EMRYS

A WEIGHTLESS FEELING OVERTOOK Emrys' body as the claw ripped him from Eva's hold. Its monstrous trunk split down the middle to reveal a hollowed-out chamber within.

"Oh, son of a—"

THUD!

Before he could finish, he slammed against the back of the chest cavity. Rough patches on the interior wall scraped through his t-shirt, and he let out a soft moan. Eva's wail drew closer by the millisecond until her body crashed on top of him, knocking the breath from his still-burning lungs.

Sunlight faded from the chamber, and the chest cavity resealed with a final crack. The only remaining light flared from a small lantern above their heads, its hook embedded deep within the wood. Eva scrambled for the closing hole, but a sharp lurch knocked her back on top of Emrys.

The chamber rattled with each of the creature's footsteps. It moved at a much more leisurely pace than it'd used for chasing them, though Emrys knew better than to believe the tree would return to its hiding spot. Instead, it would take the scenic route back to the tavern and camouflage itself until its owner came to release them.

The thought of a long wait made his calves cramp up. Having his taller, long-legged form shoved inside the chamber was unpleasant on a good day, let alone with a second body squished into the tiny space with him.

Emrys muttered a string of profanity under his breath, only to be interrupted by Eva flinging her arms around his chest. When she buried her face in his black t-shirt, her tears seeped through the thin fabric.

Suddenly, his leg cramps felt minuscule in comparison.

It had been a lovely walk. For the first time, he had watched her rediscover her love for a world that had been nothing but cruel since she set foot in it, only to have one more event scar her memory.

Emrys wrapped his arms around her. "It'll be all right." He tapped his fingers along her back in light, playful movements. "I'm sure we won't be in here long."

Or so he hoped. The assurance must not have been helpful for Eva, either, judging by the increasing tightness of her squeeze. Between her grip around his abdomen and all the jostling around from their ride in captivity, he hoped his breakfast would stay in place.

"How are you calm?" Her voice was hardly audible until she turned her head to the side. "We were just eaten by a giant tree monster."

A low, offended growl rumbled the chamber. Eva recoiled into his chest.

Emrys rubbed her back gently. "It's not my first time in Sylvan's belly."

When Eva lifted her head, he removed one arm from her waist to drum his fingers against the trunk.

"Sylvan's a Nethertree." Emrys ran his fingers along the wood grain. "Mystia created them to keep the area safe. They're the reason the Corrupted haven't invaded this portion of Fromir."

"She made this thing?"

A smile tugged at his lips, unable to be concealed. It was amusing how much she didn't understand about the things he'd grown accustomed to since his rebirth—even after so many years of spying on him from a world away.

"The Nethers are her proudest creation." Emrys' knock echoed off the bark, earning another growl from Sylvan. "These cages are enchanted to capture the Corrupted and kill them with radiant magic before they infect the tree itself."

"You can do that?"

"Given enough time and resources, I don't think there's anything Mystia can't do."

Just as he returned his arm to Eva's waist, one final lurch signaled the tree coming to a stop.

"Is it over?" she asked, eyes darting to the sealed crevasse.

Emrys shook his head. "We'll be stuck in here until she comes to let us out."

It was a lesson he'd learned the hard way.

Not that he'd lacked effort; he'd tried everything from setting the interior ablaze to prying open the crevasse with a knife. The only thing it had accomplished was a lengthy gash across his forearm when Sylvan spat the blade back at him. Scorch marks splashed the bark, left unremoved by Mystia as a warning to not try any more "dumbass escape stunts."

Despite being at a full stop, Eva had yet to let go of him. Her arms remained locked around his abdomen, and her head returned to its resting place against his chest. Comforting words failed to grace Emrys' brain. Instead, his fingers traced lazy circles along the small of her back. She relaxed in his embrace, no longer squeezing the breakfast back up his throat.

Emrys brought his chin down to rest on top of her head. Despite the part of him that didn't want such closeness with her, it was all he could do to not nuzzle his lips into her hair, still slightly damp from her morning shower and smelling of the Sanctum's sweet-scented shampoo. If it hadn't been for the cramp radiating up his leg from the tight space, he was sure he would've given in to the urge.

Eva shifted against his chest as he wiggled around for a more comfortable position. While he had a deep attachment to his human form, he wished it hadn't come with such long legs.

Finally, after repositioning himself brought no relief, he brought his lips closer to her ear. "Close your eyes."

Eva did as instructed, not only shutting her eyes, but hiding them within his shirt once again.

Blinding light washed the tree's cavern while he shifted forms, and the increased leg room brought immense relief. He stretched his shorter limbs and relaxed into Eva's hold. Returning to his natural form released a tension that he hadn't realized was there. The upkeep of his other appearance fed off his power in a way he never dreamed it would—a sign of the Touch deteriorating him more rapidly by the day.

But his form hadn't been the only thing to drain his magic.

Swearing under his breath, he shut his eyes and rested his head against the bark. The communication line with his Runestone opened easily without the strain of his secondary form.

When the cabin came into view again, Bobbi stood over the cutting board, snuffing out the last flames with her extinguisher. The vision remained fuzzy from their inter-realm connection, but her expression's mix of pissed off and panic was plain.

Bobbi swatted at what appeared to be a cluster of charred melon and strawberries, half-diced within the foamy mounds. If the extinguishing compound hadn't been toxic, Emrys would have thought it looked delicious—like a messy fruit salad.

"You know," said Bobbi, "I would've appreciated a more detailed warning about the fiery side effects of your necklace."

Emrys fought the urge to argue that the amulet was more than a simple necklace. "You have to stay in control of your mind. Strong emotions send hellfire into a frenzy."

"Are you telling me to find my zen around spiders? Those creepy-crawly bastards—"

"At least try!"

Emrys stopped himself with a deep breath. If he didn't keep himself in check, he wouldn't set a great example for her—and the few puffs he'd gotten from his demula roll were far from enough to keep his emotions stable.

"Look, Bobs... it takes a huge drain on my power. We can't risk it happening again."

"Fine. I'll just take the damn thing off."

As she reached for the clasp around her neck, Emrys' heart leaped into his throat. "Bobbi, stop! You don't need to—"

The vision went black.

Emrys slammed his head against the wood with a grunt. Losing their only line of inter-realm communication was one of the worst decisions she could have made. Between Kali destroying downtown Havenwood and the Darkness' infiltration, the last thing they needed was Bobbi getting into trouble without a way to call for help.

When he lowered his head once again, Eva rested her chin just below his collarbone. The softness of her breath danced across his skin as she parted her lips.

"Is she okay?"

Emrys swallowed hard. Shaking his guilt had become a fruitless effort. Bobbi was fine this time, but hellfire wasn't something to toy with. The end result could have been far worse.

He cleared his throat to drown out the remnants of screams that reached out from the farthest points of his memory—the screams of those that hadn't been so lucky. They reached from lives past and present, an ever-present reminder, no matter how faint, of just how ruthless his flames were when uncontrolled.

"Looks like Bobbi figured out the amulet." Emrys laughed half-heartedly. "She took it off after she put out the flames."

It didn't surprise him when Eva's eyes sharpened with scrutiny. Once again, he felt the fakeness of his expression, and the faux smile fell from his lips.

"It's making you weaker."

Emrys' stomach twisted. "I'll be fine."

He wasn't sure if his words were more for her reassurance or his own.

Eva pushed against his chest until she came to an awkward sitting position on his lap, her back flush against the opposing bark. The space where she'd rested on his chest felt unpleasantly cold, and he wished she had stayed pressed against him forever. He would have much rather enjoyed their closeness than to be faced with her disconcerted stare.

In his distraction, he didn't realize she had reached for his hand until it was too late. While he wanted to pull away, he found himself frozen, allowing her to graze his gray skin. Her fingers reached the line where it faded back to his olive complexion tentatively, inches farther up his forearm than it had been that morning.

Eva sucked in a deep breath. "What's really going on?"

Emrys wanted nothing more than to say it was a normal occurrence that had been blocked from her dreams, or any number of other excuses his frazzled mind could spin out. Begrudgingly, he swallowed down the lies.

"I touched her."

Eva's speech faltered, but when her voice finally emerged, it was much smaller and weaker than he'd ever heard it. "What?"

It was enough for Emrys' heart to plunge deep into his stomach.

"The night Thana died, she deserved a proper burial. I carried her every step of the way."

"But her Touch..."

It seemed as though Eva stopped breathing. While the pieces connected in her head, she sat unmoving, fixated on his hand. Tears welled along her waterline, threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"Every time I use my powers, it drains me," Emrys croaked, the words catching in his constricted throat. "Even if I conserve my magic... it's only a matter of time."

"Is there any way to stop it?"

Emrys opened his mouth, almost robotically, to tell her the same story as everyone else: that Amaya was scouring the lands for a cure. But the anchor weighing down his chest kept his words contained. He knew better. The silence from the Runestone said more than hollow promises of salvation.

Amaya wasn't going to save him. No one could.

Taking a deep breath, he reached to his side, where his satchel had been wedged tight between him and the chamber. He slipped his hand inside and felt around until his fingers curled around the neck of a glass bottle.

When he pulled it from his pack, he almost couldn't look at it. Intricate carvings glistened under the faint light, illuminating the onyx feathers etched across its surface. Eva watched him with reddening eyes. Recognition flashed across her face. She must have remembered it from his apartment, where he'd caught her staring at it before he shoved it in his pack.

"When I die, I need you to catch my ashes in this bottle." He swallowed hard, unable to look at her. "The runes are enchanted to capture souls. It's standard necromancy, so we aren't entirely sure if it'll work on a Phoenix, but... if it does, Mystia may be able to bring me back."

When he found the strength to meet Eva's eyes, her face had blurred behind a wall of tears. He tried to blink them away, but they dripped down his cheeks while he struggled to find the right words.

There were no right words. No consoling his friend, whose hiccuping sobs filled him with regret. If her cries had been quieter, he was sure he would've heard her heart crack.

"I'll hang onto it for now, if you'd like," he said, pulling the item back and returning it to his satchel. "At least until Mystia gets you a bag of your own."

A short, shuddering sigh preceded Eva slamming him against the trunk. She flung her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck to slicken his skin with tears.

Time ticked by at a crawl. Eventually, her sobs turned into sniffles, and his own tears ceased dripping. Emrys returned his focus to tracing soft patterns along her lower back—anything to keep his mind off the inevitable. To keep her wrapped in his arms, safe and secure, without worrying about the day he would no longer be there to hold her.

The ear-splitting creak of Sylvan's trunk seam filled the air. Eva scrambled as far from the opening as she could in the cramped space, yanking on Emrys' neck.

Afternoon sun streamed into the dim chamber, blinding them with rays so bright that all Emrys could make out was a small silhouette outside. As his eyes adjusted, the figure became clearer, but the familiar face didn't keep him from gulping.

A pissed-off satyr stared them down with folded arms, hoof tapping the dirt.

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