Elian was in his sifting clothes, clean, as if ready to set out for the season, his warm hazel eyes beaming at Erith.

A rustle stirred around them. The darkness gave way. Tall grass swayed in the night breeze beneath the moon. A small body of water rippled beside them, restless under the wind.

The gusts grew stronger, tearing through the field. Clouds hurried quickly across the night sky.

Elian’s grip tightened around his hand. His hazel eyes glowed with longing as he leaned in closer.

“Elurias.”

The word carried through the growing storm, but Erith didn’t understand. His fingers slipped. The ground gave way, and he fell backwards toward the edge of the water.

Clouds hurried quickly across the night sky. The air shimmered as he fell. 

The sky fractured into rushing clouds and blinding light, flooding his mind.

Then, the darkness returned.

Pain quaked through his body. Each breath was a struggle. He tried to swallow, and a dry ache scraped through his throat. A cough tore through him, and a hand pressed firmly to his shoulder as he lay on his side.

“Tal will find Rin and Maeric, Erith. We’ll get you help.” Amun’s voice was wavering, and sounded faint. “Just stay here with me. We’re safe.”

Erith’s chest heaved, and his mind slipped away.

The sound of water drifted through his thoughts, soft at first, then swelling until it filled him. His hand pressed into cool pebbles. He stirred, lifting his head with effort as he forced himself upright.

He was on the riverbank, the current flowing downstream beside him. At the water’s edge sat a younger Elian, his Adoses Academy tunic neat in the hazy afternoon light. Behind him loomed the ancient city ruins, spilling into the carved cliffside of the Narrows.

“Elian…” Erith wasn’t sure if he had spoken or thought the name.

The boy’s face softened, his eyes glinting with a reassuring spark.

“I’m here with you Erith. You’ll find me again—” his smile was faint, warm, “you always do.”

Maeric’s voice echoed through Erith’s mind.

“It wasn’t much of a ride from Velmoran. Rin found us horses.”

He could hear Tal.

“Glad I found you in Moranthal. You’d have never found us out here.”

Erith’s eyes fluttered. He blinked them open. To nothingness.

“How is he?” Maeric’s voice was distant, as if he was listening to the words beneath water.

“I don’t know. He stopped coughing blood.” Tal’s tone couldn’t give weight to whether that was an improvement. “There’s not much to do for Kaida burns. You hope the body handles what it destroys. But a person taking in that much…”

“It feels like something out of the scriptures,” Maeric said at last. “As if he carries the heavens inside him… Erith—”

With all his remaining strength, Erith inched his hand away from his body, towards Maeric’s voice. Maeric clasped it gently, cradling his fingers.

“He’s cold as the night air.” Maeric muttered under his breath.

Erith barely registered the touch, but knew Maeric’s warmth anywhere.

“Erith, we’re going to help you,” Maeric said, leaning close to Erith’s side. “You’ve taken in a lot of raw Kaida. We don’t know if you’ve endured this before. Is there something you need? Something that can help you?”

He strained to nod. His muscles screamed with any movement. Even the crumpled shirt against his cheek dragged like knives against his skin.

“Can you tell me what you need, Erith?” There was a restrained tremor in Maeric’s words, more plea than question.

“Don’t—” Amun cut in sharply. His voice dropped, wavering. “Please. Don’t try to have him talk. It’s… I don’t want him to hurt like that.”

He struggled to find his voice, but his body was lost on where to begin. His breathing was labored, as his body could only let his focus remain on pulling small gasps of air in and out.

His lips moved, forming the word he tried so desperately to say.

Mu-ra-si

“You need Murasi?” Maeric asked delicately, breaking the silence.

Erith nodded.

“Small ones, Erith—not like the ones in the Narrows?” Rin’s voice had barely reached Erith.

Another nod.

“That’s right!” Amun blurted before being shushed by the others.

“If someone hears us from the road, we’re dead, Moons,” Tal snapped.

“He—well, I don’t even know how to explain it,” Amun started, lowering his voice. “He eats Murasi, right? That’s where his Mura comes from. And Velmoran... that had to take a huge amount of Mura.”

“That actually might make sense, Moons. So we need to catch him a Murasi? Do we even know how to do that?” Rin asked.

“I’ve seen Murasi linger around Erith. He said once that they’re drawn to Kaida. Perhaps I can use that to my advantage.” Maeric slid his hand gently from Erith’s, setting it against the ground before rising to his feet.

“There’s no other choice, then.” Maeric’s words carried a quiet finality. “I’ll go, and return as quickly as I can.”

“Maeric, I can come with—” Rin started.

“No. I can barely wield Kaida, but by chance, it might be enough to keep myself safe. Our gems and swords are depleted. You’re all safe here. Our tents lie within Moranthal’s barrier—I can feel it.”

Maeric bent nearer, his breath brushing against Erith’s face. “I will find you help, Erith. We will walk our path together. I promise.”

Footsteps shifted. A moment later, the flap of canvas shuffled open, and Maeric was gone.

The warmth had left from Erith’s side, and with the faintest breath, he shaped only a whisper.

“Maeric…”

Shouts rang out, jolting Erith awake. He wasn’t sure if minutes, hours, or days had passed.

“How could you do this? How could you—” Rin’s voice tore across the silence, raw with disbelief.

“There is no other way, Rin.” Maeric’s words faltered, then pressed back with resolve. “He’ll die if it’s left to us. I won’t let that happen.”

“Please, step aside, Varsk. I have assured Estorath that your family see no recourse from Aldarath. Do not give me reason to reconsider this gesture of good faith.”

The tent canvas stirred aside. Footsteps advanced with steady calm, stopping just before where Erith lay.

Cerus’s voice followed, cold and deliberate, each word edged with restrained delight. “I have decided on my offer, Erith. You will come to Aldasi with me.”

A shiver seized him, helpless, as he lay unable to answer.

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