Chapter 24

Ali huddles against me, tense and limp by equal turns. Her magic sizzles against my skin, and only the Starbound oath I made to her keeps my animal at bay. Still, the scorpion tests it, raging to get out and answer the call of her wild magic.

The day passed by in a blur of movement, the only stop I made to swap horses and let Molmith take a break. Ali's alternately laughing or moaning in pain, overcome by the surging force within her.

I've never seen this before, but I've lived it.

I know the pain she faces, the mental turmoil, and it wounds me to know I missed the signs, even if I was never this far gone.

The three crescent moons fill the navy expanse of sky, just beginning to dip below the horizon. The terrain's rougher here, the trail reduced to that of game, and not frequent game at that. The air whips through the needle-thick trees, scenting the breeze and chilling our skin. I tuck Ali tighter against me, trying to share body heat.

She's burning up.

Her chest heaves, her heart beat sluggish. Dazgan climbs steadily, a froth of sweat clinging to his grey hide. Both horses are near total exhaustion.

So am I.

Still, we press onward, upward. A chill breeze scrapes across my skin. Ali's muttering in her sleep, making fitful motions as she dreams. I hold her as best I can, trying to soothe the wild magic trying to escape. I should have brought her sooner. I should have realized she might be in as much danger as the rest of the unmated Starbound.

I should have tried harder to win her trust at first. I should have forced my guilt down and courted her, shown her how treasured she was.

My thoughts lapse into silence, my mouth a grim line.

The trees clear, the ground evening out under the horses' hooves.

We're here.

Donnora Lake stretches in front of us, a dark, endless pool that goes as far as the eye can see. The moons reflect on the rippling surface, the three sisters doubled, wavering in the lake. Snowy peaks jut up around us, pricking the night sky.

Water laps at the rocky banks, and I swing my gaze around, searching. Dazgan stumbles, and I know I've pushed them both past the point of quick recovery. We'll have to rest here for longer than I intended, to let them regain their strength. My knuckles whiten on the reins. If we return at all, if the mage is here at all.

I hold the world in my arms, and all I have to go on are what-ifs, each more terrifying than the last. My eyes scan the tree line, the far banks, the sky for smoke. Nothing. Endless water and the dark stretch of pine forests, the mountains clawing at the stars in the sky.

No tell-tale smoke, no flickering campfire, no hermit's hut. Only clear, cold sky and water made black in the empty night.

Ali mutters nonsense, then laughs, and despair rolls through me.

Instinct says I should stick to the shadows, drive out the hermit mage slowly, and ensure we are safe.

"We need aid." The cry wrenches from my lips, echoing against the mountains. "We come for aid. Help." My voice cracks on the word, and I know then that I've pushed myself too hard, too. The only thing keeping me upright is the oath I swore to Ali.

That and my concern for her. It ripples through me, a savage, living thing, ready to grow teeth and fight. I care about her more than I ever thought possible.

"Help," I say again. Dazgan stumbles, slowing to a limping walk.

Fuck. Fear bites me, my gut clenching.

Despairing, I slide off the horse, holding Ali close. There's nothing for it. The horses are spent. They need water. Food.

Sleep.

As soon as I think the word, it tugs on me, threatening to pull me under, and I sway, Ali's fevered eyes moving beneath her lids.

They flutter open, her light blue eyes meeting mine. "Hurts," she whimpers. I set my jaw and call on the last of my reserves.

I will find this damned mage, even if it's the last thing I do. My jaw clenches. It may very well be the last thing I do. Ali stirs against me, half asleep in my arms. I would do anything for her.

"I would do anything to save her," I say it out loud, a promise to Ali, who seems to slip further and further from my grasp the longer time stretches on.

"Then we have an agreement."

Panic twists my stomach. I jerk my head left, barely making out a hooded figure. Water ripples from his feet, as though he emerged from the fathomless depths. Impossible. I squint against the darkness, but there's no sign he's wet, other than the part of the cloak dragging in the water.

"We have not agreed on anything," I grate. Uncertainty claws across my back, and I clutch Ali tighter. Dazgan's head droops, his sides heaving.

I barely make out the figure tilting his head sideways, and then he steps closer, walking out of Donnora. The cloak drags behind him, but he leaves no sign of passing. An eerie shudder climbs my spine.

"You said you would give anything to help her. The bargain was made, the bargain was accepted."

I swallow. It has been many, many years since I stumbled across rumors of a being like this. I had no idea there was truth to one living at Donnora Lake, but it's much too late to turn back now. Ali whimpers, tensing then going limp in my arms.

"Then help her." I'm frantic. I am in no place to barter or bargain. I will do anything he asks.

The robe ripples, and the being points beyond me, to the tree line I only just scanned for life. I follow its finger, and the ripple of magic blooms across my skin.

My eyes widen in surprise.

It isn't a single hut or campfire that greets my gaze, but a village. Squat stone and mortar houses nestle into the mountainside.

"An illusion?" It's the only explanation. Some kind of thick magic veiled the place, and now the creature of the Donnora has torn it asunder, making it visible.

"Go," says the being. "They will help your mate. And I will collect my price."

My lungs tighten as I suck in a breath. It's too late now to revisit the terms of our agreement. All that matters is Ali.

I don't bother thanking the being. I know I'll be seeing him again. My molars grind against each other. I nudge Dazgan into movement again, and the loyal horse manages a fast walk, taking us nearer to the village.

A light flickers to life in one of the windows, then two.

They know we're here.

I can only hope the being will keep it's end of the bargain.