Kysha shook her head. “Just your patience.”
“Take all the time you need,” I assured her. “After all, we don’t have anywhere else to be.” I tried to smile, but I was fairly certain it came out as more of a grimace. What else could we do? We hadn’t come all this way just to be bested by bubbling and hissing lava, even if said flames were snapping at us.
Flipping open Nonna’s grimoire, Kysha handed the book off to her wife before taking out the small parchment Olwine had given her from Maiela.
I watched with interest—I hadn’t seen the halfling use her magic often. When she’d used it on me, glamouring me to hide my appearance so we could sneak into Vlarone, the outcome had been… less than desired. The glamour had slipped, and we had nearly been caught by Winged Soldiers.
Hopefully, today would go better.
Xander moved, leaning against a nearby tree, and he beckoned me to join him. As soon as my back hit his front, his arms locked around me and he held me against his chest. Memories of what we’d done in the lean-to flitted through my mind, and I tilted my head, giving him a kiss.
“It’s time,” Maiela announced.
My attention snapped to the riverbank. Kysha had shed her cloak, and now she stood with her arms outstretched. Her long hair, a brown so dark it was almost black, whipped around her with the force of an unseen wind.
Kysha’s eyes were closed, and she chanted, her words too low to hear. Violet ribbons flowed from her hands at an incredible rate. My magic reacted at the sight, humming in my veins, but I tamped it down. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but I wanted to be prepared for anything. My fingers crept to the dagger sheathed on my thigh, the weapon a welcome weight in the face of the unknown.
No one spoke as Kysha worked. Her chanting continued, the hissing lava a backdrop to her words, and my heart pounded. Moments like this reminded me that the Light Elf halfling had an abundance of power. Most Light Elves had a fraction of Kysha’s strength. Maybe it was her witch’s blood, or maybe it was something else, but her power called to mine.
It was strange to have so many powerful females in one place. Me, Ryllae, Kysha, and Maiela. Not for the first time, I realized what a strong hand fate had in our lives.
When the violet ribbons in the air counted in the hundreds, Kysha opened her eyes. They were as white as alabaster. I gasped, but Maiela did not seem concerned as she handed her wife the grimoire.
Kysha’s eyes brightened impossibly further, her eyes glowing as she rested Olwine’s slip of paper over the open book. The halfling spoke in a low, deep voice that seemed to echo all around us. The language she uttered was new to me, harsh and full of short syllables and clipped words.
She chanted for what felt like hours. Absolute stillness fell around us. The violet ribbons hung in the air and the forest was silent. My heartbeat sounded like drums, and I shifted from one foot to the other as she worked. The sun crested the sky, Xander’s comforting hold on me never wavered, and still, Kysha chanted.
Eventually, her tone shifted. Her words became something lilting and almost mournful as they hit the air. A deep, ancient part of me recognized them, and my magic pulsed in my veins. Before I knew what was happening, green ribbons slipped from my palms. They darted into the forest behind us, sinking into the earth.
Kysha’s voice increased in both volume and intensity, until finally, the violet threads of magic moved. As one, they wove themselves together under the halfling’s direction, forming a shimmering, purple wall in front of the fiery river.
Xander inhaled sharply, and his demeanor changed in an instant. Gone was the relaxed male holding me against him. In his place was a warrior.
Someone is coming, he said through the bond. He released me, and metal zinged at the same time that leaves rustled in the forest. I stiffened, drawing my dagger and whipping my head around, only to let out a shaky laugh.
Kethryllian, the Guardian of the Appointed Ones, stood a few feet away from me. He was unchanged in appearance, the bark that made up his skin shimmering in the sunlight as he dipped his head. His antlers touched the side of my cloak, and his presence brushed against my mind.
“What is that?” Ryllae asked in a low voice, inching closer to us.
Xander relaxed, lowering his sword as the deer nodded in his direction. “That’s Kethryllian,” he whispered. “He’s… Aileana’s. Sent from the gods.”
“Oh,” Ryllae said.
She glanced over at Daegal, who placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Princess.”
Greetings, High Lady of Life.Kethryllian’s voice rumbled in my mind.I have received your summons.
This wasn’t the first time I had called him by accident, and I supposed it probably wouldn’t be the last. Things like this wouldn’t happen if someone trained me in the ways of my magic. But there was no one else left. Everything I knew, I learned it myself. Trial and error was a messy way to educate oneself.
I didn’t exactly mean to call you,I admitted to the majestic deer.
He snorted, brushing his nose against my hand.No matter. I am here, now.
That was true. The presence of the Guardian was comforting. Glancing behind me, I took in the growing wall. It was thick and dark, but Kysha was still chanting.
Do you know what we are supposed to do?I asked Kethryllian.
His voice was low in my mind as he rumbled,You are walking down the correct path, High Lady.