Page 97 of Alora: The Maladorn Scroll (Alora 3)

She grabbed his shoulders and shook him, screaming his name, but he gave no response.

She knew what she had to do. It was no more than what Laethan had done for her.

She probed in the dark, finding Bardamen’s lips. Taking in a huge breath, she blew as hard as she could into his mouth.

His body twitched. He moved.

He’s alive!

Swallowing up the collected feelings as he righted himself, he floated to the top of the silo.

She made a feeble attempt to rise from the bottom, but she had no breath left. No buoyancy.

She stopped struggling, resting on the bottom. So comfortable. Relaxed. No pain. No anxiety. Dying seemed such a pleasant thing.

**************

Bardamen awoke to utter chaos.

People were all around him. A lot of people. Shouting. Yelling. Someone was poking his foot with something sharp. Pushing up on his elbows, Bardamen tried to make sense of his surroundings.

“Stop that, Markaeus.” He jerked his foot away.

He saw his father weeping and wondered what had happened.

Meravelle was beside him, also crying. It broke his heart to see the tears on her face. He wanted to ask who had died, but from her expression, he feared the worst. Her grandfather must have passed.

Jireo’s voice rose above the others as he wailed, “Noooooooooooo!”

Pushing people out of the way, Jireo limped forward, grabbing Kaevin’s shoulders and tumbling him out of the chair to the floor.

“Call her back!” Jireo keened. “Call Alora back!”

“I can’t reach her,” Kaevin slurred, his head lolling sideways. “I’m too weak.”

Jireo looked up at Charles. “Give me a blade! I know you have one. Give it to me!”

Charles slid a knife into Jireo’s hand.

“Kaevin, look at me! Look!”

Kaevin’s eyes blinked open.

“If you leave, I’ll do it. I swear, I’ll do it!” Jireo pressed the blade against his own neck, and a drop of blood appeared.

The room went eerily silent.

Kaevin sat up like he’d been splashed with icy water. “Jireo, stop! What are you doing?”

“Call her back! You can still reach her!” Tears streamed down Jireo’s face. “Don’t give up, or I’ll slash it. I swear, I will!”

Kaevin blinked in confusion.

“She’s right there beside you.” Jireo pointed with his nose at Alora’s prone body, lying on the floor beside Kaevin.

Kaevin hesitated, looking like he might try to take the knife from Jireo. But Jireo pushed harder on the blade, indenting his skin and hissing at the pain as more blood beaded along the sharp edge.

Twisting, Kaevin scooped Alora onto his lap, cradling her face in his hands. He bent his head down and kissed her, groaning as if the action caused great pain. Their lips stayed together, but Alora didn’t respond. The kiss continued on, while the onlookers waited... while Jireo remained motionless, with a bloody blade pressed against his own neck.