Ryan led a sobbing Ayeden to the hallway.
He pinned the Elf to the wall.
"What was that?"
Ayeden's gaze never left the floor as he held his tongue.
Ryan forced his elbow under his chin to force eye contact.
"Speak. Now."
To his surprise, Ayeden started chuckling.
"It truly doesn't matter. You may kill me if you wish. I do not want to be alone any longer."
With a clenched jaw, Ryan grabbed Ayeden by the hair and forced him to face his wife.
"Don't say that to me. Say it to her. Say it to the wife who healed your leg."
Both Elves were silent as Ryan held Ayeden.
"Do you two have nothing to say to each other?"
Again, both were quiet.
Ryan rolled his eye and led Ayeden to Redylan's quarters.
The walk felt like it took forever.
Ayeden walked quietly with his head down, and Aeriath walked in front without looking back.
Ryan almost let out a sigh of relief when she knocked on a blue door.
After a few seconds, a female Elf opened the door.
She whispered a few words with Aeriath and closed the door.
When the door closed, she turned to Ryan.
"We will meet with my father in his office."
Ryan closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.
The awkward walk continued.
When Aeriath knocked on the second door, Ryan let out a sigh of relief.
They entered the familiar office, and Ryan led Ayeden to the desk, while Aeriath stood by the door.
Redylan sat on the other side, his face emotionless.
"I have to congratulate you on your success, Ryan."
Ryan pushed Ayeden to sit on one of the chairs as he took the one next to the Elf.
"I do not care about that. Do we still have a deal?"
A small smile formed on the Elf's face as he nodded.
"The Springrain clan will be at your disposal."
Ryan nodded, and as he spoke, he glanced at both Aeriath and Ayeden.
"Thank you. I will take Ayeden back to his prison. He won't be a problem anymore."
Ayeden looked down, while Aeriath's gaze was locked on her husband.
As Ryan stood, Aeriath walked up to the desk.
"I will accompany Ryan to the prison and take residence."
Redylan stood up and met her gaze.
"It is not your duty to guard him."
She shook her head, and for a brief moment, she looked at Ayeden.
"It is not my intention to guard him. He is my husband, and I can not bear for him to be lonely."
To Ryan's surprise, Ayeden's head shot up.
Redylan's face darted between the two Elves.
He sat down and sighed.
"I understand. I will tell the Clanfathers that you have decided to take vigil. That is the only way I can protect you."
Redylan opened his desk and gave her a small pouch.
She bowed to her father and motioned for Ryan to follow.
Aeriath led Ryan all the way back to the Sunset path.
Ryan looked down at the amber and green stones on the floor.
"How long will it take us to get back to the island? We don't have much time."
Without a word, she bent down and removed a blue gem from the pouch.
She placed it on the amber gem and activated the circle.
Through his Elven eye, he saw all the paths fade, except for the blue one.
It made sense for the prison to be connected this way.
Immortal Elves liked randomness, but they needed ways to get to and from specific places.
Ryan would be happy never taking the Path again.
When they exited the circle, Aeriath placed the gem in a pouch and handed it to Ryan.
"It is the proof of the Springrain alliance."
Ryan's phone started ringing.
Ryan pulled it out and answered.
"Hello."
He heard a familiar voice on the other side.
"Good afternoon, sir. Where are you?"
Ryan smiled at the Skeleton's voice.
"I am back at the prison island. How long until you can pick me up?"
He heard a small chuckle.
"Today is your lucky day, sir. After picking up the others, I decided to patrol the area. I will be there in a few minutes."
Ryan let out a sigh of relief.
As he put his phone away, he saw Aeriath removing the bindings from Ayeden's wrists.
The three of them walked back to the prison in silence.
Ayeden and Aeriath entered where the magical dome was.
When they crossed the threshold, Ayeden knelt down on one knee.
He took her hand and kissed it.
"I promise to repay your grace and earn your forgiveness."
What made Ryan smile was how she knelt in front of him.
"You shall, in time."
She kissed him on the lips, and Ryan knew he was no longer needed there.
He made his way to the entrance.
The doors were shut, and Femur stood at the entrance.
Ryan smiled as he approached the Skeleton.
His time with the Elves was over, and he was happy to see a friendly face.
When he was next to Femur, he held out his hand.
"Hello, Femur. Where did you find the others?"
Femur took his hand, and it was warmer than he expected the skeletal hand to be.
"They were just off the shore of New Zealand. Grizzly will be angry about what happened for a while. I recommend you use careful words when you recount your tale."
Ryan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Femur opened the door, and Ryan saw Goblin corpses all over the island.
When he looked at Femur properly, he saw blue flames where empty sockets should be.
"Some tales are best kept secret. Just like the conversation we are about to share."
Femur led Ryan to the Airship, and he saw the corpses rise one by one.
As they rose, they started running.
The reanimated corpses flung themselves off the cliffs to the waiting sea below.
Ryan felt a dread he had never felt before.
Was he about to die before he could see Bell again?
Just as they were about to board the ship, Femur turned to Ryan and bowed.
"You need not be afraid. I shall never harm you or any you hold dear."