Page 117 of The Dark Mage
Fael sucked in a sharp breath, his body tensing at her tender, motherly tone.The little boy stretched out a shadowed hand, and Ren’wyn let him touchher.
The moment his hand brushed hers, she jerked violently, overwhelmed by the flood of his torment.Every moment of horror and cruelty he had endured slammed into her, fusing into her mind and body like shards of glass.She gasped as the boy’s agony became her own.Fael’s arms wrapped tighter around her, holding her together as she bore it.
“Won’t you rest, my little one?”she managed, her voice a shaky whisper as the vision passed.“Won’t you close your eyes and find peace?”
The boy nodded, his shade tilting its head as though thinking.“I would like that, Mama,” he said softly.“Will you tuck me in?”
His form curled up beside his physical body, and Ren’wyn reached out with trembling hands.She touched the tendrils of the Void, feeling its cool, misty texture—like fragile silk slipping through her fingers.Gently, she shaped the shadows into a blanket.
She moved as though she truly were his mother, tucking him in with care.Her hands brushed over his small figure, and she leaned down to press a featherlight kiss to his forehead.
“Be at peace, little one,” she whispered, her voice breaking as she smoothed the shadow-blanket overhim.
Suddenly, light pierced through the boy’s chest, where his heart would have been.It shone brightly, pure and clean, like a white star with a burning red core.The light spread outward, illuminating the dark night around them.Tiny wisps of red energy flickered and floated, brushing against Ren’wyn’s unbound hair before curling over Fael’s arms.The strands of energy fused with Fael’s aura—strange and beautiful—as if leaving a parting gift of warmth andlove.
The light grew brighter, too intense to look at directly.Ren’wyn pressed her face into Fael’s shoulder, her sobs breaking free at last.Fael clutched her tightly, shielding her with his arms and shutting his eyes against the radiance, holding her close enough to share his breath and feel his heartbeat.
When the light faded, they were left alone in the still, quiet night.
They held each other, weeping until their tears were spent.Fael was the first to compose himself, his hand stroking her hair with gentle care.He waited until her sobs subsided, then eased her back and reached behind her for a waterskin.They drank in silence, their shared grief heavy betweenthem.
There was nothing they could use to bury the boy, and they couldn’t travel with his body.Wrapping him in a soft blanket, Fael carried him to a small clearing just off the road, laying him softly on a small patch of bare earth.Above, the stars shone brightly, their soft light a quiet blessing.
The first morning birds began to sing, a bittersweet melody for the boy.Fael stepped forward, his hand still resting protectively on Ren’wyn’s waist.Flame flickered across his free hand, flowing like molten water.With a solemn gesture, he reached out and touched the boy’s shroudedform.
The fire took quickly, rising to engulf the small body.Ren’wyn stood at Fael’s side, her hand clasped tightly in his, as they watched the flames carry the boy’s spirit into the stars.
When it was over, Fael took her hand, squeezing it gently.Together, they turned back to the cart, carrying their sorrow into the quietdawn.
32
Sunrise painted the horizon in hues of orange and pink against the black silhouettes of cottonwoods and oaks.Birds whistled to one another, and chipmunks chirped in the underbrush.But in the cart, the world was silent and cold.The unyielding wooden floor jolted with every pit and stone the wheels encountered on the road.Hollow.Broken.Quiet.Death trailed like a dark specter in the wake of the cart, and the small berserker’s absence loomed as a phantom in every shadow cast by the tree-linedroad.
“I’m sorry, love.We have to keep going,” Fael said from the front, his tone apologetic.
He drove the cart steadily, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, but Ren’wyn’s gaze lingered behind them.In the distance, a thin column of smoke rose from the boy’s funeral pyre, a faint smudge against the pale blue of early morning.Wisps of clouds blurred it further, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.Watching the last trace of the boy’s life fade into the sky felt important—an acknowledgment that he had lived and mattered.Only when the dark pillar disappeared entirely did she allow herself to look forward.
A few hours down the road, Fael pulled the cart to a stop and began tending to the horses.He unhitched them, rubbing them down before tethering them in the long, sweet grass near a bubbling stream.Soft whickering accompanied the smooth motions of his muscular body, the horses submitting to his tendercare.
The cart shifted as Fael climbed into the back, the wood creaking softly under his weight.A faint rustle of his leggings and the swish of his tunic accompanied his movements, the breeze stirring through trembling leaves overhead.
“You’re not sleeping,” he said quietly, his hands brushing over her upper arms with the same tenderness he had given the horses.
She couldn’t manage more than a shake of her head.A strange restlessness left stray tears dripping from her eyelashes.Sleep had eluded her during the ride, and she ached for the comfort of Fael’s arms.His hands moved to her face, cradling her cheeks with whisper-soft touches.When she finally opened her eyes, he kissed her softly.
Grief, rage, regret, and horror welled up as dark, desperate need in the wake of Fael’s tenderness.She grabbed his neck, pulling him closer, but Fael tensed, gripping her shoulders to hold herback.
“Ren’wyn,” he said gently.
She ignored him, crushing their mouths together, needing the taste of him to drown out thepain.
“Ren’wyn,” he said again, firmer this time, pushing her away enough to meet her tear-filled gaze.“You’re exhausted andhurt.”
“Give me something true and right, Fael,” she begged, her voice breaking as tears spilled down her cheeks.“I just want to feel whole with you.I want to forget.I want tolove.”
A rough, guttural sound escaped him as her words cut through his resistance.He stopped holding her back, lowering his head to kiss her deeply, his lips a mix of demand and submission.He surrendered to her need, his teeth biting down on her bottom lip hard enough to draw agasp.
“Then let it all go with me,” he ordered huskily.
