Page 51 of I Am the Night

But that's a problem for another day.

"Take care of your brother. We will talk soon." She transforms and her brother climbs onto her back, looking weaker by the minute. But before she leaves, I add, "And come visit Zara when you'd like. She would enjoy that."

Brock nods and then takes off, soaring into the sky with Ra'Terr clutching her back.

Once they leave, Sebastian turns to me. "What was that about?"

I tell him what Ra'Terr shared.

"She's even more dangerous than we thought," Sebastian says, frowning. "We should get back to tell the others."

I nod and take a step toward Sebastian, but I stumble. I feel sick and weak and dizzy.

"You need to rest," he says.

I shake my head. "We need to get home, like you said."

I grip his hand and try to teleport us back to the castle. But even as we begin to disintegrate, I can feel it all going wrong. I'm too tired, too drained from all the magic I've been expending.

I screw up, and when we land, it is with a crash that results in bone deep pain that makes me almost pass out.

We look around to find a wilderness with mountains surrounding us. The storm is still raging on, so violently it's already pulled some trees from their roots.

Sebastian looks pale, but his stoicism holds him in good form, and he kneels at my side, examining me. "Is anything broken?" he asks, concern edging his voice.

I can barely hear him through the screams of the wind and the damage it’s doing to the nature around us. "No. I don't think so. Just the wind knocked out of me," I say as loudly as I can, trying to catch my breath.

"We need to find shelter," he says.

I want to argue, to say that we should try again, but I know I can't. Not just yet. I need time to recover. And he's right, we can't stay out here in this. It's too dangerous and honestly, too damn miserable.

I can't get dry no matter how much fire I build in myself, and that isn't much at the moment. I need to save my magic for later.

I try to stand, but dizziness overtakes me, so Sebastian lifts me into his strong arms and carries me instead. I wrap my hands around his neck and let my head fall to his shoulder. He's wet, we both are, but he feels so solid and safe I smile as I close my eyes and he begins to walk towards the closest mountain.

It feels like we are trekking through a tornado, not that I specifically know what that's like, but I imagine it to be like this. Without Sebastian's earth magic and strength, I'm positive we'd be swept up in the air currents like Dorothy and Toto.

We walk for what feels like forever before we reach our destination. Sebastian scans the area and grunts. "I'm going to have to make us a cave to take shelter in," he says.

I just nod. It's all I can do at this point.

But I feel as he pulls at his power, channeling it at the base of the towering snow-peaked mountain.

Rocks grind and dirt shifts beneath us, and it sounds as if there's an earthquake. Feels that way too, but Sebastian holds on tight to me and I pry my eyes open to watch as a hole forms where once rock and dirt filled. He walks us into the new cavern and uses more magic to cover the opening with thick vines that block out the wind and rain. It's a small space with crystal stalactites hanging from the ceiling.

Sebastian props me against the wall. "Stay here, I'm going to get us some supplies."

I don't have time to ask what kind of supplies when he's gone, dashing away using his vampire speed.

He's back in record time with wood and animal fur. "Um, did you just go hunting?" I ask.

"No, the bear was already dead. I just borrowed his pelt."

Somehow the Earth Druid has also cleaned it so that it was not covered in the blood and guts of said bear. A gesture I was grateful for. He quickly gets to work building a small fire in the center, laying the fur to the side for me to use.

I summon the last of my strength to dry us both, against his objections, and then I lean against him as the fire before us blazes to life, warming the cave and casting lights off the crystals surrounding us.

"You saved this world," he says against my ear, his arms wrapped around me as I snuggle against him. "Again," he adds.

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