Aelindra followed Severin through the forest, branches snapping under their hurried steps. The air felt heavier now, humming with danger and the faint metallic scent of soldiers' Armor left lingering between the trees.
Severin moved gracefully with the ease of someone trained to navigate shadows, ducking under low branches and stepping over roots without hesitation. Aelindra had to fight to keep up.
Every few minutes, she glanced behind them. No sign of the soldiers, but she could still feel their presence, like a storm on her heels.
Finally, Severin slowed, stopping beside the moss-covered ruin of what once might have been a storage shed. Its roof had collapsed long ago, vines tightly curling through broken beams.
"This way," he said quietly.
Aelindra hesitated. "Why should I trust you?"
Severin turned, his expression unreadable. You don't have to trust me.
He gestured toward the deeper forest; your other option is to keep running until those men catch you.
She swallowed. He had a point.
Still, something nagged at her. You said the kingdom would lose its last hope if they caught me. What did you mean by that? Why do you care?
A faint, tired sigh escaped him. Because I've seen what this kingdom looks like when hope disappears.
The answer chilled her… mostly because she felt he wasn't talking about her. Not really.
Aelindra hugged her arms around herself. What do you want from me?
Severin met her eyes. His gaze was sharp, but there was something softer beneath it, concern maybe or conflict.
Right now, he said, I just want you alive.
He stepped inside the ruins. Aelindra followed reluctantly.
The air was cool and damp, stray light slipped through the holes in the roof, illuminating the dust in the air. Severin lifted a loose floorboard, revealing a hidden satchel.
He removed a folded cloak and a canteen of water, offering both to her.
Aelindra accepted them cautiously. Were you expecting someone?
No. His jaw tightened, but I learned to prepare for… difficult situations.
She wrapped the cloak around herself. The warmth from it was immediate and comforting, but a cold shiver still crept down her spine as she watched him.
Who are you really? she asked softly.
Severin didn't answer right away. He looked toward the forest as if he could still hear the soldiers.
I'll tell you, he said finally, but not here.
She nodded.
He turned back to her, then suddenly swayed.
Severin?
His breath hitched.
Aelindra stepped closer. What's wrong?
He pressed a hand to his ribs. Nothing, It's just...
He stopped abruptly, a rough cough shook through him, bending him forward.
Aelindra's eyes widened, a blackish streak of blood spattered onto his palm.
Her heart faltered. That, thats not normal blood…
Severin wiped it quickly, trying to straighten, but his movements were sluggish.
I said I'm fine, he spoked through clenched teeth, trying to sound convincing but ultimately failing.
You're not fine, she said matter-of-factly
He stumbled, Aelindra lunged forward and caught his arm. His skin was burning hot.
She lowered him gently to the ground. Tell me what happened She said sternly
Severin's jaw tightened as if he was fighting something inside him. It was an attack. A toxin, he exhaled sharply. Most poisons kill quickly, this one likes to take its time it seems, he let out a dry laugh
Aelindra felt her pulse quicken, "How long do you have?"
Hours, Severin said quietly. Maybe a day.
Her stomach dropped.
Why didn't you say something earlier? She whispered softly.
He met her eyes, breathing hard. Because I don't need saving. And because you… He hesitated; you already paid a price today.
Aelindra's throat tightened.
He knew what healing cost her.
"How did you?"
I've read about Healers, he said. Your kind always paid a price. A memory. A feeling. A piece of yourself.
Aelindra's breath trembled. I can't heal you. I, I don't know what I'll lose next.
I don't want you to, Severin said firmly.
But his body was weakening, his breath rattled and when he looked up at her again, she saw fear flicker behind his steady façade.
Not fear of death.
Fear of her sacrificing herself for him.
She knelt beside him. If I don't help you… you will die.
Severins's lips curved into the faintest trace of a smile. Maybe, but you can't keep destroying yourself to save others.
Aelindra's heartbeat thudded painfully.
Why would you rather die than let me heal you? She asked completely bewildered
He looked at her then, truly looked, his eyes burning with something she couldn't quite understand
Because your life is worth more than mine, he whispered.
Aelindra opened her mouth, but the world shifted.
Crack.
A twig snapped right outside the ruin, they both froze.
Another sound.
Soft footsteps,
voices murmuring,
getting closer.
Severin's hand closed weakly around her wrist.
They found us, he whispered
She tensed, heart racing.
We have to run, she whispered back, scared that the faintest noise would expose them
Severin tried to stand, but his legs gave out. Aelindra caught him, panic rising.
He couldn't run, not in this condition.
Footsteps approached the doorway; shadows stretched across the broken floorboards.
Aelindra tightened her hold on Severin, breath shaking.
The soldiers were almost here.
Her healer's power tingled beneath her skin, the dangerous, forbidden warmth she feared.
And she faced an impossible choice:
Save Severin and lose another piece of herself
Or
Run and leave him to die.
The footsteps stopped just outside the ruin.
"Aelindra," Severin said softly, his voice trembling with pain.
"You must run".
...
The soldiers' footsteps stopped just outside the ruined shelter.
Aelindral's breath caught as Severin sagged against the broken wall, his face deathly pale beneath streaks of dirt.
They weren't alone, and they were out of time.
Severin's hand brushed the ground as he struggled to stay upright. Don't… even think about healing me right now, he whispered, his voice strained.
Aelindra shook her head. You're barely breathing.
And you, he said, forcing the words out, are barely standing.
Another wave of soldiers moved past the opening, their Armor clinked softly, cold and metallic like a threat made of iron.
Aelindra kept her voice low, almost inaudible. If I don't help you, they'll kill you the moment they enter.
Severin's jaw tensed. Then leave me.
She stared at him, stunned. "I'm not leaving you".
We don't know each other, he hissed, frustration edging his tone. I'm not worth the cost of whatever your magic takes.
She swallowed hard, he had seen enough to guess how much it hurt her.
But she also saw the trembling in his hands, the black veins creeping along his neck beneath his collar.
He didn't have long.
"Sevrin," she whispered, you may not think you're worth it… but I'm not the kind of person who walks away when someone's dying.
His eyes flickered, not with warmth, but with something harder, something conflicted.
Respect maybe or frustration with her stubbornness.
Outside, a soldier spoke:
"Commander, tracks lead this way."
They were seconds from being found.
Aelindra drew in a shaking breath, her hands already warming with the familiar, terrifying glow.
Severin reached up weakly, gripping her wrist. "Don't. Please."
She met his gaze, steady, determined.
A promise formed from her instinctive refusal to let anyone die if she could stop it.
I can live with losing something, she whispered. But I could never carry on with the thought, knowing I could've saved someone but didn't.
Before he could argue again, she pressed her palms to his chest.
Light exploded.
It wasn't gentle, far from it.
It tore through her mind like a hot blade, slicing through memories, slicing through instinct---
taking something.
The world blurred,
Severin gasped as the poison burned out of him.
Aelindra's breath shattered as something deep inside her vanished.
Her fear.
It melted like the morning mist, a transient, tender ghost, leaving behind only a hollow space.
She staggered back, dazed.
Severin caught her elbow, concern flashing across his face
"Aelindra what did it take from you?" he asked quietly.
She blinked, trying to steady herself,
her hands didn't shake,
her heartbeat didn't race.
I'm… not afraid, she said, her voice unnervingly calm.
Severin's brows drew together with worry. Aelindra, that's not... fear keeps you alert, it keeps you alive.
Well, she said simply, I guess I'll just have to manage.
A shout broke through the trees.
"There! Movement inside!"
Severin pushed himself upright, steadier now, though still weak.
We must move, he said. They'll be on us in seconds.
Aelindra nodded, mind sharp and coldly clear. Without fear holding her back, she slipped into motion easily.
They slipped out through the collapsed back wall just as the soldiers poured into the ruin, blades drawn.
"Two sets of footprints! They're headed toward the ravine!"
Severin grabbed her hand so she wouldn't lose her footing on the uneven terrain, their breathing stayed quiet, controlled, focused on escaping.
They ran.
Branches tore at their clothes,
the forest closed in around them,
the pursuit grew louder.
Only when they reached a narrow drop in the terrain did Sevrin stop, catching his breath.
There's only one place they won't follow us, he said, scanning the forest.
Where?
"The Black Grove."
Aelindra nodded, practical and steady.
What are we waiting for?
Severin gave her a quick assessing look, still cautious around her, still guarded, still learning who she was.
We should move.
They took off deeper into the forest, with the brutal, growing awareness that they were now tied together by danger.