Page 6 of Bound In Stone, Claimed In Fire

My eyes narrow. “I doubt any seal will hold her now that the first one is undone. At best, we might slow her, but she will shatter our attempts if she’s had time to gather strength.” I press my palm against the glowing runes on my chest. “These markings were our final measure, siphoning both her power and mine into that tomb. If she’s free, then the old arrangement is broken.”

She looks stricken, hugging her knees to her chest. “Then… I’ve doomed us all.”

A cold laugh tumbles from my lips. “Don’t blame yourself too quickly. Nerezza always had a knack for seizing advantage.” I pause, bitterness coating my words. “Even had you not disturbed the wards, she might have found a way out after all. The difference is now we have warning.”

“Warning to do what?” She lifts her gaze. “You said you sealed yourself away with her. Why would you do that unless it was the only way?”

I inhale slowly, the memory a fresh lance of agony. “It was the only way. She was unstoppable then, at the height of her corruption, and I refused to kill her outright.” I don’t voice the rest—because I once believed she could be saved.The heartbreak swells in my chest, clashing with the fresh irritant that is Sariah’s bond. “If she rises, the best we can hope for is to contain her or… end her.”

Silence descends. I sense her attempt to wrap her mind around the enormity of that threat. The wind picks up, swirling crystals of ice around our small refuge. A fine dusting of snow settles on my shoulders.

Eventually, she says softly, “I’m sorry.”

The words catch me off guard. I turn my head, leveling her with a puzzled look. “For what?”

She shrugs under the tattered garment I lent her. “Waking you from a rest you chose. Bringing back your nightmare. And…” She licks her lips, uncertain. “It wasn’t my intention, but I can’t change that it happened.”

My wings twitch in agitation, but something in her apology rings with sincerity. I suppress the urge to snap back. “That’s done now,” I settle on, scanning the valley below. “If we remain here all night, you’ll freeze. We need shelter.”

She nods, rising to stand, albeit unsteadily. The exhaustion lines her face, but a determined flicker remains in her gaze. “We could head further downhill, see if there’s a cave or an overhang to block the wind. Maybe start a fire.”

A grudging respect stirs in me. She’s clearly not the type to wilt in adversity. Without another word, I begin moving again, following the faint ridges in the mountainside. She keeps pace, occasionally stumbling but catching herself. Beneath us, Prazh’s wide plains spread out, stark in the silver glow of moonlight. The faint shapes of distant encampments lie beyond, though at this distance, I can’t be certain.

We descend deeper, the air marginally warmer. After a time, we come across a rocky depression half-shielded by an outcropping. My gargoyle senses detect the faint trickle of water nearby. “That should suffice,” I say, pointing to the hollow.

She nods, relief evident in her posture. We slip into the depression, ground littered with broken stones. The wind rages overhead, but only a few gusts cut in at angles. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than being fully exposed.

I examine the ground carefully, mindful of any sign of beasts or burrowing creatures that might inhabit this nook. Finding nothing, I huff in satisfaction and clear away some smaller rocks. Sariah sets her cloak aside, shaking out the dust, then tries to gather scraps of wood or brush from the area. There isn’t much. These slopes are largely barren, but she manages a small pile of brittle twigs from the twisted shrubs outside.

She kneels and arranges them. Her brows knit in concentration, and I feel a flicker of her magic flare, a gentle swirl of purna energy coaxing a tiny spark. Flames lick at the sticks, blossoming into modest firelight. The glow illuminates our stony shelter, painting flickering shadows on the walls. The tension in her shoulders eases as the warmth caresses her.

I stand near the entrance, wings half-flexed as I monitor the night. My hearing is sharper than any human’s. If Drayveth or other pursuers are close, I might detect them. So far, only the mountain wind and distant calls of nocturnal creatures greet my ears.

Her voice breaks the quiet. “Kaelith.”

I turn, noticing how the firelight catches the silver in her hair, reflecting off her storm-gray eyes. Her face is open, though lines of worry furrow her brow. She gestures for me to come closer, away from the biting draft. I hesitate, then relent, settling on my haunches a few feet from her. My wings fold behind me, tail curling across the ground.

For a long moment, we watch the flames dance, neither of us speaking. The tether hums like a subtle heartbeat between us. Finally, she musters the courage to meet my gaze. “I don’t know what I’ll do about Drayveth,” she admits quietly. “He wants me dead. My old coven… they think I’m corrupt. But you?—”

“You have bigger problems than one coven,” I say, the corners of my mouth tugging into a grim line. “If Nerezza has awakened, she will spare no one.”

She grimaces, burying her face in her hands for a moment. “Then maybe… maybe we’ll have to face her together.”

I tense.Together.The word grates, yet the bond surges as if in agreement. “We’ll see,” I mutter, unwilling to commit. My entire being rebels at the thought of trusting another purna, no matter how capable or contrite she seems.

She lifts her head, eyes reflecting the fire’s glow. “You can blame me all you want, but if your sacrifice bound her away, and now I share that tether with you… maybe I can help keep her sealed. Or if we have to fight, I can back you up.”

A sardonic chuckle rumbles from my chest. “Fight Nerezza with me, hmm? Are you so eager to go toe-to-toe with a being who twisted entire armies with a single spell?”

Her lips set in a firm line. “I’m not eager. But it sounds like we don’t have much choice.” She gestures to the runes on my chest, then lightly touches the brand on her wrist. “Neither of us is free to walk away unscathed.”

I inhale, considering her words. The truth is, I despise that we’re tethered, but short of discovering a powerful ritual or an ancient relic that can sever this bond, we might remain stuck. My final vow was to keep Nerezza from unleashing her corruption on Protheka again. Perhaps my path now includes this new purna—like it or not.

A low growl escapes my throat, more resignation than anger. “Very well,” I say, flicking my gaze to meet hers. “We survive this night, find a way to break the tether, and if needed… we deal with Nerezza.”

Her nod is solemn, a whisper of determination flitting across her features. The fire crackles between us, but the tension remains thick. I glance toward the mouth of our rocky alcove, scanning the star-peppered sky. With the immediate threat of collapsing ruins behind us, a heavier burden looms on the horizon.

Above all, I sense my own wards continuing to erode. Each moment awake reminds me of how close I stand to a power I once fought so desperately to contain. That power could devour everything I hold dear if left unchecked. If this purna—Sariah—can help, I’ll use her. But I must remain vigilant. A single misstep could tip her down the same dark path that consumed Nerezza.

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