Moonshadow (Book 1 of the Torrent Skies Saga)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Val'esis

When they left the shrine, having found nothing else to threaten them, they found Arjiah on its outskirts, watching as they exited, and her eyes widened as she saw their wounds.

She ran to them with wide eyes, her boots sinking in the acidic, marshy ground. "What in the world happened?"

She laid a hand on both of them, and Katerin sighed as the soft mist of magic soothed her wounds.

"Dragon," Fykes said, a tired edge to his voice.

Arjiah's eyes widened. "Why... why didn't you run?"

"Couldn't run," Katerin said. She hefted Brazen up. "Can you help him?" Her voice broke, and the tears fell despite her effort to keep them in.

Arjiah's expression dropped immediately as she reached for Brazen.

"The acid," Katerin whispered. "It... he blocked it for me."

Arjiah nodded, concern shining in her eyes as she squeezed Katerin's arm. "I'll do what I can."

She led them back to the camp, in silence that felt too heavy. While they took the time to clean themselves up, she sat with the misshapen box, casting any spells she could think of.

When Katerin came to ask about progress, Arjiah could only shake her head.

She had repaired the case to its original state, freeing it of the pockmarks and missing pieces, but it seemed not to matter. Healing Brazen and repairing him were two very different things. Her healing magic did nothing to his wounds, as he was not truly a living being, or connected to life in the same way those made of flesh and blood were.

As they ate a quiet, cold dinner, Fykes sighed, "What's the plan for tomorrow?"

Katerin chewed her lip, and her puffy-eyed gaze fell upon Brazen. "I'm not sure. We won't be able to use the interior of the shrine, with how cramped it is. And without Brazen's help, we'll need to be far more cautious." She sniffed and turned her gaze away.

"We can use the trees easily enough," Arjiah said. "They'll keep us hidden. Though we'll have to time our attacks to catch them before they reach the shrine."

Katerin looked away from Brazen to Fykes. "Is your arm going to be alright?"

He rolled it in the socket and winced. "It'll be good enough." He held her gaze for a moment.

"You?"

She shook her head weakly. "I'll survive." Her heart was what ached, for now. The fresh wounds were not even a distracting thought. She would not accept that Brazen was gone, and she denied it as stubbornly as she could, calling out to him every few minutes.

"I can't believe you idiots fought a dragon," Arjiah said.

Katerin let herself laugh at the insanity of it. "Neither can I."

We won? A familiar voice spoke into her mind, and Katerin's gaze snapped back to Brazen.

Are you okay? She asked, barely containing the rush of thoughts that might overwhelm him.

Need to rest. No energy. My systems will work again shortly.

"Katerin?" Fykes asked, alarmed.

Tears were streaming down her face, but she smiled, hugging the case to her chest. "He's okay," she said. "He's going to be okay."

Arjiah let out a nervous laugh. "Does he need anything? Is there anything I can do?"

"Just rest," Katerin assured, taking a deep breath. It felt like the first breath she had taken since seeing the dragon.

Arjiah frowned. "The dragon in the area explains the ground around here, though."