Page 130 of Song of the Dark Wood

Sarai worked quicklywhen they returned to Wolf’s Keep, grinding herbs into a tea that Conor helped her feed a barely conscious Rowan. Now, she sat on the edge of the bed, keeping a nervous vigil by checking Rowan’s heart rate every few minutes.

“It’s still strong,” Conor said. “I can hear it all the time. You don’t have to keep checking. I will know if she needs us.”

Sarai sighed. “I hate waiting. I feel helpless.”

“I know,” Conor said.

She chewed her fingernails, caught herself, and busied her hands by picking at a thread on her sleeve. “I’m sorry. I should have realized there was a reason my mother was sending me away. I should have paid closer attention. I just never thought she would try to hurt Rowan,” she said.

“You can’t blame yourself. She’s all right now,” Conor said.

“I suppose you’re also not blaming yourself?”

He sighed. “Fair enough.”

Sarai came to sit next to him by the fire. “You’re not what I expected.”

“And what did you expect?” Conor asked.

She shrugged. “She made you sound more commanding, but right now, you mostly seem terrified.”

“Yes, well, it seems that Rowan has softened some of my edges.”

“As you’ve sharpened some of hers,” Sarai said.

Conor liked the idea of that—an exchange of sorts. He knew it was true for him. Rowan had softened him immeasurably, but had he really sharpened her, or had he simply allowed her to see herself as she truly was deep down? It was possible Sarai was giving him too much credit.

Rowan groaned, her eyes fluttering. Conor was instantly up and at her side.

“Conor,” Rowan said with a smile. “Am I dead?”

He stroked her cheek. “No, love, you saved yourself once again.”

Sarai huffed out a breath. “Speak for yourself! You mostly saved yourself, Row. Conor and I helped.”

Rowan laughed weakly before her eyes narrowed on Sarai. “Did you know?”

Conor had been wondering the same thing in the back of his mind, but seeing Sarai’s growing panic as they waited, he felt only true fear for Rowan’s life, not guilt. Centuries of experience taught him the difference.

Sarai’s eyes filled with tears. “Row, of course not. I would never do that to you. Not when you found a way to save Raya and help me hide her. You’re my dearest friend.”

Rowan nodded. Her movements were slow and pained and her skin was alarmingly pale.

“It doesn’t make sense the way the magic of the Dark Wood seems sentient and connected to her,” Sarai said, meeting Conor’s eye. “It stands to reason that if her voice beckons to dead things or acts as a reminder of life, that she could bring backplant life or lure spirits across the forest, but why would the Dark Wood work for her?”

Rowan struggled to push herself up to sitting. “I whispered my name to the Dark Wood. It knows me. I feel this sort of understanding of it.”

“When?” Sarai asked.

Rowan laughed and shook her head. “Names have power. Of all the things for my mother to be right about.”

“Rowan, you’re not making any sense.” Conor brought a hand to her forehead, checking for a fever.

“When I was five, I whispered my name to the Dark Wood, and it whispered it back. It was permission of sorts. I didn’t realize it at the time. I’d accepted my fate. The same way I’ve willingly given my power to you,” Rowan said.

Conor stared at her.Consent. She’d given the Dark Wood and Conor both consent.

Sarai paced the room. “Goddess above! It finally makes sense! The prophecy that made my mother want to kill you. The prophecy about the one who would shift the balance said ‘the one who gives up her name.’ We took that to mean a Maiden who married the Wolf—a symbolic way of giving up her name. My mother thought, because you fell for him, that you’d marry him, eventually solidifying his superiority over the Mother, but the reality is that you gave your name to the Dark Wood. In theory, you sacrificed some power over you, and so the Dark Wood gave you some back. You consented to an exchange. A sacrifice given of your own accord would carry more weight than something you’re compelled to do. It’s why you enchant plants everywhere, but especially the Dark Wood.”

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