EMRYS

THE MORNING WAS BRIGHT AND QUIET.

A steady breeze filled the air with rustling leaves and carried the scent of blooming demula across the woods. Their lavender blossoms littered the sides of the path in unkempt rows, begging to be picked and dried for herbal use or have their sweet nectar boiled into syrup for his favorite calming brew.

Emrys hadn't expected Fromir Woods to be awash in brilliant color. With the Darkness' progression, it was a wonder that any flora and fauna survived, let alone thrived with such minimal nurturing sunlight. In fact, he had convinced himself he'd cross the Barrier and find it as lifeless as the northern mire, which had succumbed to Corruption long before he left.

The sights and smells of life were enchanting. Hopeful.

Emrys thanked the gods, wherever they were, for blessing them with such a lovely day. The long walk seemed far less tiresome with the distraction of Astraela's beauty; they had even slowed their stride to a more leisurely pace.

It made his heart flutter to watch Eva's joyful expressions while they meandered down the dirt path. She sipped at the coffee he had scrounged up for her before they left as she took in the surrounding wood. Wisps of steam curled from her insulated thermos, large enough to fit multiple cups of the Elysian Lily's morning brew—a smooth, medium-roast blend with cocoa and cinnamon infusions. It was a different flavor for her, and he worried it wouldn't live up to her tried and true favorites, but she had accepted it with glee.

It was her first genuine expression of joy in days. Emrys wished it would never fade.

It wasn't until Eva's gaze broke away from the world around them and met his own that he realized he'd been staring, hardly keeping track of the path. Small dimples indented her cheeks as she smiled at him.

"How long will the light last?" she asked.

Emrys looked up to the thickening canopy of leaves, where beams streamed through the trees. Bellus, Astraela's mildest sun, had picked the perfect time to shine upon them. Its light filtered through gaping holes in the Darkness, where the Guild had bombed the Corrupted webs with radiant magic to reveal the lavender sky beyond. It was the only good deed those bastards had ever done.

Emrys squinted against the brightness and held up a hand to shade his eyes. "Mystia said it should last through the evening."

He hoped her estimate was correct. While radiant magic allowed an abundance of light to filter through, the webs fought for power. Creeping slowly across the sky, they had progressed by inches since they'd begun walking. Only time would tell how long it would be before the world was eclipsed yet again.

"Once the sun sets, the Darkness strengthens," he said, "and the Guild can only keep it at bay for so long without rest. I can't imagine how much power they expel to light this much land. It's no wonder they can't do it every day."

A weight pulled at his chest that he'd hoped his morning herbal roll would lift. He had once been able to go for days on full power, with no more than a few hours' sleep, and he didn't feel an ounce of weakness. Even though he only used resting power to hold his "Jensen" form, a nagging ache radiated across his body, enough to remind him of his new limits. Limits that made him wonder if he would be able to protect his friend should their mission go awry.

"Emrys?" Eva's voice brought his eyes down from the light above them.

It was then that he felt the moisture across his waterline, though he had a hard time discerning whether it was from the brightness of the sky or something else entirely.

"What was Vesryn talking about earlier?" she asked.

The question added another brick to his chest, with more piling atop once he noticed her pale eyes soften with worry. Her thumb traced slow, gentle circles around the rim of her thermos.

Emrys scoured his brain for an excuse. "Mystia likes to threaten her employees into following orders. Poor kid's just trying to save his second life."

The fakeness of his own smile made it difficult not to grimace. If he didn't believe himself, there was no way the woman who wrote about him for five years would fail to see through it.

"Why did everyone think you were dead?"

It took every ounce of willpower for him to not look away. If he did, even just pretending to watch for ankle-twisting ruts in their path, he knew Eva would see straight through to the anchor weighing his soul.

Feeling a slight breeze hit his wrist, he realized he'd absentmindedly picked at the cuff of his flannel jacket and pulled out the button with his fidgeting. He seized the opportunity to fix it, thankful for the excuse to break her interrogative stare.

"When you're hunted down every day and then vanish for six months, it's natural for people to assume you're dead."

"You never told them you came to Earth?" she asked.

Emrys let out a measured breath as he secured the button on his cuff. Lying to her would only bring her greater hurt when his time came. More rocks dropped into the pit of his stomach. If he didn't stop answering, he would eventually dig himself into a hole too deep to climb out of.

"You know, Mystia had a point about all those questions," he tried to tease.

Relief washed over his body at Eva's flustered expression. She paused with the thermos brushing her bottom lip, eyes darting across his face. But when she lowered her coffee to speak yet again, he knew she wouldn't drop the subject easily.

"It's a long story." Emrys tugged at the button again, forcing himself to maintain eye contact. "One we can go over another time. For now, let's focus on watching the path—"

A sharp twinge pinched his ribcage. Burning pain radiated from his heart, enough to stop him in his tracks. He brought a hand to his chest, letting out the breath trapped by pain. Eva's fingers trailed his shoulder, hesitant yet concerned. No matter how calming her touch was to his senses, it didn't stop the ache that penetrated his bones.

Eva's grip tightened. "What's wrong?"

Emrys clenched his jaw, unable to respond without showing the strain in his voice. But he knew without a doubt what was happening: something was feeding off his power.

Before he could formulate a response, cracking and creaking branches interrupted his thoughts. Emanating from the side of the path, the familiar noise sucked what little moisture remained in his bone dry throat.

It had sensed his presence.

Whether it had felt the drain on his power or only recognized the pulse of his magic, it didn't matter. Once the heavy rustling of leaves filled the atmosphere, he knew it was too late.

Emrys didn't think Eva's grip could get any tighter on his shoulder until her nails dug straight through his shirt. Raising a finger to his lips, he slipped an arm around her to bring her flush to his side. He continued forward at a snail's pace, careful that his steps made little noise—though sound was the least of his concerns.

They couldn't hear well, but their sixth sense was keen. Any shift in power or the slightest change in emotional aura would have them on his tail. His companion's panicked tremors gave him little confidence in escaping.

Scanning the immediate vicinity, Emrys' eyes landed upon a cluster of tall bushes not far off the path. He prayed their foliage would be thick enough to hide them.

Another sharp chest pain knocked the breath from his lungs.

Eva let out a yelp as he crumpled to his knees. Eyes stricken with fear, she knelt beside him and placed a shaking hand to his cheek.

"Emrys?" Her voice seemed miles away, though her face was inches from his own. "Are you okay? Say something!"

Words refused to leave his lips. Gasping for air worsened the burning in his lungs and the pressure building within his head. Pins and needles radiated from his wrist, stabbing the tender muscles. Emrys found himself thankful that his secondary form concealed his true skin underneath so that he didn't have to watch his arm turning to ash. He didn't want to think of how much farther the gray had spread in only seconds.

Eva's panicked cries worsened his throbbing head, but the more the pain increased, the farther her voice drifted. His vision blurred until flashes of auburn hair were the only sign that she remained at his side.

He squeezed his eyes shut to block out the distorted world. While his power diminished by the second, he forced himself to concentrate on communing with the Runestone: the only item known to drain his power with each use.

Flickering orange broke the darkness, and a new world came into view. His vision was dark and fuzzy, as if the room around him had been submerged beneath the ocean instead of residing in a cabin outside Havenwood. A short figure emerged, arms flailing as she swished at flames engulfing what appeared to be a wooden cutting board. The sound of crackling fire was clear, but it was soon concealed by the woman furiously flapping her plaid dish towel.

"Bobbi!" Emrys hissed. "What the hell?"

A loud squeal pierced the air. Bobbi jumped as his words echoed inside her head, and a ball of flame shot from her palm.

"Your necklace!"

Her intense thrashing ensued before the dish towel erupted in a flash of orange. The draw on his power spread fire across his chest.

"Hey! Okay!" he shouted, hoping his voice carried louder inside his head than audibly. "Calm down! Are you in danger?"

Dread tugged his heart at her lack of response, followed by excessive clanging and blurred movements. A spray of white foam appeared before Bobbi reemerged, holding what he assumed was a small fire extinguisher.

As the pressure worsened in his head, Bobbi's voice became muffled in his subconscious. The only intelligible muttering was something about a "demon spider" startling her while chopping vegetables. Emrys forced himself to concentrate on her voice and bring clarity to her words.

"—and the next thing I know, flames are shooting from my hand!"

"You need to keep yourself calm." Emrys grunted as he fought to keep their fading connection. "Fear only makes it—"

Crack!

The noise erupted like a million branches snapped in rapid succession. Emrys flung his eyes open and shattered the telepathic connection. A deep ache throbbed from his bad wrist as Eva yanked at it in an attempt to bring him to his feet.

Following her wild eyes, one glance over his shoulder confirmed his dreadful suspicion. Off the path, a cluster of skinny trees surrounded a massive trunk, nearly quadruple the diameter of its companions. The largest trunk lifted from the ground, raining grass and dirt. Its legs emerged from beneath, made of nothing but thick, gnarled roots that brought the beast to full height. Branch-like arms swung down from the leafy canopy overhead and its long, sharpened wood claws wrapped around the surrounding trees.

Emrys scrambled to his feet, though his Jell-O legs nearly sent him right back into the dirt.

Louder cracks penetrated the air, and the creature bent down to peer through the overhanging leaves. A buck skull the size of a boulder broke through, jaw hanging slack to reveal endless rows of razor-sharp teeth. Its ear-splitting shriek pierced Emrys' eardrums; the ground trembled at the volume of its otherworldly cry.

Emrys ran, all but dragging his companion behind him, though he knew the effort was in vain. The heaviness in his limbs wouldn't carry him far enough to outrun the beast, but he had to try.

Just as he considered flashing back to his other form for use of his wings, a firestorm of pain sliced his chest. He cried out in anguish, tumbling to the ground with Eva close behind. Her knee connected with the back of his skull when she fell, and the force rammed his face into the dust. Though he felt her scramble to her feet, screaming and yanking on his arm, the most he could do was lift his head.

He wished he hadn't.

A massive shadow loomed over them, blocking the rays of light. Emrys swiveled his head for a better look just in time for its massive claw to snatch him.

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