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There was no need for words. No point in them.
Nothing would bring Medra back. Nothing. We both knew that.
Morgan wiped quickly at her face as Lancelet burst breathlessly through a cluster of nearby trees.
“Morgan! Draven!”
A roar followed as Hawl emerged. The Bearkin was wounded on the shoulder.
“An arrow?” I asked.
The Ursidaur nodded. “We were attacked while we slept.”
They might have said something then, a jibe at Morgan for what she had done when we’d left. But instead, the Bearkin seemed to take in our state and said nothing.
“We’ve fought nonstop,” Lancelet said. “We wouldn’t leave this place without you. We knew you’d return.”
“Guinevere?” Morgan asked. “Is she...?”
“She’s safe,” Lancelet replied. “Here. She’s coming now.”
Guinevere broke through the trees, panting, carrying a satchel. “I have herbs. Healing salves. Dressings and bandages. Do they need anything?”
She looked back and forth between us, and her jaw dropped.
For the first time, I looked down at myself. My jerkin had all but crumbled away. My chest was raw and ribboned. When I let myself dwell on it, I could feel my back was much the same.
“Your face,” Morgan said quietly, gesturing.
I touched a hand to my cheek, and Guinevere cringed. “Please. Don’t.”
I lowered my hand.
“This is beyond me.” Guinevere took a deep breath. “But I’ll try, when we get back to camp.”
I nodded curtly. “I don’t need to look pretty.”
“What happened?” Lancelet asked eagerly. “Did the peak of the mountain collapse? Was it an eruption? How did you get down?”
We looked at one another. “Not the peak of the mountain,” I said slowly. “A palace above. Floating in the clouds.”
Lancelet stared. “That sounds... beautiful. But since Morgan’s father was involved, I assume it wasn’t.” She bit her lip. “Is he...?”
“He’s gone,” Morgan said simply.
“You did it then,” Lancelet said, sounding awed. “You truly did it.”
“We did nothing,” Morgan said, her voice unexpectedly sharp.
Lancelet seemed to take in the tracks of tears. “But then... who?”
“Medra.” My voice was hard and brittle.
Guinevere gasped. “Medra? But how?”
“Where is she? Where is the little thing?” Hawl boomed. “Tell me at once and I’ll go to her. Did she fall far from here? Were you separated?”
My throat constricted at Hawl’s kindness. “Separated. Yes.”
