Page 45

Wordlessly, we gather what little gear we have left.

I check the cave mouth: no sign of lesser gargoyles.

The morning sun peeks over the mountains, the sky painted in soft peach and lavender.

We exchange a relieved breath, stepping outside onto frost-crusted stone.

The slope below is littered with half-frozen debris from the night’s fight, but no monstrous silhouettes appear.

Kaelith glances at me, voice husky. “We should find Drayveth and the others, if they survived. Or continue toward Snowfall Glen if we’re on our own.” I sense the tension in him—he hates dealing with Drayveth but acknowledges we might need all the help we can get.

I inhale, scanning the horizon. The brand twinges, a reminder of Drayveth’s condemnation.

He labeled me Nyxari if I refuse to kill Kaelith.

I refuse. But perhaps he’s out there, battered, needing us as much as we once needed him.

“We’ll search briefly,” I decide. “Then press on. We can’t linger too long. Those gargoyles might return.”

Kaelith nods, wincing slightly as he flexes his thigh. “Lead the way.”

We descend from the cave’s perch, moving cautiously across the rocky paths.

My entire body aches, but my heart is steadied by Kaelith’s presence at my side, by the tether’s subdued warmth.

We overcame another brush with death. Each test cements our bond further.

A flicker of fear surfaces as I recall the shadow I felt creeping at the edges of that synergy. I must remain vigilant.

Despite the swirling doubts, I steal a glance at Kaelith, seeing him upright, runes glowing with renewed life.

My lips curve in a small, private smile.

Love. A fragile bloom in the midst of carnage, but real.

The sight of him alive, leaning on me only slightly, fills me with a fierce sense of triumph.

No matter what darkness tugs at my magic, this feeling is worth fighting for.

We find no trace of Drayveth’s group in the immediate vicinity—only scuffed footprints and scattered debris.

They must have fled or been attacked elsewhere.

With time pressing, we decide to press onward.

Snowfall Glen awaits, rumored to be hidden deeper in these mountains.

If they have wards or spells that can block Nerezza’s brood, it might be the only safe haven.

The rising sun warms the rocky slopes enough to melt some of the frost, leaving slick patches of mud.

We trek slowly, mindful of Kaelith’s healing injuries, exchanging few words but many cautious glances.

The tether pulses with an intimacy we can’t ignore.

Everything has changed between us, and though dread hovers, the sweetness of that bond outstrips my terror.

At midday, we pause on a ledge overlooking a wide valley. A faint shimmer in the distance might be water or perhaps a shimmering ward line. I squint, trying to make sense of it. Kaelith sets a hand on my shoulder to steady me, wings folding. We stand side by side, battered but unbroken.

“How far do you think?” I ask, swallowing dryness in my throat. My staff weighs heavy in my hand. “Snowfall Glen could be near. I remember hearing they ward their entire territory with illusions.”

Kaelith breathes softly, tail curling. “A day’s journey, perhaps. If your stories are correct.” He meets my gaze. “We’ll manage.” His runes flicker with quiet determination. “And if more lesser gargoyles appear, we’ll fight them—together.”

My heart warms, recollecting how we overcame the brood last night. “Together,” I echo, a vow under my breath. The memory of that frantic, life-saving union surges in my mind, a mix of embarrassment, longing, and fierce pride. We did it. We survived.

Still, I can’t banish the flicker of worry about the darkness I felt. Love or not, synergy or not, a part of me wonders if each time we fuse magic, we chip away at my boundaries, letting chaos seep in. A silent vow forms: I must stand guard against that temptation.

Kaelith must sense my tension because he brushes a gentle knuckle across my brand. The tether warms, reassuring. “We’ve come this far,” he murmurs. “We’ll see it through.”

Tears prick my eyes, but I blink them away, offering a faint, determined smile. “Yes. We will.” I lean into his touch, allowing a moment of closeness that no longer feels taboo. The slope of his shoulder is comforting under my palm.

So we forge onward, hearts pounding with both dread and hope.

Our path remains fraught—Nerezza’s brood hunts these mountains, Drayveth might still rally his purna, and the coven condemns me as Nyxari.

But Kaelith and I stand side by side, our tether forging a union deeper than mere alliance.

With each step, I reaffirm the love that blossomed in that desperate cave, a love that might just outshine the looming darkness.

And though the shadow of chaos tugs at the corners of my magic, for now, I cling to the fierceness of our bond. I trust that together, we can weather whatever nightmares lie ahead—even if it means challenging Nerezza herself, or facing the coven’s wrath. We will not yield.

As the sun slips lower, lengthening our shadows over the rocky path, we brace ourselves for the next trial.

But in our shared heartbeat, in the tether’s soft hum, we carry a spark of unbreakable warmth that defies every threat.

We survived a desperate union, forging new strength from our synergy, and no matter how the darkness beckons, I refuse to let it claim me.

For Kaelith’s sake and mine, I’ll fight to keep the love we’ve found, even if it costs me everything else.