Page 148 of Of Blood & Stone

Sylzenya moved quickly, assisting Kharis and Elnok where she could, providing them stepping stones and digging up roots whenever she could find the strength.

Suddenly, the shrieks of the final handful of monsters changed, no longer high pitched, but lower, a resounding call that made the earth quake. Before she could react, the final serpentum and arachnis retreated into the trees, scattering in different directions. Slowly lowering Kharis and Elnok down on a mound of dirt, Sylzenya crumpled to her knees, a sharp, pulsing pain in her back spreading into her limbs.

Elnok cursed as he rushed to her, lifting her tunic.

“That’s a lot of blood,”he whispered.

Kharis let out a cry, falling next to Sylzenya, his eyes wide and breaths coming in fast.

“My back,” he breathed. “I don’t remember a serpentum getting me.”

Elnok lifted his shirt as well. “It wasn’t a serpentum.”

Sylzenya’s mouth gaped, the pain still riding along her own back. “Did he get his own cut?”

“He did.”

“What?” Kharis yelled. “I have a Kreena cut?”

“You have both Distrathrus’ and Aretta’s blood in your veins, like me,” she replied, “They don’t play well together, and life demands a price from you now because of it.”

“Shit,” Kharis cursed. “Elnok, I need you to cauterize it.”

“I have a better idea,” Elnok replied.

Vision blurring in and out, Sylzenya dug her fingers into the dirt. Elnok rummaged in his clothes, pulling out a glowing object—the compass to Aretta’s Willow.

“Well, Kharis, I guess I can name you an honorary Kreena now,” she breathed.

“This is worse than getting slashed by an arachni.”

“You know, it’s nice to hear a Dynami say that.” Turning to Elnok, she said, “Heal him first. A new cut is barely tolerable. I’m fine.”

Elnok huffed a laugh. “Gods, you’re incredible.”

A smile found her mouth while Elnok pressed the compass to Kharis’ back, the Dynami yelling in relief as his first cut healed; the first man in Estea to have ever gotten one.

Elnok moved over, pushing the compass against her skin, the chill causing her to yell in surprise.

“It’s alright,” Elnok chided, running the object along her back.

The cold felt good.

Sylzenya asked, “So it still works? The compass to Aretta’s Willow?”

“It’s what led me back to you.”

She turned, pulling her shirt down and staring long and hard into his face. His beautiful, wonderful, handsome face she thought she’d seen for the last time.

“I still don’t understand. Why did you come back?”

Getting on his knees, Elnok gently grabbed one of her hands, running his fingers over her knuckles, the gesture so normal it made her skin warm.

“Orym told me to come back in one piece, and I realized I wasn’t going to be able to do that.” He looked up, eyes locking with hers. “Not without you.”

Despite the chill of the forest, Sylzenya swore a warm breeze brushed along her skin, like a fresh summer day after a long winter freeze.

Perhaps it was the exertion of her power or maybe the near-death experience, but Sylzenya couldn’t hold herself together as she grabbed him into an embrace. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but his absence had reminded her of the day her parents gave her to the temple. So much love, so much desire to be withsomeone, only for them to walk away because of “duty.” It’d killed her inside when she was a child, and she thought she’d understood it better as an adult. She was hungry for the love and affection she’d willingly given to someone else. And while Elnok had walked away, it’d only been for a moment.

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