I watched Ilyan, Dramin and the others continue to run into the endless dark. The light they held dimmed until I stood alone in the darkness, my breath heaving in my chest. My body ached as I watched the black before me, my magic pulling me after Ilyan, while my heart pumped in expectation of what I needed to do.
I ran back to the opening, my legs screaming in agony as I continued to push them. My chest shook as I inhaled, raising my hands into the air. My palms were flat as I pushed them against the space in the opening of the cave, and the wide wall that I was going to create in an attempt to keep Edmund from pursuing us. My magic surged as my fingers stretched, a shimmering smoke seeping from my fingertips. The smoke was like liquid against oil as it spun and danced in the air, moving and swirling and fanning out as it crept from me.
Light oozed from my hands as the shield grew and spread. A weak glow floated around me as it licked against the air. The smoke stretched over the opening like a net, the light touching every bit of space before the opening was sealed. The light of my magic decreased as it solidified, creating a seemingly solid wall of rock. To the cave beyond my wall, the barrier was now just an expanse of stone, another stretch of wall, the same as it was surrounded by. To me, it was a window that tinted everything brown and red until the light seeped from the surface, leaving me in the ebony pitch.
I stood still in the dark, my breathing a heavy pant as I tried to get my body to relax, my attempts forgotten as more than a dozen Trpaslíks ran through the main tunnel, their own lights held in front of them. My breath tightened in my chest as they ran into the space, my body frozen as I tried to convince myself that they couldn’t see me. They screamed in anger, their pace slowing as they faced the caved-in tunnel before them, unaware that I stood only feet away.
The lights they held flickered as they looked around in question, each of them yelling in a language I didn’t understand before they ran at the collapsed cave, their fingers clawing at the rocks that blocked the opening while their magic surged and began to blast the rock away.
I didn’t need to see any more. I turned and ran, a light of pure gold erupting in my hand as my magic pulsed. I moved as fast as I could, my legs protesting every step, my muscles aching and throbbing. I pushed myself until the burn left, unable to ignore the desperate call of my heart to meet back up with the others. With Ilyan.
Are you okay? I asked Ilyan as I ran, hoping that he could still hear me.
That he wasn’t too far away.
Yes, his deep, worried voice pulsed into my head, giving me a little bit of relief. Is it safe?
Yes. It worked. They can’t see our cave. They should be working on your collapse for a while.
You are amazing, my love. I smiled at his words, not knowing what to say to them. I slowed my pace as my heart swelled, the calm I felt moving right into him. Our hearts slowed in unison, my soul calming as his did.
We are going to stop and make camp. They can’t go on much longer, he said, and I could already feel his body slow, the pulse of his magic growing stronger as he stopped. They weren’t that far ahead of me; it should take me about ten minutes to walk there.
My agitation calmed at the thought, and I quickened my pace a bit, desperate to get back to Ilyan as fast as I could.
I’ll be there soon, I whispered.
I’ll be waiting.
I smiled at the tenderness in his voice, the calm that he pushed into my heart, and I continued walking. The golden light I held in my hand pulsed against the crevices of stone I was surrounded by, making it look like I had inadvertently walked into a cave of gold and diamonds. It was beautiful.
I fought the urge to reach my hand out and touch the glittery surface, not wanting the illusion to be destroyed. The golden light looked so pure, so perfect. I wanted to share the light with everyone.
I smiled at the thought just as my magic pulsed, the signature of Wyn’s magic flying right toward me. Her power seemed heightened as she ran at me, the strong heat setting me on edge.
Wyn is coming to you, Ilyan spoke into my mind, the tone of his voice adding to the worry her magic had given me
Yes, I can feel her.
She knows. His voice was simple, but it ran through me like ice. I knew she did, I had seen that look in her eyes in the kitchen before, but I could already tell that this visit wasn’t going to be congratulatory.
Is she mad? I asked, her magic flaring the closer she came. Ilyan’s agitation washed over me, his memory rushing into me as it repeated the quick conversation he had with her.
I could see her prod for answers, her demeanor more of that confusing adult persona that had been flashing through her lately. Ilyan had laughed at her demand, unwilling to give her the answers, and so she stormed out, right to me.
I guess I’ll find out. I cringed when a blob of orange light flared ahead of me as she grew closer, the aggressive flare of anxiety running through me. I pushed it away as best I could before she came into view.
“So when exactly were you going to tell me?” she snapped the moment she came into view, the orange light she held mixing with my gold to make the cave look like molded cheese sauce.