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NAVA
Nava hated worrying about everything and the powerlessness that took over her body whenever she did. It always began as a rolling ache in the middle of her chest that felt a lot like heartbreak.
Arkimedes handed her a piece of rabbit meat speared on a stick. The delicious smell called to her with a promise of warmth and savory goodness, but she struggled to find her appetite.
How was Devon doing back at Leela’s house? Arkimedes had been fretting about it for days… Fine. She had been worried, too.
He refused to return to check on his brother if it meant leaving her there, although she doubted the emissary would come to hurt her so soon after the attack. But of course, she couldn’t be certain.
Arkimedes had shared everything he’d learned from the emissary with them, and now, as they all sat around the fire in silence, the question circled her mind again and again.
How were they supposed to kill an immortal?
“There’s no pattern we can use to predict when to expect the emissary next.” Ark reached for a piece of dry kindling and fed it to the magical fire that raged hotter in return. “I’m concerned about both of you going out there to heal the forest. He was there recently.”
The licks of the flames from their campfire were blue instead of orange, and yet they reminded her too much of the hell they’d just escaped. After what had happened in the forest, sitting by the fire should prove an impossibility. Yet here she was, soaking in its warmth on this chill autumn morning. They had chosen a spot close to the pool to make the most of the natural light since Nava missed it so much.
“Why do you think so? Surely if he could come back that easily, he would have been here the entire time.” Nava rubbed her tired eyes. Ari often said the crystals would help with her exhaustion, but healing this kind of wound took it out of her.
“We don’t know that. You want to go out to the forest and bask in the sun”—Arkimedes paused his poking of the logs with his stick, sending her an all-knowing look—“but it’s too dangerous.”
“We can’t hide here forever. You’ve been wanting to go to the city, and we should. If only to make sure Devon is alive.”
Arkimedes opened his mouth but closed it again, clenching his jaw as he narrowed his eyes at her.
Sure, she’d played a little dirty by mentioning what he needed to hear, but there was no use in being afraid right now.
“If what I suspect is true,” she continued, undeterred, “then the emissary can’t come into this realm without the command of a god. He is probably on duty right now, and that’s why he got called away.”
“I believe you’re right. Unless the emissary is on a mission for his god, he must not be allowed to come into our world. I hadn’t seen him before.”
Nava rubbed her chest, attempting to relieve the pressure that collected deep inside it, as if the forest was beckoning her to come and help. She’d taken so much of its energy, it was only fair to repay it, even if she was still healing. “Perhaps my need to leave the cave is because of the forest calling to me?”
She glanced at Ari, who inclined his head in confirmation. He looked so out of place in front of the campfire, with his massive tree-like legs bent at angles no human limbs could comfortably—healthily—achieve.
“The call is strong once you connect with your powers and the nature that surrounds you,” he said.
Nava pulled at the bandages around her torso, which had gone brown with dried blood. No matter how much she’d washed it in the pool, the stain remained.
The gray morning light trickled over the water, bringing a gentle breeze that seeped through the thin layers of her clothes. Thank gods for Leela and the wool coat she’d insisted Nava wear. It was burnt in places, but it kept her warm.
Hopefully, her friend was all right. And she was still helping Devon heal.
“All right, let’s assume the best. The forest is calling you because it needs you.” Arkimedes tapped his fingers against his thighs, but his expression was strained. “Let’s prepare for the worst, regardless. What are we going to do if we get there and the emissary attacks us?”
“What if we call upon Dargan?” She scratched her arm as the crawling sensation under her skin worsened. “Each time someone crosses a portal, they meet with him to pay the price. We can ask Devon to open a portal and tell the God of Shadows his emissary is attempting to break free. Perhaps he will want to get rid of the problem for us?”
“The gods have been fighting their own war for decades, dearest. They don’t care enough about Caztian to intervene, not when they have bigger problems to attend to.” Aristaeus looked somber.
“I heard that.” Arkimedes straightened, his eyes growing wide as he stared at Ari.
“You heard Ari speak?” Nava asked. She would have smiled if the information being shared was about a happier subject.
Arkimedes nodded and placed his half-eaten meal aside, looking dazed and a little horrified. “I felt this pressure in my head and assumed more memories were coming. I haven’t been pushing them away for a while now, so I let it through…”
“He let me in. At last.” Ari’s expression softened. “I would assume Dargan is aware of what the emissary is doing. Even if he believes he is fooling the god.”
“How can we kill him?” Arkimedes asked.
