I sit with Cyrus beneath the now glowing tree as we admire the fact that it is glowing again.
Glowing because of Sahora.
I knew she carried the soul of Kathera. I did not expect she would begin awakening the world the moment she set foot here.
“Cyrus, do you think it is because she holds Kathera’s soul, or do you think it is because of Sahora herself?”
My voice comes out harsher than I meant. He begins looking over his maps, spread across the ground in a maze I do not understand.
“I am not sure,” he says, not looking up. “I think it could be the combination of the two of them. I think it will take both of their souls to awaken the world.”
“You say both of their souls to awaken the world, but you did not mention bringing Kathera back.”
Silence stretches between us — heavy, like he is holding onto a piece of legend he is not yet sure he should share.
He sends a thought to me: Magic always comes with a price. We do not know what it will cost to unfreeze the world yet.
What do you think that price will be?
I send the thought to him, fluid and searching, wanting to understand what is already working in his mind.
I think it will be a heavy price to pay. One that will leave a mark on our world. One that will either make Celentra stronger or weaken it more.
His thought crashes over me like a wave, carrying both comfort and danger.
Someone clears their throat.
Sahora.
Her dark brown hair hangs loose around her shoulders. Her eyes hold the wariness that always seems to weigh on her.
“Briar says everyone should come over to the fire for dinner.”
Her voice is steady, almost weighted.
She sounds as if she is ready to collapse onto a bedroll. She walks away, simultaneously confident and broken. As I watch her, all I can wonder is: what part of her will we lose?
Cyrus stands and offers me his hand. I take it, knowing what will follow —
The shock I feel every time we touch.
“Let us eat. I am starving,” he says, holding my hand gently but not lightly.
We walk over to the fire. Briar is already sitting there, Castor beside her like a guard who will never leave her side. His vigilance makes me wonder why he is so protective. What happened in their past to make him this way?
“What is for dinner?” Cyrus lets go of my hand and plops down on a log.
“Gari fruit, deer, and kiri greens,” Briar responds, her voice flowing over the fire as if it is part of it.
After we finish eating, Sahora’s voice carries across the fire.
“Briar, how did you know where to find us outside the marsh?”
Briar and Castor exchange a quick glance before Castor answers.
“We have been there before, years ago, before Kathera was born. Before the world was changed by her.”
“Why?” Sahora asks, her voice slightly shaky.
“Well… we had a mission once. Something that needed to happen in order to continue our path,” Briar says before Castor can respond. “It is a story we will tell you someday. But not today. Such things should not be talked about over dinner.”
Sahora rocks slightly on her log.
“I just want to know more about everyone. About Celentra. There is so much I do not know, and if I am to save this world, I want to know more about it.”
Briar chuckles softly.
“The best way to learn is to let things unfold the way they are meant to, no matter how hard it is.”