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He rounded several more corners before he spotted her.
Elowynn was standing alone beside one of the lower garden railings overlooking the city.
She looked cold, her body shivering. And he noted her ribs expanding from heavy breaths.
He swore he could feel fury radiating off her from where he stood.
A cold breeze swept through the gardens, strong enough to stir the loose waves of her lustrous hair. One hand remained shoved tightly into the folds of her skirts while the other gripped the stone railing hard enough for her knuckles to whiten.
Something inside Caelyn threatened to strangle him. He wasn’t thinking straight, his mind a jumbled mess. His heart was screaming for him to go to her!
But he shouldn’t be here. He didn't belong here.
He didn't come all this way to turn back.
Caelyn stepped forward.
“El—”
She spun so fast, blue-white resonance flaring bright around her raised hand she’d pulled from the folds of her dress.
“I told you not to—”
Her furious words died on a breath, her tears freezing in the cold night.
Silence plummeted between them and Caelyn stopped moving. Stopped breathing.
Elowynn stared at him like she no longer trusted her own eyes. She stared at him like he wasn't truly there and like she was forcing herself to believe he was only a hallucination.
He would have done the same thing had their positions been reversed.
Caelyn took another step closer and all at once, the resonance vanished from her hand.
“Caelyn?” she whispered in disbelief.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, savoring his name on her lips. The way she said it nearly brought him to his knees.
After a moment, he opened his eyes and walked closer.
“You look terrible,” he said with a sad, lopsided smile.
A startled laugh escaped her before she covered her mouth with her hand. She choked back a sob. “You crossed half the continent and that is your greeting?”
Relief hit him so hard his knees almost weakened.
She was alright.
She was standing.
Breathing.
And she was right here.
Caelyn laughed beneath his breath, the warmth of it puffing out in a white cloud. The sound was rougher than intended.
“I uh… had a better one prepared earlier,” he smiled.
Her eyes softened, their glow mesmerizing. Gods, how he had missed her.
