Page 106 of Wraithwound

The others rode off, leaving Taryk where he stood.

Lena gave him an apologetic look. “Thank you for helping,” she said, before she mounted her mare and followed.

Chapter

Fifty-Six

They managed the rest of the day without incident. A few vortices opened randomly, giving them a glimpse of foreign landscapes, but to Lena’s relief, they closed quickly. They didn’t encounter any more acid rain either although red streaks of lightning still marked the sky periodically.

The group found a place to camp near Misted Oak, the mysterious forest in the northeastern part of Reimar. Like many other forests in the land, rumors ran rampant about what lay inside the concealed trees, but unlike other forests, few were allowed to enter, and it was the forest that would decide.

Lena shivered at the thought of being trapped in another sentient forest but shook the thought away. The mood on the journey so far had been tense, with Taya and Riley riding up front and often exchanging meaningful glances. Cross hadn’t said a word to her since they left Taryk behind, and she worried she’d somehow put them all in danger by saving the other soulbound. Her interactions with Taryk had been awkward, the warrior making peculiar comments, but deep down she felt he didn’t mean them any harm. And that the eleuth hadn’t ripped his face off was a big point in his favor. But it was evident he and Cross had history.

By the time she met the others by the fire, the mood had lightened.

Lena sat next to Laney, who was the furthest away from the heat of the flames.

“Does it bother you?” Laney asked her, a contemplative look on her face.

“What?” Lena asked.

“The heat?” she asked.

“Oh. Uh, yes. It’s uncomfortable, debilitating even, when it gets too hot,” she replied.

“I could sense that too . . . even when it had taken me. I was still conscious in there,” she said softly, “losing myself little by little but conscious through it all. How did you do it?”

“I was hoping to ask you that. Part of me wondered if it was you who managed to expel the infection,” Lena admitted.

“I don’t think so. I had no control. It almost felt like it was pulled out—I don’t know. There are so many others, trapped inside their own minds. I hope the Goddess can help,” she said.

“Me, too,” Lena said, placing her hand on Laney’s shoulder as worry grew in the back of her mind.

She had no idea what she was to face or how she might free the Goddess, but more concerning was that Runa had been freed, and she had yet to take over. Lena suspected she intended to do so earlier but had been thwarted by the heat and light from the vortex. A growing sense of dread loomed over her as she considered what might happen if Runa took over before she could free the Goddess or even right after.

“The one thing I haven’t been able to figure out is how the Aurynn are connected to all of this. The reason I went down to see you was to ask if you knew anything else about them. I think one was drawn to where I was attacked in Virdeen, a female, and then I saw another in MountTier. That one was male,” Lena said.

“I was carried by the female after the Moon Bathing ceremony. I remember thinking she was beautiful with these delicate feathers that covered her wings, but as she got closer, I could have sworn I saw her face shift. It was only for a second, but it was terrifying. She didn’t say anything to me, but I felt a scape on my ribs as she set me down.” Laney wrapped her arms around herself and let her gaze drift upward to take in the aurora.

Lena remembered the contorted features of the Aurynn’s face and the roar it emitted. She was glad they’d avoided the creatures up until now. If she was able to free the Goddess, it might not even matter.

On the other side of the fire, Riley was laughing as Taya told her a story about one of the new guards. In that moment, she didn’t look like the hardened general Lena had come to know. There was mirth in her eyes and an ease in the way she talked. When she was finished, Riley pulled out a wrapped item from her bag and handed it to her. Lena looked away, trying to give the two some privacy, but curiosity got the best of her. Taya unwrapped the item, and her mouth fell open. She grasped Riley’s hand and squeezed it before leaning over, planting a kiss on her cheek and taking an enormous bite out of what appeared to be a pastry of some sort.

Lena rose and wandered into the trees, intent on finding the eleuth. She wanted to make sure it was okay, especially after seeing its wing tucked closer to its body. Plus, there was another matter to attend to if the eleuth was to join them on the rest of their journey.

She found it easily, perched on a large branch a few feet away from her tent. It was licking its paws and rubbing its face, likely after a meal. It paused when it saw her coming and blinked at her curiously. She reached up to touch it with her bandaged hand, and it squawked, leaning away. Lena sighed and stepped back.

“All right, after today,” she told it, “I’ve decided you need a name. Earlier, with the birds, well—I was worried and didn’t know how else to get your attention.”

The eleuth just blinked again, ears twitching.

“Do you have a name?” she asked.

The eleuth cocked its head slightly, and Lena sighed. But then it jumped from the tree and eyed the ground. Lena looked down and wondered if it was searching for something. The eleuth chittered and lay on the ground. After a moment, it sat up and looked at her, eyes intent, and then looked at the ground again.

Does it want me to lie down? You know what, why not? she thought. Lena lay down on the ground and watched as the eleuth came around and sat next to her forearm. She lifted her arm, and the eleuth squawked again, this time more loudly than the first.

“Okay, okay, I get it, no touching,” she said, putting her hand back down.