Page 136 of The Last One
Philia darts out of the cottage.
Stopping destructive forces had been a monumental task when I thought Jadon cared about me, when I thought Olivia and Philia were on my side. But now, there’s only one person I’m willing to save: Veril Bairnell the Sapient. He’s been my friend, my healer, a stand-in father. I’ll save the realm for him.
Together, the old man and I leave the cottage, still gauzy in its enchantment from the battaby attack. Jadon stands at the head of the path, his back to me. Philia is shoving who-knows-what into one of the now-emptied satchels.
I adjust the cuffs on my boots. “How long will this journey take?”
Veril slips Warruin into his free hand. “What is time, dearest?”
I snicker. “That long, then.”
“We’ll get there,” Jadon says over his shoulder.
Or we’ll all die trying.
PART IV
Get There
If You Can
Inside the realm of gilt-less stars,
Love lacerates yielding scars.
Fragile hearts break, friendships end.
They pursued love, which could not ’scend.
Hear the echoes of love untold,
In starlit nights, in stories old.
A dirge that nurtures a flame unlit,
They fought odds and they fought writ.
Blighted grounds where nothing grows,
A battered love endures woes.
Whispers flit like moths’ hasty grace,
They grapple for love in a precious space.
Hear the echoes of love untold,
In starlit nights, in stories old.
A song that saddens their tender hearts.
They crave time but love must part.
Betwixt the veils of starlit tears,
The sinister rebel nears.
Traitor to the realms’ sublime light
