Page 44 of Invocation

“Where’s Neiryn?” Novikke said, suddenly noticing his absence.

“The sun elf? Kadaki said that they parted ways. I assume that means that he ran when they saw us coming. I don’t blame him.”

Then it was the three of them against the rest of the company. Two and a half, really.

“Which direction are the ruins?” Novikke asked.

“The other side of the camp. That way.” She pointed.

Novikke scowled at the camp. They’d have to go all the way around. The soldiers had all started searching the woods around the tents. It would be difficult to avoid all of them without Aruna’s magic. And judging by how quickly he was weakening, he would probably slow her down. But she didn’t dare let go of him. For all she knew, she was the only thing keeping him alive.

“There’s a patch of thick brush over there. If you go around behind it, you might be able to avoid them,” Thala said, gesturing to the left of the camp. “I’ll try to slow down the others.”

“Thank you, Thala.”

She nodded and started to leave, then stopped and looked back at Aruna. “I’m sorry about this. Before this, I’d been told all kinds of awful things about Varai, but you’re none of those things. I wish things could have been different between us.”

“So do I,” Aruna said.

Thala gave a hopeful smile. “Astra’s luck to you.” She ducked into the bushes and hurried toward the camp.

Novikke pulled Aruna’s hand, and he followed her through the forest.

They crept through the darkness. The moons were high in the sky, casting soft blue light over the forest. Novikke kept to the shadows of trees, carefully avoiding twigs and patches of crunchy leaves. Only a few of the trees were still alive. They’d gone bare and gray, and the grass and brush beneath them was thin and wilted.

They passed by the camp at a distance. Figures moved among the trees, holding mage torches and lanterns. Novikke wove between them, giving each figure a wide berth. Thala had been right—the brush mostly covered them.

“Novikke…” Aruna whispered.

She glanced up at him to let him know she’d heard, but didn’t stop moving.

“It is imperative that we save the forest,” he said.

“I know.”

“I mean that the entire forest comes before any one individual.”

Her steps faltered. “Stop,” she said.

“Novikke,” he said again. “Look at me.”

She stopped and reluctantly looked over at him. Was it her imagination, or did the faint glow of his eyes seem dimmer than usual?

“I want to make sure you understand that you have to get to the ruins and heal the forest at all costs. No matter what happens to me.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“That means you must leave me behind if you have to. Do you understand?”

She glared at him. Panic was pushing into her head and body, threatening to take over. Her jaw was tight and tears were springing to her eyes. “Yes.”

His eyes were wide, afraid. “Promise me you’ll follow through until it’s done, if I can’t.”

She laced her fingers through his. “I will. I promise. But you have to stop talking like that, I mean it, or I’m going to—”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

She shook her head. She couldn’t think about that. She focused on moving. She could see the white stone of the ruins now, far ahead.

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