Lavinia’s sardonic grin formed a thin crust over her naked gratitude.

“That was fucking awful, Jesus fuck. One little splinter and it almost had me. If you hadn’t a been here… I just couldn’t fight it.”

“You might have rallied. You’re strong.”

“Yeah, mighta.” Lavinia moaned. “One fucking splinter. Couldn’t even say to it, ‘fuck you, I’m a Jew.’”

“You would have fought it off,” Sally declared. “Like you did on the island.” That was when she had said, fuck you, I’m a Jew.

Forest pressed in on all sides. It was impossible to tell what time it was. “Can you stand? We should hurry.”

Lavinia’s eyes held bleak distress. “Tiger? I feel like an asshole saying this, but I think you should go on without me. I’m a liability to you here. I shouldn’t put you in danger from me too. I’ll stay here…” She trailed off miserably, eyes pleading with Sally not to think she was a coward.

Sally shivered. In the year since she met Lavinia, she had gotten out of the habit of doing anything by herself. Lavinia had become her other half. Her recent infatuation with Helga fled like feathers. She’d grown accustomed to taking every risk with strong Lavinia by her side.

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“Can’t we just walk very carefully….?”

“These fucking branches, like pushing through a nest of King Cobras. And I’d do it! But I almost killed you…”

Dread came over Sally that this was an irrevocable decision, that she’d be saying goodbye forever. She made herself push the words out. “Sure, right. Well, I don’t think it’s much further. I’ll be back quick.”

The trees seemed denser and meaner than ever. She kissed Lavinia hard, put slender white hands on Lavinia’s olive-skinned face. “I will be back, and soon,” she promised, enunciating each word.

Lavinia, still looking guilty, said, “I’m sorry, Tiger. I’ll be rooting for you. Yay, Tiger.”

As Sally started down the murky trail, she looked back once. Lavinia looked terribly vulnerable lying in the pathway, carefully not touching any of the trees, head pillowed on a bulging earth-packed root.

What if I never see her again? What if this was goodbye?

She memorized Lavinia’s round face, dark hair, deep eyes (difficult to see in the dim light), and that well-loved leather jacket. Fiercely, she visualized the raven symbol protecting Lavinia as it had once before.

Reaching into her own pocket, she wrapped a hand around the Wu Xing pentagram, wondering if she should leave it with Lavinia as a protective talisman.

She forced herself to stop worrying. Lavinia was still strong and capable.