Her hand trembled slightly and tears welled up in her eyes as she let out a breathy gasp.
His hand met hers and he pulled the necklace away from her grip, turning it over in his hand. Then he looked back at her in confusion.
“Why are you crying?” he asked, his voice filled with concern. “What do you see?”
It was all too much, she didn’t know where to begin. Words moved past her lips faster than she could think.
“My name is on your necklace. I gave it to you, remember? Back in Inaymi. Then you gave me the ring—”
He stared back at her blankly like the words she was saying weren’t making sense to him.
As if to confirm her fears, he said with a hint of panic in his voice, “your words make no sense to me. They sound incomprehensible.”
He knew then, he knew that her words were important and like the Fates had told him, they weren’t making sense to him.
Belladonna sprung into action. Of course words wouldn't work. It would be too easy.
Her heart was racing wildly as she picked up a stick and started drawing illustrations on the floor, gesturing to him and herself to explain herself; her hands shaky, her palms sweaty.
There was no time for this!
By Ignas, there was no time for this!
It was a selfish thing that she was doing, she had to get to Alaris as soon as possible, she had to remain focused and ensure that he had gotten all the information he sent through the shadow warrior, she had to get to him as soon as possible to help him fight his war, but no! She had chosen to spare time for this instead.
It was selfish, she knew but it was what she had chosen to do. This might be her last chance to see him again, her last chance to bring him back. If he would be able to remember his reason for coming here before they would arrive to take him, then he would have defied fate.
‘BELLADONNA, STOP THIS!’ A part of her mind shouted at her. ‘YOU DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS. YOU HAVE TO KEEP GOING ON. THERE ARE PEOPLE WAITING FOR YOU. THE LIVES OF MANY PEOPLE! ALARIS IS WAITING FOR YOU!’
‘YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, THIS IS ELI. ELI!’ she screamed back to that part of her mind.
If she didn’t prioritize him now, if she should let him go again just as she did in Gaya’s Garden, then she might never see him again, never be able to bring him back.
This was luck! This was a chance; a rare chance.
He would be able to stay. The sandglass on his shoulder was running out anyway and she wasn’t even sure that he would make it to Alaris before it would finally run out… BESIDES, THIS WOULD ONLY TAKE A LITTLE WHILE.
This was right. She was doing the right thing. She was fighting for her only chance at happiness.
This would only take a little while.
Just a while.
She would be able to make it to Alaris in time.
“You. Eli. Me. Donna.”
She stopped, looking at him and searching for any sign of recognition.
This moment, right now, was her only chance.
There was nothing except his full intention, so she kept talking.
A moment after, he grabbed his head, groaning in pain. A whirlwind of darkness formed around his head and the sandglass on his shoulder started glowing.
It was working, by Ignas it was finally working!
Right?
She didn’t even know but she kept going, hoping that it was.
The wind became so strong, she had to fight against it to remain standing on her feet.
“STOP!” he growled, his voice sounding anything but human, as the whirlwind finally gave into an explosion that slammed her back against a tree.
From where she laid, fallen; she watched him stand, his eyes filled with confusion and concern as she took a step toward her as if he would come to help her. But he stopped, a frown taking over his features, the glowing light of his sandglass leaking into his hood now that he had once again taken the image of an indeed warrior.
Eli. Her lips formed the words but her voice never made it out to call his name.
He hesitated for a moment. She couldn’t see his eyes under that hood but she didn’t have to. She knew what he was thinking and just as she feared, he left.
He was gone in a flash. Even though she raced to her feet, and sprinted as fast as she could, she couldn’t follow him.
He had vanished like he was never even there.
Gone.
Tears welled up in her eyes but she didn't even have the time to cry.
Her shadow warrior was here, she could feel it.
“Show yourself.”
It emerged from the ground and handed her a message from Alaris. She wiped away her tears and received it, glad that Alaris had surely received her message and was prepared accordingly.
His message read that the priest was missing along with Nyka’s body. Also that they were prepared for the coming war. “You are the only one left. Come back to me as you have promised. Let us meet where we parted.”
But the message written in that piece of cloth wasn’t the only message the shadow warrior had for her, there was a flower; a nightshade flower.
Belladonna received it, only to realize the dark lines that lined it. It was at that moment that she paid attention to the shadow warrior.
It was vanishing back into the ground right before her eyes. It was dying.
“Alaris,” she said sh
arply.
The death of the master was the death of his shadow warriors.
By Ignas, no!