Damon rose to his feet, his eyes fixed on the weakened Abeona. He had offered to heal her wounds, but her stubborn refusal had left him with no choice.
“I can't let you stay here to die," Damon said, clenching his fists. "And I can't allow you to rendezvous with your buddies. I'll teleport you somewhere else.”
Abeona, her condition dire, managed a feeble smile. “Thy kindness does not go unnoticed, this one bethinks."
Damon, compassionate but resolute, sighed as he looked into her eyes. “Is there a specific place you want to go?”
Her voice was strained, and she coughed, blood spattering as she spoke. “This one has ever sought to visit one of the places with the highest Aether concentration in the world.”
Damon leaned in and then crouched down, attentive to her wishes. “Tell me where.”
Her response came between labored breaths. “This one has at each moment dreamed of reaching Mount Ararat. T’is the only mystic mountain yond this one has yet to grace with mine own presence!”
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
“I love the way you speak,” He chuckled. “It’s really lovely.”
“Many have told this one the same.”
Damon extended his hand, holding the ring. “When you get there, heal yourself. Please, kiss the ring.” He brought it close to her pale lips, his gaze locking with her lifeless, dull white eyes, lacking iris and pupils. Abeona's breathing ceased, and she disintegrated into white ash, carried away by the wind.
“Have a safe trip,” Damon whispered with a tinge of regret, his hand trembling as he withdrew it. He remained kneeling beside the spot where she had laid, staring at the pool of purple blood.
The noise of running feet clicking against the floor reached his ears, and he looked up to see Steve and Hatta approaching, followed by two children. Their presence interrupted his solemn contemplation.
“Bietka? Ravi?” Damon asked. “What are you doing here?”
Steve, confused, jumped in. “You know them?”
“They’re Alouqua’s kids, I believe.”
“Hey, I’m not a kid anymore!” Bietka protested, her mood shifting.
Damon chuckled. “All right, the spirited young lady.”
Ravi, who despite his fidgeting, took advantage of Bietka's pouting and explained the situation. “We need to find a deep well.”
“Oh, yeah. Anna said that she accidentally fell in a well.”
Bietka's curiosity couldn't be contained, so much, that her mood did another 180-degree turn. “Where is she now?”
“She went ahead with Leo. They're chasing after the Janas,” Damon chuckled, amused by Bietka's mercurial demeanor. Without further delay, the group set off, joining the pursuit.
Meanwhile, Hata and Steve went the other way.