-The desert: The western road near Tan'Thalon-
Dune after dune. That was what the party had seen for the last few days. Talia had done her best to keep the morale up, which hadn't been easy since the Diviner's words kept gnawing at the back of her head. Still, she had been assigned as a leader and she took her job seriously. The constant grinding of sand in her armor, and other places where she really didn't want sand to be, had ravaged her mood further. In that regard she thought she couldn't have been the only one. Relief came when the road finally reached the top of yet another dune. On the horizon a scout spotted a familiar sight. Monumental, curved and shimmering with a lazuli blue glow. Like an artificial mountain ridge standing defiant against the neverending sands. Behind it, spires reaching for the sky.
"The arc wall!" He shouted from the top. "Captain. We've made it back!".
Relief hit Talia as she let a sigh escape just a little too loud. The scout quirked a brow. He had never seen his captain in doubt like this. Talia jolted when she felt an armored hand on her shoulder.
"Bad conscience?" A female voice asked.
Talia looked over, feeling another ruch of relief when she saw who it was.
"Captain Laskaris! I.." She scrambled for defence on instinct. "Not at all. I was surprised."
"Relax. I was joking." Captain Laskaris smirked under her helmet. "You did it. Led them home safely."
"It's my duty." There were her walls again. "Just need to get them through that gate."
"Why don't I handle that?" A genuine smile appeared now.
"No. It's my mission to.." Talia objected dutybound.
"Cut the crap Talia." This time her intonation changed to show she clearly outranked her by experience. "They're out of hearing range unless we raise our voices." She straightened her back, making it clear she was also taller than her. "Now. We both know this isn't where you want to be right now."
"It's where I need to be." Talia objected half heartedly.
She knew of course that the Captain was right. Still, hearing the insinuation out loud made her heart jump, temperament rise and flinch at the same time. It earned her a cocked eyebrow from Captain Laskaris.
"You need to be at her side." She took a step closer. "I don't think the men noticed. But something has changed between you two."
"Don't be ridiculous." Talia waved the thought of. "There's nothing between us."
Captain Laskaris only smirked more. "You just confirmed there is. And it's more than just the rivalry going on between you two."
Heat immediately flushed Talia's cheeks, sparking her to throw her walls back up.
"That's not what I said!"
"But it is." Laskaris crossed her arms, confident in her ability to read between the lines.
"She's just obnoxious, and arrogant, and infuriating, and .. "
"And head over heels in love with you, Talia. Anyone can see that." Captain Laskaris removed her helmet, shaking her messy brown hair loose so it draped over her shoulders. "Especially since we found you two again. I don't know what happened in the meantime, nor do I need to know, but she isn't hiding her emotions anymore. That much I do know."
Talia remained silent. Somewhere in the back of her mind she did know already. The Diviner wasn't just crushing on her. And now that Captain Laskaris had laid it all open, it was useless to try and convince herself otherwise.
"But, the soldiers.."
"Didn't I tell you to cut the crap?" Laskaris tucked the eagle adorned helmet under her arm. "I will lead them home." She turned to the east, facing the city illuminating the sky. "Go to her Talia. Talk about this. I know you can be oblivious to these things, but you might really break her heart."
-The desert: the ridge-
The sun was already sinking behind the western dunes when Talia reached the ridge where they had split up. She wanted to rest, set up camp, and start a fire. Then she remembered something. The Diviner had abruptly lost her fear. Since they had escaped the temple, she had ran headlong into danger. Talia couldn't rest. Not until she knew the Diviner was safe. She looked around the site, searching for clues. Her gauntlet made for an excellent flashlight with her magic. That was when she found the trail. The steps of a great wolf.
Stonefang. She knew it would take her ages to follow them if he had been running. Good thing Captain Laskaris had an extraordinary insight into things and seemed to have enough influence to arrange a mechanical horse. It was nothing as fancy as her magitech noble mound, but it got the job done.
The rising sun was already colouring the sky in orange hues when she finally noticed a change. At first it was only signs in the sand, though there was no trace of the sandstorm that had been here earlier. A furrow where stone had erupted from beneath the earth. Scorched patches of glassed sand and dark stains half-buried by the wind. Then came the body. A draconian warrior lay sprawled across a shattered outcrop, nearly seven feet of muscle and scale. His chest was impaled by the metal tip of a spear. One clawed hand still gripped the remains of it. The other reached toward the figure lying several paces away.
Talia's heart nearly stopped. She didn't even have time to register that she had never seen other races aside from humans. Even something as strange and large as the dead draconian.
"Diviner."
She ran. The Diviner lay half-buried against a stone ridge, unconscious and motionless. Her tunic had been torn to rags during the fight, little more than shredded cloth remaining across her torso and hips. Cuts covered her arms, shoulders, and legs. Some were shallow while others were not. Dried blood marked her skin. Fresh blood still seeped from a wound along her side. For one terrible moment Talia thought she was dead. She dropped to her knees beside her.
"Calenelda!"
No response. Talia's hands trembled as she searched for a pulse. After a while she found it. Slow and weak, but present. Relief struck so hard it nearly made her dizzy.
"You stubborn idiot..."
The words came out half laugh, half sob. Around them the battlefield told its story. Chunks of stone jutted from the sand like broken teeth. Deep trenches scarred the earth. One section of dune had been flattened entirely, as though caught beneath a falling mountain. The draconian hadn't died easily. Neither had Calenelda. Talia carefully brushed blood-matted hair from the Diviner's face. More cuts marked her brow. Bruises darkened her neck and shoulders.
"What in May'Jahan's name had happened here?" She whispered to herself.
The draconian looked like a veteran warrior. Like a dragon walking on two legs. Calenelda looked like she had fought an army. Yet somehow she had won. That was when Stonefang emerged from behind a nearby ridge. The great wolf limped heavily, one foreleg injured, fur stained with blood and sand. Despite his condition, he immediately moved to Calenelda's side and lowered his head beside hers.
Guarding. Watching. Waiting.
Talia reached out and rested a hand against his neck. "You stayed with her."
The wolf gave a low rumble. Talia looked back to Calenelda. Even unconscious, there was something different about her. The earth around her still responded unconsciously to her presence. Pebbles shifted. Dust swirled in tiny circles. Faint currents of wind moved where no breeze should have existed. Earth. Air. Both answering her. As though the world itself refused to let her go. At first Talia marveled at the phenomenon. Even unconscious Calenelda's magic was always present. It was almost like she didn't have an off switch. She swallowed when a realization hit her. She had read about this phenomenon among elementalists. A double awakening. It was rare for them to survive it. An awakening meant a near death experience. She knew what it encompassed. The air had saved her. It had also set her on a dangerous path. A second awakening meant there could be a third and possibly a full awakening. That thought scared Talia and she didn't know what to do about that.
At that moment Talia found she didn't care. All she cared about was the woman lying before her. Alive. Barely, but alive.
"Come on," she whispered, sliding an arm beneath Calenelda's shoulders. "You've scared me enough for one day."
Stonefang rose beside them as Talia began the long journey back toward Tan'thalon, leaving the dead draconian to the desert and carrying the unconscious Diviner toward home.
Talia had barely managed to lift Calenelda into a more comfortable position when something tugged at her attention. Stonefang wasn't watching the horizon. He wasn't guarding against an approaching threat. The great wolf kept looking back toward the ruins. Again and again. A low, agitated growl rumbled from his chest. Talia followed his gaze. The broken stone structures rose from the dunes like the ribs of some long-dead giant. Wind whistled through shattered archways and collapsed towers. The draconian had come from there. Which meant Calenelda had gone there willingly. Talia frowned.
"No..."
She looked down at the unconscious Diviner. Then she remembered. Foxglove, the Nyxir. The promise that Calenelda had made to the creature that gave his life to save theirs. From what she had gathered from the nameless Nyxir, Foxglove was small, clever, endlessly troublesome—and utterly incapable of surviving alone among the much stronger draconians should they find her. Her stomach dropped.
"You didn't come here hunting him."
Stonefang immediately perked up. The wolf's ears stood straight, followed by another growl. Another glance toward the ruins was the confirmation. Calenelda hadn't been searching for a fight. She'd been trying to save someone. Even now, after nearly getting herself killed, her first concern had probably been Foxglove. Talia pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You impossible woman."
The words carried more affection than frustration. The realization settled heavily upon her. If Foxglove was inside those ruins…
Then there were likely more draconians. Far more. The one lying dead nearby looked like a warrior. Broadshouldered and muscular. Not a scout. Not a wanderer. A warrior guarding something. Which meant the ruins weren't abandoned. They were occupied. Stonefang suddenly stepped closer, his body becoming rigid. The fur along his back rose. He stared toward the distant structures and released a warning growl. Not fear but alertness. Pack behavior.
Talia understood immediately. There are more.
Her pulse quickened. If Calenelda woke up right now, injured or not, she'd try to go back. And if she did—
Talia looked at the blood covering Calenelda's side. At the countless cuts along her arms. At the bruises darkening beneath her skin. Fear struck her harder than anything she'd felt in years. Not fear for herself. Fear of losing her. The realization came suddenly and completely. The thought of returning to Tan'thalon without Calenelda felt unbearable. Her throat tightened.
"No." The word escaped as a whisper.
She brushed trembling fingers against Calenelda's cheek.
"No. You're not dying out here."
Stonefang whined softly. The wind stirred. For a moment everything seemed terribly still. Then Talia felt something. A warmth. Faint. Barely noticeable. At first she thought it came from the setting sun. Then she realized it came from her hands. Golden light flickered weakly between her fingers. She froze. The glow vanished.
Talia stared. "...what?"
The warmth returned. Responding to her panic. To her desperation. To her need. The same way Calenelda's earth answered her. The same way air now bent around her unconscious form. Talia swallowed. Her hands shook. The golden light appeared again, brighter this time. Instinct guided her. She placed both palms gently over the wound in Calenelda's side. For several heartbeats, nothing happened. Then warmth flowed outward. The light spread. Not dramatic. Not powerful. Just enough. The bleeding slowed. The torn flesh began knitting together by fractions. Tiny fractions, but enough. Talia stared in astonishment.
"I..."
She had never done this before. Never even attempted it. Yet somehow it felt familiar. Like finding a forgotten path she had always known existed. Stonefang watched silently. The great wolf's amber eyes fixed upon the growing light. Talia felt tears threatening the corners of her eyes. Not from exhaustion. Relief. Hope. Maybe she couldn't fight draconians. Maybe she couldn't summon earth or command storms. But she could do this. She could help. She could keep Calenelda alive. The golden glow strengthened slightly. Calenelda stirred. Only a little. A faint breath escaping her lips. But it was enough. Talia laughed softly through her tears.
"Good." She leaned forward, forehead touching Calenelda's. "Because we're not done yet."
Stonefang gave a low approving rumble. Talia looked once more toward the distant ruins. Toward Foxglove. Toward whatever waited inside. Toward the draconians.
Fear still lingered. But it no longer ruled her. They would need allies. A plan. Preparation.
And when Calenelda woke, there would be an argument unlike any they had ever had.
But first—
First she would make sure the Diviner survived long enough to hear it.
The desert had grown quiet. The draconian's corpse lay where it had fallen, half-buried already by drifting sand. The ruins loomed in the distance, forming ominous shadows in the rising sun. Talia sat beside the Diviner, exhaustion finally catching up to her. The healing had worked—barely. Just enough to keep the worst wounds from claiming her. Enough to buy her time. The Diviner remained unconscious, breathing steadily. For the first time since finding her, Talia allowed herself to simply look. Really look.
The Diviner's torn tunic had been reduced to little more than strips of cloth held together by stubbornness and luck. Bandages improvised from Talia's cloak crossed her side and shoulder where the deepest wounds had been and somehow covered more of her than her tunic did. Even battered and bloodied, Calenelda was annoyingly beautiful.
Years of training showed in every line of her body. Lean muscle beneath sun-bronzed skin. Broad shoulders earned from wielding weapons and shaping stone. Strong arms that had carried wounded soldiers and stubborn nobles alike. Countless scars old and new, each one a story of someone she had chosen to protect. A life spent giving pieces of herself away.
Talia's gaze softened. Idiot. Then she noticed something else. Faint.
Tiny runes traced along The Diviner's skin. Across her collarbone. Down one forearm and around her shoulder. Soft silver-gold light pulsed within them. The symbols of May'Jahan. Not glowing brightly or dramatically. Simply present and comforting. A quiet reminder that the goddess had not abandoned her. Despite the danger. Despite the awakening, or perhaps because of it. Talia didn't know when it happened. For all she knew maybe May'Jahan had chosen her because she became double awakened. Or she had become double awakened because of May'Jahan's blessing. Despite everything, she still protected her.
Talia released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"Good," she murmured.
A part of her had feared otherwise. Feared that whatever The Diviner was becoming might place her beyond even divine guidance. Or worse, put her on Ba'Ham's path…
But May'Jahan was still there. Still watching. Still choosing her. The realization brought an unexpected sense of relief. Her eyes drifted back to Calenelda's face. Her strong jawline. The dark lashes. The loose strands of hair that the wind kept pushing across her forehead. For someone who spent so much time charging into danger, she looked remarkably peaceful asleep. Talia found herself smiling. Then immediately stopped when she realized she had been staring. Far longer than was reasonable. Unfortunately—
The Diviner chose that exact moment to wake up. Her nose wrinkled once. Then one eye cracked open. Talia held her breath in silence as heat immediately flushed her cheeks. The eye focused. Directly on Talia, making her flinch and forget that the eye couldn't see. A slow grin appeared.
"Oh."
Talia immediately looked away. "No."
"You're staring."
"I was checking your injuries."
"Mhm." Calenelda's smile widened as the second eye opened. "Enjoying the view?"
Talia groaned and tried to draw attention away from the heat in her cheeks.
"You nearly died."
"That's not a no."
"Diviner." Talia let a frustrated sigh escape.
The grin somehow became even more infuriating.
"You know," Calenelda said, shifting slightly before immediately regretting it, "if you're curious, it's perfectly acceptable to ask."
Talia blinked. "What?"
The Diviner gestured vaguely toward herself. "I don't mind."
She paused for a moment, then continued. "You can feel my arm if you want."
Talia stared speechless. "I have no idea what that means."
"Neither do I." The Diviner winced. "But it sounded confident."
Against her better judgment, Talia laughed. Just once. And Calenelda looked absurdly pleased with herself. The moment lasted all of five seconds. Then Talia remembered the body. The blood. The fact she'd nearly lost her. Her expression hardened immediately. Calenelda noticed and the smile faded.
"You nearly died." Talia tried to keep her cool.
"Oh."
The answer came so casually that Talia stared at her in disbelief. "Oh?"
The Diviner winced. "...when you say it like that—"
"When I say it like that?" Talia snapped.
Stonefang wisely chose that moment to retreat several steps and lick his front paw.
Calenelda immediately knew she was in trouble. Real trouble. The kind no amount of earth magic could solve. Talia rose to her feet to look taller. A trick she had learned from captain Laskaris.
"You fought an … whatever that is!" Talia gestured the dead draconian wildly up and down.
"A Draconian. You really haven't been beyond your noble estate much, huh?" The Diviner couldn't help but blurt out whatever she was thinking.
"You're one to talk. You're a noble yourself, Calenelda!" Talia exploded with barely contained anger.
The Diviner's eyes grew wide at the mention of that name. She had thought it a fluke of luck before, but now that Talia used it again, there was no question about it. She knew.
"How do you know my .."
"Your name? I heard in your memory." She huffed and crossed her arms.
"What memory? When?"
"When we left the temple. I saw the fear you gave up." Talia balled her fist in anger, but then remembered what she had seen. "What your parents made you believe."
"Figures it would show that to you.." Calenelda sighed.
Now that she knew her real name she would soon begin to put the pieces together and figure out who she really was. She did not look forward to that so she decided to try and gently steer away from that topic.
"I guess it's only fair that you knew my name too." She shrugged, trying to sell the indifferent look. "Now we both know something of each other's past. But yes, I fought Draconians."
"Wait.. You fought Draconians? Plural? There was more than one!?" Talia said it with a tone that made Calenelda wince and realize she was in even more trouble.
Calenelda gestured to the edge of the ruins, where a statue stood half buried in the sands. A winged figure impaled by a knight's spear. When Talia focussed she saw that the winged figure was a dead Draconian. A deep, frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Of course. She had to fight more than one.
"You fought a draconian warband."
"It wasn't a warband."
"Calenelda."
"It was more of a scouting force."
Talia's eye twitched. "A scouting force."
"Yes."
"You fought a scouting force."
"Well..."
"You fought a scouting force ALONE."
"I wasn't alone. I had Stonefang."
Talia threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "Oh good. A wolf."
"He's a very capable wolf." Calenelda objected.
Talia grunted heavily. She didn't know she could get even more frustrated. Even Stonefang looked mildly offended.
Then Talia found her words again. "I found you unconscious! Covered in blood!"
"I was conscious for most of it."
"That is not helping!"
Calenelda flinched. Not from the shouting. From the fear underneath it. Because now she could hear it, the tremble in Talia's voice. The panic. The anger. The relief. All tangled together. Talia turned away sharply and for a moment neither spoke.