.
“Our lookouts caught someone approaching the camp border. You’re going to want to speak to them.”
Then she steps aside to reveal three dryads.
“Diomi,” I say, shocked to see Etusca’s brother. I soon recognize his companions too: Letrium and Inas, from the Agathyrian high council. “What are you doing here?”
“A strange question, considering a war is being fought on our land,” Letrium says pointedly as we gesture for the dryads to come inside.
“I just thought…” I trail off, unsure how to answer him without insulting him.
“That we’d decided to hide away until the fighting was done?” Inas says with a grim expression. “There were some who advocated for that, but ultimately, we decided Agathyre won’t sit by while this violence rages on.”
“But how did you get past the Temple?” Tira asks.
Diomi gives her a pitying look. “We dryads know the Miravow better than anyone. It wasn’t hard for three of us to slip past the invaders undetected.”
“You know what’s happened?” I ask. “That Caledon’s taken control of the trees?”
The dryads’ expressions grow somber. “We’ve sensed the shift in the forest, yes,” Diomi says. He shakes his head. “What’s happening is unfathomable. Never has such an unnatural force seized the Miravow’s power like this.”
“It’s because he’s a solari,” Sophos says, stepping forward from the shadows. “At least, that’s my theory. The forest’s magic is celestial, and like calls to like.”
The dryads exchange alarmed looks, probably triggered at the sight of Sophos’s red bearer’s robes. But I wave a hand.
“It’s alright. Sophos is no friend to Caledon anymore.”
“You,however,” Leon growls at the dryads, “have probably helped Caledon out by not telling us about the token hidden right beneath your feet.”
“We didn’t know the cup was in the forest,” Letrium says defensively. “The Miravow keeps secrets even from us.”
“So you say,” Leon snaps.
The conversation is about to devolve into argument, and we just don’t have time for that. I meet Diomi’s gaze, offering him a pleading look.
“Es gasta,en weste?”I ask in Agathyrian. “Why are you here, my friend?”
Diomi sighs deeply, replying in the common tongue. “I’m sorry, but we cannot fight beside you. To do so would go against everything we stand for, as well as throwing us out of balance with the very land we live on. But we may be able to help you in other ways, if it means we can protect Agathyre from Caledon’s destruction.”
