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Holly took her hand and let Synora lead her down the path away from the gate. “Tell me about your family,” Holly asked, swinging their clasped hands between them. “Unless you would rather not talk about it…”
“I don’t mind,” Synora said, scanning their surroundings. “My fathers, Folan and Clymen, were twins, kind of like Kallan and Kieran. Actually, a lot like them, which is maybe why we get along so well.” Synora had a strange expression on her face, like she’d just had that realization, and Holly laughed.
Synora grinned at her as she continued. “My mother, Gracyn, was the light of their lives, the center of their universe, and every other cheesy thing you can think of. My two older brothers and I used to gag daily over their lifetime romance. Now, I would do anything to see my fathers make my mother blush again.”
Holly squeezed her hand when Synora’s eyes turned sad. Synora opened her mouth to say more but stiffened and pushed Holly behind her. Her bow appeared in her hand, and Holly’s muscles tightened. She pulled her earth magic to the surface and cast it out into their surroundings, trying to hear what Synora heard.
A figure stepped out from behind a tree twenty paces away. “Good. You haven’t lost your touch.”
Holly relaxed at the same time Synora did, registering the figure as Toan, Claire’s uncle. She had only met him briefly, before and during the battle, but he was on their side.
“Toan.” Synora inclined her head respectfully as she gave her commander a warm greeting. “It’s good to see you.”
Toan returned the gesture. “It’s good to see you and Holly as well. I take it this isn’t a leisurely visit, though?”
“Unfortunately not.” Synora smiled tightly at him. “We’re here to visit my family’s tree and see if my mother’s notes can help us shift a feral dragon back.”
Toan blinked at her before nodding. “Very well, then. I sense there is a story there, but you can share it as we walk.”
Synora briefly recapped the events of the last few weeks to Toan as they walked.
“Maybe I’ll give my niece a visit here soon,” Toan said grimly after she was finished, probably thinking about Claire’s protection.
“I think she would like that,” Holly said softly.
Toan gave her a small nod. “She’s lucky to have such good friends at her side.”
Holly shrugged off the compliment. “We’re the lucky ones.”
Ahead of them, the trees thinned, and Holly stood in awe. The city was bigger than she ever imagined it being. In the trees, a network of different platforms and bridges stood out against the vibrant colors. Elves scaled the ladders and bridges with ease, unconcerned they were several stories up. In the center of the Capital, a tree that was twice as large as the others stood proudly. This must be the Royal tree Claire had talked about.
They paused on the outskirts, and Toan placed his hand on Synora’s shoulder. “I’ll let you go do what you came for. I’ll alert the warriors of my absence and maybe take a few of them with me when I go.”
Synora nodded and placed a hand on Holly’s back, guiding her to the right and staying on the outskirts of the city. As they walked, Synora got tenser and tenser. Although Holly couldn’t feel the emotions from her mate, grief was etched into every line of Synora’s body, held back only by the tenseness in Synora’s muscles.
Holly reached out tentatively with her Empath magic, reaching for the grief she knew was there and trying to ease Synora’s mind.
“It’s okay.” Synora’s voice had Holly jolting out of her focus. Synora had immediately guessed what Holly was doing and gave her a weak smile. “You don’t need to take it from me. My parents used to tell us that we need to feel the tough feelings, and sometimes you need toreallyfeel them in order to appreciate the good in life.”
“That’s beautiful,” Holly said softly. “They sound very wise.”
“They were.” Synora smiled softly. “The grief gets lighter each day. Some days, I barely feel it. This is just hitting me a little harder than I thought.”
Holly took her hand and leaned the side of her head against Synora’s arm. “I can help you carry it,” she said quietly, “on the days when it gets heavy. We don’t have to do this.” Although she wanted a cure for Luca, if it came at the cost of hurting Synora, her resolve wavered.
“Thank you. It’s okay,” Synora said, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Besides, we’re here.”
Synora stopped in front of a tree that, at first glance, looked much like the others around it. But when Holly looked closer, it was almost as if the purple bark had a tinge of gray to it. Like it was dusty. She stepped closer and placed a hand on the smooth bark. Her earth magic twisted restlessly in her gut, and Holly let a bit out to curl around the tree. She frowned. Her magic was telling her the tree was injured somehow, but on the outside, it seemed perfectly healthy. She fed some more magic into it, and the tree hummed sluggishly at her. It was like a deep ache in the very roots of the tree. Hesitantly, she let out a strand of her Empath magic, wondering if it could pick up what her earth magic couldn’t. A wave of grief threatened to take out her knees, and Holly quickly pulled her Empath magic back. The tree was grieving.
She turned to ask Synora a question but saw the grief etched into her mate’s body and Holly’s heart broke for her. She wasn’t certain, but she would be willing to bet that the Elves’ trees were tied to them somehow. Because Synora grieved, the tree also grieved.
Holly wrapped her arms around Synora, slotting her head underneath Synora’s chin and just holding her. Synora’s arms came up, tentatively at first, but then they wrapped fiercely around Holly. Neither woman said anything as they held each other. Finally, Synora let out a shaky breath. “I’m okay now. I just… wasn’t prepared.”
“We don’t have to do this,” Holly said again, and she was serious. If it was going to cause this much pain to Synora, they could find another way to help Luca.
“No. I’ll be fine,” Synora said. Holly just wished she could believe her.
“Okay,” Holly said, grasping her hand, and she echoed Synora’s words at the gate back to her. “We’ll do it together.”
