Terrin hadn’t been able to sleep in days. Elurra’s conversation about marriage swirled around in his head like a broken record, making him feel sick. He didn’t understand what was causing him to react that way. He couldn’t even bring himself to talk to her without his stomach churning. Once their quest was over, his comfortable time with her would become an evanescent memory. Elurra would return to her kingdom of ice and marry an exotic prince, probably named Kai, and forget all about him.
Where does that leave me? Terrin wondered dismally.
He hated to think about it, but Elurra was all he had left. She was the closest thing he had to family. He couldn’t return to Glan’ak. Even if the thought of stagnating as a healer in a small town didn’t repel him, his father was dead, and his family home was a tomb. He had to find his own place in the world, but until that conversation, he’d always thought his place would be with Elurra. He’d pictured himself as captain of her personal guard, or as the castle healer. The thought of her marrying changed things, though. Rocks sat in his stomach when he considered watching her live from the sidelines as her underling. He knew he had to withdraw from her if he didn’t want to get hurt when she eventually left him. The silent treatment was painful for both of them, though. He hated seeing her hurt expression. The inner conflict was tearing him apart.
I’m not supposed to feel this way, am I? he asked himself, staring blankly at the ceiling of his tent. He wanted nothing more than to sleep, but he felt like everything was dull and pointless. Every breath hurt. The agony he was causing himself was unbelievable. Fear for his future, coupled with pulling away from Elurra, left him constantly depressed and nauseous.
I can’t keep going like this, he thought miserably.
Mumbles and snoring swirled around Terrin, making sleep impossible. The dying fire outside glowed steadily through the far wall. He sat up and laced up his boots, then picked his way around the sleeping bodies sprawled across the ground. The tent flap was tied back to let in fresh air, providing an easy escape. The gravel crunched softly under his boots. Taking a walk normally made him feel better, but Elurra was still on his mind. He didn’t understand what was bothering him so much. His life would be much safer without her in it. She was incredibly impulsive and never revealed her plans. She was always off in her own little world, and she never made it clear what she wanted.
She is so frustrating! he thought angrily as he kicked a pebble. The stone shot off into the dark foliage looming on the side of the road, lost forever in the twisted depths of undergrowth. He glanced up and noticed the royal tent was a few rows away, towering over the smaller tents around it. He picked his way around the haphazard slew of smaller soldiers’ sleeping areas and peered at the larger dwelling.
To Terrin’s surprise, the tent flaps parted, and Elurra emerged, completely disheveled. Her hair stuck up in clumps in some places and clung to her cheeks in others. Her face was creased and blotchy, but it could have been the uneven firelight. Terrin pulled back into the shadows. She squared her shoulders and said something to the guards, then slipped away into the night. He hesitated, wondering what he should do.
She looks worried about something, he observed, absentmindedly playing with his bracelet. I shouldn’t interfere. After this little adventure, she’ll go back to her kingdom and leave me in her wake. She’ll forget all about me, marry some nobleman, and live happily ever after. Why shouldn’t she? I don’t really matter. I’m just the one who’s always been there for her. Terrin clenched his fists, building up his animosity. He sighed and opened his hands.
But what else am I going to do? I’m driving myself mad because I want to be near her. He sighed heavily and followed the princess. He watched as she glided behind another tent like a ghost and stopped again right before turning the corner.
I don’t have to comfort her. She can deal with her own problems. He knew he was losing the argument with himself, though, because he wanted nothing more than to cradle her in his arms.
I’m pathetic, he decided as he walked around the tent corner.
Elurra was sitting on the ground, her hair a frizzy, pale cloud around her. She was mumbling to herself when his shadow fell across her lap. She looked up, and a wide smile of relief spread across her face.
“Terrin!” She sprang up and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Terrin stumbled back, dumbfounded by her unexpected response. After a second, she sensed his tension and let go. Her expression blanked, and her stance turned stiff and unwelcoming.
“I am sorry. I do not know what came over me. Excuse me.” She started to walk away.
This was it. If he let her leave, the gap between them would grow too large to ever cross again. They would go their separate ways after this was over. Life would go on, leaving her a phantom of his childhood. He could go back with the dwarfs and become a pirate. He could ask Kai for a job doing something exciting that involved traveling. He didn’t need Elurra.
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He didn’t want to let her go, either.
“Wait, Snow,” he said softly. She halted. “Please come back. I needed some space because I had some things to think over, but they’re sorted now. I’m sorry.”
She turned around and stared at him, her face a mask of indifference. She was waiting for more. He sighed inwardly.
“I know I’ve been awful the last few days, and I truly apologize. Is that enough?”
Her expression shifted, and she glided forward slowly. Terrin quenched his impulse to reach out and touch her to make sure she was real. Her eyes bored into his, unwavering. It was hard not to flinch. She seemed to look straight past his eyes and into his mind, which was the most unnerving feeling of all. She frowned and looked away. Terrin realized he’d been holding his breath and let it out.
“I should be the one apologizing. I did something that hurt you deeply, although I do not know what it was.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said as he sat down. She sat beside him, her hands in her lap. “What’s bothering you?” he asked, anxious to change the subject. She gave him a partial smile.
“Am I that obvious?”
“You really are.” He gave her a playful smile.
“I keep having these weird dream visions,” she admitted. Terrin raised an eyebrow, encouraging her to continue. “I have been having visions more and more frequently ever since my parents died. I had one about Garthu Vore, and before we found Kai’s fake body. Remember how I woke up screaming, and I knew exactly where to find him?” Terrin realized she was right. He hadn’t known where to go, but she found it on her own. “I also saw you vanishing into the sea, which happened the day after,” she added. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make the images go away.
“I kept having dreams about your death. They were terrible. Once, I was so distraught when I woke up that Kai—” her eyes snapped open as she gave him a furtive glance.
“What did Kai do?”
She studied the ground. “Nothing,” she mumbled, color tinting her cheeks.
“What happened?”
“He got really close to me, that is all,” she defensively.
Terrin felt heat rising in his cheeks as his anger bubbled over. She was flushed and avoiding his gaze, and Terrin felt like she was hiding something from him.
“You never told me you were planning to marry Kai. It didn’t appear you were that close,” he said flatly. She glared at him.
“It is not like that,” she hissed.
“And why not? It would be a great diplomatic move for you. Lur Alava isn’t exactly known as the friendliest kingdom. In fact, most people think all of you are ice-hugging loonies with strange powers and odd personalities. An alliance with Amora would definitely increase trade.”
She was obviously taken aback by his logic. “Well, yes, but—”
“Besides, Prince Kai is somewhat close to your physical age. You can’t do much better than that.” He hated how much sense their union made, and he despised himself for pointing out the benefits.
“Terrin, stop it!” She looked thoroughly shaken. “I am only eleven! I do not want to get married yet.” She looked paler than normal, and her eyes were wide with fright.
“Well, you and I know that, but you said it yourself. You look like you’re well into your teenage years. That’s normally when people get married, especially someone in your position. You better be prepared, Princess. Pretty soon, after all this mess is straightened out, you’ll be getting a lot of proposals.”
She looked terrified. “Maybe this was a bad idea,” Elurra muttered as she startled him by resting her head on his shoulder. “If we had stayed the right age, none of this would have happened.”
Terrin didn’t know what to do, so he awkwardly rested his hand on her shoulder.
“We had to. You know that. We had to stop Nitiri, or a lot of people would have suffered.”
Snow sat up abruptly, surprising him. “She wants the Kutsal Stones! The visions were a warning about what would happen if we fail.”
“What?” Terrin asked, completely lost.
“Lira’s grandfather killed the King of Reagn and took his crown to bring the Demons. But what were the rest of the dreams for? I learned that in the very first dream. It still makes no sense,” she babbled. Terrin was incredibly confused.
“What were the rest of the dreams about?”
“The rest were focused on Lira and Zavier, but why are they important? Zavier is dead, and Lira…I’m not sure about Lira. I did learn a lot of things from Zavier about Yamoi and magic and how the Guardians are called the Prath and the Demons are really called the Cythraul, but why did I see the end of their story? It must have been Tipet, but why is that relevant? Tipet is a free nation now. The rumors are the Demons—” She jumped up, her eyes as wide as the moons. “The rumors about the end of the Dark Times in Tipet said the Demons vanished into thin air one night and never came back. That means my vision probably happened a few years before I was born, so Lira is probably the current Queen of Tipet!”
Terrin shook her gently. “Snow, I don’t understand your point.”
She squirmed in his grasp impatiently. “I am saying Nitiri is trying to take Amora’s Kutsal Stone and bring it to Lur Alava, so we need to go to Tipet.”
“Why Tipet? If Nitiri is going to summon more Demons, then we need to go back and stop her somehow.”
“How do you propose we accomplish that?” Elurra demanded sharply, an edge to her voice. His expression twisted thoughtfully.
“Well, I guess we go and—”
“What? Kill her?”
“If we have to, yes?”
“Are you insane? Do you even know how to kill someone?” He shook his head, feeling silly. “Do you honestly think you can kill another person?”
He hated when she was right.
“I get it. We aren’t murders, and I have no clue how to stop her,” he admitted sheepishly. She nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. We need to be prepared for anything. We need help, training, and guidance. The King of Amora will help us, but I think we might need more than he can give. Magic has never been prevalent in Amora, and he barely believed sorcery was possible. We need someone who knows what we’re going against. Lira was the last one who had contact with a Guardian, and she was an official Demon slayer for years. We need to talk to her. We need to know everything she knows about magic, the Guardians, and the Demons.”
“Snow, this is dangerous. Have you ever thought we might be in too deep?” Terrin asked hesitantly. She gave him a quirky smile. Every time she made that face, he knew she was planning to do something stupid.
“We most definitely are in over our heads and sinking fast,” she said brightly. Somehow, her words didn’t reassure him.