Within These Tangled Tales

Chapter Thirty-Three

—Shadowlands, Valdornne—

Three days and still Lulu hadn't woken. Idelle followed closely behind Uncle Baloren, her eyes fixed upon the top of her lover's head. Her wound was now fully closed, the poison gone, taken by Kellaran, but still Lulu slept. Idelle didn't know why. She was constantly restoring Lulu's vital energy with her own aether, and there was no infection within the wound. She should have woken by now, but the only fluttering of her eyes was when she twitched and moaned, some sort of nightmare plaguing her slumbering mind. Idelle felt helpless.

At first, Corlis had insisted on being the one to carry Lulu, but after a day of having to hold her in one particular position to not aggravate the wound, he had tired, his steps too slow for the dangerous place they found themselves in. Though the ancient elf had told them they were free from the King of Bones so long as they remained removed from the Sanctuary, that didn't mean they were free from the beasts that prowled the forest. They needed to be on their guard constantly and couldn't afford a slow pace. Uncle Baloren had taken over instead, his strength far beyond any of them, save the Akhkharu. He never tired or slowed, just carried Lulu forward with a fierce determination, his brow set in a hard line.

"Any sign of the Sanctuary yet?" Sian asked as he fell into step beside her.

Idelle shook her head. "I feel...something, but it's too faint to know for certain."

"Just as well," Duncan muttered behind them. "We're about to walk into a warzone. I, for one, am not ready for that."

"No help for it, I'm afraid," Sian shook his head. "If we're to find Eivør anywhere, it's likely to be there. Tyen'enyal said it himself. Eivør damaged this Sanctuary, whatever it is. I'd be willing to bet that this Sanctuary is how she's made her soldiers stronger."

"And it just had to belong to the King of Bones," Corlis groaned. "Just once, I'd like this to be easy."

"That's asking far too much," Isadora scoffed. "Don't you know, everything has to be incredibly complicated and life-threatening. Rule of the universe. That's why you don't stick your nose in where it doesn't belong unless absolutely necessary. Easier that way."

"Is that why you didn't get involved in the war?" Corlis turned to her and Brendamir. "With King Redan, I mean."

Brendamir looked away sharply at that, guilt crossing Isadora's face as she looked at her lover. "That was my decision," she said, shortly. "It caused...a rather heated discussion."

"Still does," Brendamir muttered softly, his gaze turned straight ahead.

"I had to look out for my people," Isadora explained, though Idelle could hear the apology in her tone. "When the Cataclysm happened, Dolmaarangar took the worst of it. The residual energy from Vándor sent a shockwave through my kingdom. We were struggling to rebuild when Redan seized control of the capital and declared war on anyone who didn't support the Empire. He offered us sovereignty in exchange for us remaining out of the war completely. We had suffered too many casualties fighting Tanith and the Omega. We couldn't last in another war."

Isadora's eyes were fixed firmly on Brendamir, as though she was only speaking to him, trying to justify her decision. Her uncle never looked at Isadora, however, and Idelle could only wonder how hard of a strain that single decision had weighed upon them.

"I protected my people," Isadora shook her head, realizing Brendamir would not look at her. "And nearly lost the best thing in my life."

That, at least, got Brendamir's attention. He turned his head slightly, never looking at her when he spoke. "I pledged my heart and life to you. Tor'Varyans never break their word."