I don’t think they are here to harm anyone, Lara told Chion.

What are you feeling, My Lady?

I’m beginning to feel euphoric again. I felt the same thing right after I popped back to this world.

He hissed, though it sounded more resigned than irritated. I thought this might happen.

She looked over to where he crouched beside the open doorway, hidden from the villagers’ view. Skye stood on the other side, holding a sword in his large hand. Well, can’t you just say that I’m not who they think I am?

Chion snorted. I do not believe this situation calls for honesty. The villagers’ emotions are balanced along a fine line. Their recent losses can easily tilt their emotions in the other direction. A moment passed before Chion said, I have spoken with Skye, telling him what is happening. I will go speak with them. Stay hidden, but prepared.

Though she tried to hear the conversation outside, the voices were too low. With nothing else to help gauge the situation, Lara kept her eyes glued on Skye. She had to admire the Pyranni warrior’s nerves. Skye never shifted his stance during the entire exchange. Like a statue.

Lara stepped forward as soon as Chion’s head crossed the threshold, but he cut her off before she could ask him what happened. I told them we would speak with them tomorrow. I requested they allow you to rest this night. Tomorrow, they are arranging a repast for us. I graciously accepted for all four of us.

“Will we be here that long? I know you must return to Malkese,” she asked as Skye kept an eye on the retreating villagers.

Chion rubbed his body against her leg as he walked by, returning to his position beside the wounded paka. I will stay as long as Eiren needs my assistance. He leaned down to sniff and gently nudge the paka’s head. I am of the opinion it is crucial for both the Pyranni and Eiren to accompany us to Malkese.

Lara watched in shock as the Pyranni changed before her eyes, shifting into a crouch, danger underlying every tense muscle in his body. He stared at them both with watchful, accusing eyes, the firelight showcasing the man’s intensity.

Before either could attack the other, Lara foolishly jumped between the two, holding her hands out in both directions. She hissed through her teeth, “Wait! Both of you just wait. Skye, hear Chion out.”

Except to glide to the side, Skye ignored her, he followed Chion’s every move. The tension increased until suddenly Chion relented. I apologize, Pyranni. My words were not meant as a threat.

Through clenched jaws, Skye demanded without relaxing his stance, “Then explain to me what you meant.”

Lara twisted her head back and forth between the two opponents, uncertain whether she should move or not.

Chion sat down. The mark on your forehead is the same as the mark on mine. I am of the opinion this holds great significance. However, I am uncertain what it does mean. Malkese boasts the best learned scholars in all of Kureto. You are now one of the Tal’Ai. Surely you wonder what this bond holds for your future.

The tableau held while Skye silently weighed the truth of Chion’s explanation. His next words had Lara taking her first full breath in relief. “Going to Malkese is not a trap.”

Chion’s shifted into a more comfortable sitting position before bowing. If so, Malkese is a trap for us all. Remember, we all carry the same, mysterious mark. Indeed, if it is a trap, I believe we will be called to face it together.

Skye straightened and lowered the sword until it pointed at the floor. Bringing the torch closer for light, he studied each of their marks, then moved to stare down at Eiren’s mark. He whispered to Eiren so softly Lara wasn’t certain she heard him correctly. “Do you believe them?”

The small paka didn’t move, but Skye turned as if she answered. His eyes flicked over them in acknowledgement before sitting next to Eiren.

Go rest. I will keep watch, Chion said.

The adrenaline rush left her in the wake of the calm aftermath. She stumbled over to the opposite wall, moving some rusty tools out of her makeshift bed on the dirt floor. Using her arm as a pillow, she fell asleep while still trying to find a more comfortable position.

<< >>

Lara was woken up by the seesaw of erratic breathing coming from the other side of the room. Disoriented, she looked around her without moving. Chion’s comforting heat lay next to her. She almost groaned aloud when she sat up, trying to move limbs stiff from sleeping on the hard floor. Her back cracked a few times, making her grimace.

Finding the source of the irregular breaths, Lara leapt up and ran to the other side of the room, uncaring if she woke everyone on the way. She fell to the ground with a grunt, almost on top of the paka in her haste. She whispered, “Eiren, don’t give up. Eiren, please.”

With her fingers shaking, she smoothed the hair between the paka’s ears, stroking her while she whispered nonsensical words. A soft scuff came from the doorway. Though she kept murmuring, giving the paka encouragement, she turned to see who was at the door. The blond warrior rushed into the room and knelt by the paka, hip to hip with Lara.

She heard the panic hidden behind his words when Skye said, “I don’t understand. She is still safe, safe behind my walls.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Her mind still clogged with sleep, Lara asked in confusion, “What do you mean she’s safe? What are you talking about?”

Skye leaned over the paka and said hoarsely, “Eiren?”

She caught herself leaning forward, closely watching the paka for a sign, any sign she was aware. Eiren never moved, and she glanced over at the Pyranni. Shocked to see a glimmer of tears in his eyes, Lara averted her eyes, trying to think of something to say.

She asked again, “What do you mean she’s safe?”

Lara was relieved when he shook his head as if he was discarding his demons. She didn’t know what to think of this new warrior. “I have kept her safe behind my walls in here.”

When she stared at him in bewilderment, he impatiently brought up two fingers and tapped them once on his forehead. “Oh,” Lara breathed out softly. That was possible?

She sat back and put weight on both arms, giving Skye more room to scratch the paka’s forehead. Her brows scrunched as she thought through what he’d said. Looking over the paka, she knew Eiren wasn’t getting better. If it was possible for an animal with a solid black coat, Eiren’s pallor seemed worse. Her wounds weren’t knitting together. Some wounds still oozed a viscous fluid, proving poison ran rampant through her system. The paka, for all intents and purposes, looked lifeless. ‘What ifs’ raced through her mind.

Chion’s solid presence flooded their bond, and she looked over her shoulder in time to see him prowling toward them. For Skye’s benefit, she asked aloud, “What do you think?”

Although her eyes were trained on Chion’s reaction to her thoughts, she saw Skye’s head jerk around to look at the white paka. “What are you talking about?” he demanded.

Before Chion could respond, Lara answered his question. “It isn’t what we’ve been talking about. It’s what I’ve been thinking.”

When she had both their attention, she smiled, though her lips barely curled. “This is what I’m thinking. I could be wrong, so hear me out first.” She waited for Skye’s grave nod before she continued, “Anytime a body is recovering from an illness or injury, the person’s will to live—in effect his or her soul—is necessary in order for that person to fight the damage within the body. I have heard of a person’s ability to kill himself by simply losing his will to live.”

She stopped to figure out how best to tell him her idea. She prayed Skye didn’t kill her for her next words. It was a radical idea, but she never would have thought what Eiren and Skye did was possible. She searched the warrior’s expression.

When she continued to hesitate, Chion encouraged her, Lara. My Lady, tell us what you think will help Eiren.

She opened her mouth but looked away and stared at the opposite wall. “I think that in Skye’s attempt to save the paka, the body’s ability to heal has stopped. Essentially, there is no one home to fight through the pain. Though Eiren may not be feeling the pain, neither is her body. Even though I’ve never heard of anything like this, my hypothesis is that since there is no consciousness or soul to know any difference, the body is not putting up a fight against what has been done to her. It doesn’t know it should be fighting.”

When silence met her foolhardy statement, she nervously shifted her eyes to Skye. Her lips twisted at the irony. His face held nothing of his feelings one way or the other. In fact, he looked as if he’d turned inward.

What do you think? You know more about this than I do. Is my thinking really that far off?

Chion huffed and swiveled his right ear. My Lady, your guess is more than I have developed. Honestly, I have not heard of such an ability among the Tal’Ai. It is possible—due to the exigent circumstances surrounding the need—that Skye and Eiren have happened upon an ability that all Tal’Ai can use now that it is known to exist.

But what about having her consciousness or soul—or whatever you want to call it—returned, she persisted.

He observed the small paka over Lara’s shoulder, sadness flowing from him to her. I do not believe the paka’s health would be more harmed. She is not improving.

Their conversation was interrupted by Skye’s grudging agreement. “Eiren believes the Abani woman has a point, though neither of us understands the word she used. She is willing to slip back into her body. Neither of us believe she will be able to withstand the pain wracking her body.”

Skye stiffened and called out, “Wait, Eiren. We need to plan what we will both do if the pain is too much.” Skye turned back to them. “The pain is what caused her to join with me in the first place. She wouldn’t have survived otherwise. Why is it now necessary for her to return her body?”

“It’s possible that by joining with you, her… essence was able to gain strength, to rest, so to speak. Maybe now it is time for her strengthened essence to join her body to help heal herself.” Lara shrugged and spread her hands. “I’m just guessing. I could be wrong. Horribly, completely wrong.”

Skye turned inward again. He said aloud while looking back and forth at Chion and her, “Eiren wants to try now, but I still say we need a plan.”

Remembering what one doctor told her when she’d fallen off her bicycle and broken both her arm and leg, she lifted her hand to stop both of them. “Wait, can Eiren hear me?” Skye nodded, stress drawing white lines around his mouth. “I remember something someone told me. Once her… let’s say consciousness reunites with her body, Eiren needs to focus all her attention on one injury at a time. It would be even better if she could somehow force herself to sleep through the pain. But barring that, try to focus on one injury at a time. It’s a mental trick that might help.”

Silence spread through the room while they waited for Eiren to move. So intent on the paka, Lara was startled when she heard a huff escape Eiren for the first time since meeting her. She listened to Skye whisper to the small paka. After a while, she felt like she was eavesdropping on an intimate conversation, though what he was saying was anything but intimate.

A yawn snuck up on her. Before Lara returned to the other side of the shack, she reminded both Skye and Eiren, “Remember, if you can’t fall asleep, keep your focus on one injury at a time.”

Neither answered her, so she got up and stretched. As she walked over to the other wall, Skye stopped her. “Eiren wants to know how you knew this?”

“Knew what?” she asked, peeking over her shoulder.

“How did you learn this mental trick?”

She laughed at the warrior’s discomfort at saying the two words. She smiled and shrugged. “My doctor told me the trick when I broke both my right arm and leg as a child. The medicine he gave my mother wasn’t enough to stop the pain. But he was afraid to give me a higher dose. He told me to focus on only one pain at a time so both injuries wouldn’t overpower me.”

Skye was silent a moment, then he said, “Eiren says she is grateful for your assistance. She will attempt to focus her attention on one injury at a time.” He was silent again before continuing, “Eiren instructed me to tell you that tomorrow she will inform you whether it worked.”

Leaning her back against Chion, she felt the tension leave them both as they reconnected through their bond. Feeling more relaxed, she was able to ask him quietly, “Why did the healer not give her medicine to sleep or for the pain?”

Chion shifted closer, pressing against her back. The healer is unknowledgeable of Pakas. She was afraid any tonic she gave Eiren would cause more harm than good.

“Hm. Why didn’t I think of that?” Lara closed her eyes, but the image of the small paka lying on the floor motionless from pain stayed implanted in her brain. She couldn’t banish the image. She opened her eyes and stared at the wall not two feet away. If Eiren lived through the night, she thought the paka would make it. Except her wounds were grave, and her infected wounds could worsen. What was more, the paka was starved for food and drink. If she didn’t eat soon, the energy it took to heal would take a back seat to starvation and dehydration.