The Land Set Aflame

Chapter 85: The Goodbye Kiss

The chains showed no sign of giving out. The wooden ring showed no sign of releasing its hold on his knuckle. The magic showed no sign of relinquishing its hold on his voice.

Svenden's composure was melting as he tugged furiously, shouting until he felt hoarse, though no sound escaped his throat. His wrists were aching as he pulled uselessly against the chains that held him bound. The ember in his heart was burning, and it spilled out into hot tears that poured from his eyes.

But still, Callyndia simply smiled that calm, pretty smile.

Shame and fear and anger filled him. Some of that anger was directed towards her. How could she do this to him? How could she give herself up to save him? He wasn't worth that sacrifice!

Nobody was worth that sacrifice! Least of all, Svenden Moon.

He tried to voice his objections, tried to reason with her that the Kallawlands needed Callyndia Sablesong more than they needed Svenden Moon. He tried to beg her to reconsider, tried to command her to walk away from this and never look back. He even tried to yell for Leofric or Kithana or Alloria Rosa to come and save her from herself.

But there were no words.

Callyndia calmly handed over her bow and quiver to the nearest odd creature, and smiled sweetly at them. She then turned to Abdus again and spoke a soft request: "Will you permit me to kiss him good-bye?"

Abdus chuckled again. "Of course," he said, gesturing towards Svenden, "I'm sure it's some variety of fairy ruse you're playing at, but I happen to know that your magic isn't nearly powerful enough to be a threat to me here. So, by all means, go cast your silly fairy spells on him under the guise of love's final parting. I assure you, it won't melt my heart."

Callyndia nodded politely, completely ignoring his mockery. She glided gracefully across the room until she stood in front of Svenden, smiling at him. He knew she was filling the air with magic. He could feel her caressing him gently with it, reaching into his mind to speak peace and love to him. But he stubbornly refused to let it in, resisted it with all his will. Unable to speak, he stared angrily at her, through a haze of tears.

She reached up and stroked his cheek.

He shook his head vehemently at her.

She simply smiled. "Don't be sad, Sven," she said, "I know what you're thinking. I don't even have to read your thoughts. You don't think you're worthy of my sacrifice. You don't think you'll be able to go on without me. But what about me? What makes you think I could go on without you?

"In a way, I'll have to do that anyway. I'm a spirit, remember? If I die, I just return to the Spirit World to continue my existence on the other side of the veil. I'll still be able to see you, and possibly even guide you in times when you need me. You? Well, no one really knows where a mortal soul goes after death, but it's much farther away than the Spirit World. At least this way, we'll still be somewhat adjacent to each other."

Svenden knew he couldn't change her mind. Even if he had his voice, he couldn't talk her out of it. If she wanted it badly enough, she could just use her magic to force him to accept it, and he'd dumbly go along with it, because that's what it meant to be in love with a nymph.

He tried to fight it, even though he knew it would be fruitless.

He tried to bargain with himself. She wouldn't necessarily die, he reminded himself, That's what Abdus said. So, it might be okay, after all. There might still be a chance.

She stepped closer and looked up at him through her eyelashes. There was nothing in her eyes but tenderness and sweetness, love and happiness. There wasn't any fear, or any sadness.

"I love you, Sven," she said as she leaned in to kiss him.

His heart nearly burst into vibrant, wild flames that consumed his soul in sadness, anger and love. The whole world around him seemed to burn away, and for a moment, all that existed was the burning wildfire in his heart, and her soft, perfect lips intertwined with his.

He wasn't sure how long it lasted, but it was over far too soon. She was receding away from him again, her smiling face still etched in his mind and the feel and taste of her lips lingering on his. Her voice repeated in his mind, over and over again: "I love you, Sven."

He sagged in defeat, his head dropped low and his body weight dangling helplessly from the chains. The tears were beyond his control now. That wooden ring seemed miles away, but it still clutched to his finger so tightly that he was sure it had been magically sealed in place.

There was nothing he could do now. He rolled his head to one side so he could watch as Callyndia walked towards Ilyssia and surrendered herself, as Ilyssia looped a length of rope about Callyndia's wrists and transferred the talisman about her neck onto Callyndia's neck.

As soon as that talisman settled against Callyndia's chest, Svenden could feel the ember diminish in his heart, and the soft caress of magic on his cheek fade away. The talisman was blocking her magic now. She was completely defenseless.

He couldn't protect her now. He started to doubt that he ever could before, either.