Vaela dropped to the ground, drawing her cloak around her, and reached for a tendril of Hermit’s Shadow. Just a bit, not enough to Channel through her body to Fade. It was much easier when not trying to break it completely to her will. She grasped the morsel of Shadow and took a deep breath. She’d never tried to actually use Shadow, outside of Channeling it for resilience. Something like…?
She let the Shadow flow from her hand and it slithered away from her. It almost felt like blood oozing from a cut, but not painful. Inky Shadow draped over her arm in a fog that clung to her body. The rest of Hermit’s blood pushed towards her hand, eager to escape the confines of her body. She wrenched it back, and metered out a little more, letting it slide from her hand. The Shadow on her arm lengthened and she did her best to stretch it out to cover her like a sheet. It wasn’t nearly as easy as Hermit or Timura made it seem, but she managed to cover most of her body with it. She curled up under it and hugged to the side of the tent. The footsteps circled around the outskirts of the tent. Her heart pounded, loud in her ears, as the footsteps neared. The pace didn’t slow and the person passed a few feet away from her. Her lungs burned as she held her breath. The footsteps passed her and finally faded around the other side of the tent. She took in a strained breath, soothing the fire in her lungs and body, and cautiously raised her head. No one was in sight.
She released her hold on the Shadow and it dissolved away. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead and she swiped it away. To think that Hermit had summoned enough Shadow to thrust all of them into pitch darkness–and then, he could still fight them.
She hurried the rest of the way to Adyr’s tent and slipped inside without a backwards glance. It was dark once the flap closed, with little of the fading daylight filtering in, and no candles or torches inside. The interior was the size of a small room. On the far end, Adyr slumped against a thick post with her hands tied behind her. Her right sleeve had been cut off just above the shoulder. Streaks of dried blood painted a trail down her arm that ended at the bloodied sleeve, bunched at her wrist.
“Adyr!”
Vaela rushed forward as Adyr–pale with dark circles under her eyes–stirred. Vaela jumped in front of her and cradled her face. What had they done? She swallowed her rising rage and fumbled to the knife on her belt. “It’s okay. I’ll get you out of here, I promise.”
Adyr’s eyes fluttered open and she tipped her head up. “Vaela?” She jerked and shook her head. “You shouldn’t be here. Get out.”
Vaela scooted around the post and examined the rope that bound Adyr. It was tightly tied in a knot, crusted with the blood that had dripped down her arm. “What did they do?”
Adyr’s feet steadied under her and she stomped at Vaela. “Stop! Leave me.”
Vaela shook her head and sawed at the rope. “We’re getting out of here. Now.”
Adyr jerked against the column, turning her body around the post. Vaela whipped the knife away to avoid cutting her. Adyr’s shoulders heaved from the exertion and she glared at Vaela. “I said leave me. I want to be here. This is my choice.”
Vaela leaned forward until their faces almost touched. “This is no choice. They're bleeding you dry.”
Adyr straightened, tipping her chin up. “No. I’m Sacrificing–to atone for my sins.”
Fury pounded through Vaela’s head. “Your sins? You don’t have anything to pay for.”
Adyr’s eyes narrowed and she swallowed. “Maybe. Maybe not. But I’m here by choice.”
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Vaela jabbed her knife towards Adyr’s hands. “Is that why they tied you?”
Adyr slumped against the column, bracing her legs. “It is my penance. Sacrifice every day for two weeks to purify myself. Let my traitorous blood flow away.”
Vaela hissed and drew back. Two weeks? It had only been half a week and Adyr looked severely weakened. “You won’t survive much more of this. I’m cutting you free.” Vaela stepped around the post towards Adyr’s hands.
Adyr lurched, cutting off Vaela from getting around her again. “I will pay in flesh and blood–and I will survive.” Her eyes shined with defiance, underlined with the dark circles pressed into the flesh beneath them. “I’ll rejoin the Church.”
Vaela grunted and grabbed Adyr’s arm. It was sticky with blood and Adyr flinched. “Why are you doing this?”
Adyr grit her teeth and pushed into Vaela’s hand. “As a priestess, I’ll know the Church’s movements. One day, have some influence on them. At least as long as I can.”
A lump formed in Vaela’s throat. For her. Once again, Adyr was doing all of this, Sacrificing, for her. Just because she believed she could steer the Church away from Vaela and protect her a little bit longer. Tears wet Vaela’s eyes and she swallowed hard. “Please. Please come back with me.”
Adyr’s eyes also filled with tears and her expression softened. She shook her head and a tear trickled down her cheek, cutting through the grime on her face. “No. If I came back, they would hunt for me again. It’d put you, put everyone, in danger.”
Vaela slashed her knife through the air. “Bullshit. The Twisted, the Created, Champions. It’s all nonsense, it doesn’t matter. I–”
“You’re right.”
“–don’t care about… What?”
Adyr nodded. “You’re right. I believe that Kaverlna is Incus. That Hermit, Jace, and Alnea are Created, here to save us. And that you, you truly are a Champion. But you’re right. It doesn’t matter.” Adyr shuddered in a breath and her eyes closed for a long moment. Her eyes opened, a fervent energy dancing behind them. “I won’t put you in danger. And I’ll give anything, everything, every drop, to make sure of that.” Another tear trickled down her cheek and the fervent energy faded from her eyes. She dropped her head and the tear fell to the dirt. “I’m angry, you know. Still so angry at her–my mother.” She looked up–the hurt of a young girl in her eyes. “And I hope you are angry, too. I hope you stay angry at me for a long, long time. That you live to grow old with that anger. And that…” She straightened and air bloomed from her mouth in a bloody Frost. “That hope is why the fate of the world doesn’t matter.”
The world crystallized around Vaela, a new rage solidifying in her chest like ice. She dropped the knife and her hands flew to Adyr’s face. She shoved her lips onto Adyr’s, tasting the Cold on her breath. This.
This was the only thing that mattered.
She broke the kiss off and stared into Adyr’s ice-blue eyes. Adyr had reached the same conclusion as her, when faced with the same argument that Timura had presented to her. What if there were no Created? What if there were no Twisted? What would she do?
Wishful thinking, those questions. It made her wonder just the opposite.
What if there were Created? And Twisted? What if she truly were a Champion–and the whole world hung in the balance of her decisions?
And it did. Somewhere, deep in her chest, she could feel it. Pounding–more real than her own heartbeat. Prowling–deeper than Hermit’s blood in her veins. Somewhere, deep inside, she knew. It was all true. The fate of Dome was in her hands.
And just as deep, just as sure, she knew that it didn’t matter. She would Sacrifice the whole world–bleed it dry–to save Adyr. Slowly, she shook her head at Adyr.
Tears Frosted in Adyr’s eyes and one cut through the Ice. It leaked out and Froze on her cheek. “You have the Power to save Dome. That matters more than anything–more than our little lives. Leave. Grow stronger. Save us all.” Vaela tipped forward until their foreheads touched. Adyr shoulders shook, her body restrained by her hands behind her back. “Why? Why won’t you leave?”
Vaela leaned her head to the side and rested her cheek against Adyr’s, her lips beside Adyr’s ear. “I love you.”
Adyr sobbed into her, Cold shuddering away from her in choppy waves. After a few gasps, Adyr pulled back and stared into Vaela’s eyes. “I love y–”
Shouting erupted from outside the tent, coming from the hill. Timura’s voice. Vaela spun around, raising her stick.
“The Twisted are coming!” Timura’s voice grew nearer as she raced down the hill. “Prepare to fight!”
Footsteps flooded out of the barracks tent, priests and priestesses clamoring. Kaverlna’s voice, sharp and imperious, cut over the noise. “Take up arms. Gerad, go check on Adyr. Don’t let them take her–kill her if you must.”