31. Lora #3
Tears streaked down her face. “No, we should be thanking you. You saved our daughter. You saved our entire town.”
I tilted my head to the side, taking in the burning town.
Moon wielders knelt beside wounded people, their hands glowing a soothing blue.
A man wailed, clutching a limp woman in his arms. All around us, buildings crumbled, reduced to gutted shells of splintered timber.
Bridges collapsed into chunks of stone clogging the river.
And those massive corpses slumped across the streets and draped over rooftops.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it the entire town…” I murmured.
She smiled, wiping her tears. “But you saved so many people. And the way you fought… You were amazing!”
Erion’s concern smoothed into a warm smile at her words. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her. She fights like a queen.”
“Love that!” The woman said, a laugh trickling out of her. “A warrior queen.”
“The Queen of Blightlands,” Erion corrected.
“Don’t start with that again,” I murmured, heat creeping up my neck.
Erion’s gaze found mine, burning with intense heat.
The young girl gazed up at her father, eyes wide. “Papa, was I saved by the Queen?”
“No, sweetheart, it’s just—”
“You sure were,” his wife cut in. “My daughter was saved by the Queen of Blightlands.” She inclined her head toward me. “Your Highness, I’m deeply honored.”
I snorted. But a handful of people had gathered behind her, and none of them laughed. They leaned close, whispering among themselves.
Caldera stood a few paces away, an amused smile tugging at her lips.
The woman resumed healing my leg. “Please, tell us. How can we ever repay you?”
My gaze slid to Erion. His eyes widened a fraction with understanding.
I glanced back at the woman. “In the museum… That moon stone… Do you think you could give it to us?”
The museum owner paled, clutching his daughter tighter. “Not the stone. It’s been in our family for generations.”
His wife rounded on him. “What’s an old stone compared to your daughter’s life?”
He squirmed, face tightening with anxious uncertainty. We clearly needed a stronger argument to convince him.
“Listen.” I pushed myself into a seated position. “This is Erion.” I nodded in his direction. “He’s the Dual Wielder. You saw it yourselves, right?”
The woman nodded eagerly, but the man’s expression didn’t change.
I let out a slow breath. “As you may have heard, the Dual Wielder is our savior. He’s meant to seal the rift. And we think he needs the moon stone to do it.”
Gasps rippled through a crowd I wasn’t even aware had gathered behind me.
“He is the Dual Wielder,” someone whispered. “I saw it! He’s our savior!”
The museum owner’s shoulders sagged. “All right. We’ll give you the moon stone.”
Relief flooded me, amplified by the soothing touch on my leg.
The townspeople swarmed closer, brushing my shoulders and squeezing Erion’s hands. Their voices overlapped with grateful remarks. My stomach tightened as a few whispered “Queen” mixed in with “the Dual Wielder".
A shy smile lit Erion’s face. For a few heartbeats, I let him bask in their praise. But unease gnawed at me. Somewhere beyond the town’s border, a fresh tear must have split the air, and more monsters could come through at any time.
“Everyone, please.” My voice cut through the noise. “You need to evacuate. The town isn’t safe. Pack what you need and leave as soon as you can.”
Within a candlemark, the streets had emptied. Families loaded belongings onto carts and disappeared into the night. The museum owner and his wife gave Erion the moon stone and thanked us again before heading off.
Erion, Caldera, and I stayed behind, making sure every last townsperson left before trudging back to Caldera’s house.
“Now what?” she said as we gathered our things.
Erion drew himself up. “We need the sun stone,”
A smile tugged at my lips as I stuffed supplies into my small backpack. Things were finally going our way, and Erion seemed more hopeful than ever.
Caldera straightened from where she’d been folding clothes. “You know that means we need to head into the Sun Kingdom, right?”
I raised a brow. “We? You’re coming with us?”
“Of course. Who else would teach Erion sun wielding?” She met my gaze. “His mission is to seal the rift, isn’t it? Helping him is more important than anything.”
“You know what?” A smile crept across my lips as I slid my bag onto my back, adjusting the straps for a snug fit. “I think we finally agree on something.”
Her face brightened, a knowing glint sparking in her eyes.
I nodded at the door. “Come on, let’s go before any more monsters show up.”
The woolen scarf she’d given me still wrapped around my shoulders, but it wasn’t as hot as I’d first thought. It had grown on me, just as she had.
Erion’s grin was as radiant as the sun as he glanced between Caldera and me. I offered him a smirk before heading out.
But as soon as he stepped through the door behind me, a pained scream ripped from his throat. Horror tore through me as I spun, but no monsters towered above us. Instead, burning metal enveloped Erion in a tight embrace, sizzling against his skin.