Page 95 of Wraithwound

“I think you’re right. These other planets have been visible in the night sky for some time but not like this,” he said, glancing over at her.

“What happens if they continue to get closer? If the Goddess isn’t freed?”

“Things will get worse,” Cross said solemnly.

“I’m not the chosen one in some prophecy, Cross. I’m just a healer from a small village and not even a very good one. Before all of this,” she said, gesturing to herself, “I was just a ghost of myself, barely able to get out of bed, incapable of doing the one thing I’d sworn an oath to do.” She shook her head.

Cross was silent for a long moment, a shadow passing over his face. “There is still strength to be found in our darkest moments.”

“That sounds like something my brother would say,” she said, smiling sadly.

Cross looked over at her, his bright blue gaze taking in every detail of her face even as the strong line of his jaw was set.

“Tell me about him,” he said.

Lena closed her eyes, summoning her memories of Henry. The way his eyes nearly sparkled with mischief when he teased her or when he’d share his wildberry pastry with her. The moments his presence soothed the bitter edges of her grief and the way his laughter could cut through her very soul, letting a bit of light in.

“He was joy, light, hope. He kept me tethered to this life when I was sure I would slip away into the darkness. He was a steady presence, never too intrusive but there when I needed him. And he loved people; he wanted to help everybody. He’d agonize over it if there was somebody he couldn’t heal,” she said as tears rolled down her face. “He is all I have left.”

Cross reached up and swept his thumb across her cheek, wiping her tears. Lena didn’t look away. In that moment, she let him know her. Know that part of her that crumbled when the world became too much. She let him see the woman who clung to her little brother while drowning in the ravaging sea of grief she couldn’t escape. It was yet another shame she bore, putting so much on her brother when she should have been the strong one. The one to help him through his own grief.

“How do you plan to help him?” he asked.

“I’m not sure, but I hope to continue my mother’s work until I can figure it out,” she said, wiping her face with her hands.

Cross was silent but attentive, allowing space for her to continue.

“I miss them so much, but I’m also mad at them. They knew. They knew I would become this. And they didn’t tell me,” she said, gazing out at the celestial oddities above. “Can you imagine keeping a secret like that from someone you love?”

Cross stiffened beside her but didn’t say anything more. Lena considered the complicated web of emotions she’d experienced in the last few days. She’d felt shame for going to The Whispers to find help for Henry, devastation at learning she’d killed Taya’s parents, and pride about her mother’s work. She’d felt anger and resentment after learning her mother and brother had known she’d be attacked by a wraith and then awe and joy about finding her grandfather’s journal. And more recently, fear and doubt had clouded her mind. Her emotions were such a mess. She almost missed the numbness she’d become so used to.

The thought gave her pause. Human emotions were messy, indeed. But like her grief, those messy emotions connected her to her humanity. She wouldn’t take that for granted.

After a while, she dried her tears, the winter wind carrying away her sorrow. “Did you get the answers you were looking for?”

“You know, soulbounds—” he started, before Lena cut him off.

“What is that?” she said, pointing to the sky at a black figure quickly approaching the plateau.

“Inside, right now,” Cross ordered, helping her off the ground.

They sprinted towards the concealed entrance to the corridors. Just as they slid behind the large boulder, Cross pushed Lena back into the corridor wall, concealing her with his body. The ground trembled slightly beneath their feet. She felt every muscle in his body tense. The weight of his body against hers made her heart beat wildly. He was so close she could feel his warm breath on her face and see the flecks in his eyes. She’d been wrong; they weren’t brown; they were gold. They seemed to flare in response to the danger nearby although she couldn’t help but wish it was in response to her.

After a moment, Cross put a finger over his lips and stepped back. He edged around the boulder and stole a glance outside. The look of concern on his face sparked her curiosity, which drove Lena to do the same. She didn’t need to look for long because standing there was a creature she’d seen before, her long silver hair reflecting the colors of the celestial bodies above. The ground trembled once more, and Lena guessed it had gone back into the sky.

“It’s looking for something,” Cross said.

“Me,” Lena said.

“What?”

“At least I think it’s me. The same one landed in my village after I was attacked,” she said.

“Maybe,” Cross said, “you weren’t the only one in that area at the time.”

It was true. There must have been other wraiths in the area to have killed everyone in her village.

“I think that’s an Aurynn. Laney was scratched by one when she was carried off after the Moon Maiden Ceremony in Enora, and it was after that she turned.”