This couldn’t be the end. How could something like this finish before it had even truly begun?
Get a hold of yourself, Daegal.
Descending into panic would not help her right now. My Death Elf needed me. The magic had brought me back here for a reason. I couldn’t give up.
I refused to give up.
Pressing my ear to her chest, I listened intently. Sending silent prayers to the gods, I waited for something to happen. For her aura to pulse. For her to wake up and yell at me.
Something.
Anything to prove that I wasn’t too late.
I needed Ryllae like I needed air to breathe. What did one do if their mate was stolen from them too soon? I did not know, nor did I wish to find out.
Please, let her live, I prayed.
The moment seemed to stretch forever, but finally, her heartbeat fluttered in her chest. A wave of relief so powerful that I could barely breathe washed over me. Exhaling raggedly, I pulled Ryllae back against my chest. “Thank Kydona.”
She was alive. Now that I was paying more attention, I noticed a faint red glow on her skin. One of the cuts on her cheek knit itself together before my eyes, and wonder ran through me. She was healing herself, just like she’d healed my arm when the wolves attacked.
That was good. Hopefully, if I kept us safe, she would soon come out of this sleep.
Please, let her wake.
Hugging Ryllae to my chest, I finally took a moment to look around. In front of me, there was nothing but darkness. But when I glanced up, a faint, glowing mushroom caught my eye.
Memories flooded into me, one after the other.
My feet pounding on the stones as I ran through the city, carrying Ryllae. A red glow as she sent her magic towards the spiders. Pride filling me as she destroyed them again and again. Screeches as they died.
Then…
The ground disappeared. One moment, it had been solid, the next it gave way. I yelled. Ryllae screamed. We fell.
A flash of red filled my vision.
Then, pain.
By the gods, it was a miracle we were still alive. She must have cushioned our landing with her magic.
“Thank you, Ryllae.” I held her as tight as I dared. “You saved us, Princess.”
She didn’t react, but when I brushed a kiss over her cheek, her aura shone brighter.
Emboldened, I continued to take stock of our surroundings. My sword lay a few feet away. That, in and of itself, was a close call. The weapon could have injured either one of us. At least now I knew why Ryllae was so weak. She must have used too much magic in too short a time span.
This too, I had seen before. When Aileana first come into her powers, before she Matured, she had fallen into comatose states multiple times. Sometimes they lasted for hours, others for days.
Neither of those were good options right now. I did not know how much time had passed since we had fallen, but we couldn’t stay here. What if those creatures returned? I couldn’t defend my Death Elf in a space this small. Though my vision was adequate in the darkness, it wasn’t amazing.
Breathe.
I needed a plan. I was good at planning. It came with seeing the future; I thought. Right now, I could not leave Ryllae to See the future. That meant I had to rely on my strength and wit to save us both.
Think.
The first thing I had to do was get us out of this dark hole. Hopefully, we would find the others sooner rather than later.