Will – Hope #2
The older woman from the trail stepped out from behind the man. “The oracles foretold that you would come this annum, forged in a battle with foes that should not be,” she whispered. The sheer, suffocating weight of her absolute devotion made Will's skin crawl.
“She needs time to rest. Give us a moment.” Will scraped together the absolute last dregs of his energy, forcing his voice into the hard, authoritative bark that demanded instant obedience.
The two elders immediately bowed deeply and retreated into the shadows of the longhouse.
Will dragged his broken frame onto his side and patted the narrow strip of empty mattress.
All the color had completely drained from her face, leaving her skin a translucent pale in the flickering firelight.
Her chin dipped heavily toward her chest as if her neck could no longer support the weight of her own head.
He stared at the small space beside him, holding his breath in a fierce, desperate hope that she would choose to close the distance and seek comfort in his arms.
Malin didn't say a single word. She settled into the space beside him, her fingers brushing her throat to ensure the amulet was in place before pulling his arms snugly around her. The steady rise and fall of her chest against his forearms melted the remaining tension from his muscles.
Having her pressed against him on the narrow cot fed the starving, desperate ache in his chest perfectly. Utter exhaustion finally won, pulling his heavy mind down into the dark.
He had been awake for over an hour watching her sleep, and the chanting outside the hut had grown into a mob, with singing and the sound of prayers. It was near nightfall, and they still needed to get the rest of the way to the vanguard, much less get to the rest of the army.
They needed to get out of here.
Malin’s eyes fluttered awake.
“Hey, Sparks. You’re back. How are you feeling?”
“Still a bit tired, but better,” she responded.
“This is going to be a problem,” Jacien said, his accented drawl pitched low so only Aldrik, Will, and Malin could hear.
“The whole region will know she’s here by nightfall.
The Bleed might have been the first to ambush us, but they won’t be the last. With chanting and others in the area gathering, word will spread… we can expect more to come.”
“Nar met the Vanguard earlier, and they are almost here. We will be protected on the way back to the portaller,” Khelek said.
“I can get her out of here. Right now,” Jacien countered smoothly. “I can open a portal straight to Mellyrn, get her out of this mob. They might disperse if she isn’t here. We could get the device to her mother tonight within minutes.”
He fought to accept Jacien’s logic. It would be what was best for Malin and for Elowen, but putting her life in the Elf’s hands… again, burned him.
As if reading his thoughts, the Elf continued, “I can only jump two people safely.”
“No,” Will snapped, his hand twitching toward his empty scabbard. “Absolutely not. I am not sending my wife off alone with you.”
“Will.” Aldrik’s voice broke in, weaker but still with authority behind it.
Will turned his head. Aldrik put his hand on Will’s shoulder.
“Jacien is right,” Aldrik rasped, as he stood a little straighter.
“We are compromised. We are injured, and she is a walking beacon right now. I cannot tell if my injury caused it or something else, but something happened back in Mellyrn. My Ael’an is not doing well.
I thought we had more time, but it seems she needs the device sooner than I thought. He needs to take her.”
His jaw locked, and a hot flush burned his cheeks.
Will stared at his father-in-law, his heart hammering against his ribs.
He had given everything for her. All he wanted was her.
The demand ran counter to every instinct screaming in his blood.
He had shattered his mental walls and surrendered his control to save her father, and now Aldrik was asking him to do the impossible: to let go of the one thing Will swore he would never let out of his sight again.
“This must happen,” Aldrik ordered.
Will’s fingers twitched. Every battered, overprotective instinct in his body screamed at him to grab her wrist, to pull her back against his chest, and to tell Jacien to go to hell. His chest tightened with the familiar, suffocating panic of letting her out of his sight.
But Will swallowed the terror. He clenched his empty hands into fists at his sides and forced his boots to stay planted in the snow.
“Go finish the mission,” Will said, his voice a rough gravel. “I’ll find you.”
Will shrugged the heavy leather satchel Darik had given them off his shoulder. He pressed the strap into her hands, his fingers wrapping around hers to ensure her grip was tight.
“We will work out a plan to make things right. When I get to Mellyrn, I’m not letting you out of my sight, but we will get things settled. It will be better,” he rasped. Malin nodded, clutching the EMP to her chest like a shield. She gave him one last, lingering look.
A genuine, grateful smile touched her lips. Then, she turned her back to him, her posture straightening, and she stood by the Elf.
Luminous patterns flared in the dim space as the air tore open reality itself. They stepped through the shimmering tear, and she vanished.
Will stood frozen, his reality splintering. It didn’t take long for Nar to get there with the vanguard, but the rest of the hike was a blur. He followed Aldrik mechanically; his surroundings reduced to indistinct shapes through the veil of his loss.