Erik was frozen in dread, not for himself but for her. He saw the sorrow and trepidation in her eyes as she looked at her empty hand that once held the dagger. He knew from how she carried it everywhere but never used it, the fact she even took the time to take it when she stormed out of the ruins, that dagger was undoubtedly her tether. Without a tether the Darkness that lingered in the air of the city during the day would start to poison her. Once the sunrise came and all the humans were out and about with all their strong negative emotions leaking Darkness into the air, Aliya wouldn’t last long. She would become a Fomorian in no time at all.
Erik snapped out of it as she stood and started pacing. He could see the gears turning in her head trying to think of a plan. Even though she tried looking for a suitable tether earlier when she was out, she didn’t see any pieces laid with Water Runes. It was late, hardly any merchant or blacksmith would be open, they both knew that.
Aliya put Sigmis’s cloak back on and darted out the door, leaving everything else behind. Erik shook his head and snatched up his sword, returning it to its place on his back. He ran at a full sprint around to the front of the inn. Aliya was already a way down the street heading away from him.
“Aliya!” Erik’s voice echoed in the empty street. He saw her visibly tense up as he came to a stop behind her. She slowly turned unsure of what to say or what excuse to use. She noticed a somber note of conviction in his eyes and shied away.
“You know, don’t you?” Aliya‘s quiet murmur carried a grim tone. She gripped the edges of the cloak tightly.
“What are you going to do?” He hoped she had some idea of what to do next.
“What I'm doing is none of your business!” Aliya snapped. She couldn't trust him. She didn't want his help, yet he kept following them, kept coming to her. She thought he was a danger and even more so now that she has no tether. Even the slightest bit of Darkness would be dangerous. “It’s not your problem after all…”
“It is if you become a Formorian!” Erik snapped back, he just wanted to help her but she was still being stubborn about accepting anything about him. “You'll lay waste to everything and everyone around. You’ll obliterate this city!”
“Then all the more reason for you to leave!” Aliya marched off quickly. She pulled the hood on the cloak up as she stormed away.
“Aliya! Wait!” He reached out and took a few steps but stopped himself. He wanted to follow after but knew it wouldn't do any good. He sighed heavily in frustration, “Just let me help you, damn it!”
Erik turned the opposite direction, moving quickly. He didn’t care what it took. He was going to find her a new tether. He was a thief after all, he knew that he was her best chance at getting out of the situation, one way or another.
“Hey! Do you have a second?” Erik called over the fence towards a blacksmith in a more open air shop, hammering away at what was starting to resemble an axe blade of some sort. He paused and lifted his goggles to get a better look at Erik.
“What do you want, kid?” He set down his hammer and cooled the metal he was working on. “It’s a bit late for business.”
“I just need some information!” Erik glanced around the workshop and didn’t see any Runes around. “It’s extremely urgent! I need to know of all the smiths and shops in town that use Runes in their work.” He drew his sword just enough to show the large Fire Rune embedded in the center of the blade. “Like this but smaller.”
“I can think of quite a few,” The blacksmith pulled off his gloves and dusted off his hands. “None of them are night owls like me so you might have to wait until morning. I can write them down for you if you’d like.”
“That would be great if you could!” Erik smiled warmly at him. He had no intention of waiting, having a written list just made it easier to keep track of all the places he was going to hit.
“That’s a fine sword you have, kid,” The blacksmith moved to his messy workbench he used as a table for miscellaneous things and fished out a clean piece of parchment and pulled the quill out of the inkwell. “You wouldn’t want to part with it for some coin, would you?”
“I thought it was a bit late for business,” Erik crossed his arms. His tone was still light but the thought of parting with his sword stirred up some bitter memories to go along with the tense situation. It was getting harder to maintain the cheerful, carefree act.
“I know a good piece when I see one, even in this lighting,” the blacksmith chuckled as he strained to see what he was scribbling down in the dim light.
“I would never give this sword up,” Erik looked over his shoulder as his expression slipped into the somber mood he was feeling. “The only way someone gets it from me is if they pry it from my dead hands.”
“Sorry I asked,” the blacksmith sounded rather genuine in his apology. “Who made it?”
“Well, an old family friend gave me the Rune,” Erik sighed, he felt a heavy weight on his chest as he spoke. “His friend made the sword for me, he was an Earth Spirit.”
“Earth Spirit, huh? You aren’t one of those weirdos who sympathize with them are you?” He stopped writing and looked over at Erik with a bitter expression.
“What? No!” Erik frantically shook his head. “There’s a few good ones out there, believe it or not. There are some that help The Order. It's just the weird ones in white you need to look out for.”
“I guess you’re right, the Arch-Druid does have one as a partner,” He held out the paper for Erik. “I remember seeing that the last time he passed through here.”
“Thank you for this list! You’re a lifesaver!” Erik snatched it up with a smile and a wave as he bounded down the street. His expression turned grim as soon as he turned away from the blacksmith. There were sixteen different places listed and he knew they were all over the city in every corner. One on the list was the Smokemoths Guild, he knew there was no way to break in there unnoticed. Even excluding that destination he didn’t think there would be enough time to hit all of them if he was unlucky. There had to be something in this city of artisans that she could use.
A thought crossed Erik’s mind. If neither of them found a tether for her, then perhaps he could be her new one. He knew it was the absolute last option he could present to Aliya. He was hoping desperately it wouldn’t boil down to that being the final solution. He realized that was likely what she thought of when she snapped at him for wanting to help, even though thieving is what he intended all along. He never thought he would consider tethering with a Spirit again, but he wasn’t going to stand by let anything bad happen to one again if he had the power to help them, especially her.
Erik turned the corner and just down the street he spotted two knights on patrol. He instantly doubled back and ducked into an alleyway nearby that also led to the same street. He crept slowly along the wall, growing impatient while listening to the approaching footsteps. He reached up and placed a hand on his sword’s hilt, his other hand hovered over the empty holster, wishing he had grabbed Regulus to take them out easier if it came down to it.
He froze as he watched them pass. When they didn’t seem to notice him, he sighed in relief and eased up. He waited a moment longer before stepping back out on the street. He glanced up and down the street and didn’t see a soul in sight, taking the opportunity he ran to his first target on the list, a small shop called The Smelting Pot.
It was one of the few buildings that had all its windows replaced and the repairs completed. Erik glanced in and could tell it was completely dark inside, so he wasted no time and picked the lock on the door as he glanced around making sure there wasn’t anyone to catch him. As soon as he heard the satisfying click of the lock being released, he quickly slipped inside and closed the door behind him.
The shop was filled to the brim with weapons, armor, shields, metal sculptures, even a myriad of pots and pans. Under some glass cases was some jewelry and some of the more ornate but smaller weapons, a few with Runes instead of gemstones but none of them were Water Runes. Erik looked at the walls behind the counter since there were a few larger weapons with Runes but there weren’t any there either.
Erik entered the back room through the open door behind the counter but there wasn’t anything more than extra weapons that weren’t special in the slightest and cleaning supplies. He caught a glimpse of the small safe in the corner underneath a desk covered in receipts and ledgers. He knew didn’t have the time to patiently crack the safe. He figured that it was likely filled with coin anyway, so he left it with a bitter sigh.
He checked his list for the next closest location he knew of. Once he confirmed his next target, he slightly tore the side of the paper next to where The Smelting Pot was written. He carefully glanced out the cracked door to make sure no knights were around before he stepped out.
Every faint noise had him on edge. Erik was constantly scanning every street, every alley, every window for movement, prying eyes, or just a glimpse of Aliya to know she was still alright. The cold night air was no longer enjoyable to Erik. He felt it was stagnant and heavy.
The buildings began to loom higher above him in the narrow streets made narrower by scaffolding. Three and four story buildings alternated with the occasional two story building squeezed in, one of which was his target. A metal sign hung above the door that simply said, Clinker. The exterior was in rough shape, plenty of cracks in the stone and the windows were shabbily boarded up. By all appearances the two stories seemed dark, no light shone through the cracks.
Erik heard a pair of armored footsteps coming from around the corner just down the street. In his impatience, he didn’t want to wait the knights out, so instead he hurriedly started to pick the lock. His heart was pounding as they got closer and closer. Through the scaffolding his eyes caught the glint of the armor moving in the dim mana street lamp on the corner as they started heading his way.
The lock finally granted him entry, Erik shoved his way past the heavy, crooked door and just as quickly and quietly he closed it. He leaned against the door and took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart as he listened to the knights pass. He couldn’t stop his heart from racing completely given the tension of the situation, but it no longer felt as though it would explode and that was all he had time for.
Looking around in what little light slipped through the cracks. The shop was a lot smaller and far more cluttered than the last. There was hardly any semblance of organization. It looked more like the kind of shop he’d be selling to rather than stealing from.
He let out a heavy frustrated sigh just trying to find a good place to start looking. He started shifting through the sad looking weapon assortment in a barrel, the handful that did have Runes were Wind and Earth, and one Fire. Quickly moving on, he practically tripped over a crate overflowing with random pieces of armor that seemed to have no coherent set. Some of the pieces clattered to the ground joining the few that were already there.
Erik rolled his eyes in annoyance and caught a glimpse of something blue behind the counter. He launched over the counter and pulled the long thin silver blade off the stand on the shelf. Upon a closer look of the large blue stone at the base of the blade intertwined with the guard he could tell it held no mana, it was only a precious gemstone. His short lived excitement turned to frustration as he jammed the blade into the wood floor to stand on its own.
Erik caught a glimpse of some light and heard shifting as he rounded the end of the counter passing by the stairs leading to the second floor. Realizing the railing had a chain dangling on it with some sort of sign he didn’t bother to read, he figured someone lived upstairs. As nimbly as he could muster, he silently wove his way towards the door and wasted no time yanking it open. He closed it as best he could before he booked it for the nearest corner to duck around.
He slowed his pace a little after turning the corner. He came to a stop at the next crossroad a ways down from the street Clinker was on. He leaned against a mana lamp post and looked at his list while he caught his breath. He tore the sheet next to where Clinker was written and started off at a brisk pace, not wanting to waste any more time.
The night dredged onward. Every minute, every second desperation crept further into the mind of not just Erik. However where Erik's was paired with a bitter determination, Aliya was weighed down by sorrow and indecision as she wandered the streets.
Aliya had no plan, no idea what to do. She despised that she hadn’t searched hard enough during the day. She knew she needed to find a new one soon but she didn’t realize just how soon and now it was too late to find a new tether. Even though the Darkness was thin with the majority of humans sleeping, Aliya felt as though it hadn’t changed much from the day. Her lungs burned with every breath. It felt as though something was crawling under her skin. She could only imagine what this city would do to her once the sun rose and humans swarmed the streets.
“A Water Fae?” A curious voice caused Aliya to tense up. She saw a lone knight on patrol. She couldn’t see her face under the helm. She didn’t know what to expect, not able to read her face. She couldn’t avoid the knights like she was earlier in the day, getting lost in the crowds. Aliya didn’t want her to get near, fearing the human would try and capture her or was one of the many with Darkness in their heart. She was exposed and being around humans scared her more than ever. Unfortunately, in that moment, she was frozen in place as the knight stopped relatively close to her. The knight lifted her visor revealing a sparkling smile. “What are you doing out so late? Patrolling like me?”
“Something like that,” Aliya relaxed slightly. She seemed cheerful enough but she couldn’t help but be rather weary.
“You can join me if you’d like! I was the odd knight out tonight so I got the lone patrol and it’s been kind of boring.” The young knight placed her hands on her hips. “The night always goes by faster with someone to talk to, you know. My name is Atria! What’s yours?”
“A-,” She was thrown off by her cheery demeanor but thought it was best Atria didn’t know her name if the Empire was still after her and the others. She was unsure how much they knew or how far the information of their exploits in the capitol spread. “Ah, call me Edel.” Aliya played with the ends of her hair as she spoke, “Normally I wouldn’t mind keeping you company but I have a mission for The Water Legion to prepare for.”
“That’s alright,” Atria sighed a little disappointed but she didn’t let it get to her, a sparkle quickly returning to her teal eyes. “Does it have anything to do with all the weapons and Runes the Water and Fire Legion bought up earlier in the week? They practically cleaned out every store in town the day I showed up for my assignment in this city. I was curious but never got the chance to ask why.”
“I can’t say, perhaps it might be,” Aliya smiled meekly. The Legions were bolstering their offenses, it explained why she hadn’t seen anything she could use as a suitable tether when they were shopping before. She knew the likelihood of finding a tether in Lambertine was slim to none, not that she had a plan to get one before morning anyways.
Despair took hold of Aliya’s mind, sinking its claws in deep. She wasted so much time and she was careless. The mission she was on never had a chance to succeed now. Soon she would just be another victim of the Darkness this war was creating. She was about to become just what she wanted to stop. Becoming a Fomorian wasn’t what scared her, it was the fact that she might hurt those she cared about if she did.
“I’m sorry you don’t have to say if it’s a secret!” Atria waved her hands in front of her. She could tell something was bothering Aliya, “Don’t look so dour. You are doing your best, right? That’s all you need! So go out there and win!” She laughed, “That’s what my Captain would always say. I used to sweat all the little stuff during missions and that would help snap me out of it.”
“Maybe… I haven’t been doing my best,” Aliya sighed.
“It’s not too late to start,” Atria placed her hands on her hips and shined a confident smile.
“I’ll try to keep that in mind, thanks,” Aliya smiled despite the pain in her chest. It was too late for her but perhaps she could make preparations of sorts. “I don’t have any time to waste!”
“That’s the spirit!” Atria waved as Aliya dashed off in the direction of the inn.
Aliya slowed her pace at the construction site of the belfry, unable to maintain her pace in her current state, feeling weak and winded. She noticed something rather odd as she was passing and stopped. The tower which earlier was rebuilt only about a single story was now towering above the buildings that surrounded it. She looked around and spotted Terbius standing amidst the piles of stone blocks set aside for the construction.
“Terbius?!” Aliya called out as she approached them, her eyes were fixed on the tower which as she got closer looked more like two. “Are you boys rebuilding again?”
“Of course!” Ter beamed excited to show off their secret project. “You and Sigmis wanted to know what it was like when it was completed.”
“So we had Zephyr distract Big Sis’ with a drinking contest and snuck out,” Bius crossed his arms and beamed down at Aliya. “We found the plans for it just lying around, too.”
“I’m a little surprised that would work on her,” Aliya looked down at the blueprints they were standing by. They were held down by a mana lantern and a couple of stones on a large wooden crate. It depicted the layout, detailing in the stonework and how the bells and gears were integrated. “I’m also a little surprised the knights patrolling haven’t noticed.”
“We’ve been hiding everytime they pass,” Bius smirked.
“Since they are all humans we can sense when they are nearby because of the Earth Mana in them.” Ter explained as he looked between the plans and the towers. “You know there’s something a bit off, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I can’t put my finger on it,” Bius nodded.
“Probably because these designs are for only one tower,” Aliya couldn’t help but laugh thinking it was an intentional choice, finding it hilarious that they spent so much time working on it and accidentally creating two towers instead of one.
“But there’s so much stone!” Bius looked shocked realizing she was right.
“There’s no way it could be just one!” Ter glanced between the plans and their halfway completed work.
“I’m sure some of it is to rebuild the surrounding area,” She recalled there being more buildings in the area the last time she had come through town. “I kind of like it better this way, though.” Aliya pointed up at the towers, “If you can try and connect them with a couple arches, it might help should they get hit with another earthquake.”
“That’s a great idea Aliya!” They both cheered in unison. “You should help us!”
“I’m afraid I’d only get in your way,” Aliya gave a sad smile.
“There’s no way you could,” Ter placed a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re our friend!” Bius did the same and they both smiled warmly at her.
“You two are so sweet,” In her current situation those words were like daggers. “Promise me you’ll always keep doing what’s right.”
“We promise!” They both nodded. Her tone registered with them. They could tell something was up.
“Aliya? Are you alright?” Ter looked at her with an air of concern.
“You seem a little down,” Bius shared his brother’s worry.
“Do I?” Aliya tried to put on a warmer smile. “Sorry, I guess you two just remind me a bit of Lios and I miss him!” She wasn’t entirely lying but when she said it she realized she might not get to see Lios again. It stung just thinking about it.
“Don’t worry!” Bius smiled sweetly. “We’ll find him soon!”
“Have you asked Zephyr if he knows?” Ter crossed his arms and tilted his head.
“Not yet, I was going to once things settled down,” Aliya crossed her arms and sighed. “Perhaps I’ll go ask him now provided he isn’t too drunk to answer.” Aliya looked up at the towers again, a little sad that there was a possibility she wouldn’t see what they completed. “You know, I might be able to help after all. I can cast an illusion so that the knights won’t notice and you don’t have to worry about them bothering you.”
“Really? That’s awesome!” Ter beamed excited at the fact they wouldn’t have to sneak as much.
“We could get so much more done!” Bius cheered.
“It will probably last until dawn so you boys should head back to the inn before then alright?” Aliya placed her hand on one of the rocks holding down the blueprints and cast the illusion without even needing to say a word, since no part of her was contained in a tether, her mana was easy enough to focus without needing to draw it out. Inside the site it looked normal but outside it looked only partially built and would remain so. “I’m going to head back to the inn for a bit.” She started walking away from them. “Good bye, Terbius.”
Aliya was out of breath by the time she had returned to the inn, despite having simply walked there. She took a moment to compose herself. She didn’t want to worry everyone even though she figured they would all freak out once they found out she was gone. She took a deep breath and heard the door open.
“Aliya, is that you?” Sigmis’s smooth deep voice called to her from the doorway. His eyebrows knitted in concern as he leaned against the wall next to her. “Are you alright? Your mana is a little unstable.”
“I’m fine!” Aliya tried to say as calmly as possible, she was panicking a little, forgetting that he could probably tell what was wrong with her just by looking at her. “I’ve just been practicing some more complex magic artes, that's all! It’s just a weird side effect!”
“You needn't lie to me,” Sigmis shook his head.
“Please, don’t tell anyone,” Aliya pleaded quietly. “Not until morning at least. Until then please act as though everything is normal.”
“Don’t worry, I shall respect your wishes,” he nodded his expression a bit grim knowing the fact she didn’t have a tether didn’t bode well for her. “Just please tell me you have a plan.”
“I’m working on it,” Aliya sighed as she unclipped the cloak around her shoulders and held it out to him. She felt so cold and even more exposed without it. “Here, you can have your cloak back.”
“Keep it, if you like it that is,” he smiled warmly. “It was always more ornamental. I don’t really need it anymore.”
“Are you sure?” Aliya held it tightly against her chest.
“Of course,” he nodded. “Consider it yours.”
“Thank you,” Aliya smiled as she put it back on. She looked up at Sigmis, a bit concerned about her next request for him. The last Celestial she asked denied her. He was her only hope at her mission being completed if she wasn’t around to complete it herself. She knew she could ask him in a way he wouldn’t refuse but she didn’t feel right about not giving him a choice. “Hey Sigmis, if anything bad happens to me, do you mind helping this rag-tag group stop this war?”
“Interesting you should ask that, I was already thinking about assisting you,” Sigmis tilted his head back to rest against the wall. “I don’t want this world to end up coated in Darkness once more. Even in this short time, I can tell this war you speak of will lead down that path. I would greatly enjoy seeing an age of peace and calm alongside you.”
“Promise me you’ll help then!” Aliya was starting to slip. Everytime her future came into question it hurt all the more.
“I promise,” Sigmis placed a hand on his chest. “As long as I am able to, I shall do everything I can to prevent the future that was my past. I will help you put a stop to this war.”
“Thank you,” Aliya took a deep breath. She had to remain strong just a little while longer and her toughest challenge had yet to come. It was getting hard, she was just feeling so worn.
“You should see to your current problem so we can both keep our promises,” Sigmis could tell she was having a hard time.
“I just need to talk to my brother first,” Aliya took another deep breath but it didn’t help. It hurt even more. She was running out of time to remain in the city, she could feel it. She didn’t know if she could make it out in time but she was going to try.
“He’s just inside,” Sigmis held his hand out to her and she took it as a bit of support as he escorted her in. “He and Kindle have been rather lively with drink tonight.”
“So I’ve heard,” Aliya smiled, seeing them both down a rather large flagon of mead before slamming it down on the table. Kindle seemed almost unaffected but Zephyr seemed like he was about at his limit.
“You want to go another round, Old Man?!” Kindle’s words slurred a little. She only really appeared to be fine.
“Who ya callin’ old?!” Zephyr leered at her as best he could but he could barely remain in his seat. “I could go all night, fireball!”
“I think that’s about enough for you,” Aliya placed her hand on his shoulder. “Just admit defeat and try again another day.”
“Fine, fine! You win, Kindle!” Zephyr leaned back waving his hand back and forth. “Take my coin!” He pointed to the bag on the table.
“You didn’t bet all of your coin did you?” Aliya raised an eyebrow at him.
“You bet your sweet ass he did,” Kindle smugly snatched it up.
“You leave my sister’s ass out of this!” Zephyr wrapped his arms around Aliya and started using her as support as he glared at Kindle.
“Oh, Mother,” Aliya rolled her eyes.
“Zephyr perhaps you might want to exercise caution when drinking with Fire Spirits,” Sigmis smiled with his arms crossed. “Most of us can simply burn it off.”
“That explains why me and Lios combined couldn’t beat Ash!” Zephyr came to a realization.
“That makes a strange amount of sense,” Aliya thought back to those days on the ship, watching all three of them make fools of themselves. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Ash. I hope he’s holding up alright in The Order with this war going on.”
“He seemed fine last time I visited,” Zephyr pressed his face against Aliya’s skin, enjoying how cold it was.
“You don’t happen to know where Lios is do you?” Aliya’s question made him reel back a bit.
“Well I haven’t seen him in a long time,” He looked away as he spoke. He crossed his arms and pouted. “He could be anywhere!”
“Are you jealous?” Kindle sneered. He looked at her about to object but his expression caused her to burst out laughing. “You are aren’t you? Jealous of your own brother!”
“It’s not like that!” Zephyr huffed and marched, with the occasional stumble, towards the door, slamming it behind him as he went out. Kindle fell out of her chair and started rolling on the floor laughing.
“I’ll go check on him,” Aliya sighed a faint smile on her face. “Sigmis, could you make sure she doesn’t die of laughter?”
“Sure thing,” he smiled warmly.
Aliya stepped outside and saw him slumped against the wall. She had gone so long without seeing him, she was starting to regret it now. She wanted more time with him.
“I’m not jealous,” Zephyr huffed. The cool night air was helping bring him to his senses, as did the topic of Lios.
“I know you aren’t,” Aliya leaned against the wall next to him. “You guys never made up, did you?”
“Not exactly,” Zephyr sighed.
“You never told me what it was you guys were fighting about,” Aliya looked at him a bit concerned. “Must be bad if you still haven’t gotten over it.”
“I’m not sure I remember,” Zephyr lied, he remembered it was about a promise they had made to each other. Zephyr didn’t want to go through with it, instead they just parted ways. “Something stupid I guess…”
“When you see him next try and make up, okay,” Aliya believed him. “You might regret it one day. Remember, the Captain always said, ‘When you chart your own course through life you live one without regret.’”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Zephyr shoved off the wall.
“Zephyr,” Aliya clutched tightly at the hem of her cloak. He looked at her and could tell she was nervous. She fidgeted a bit under his gaze before she decided she had to say it since she hardly ever did. “You know I love you, right?”
“Of course I do!” He smiled warmly and patted her on the head. “I’ll always love you no matter what.”
“I’m really happy to see you again,” Aliya felt so happy as he tossed her hair. Even though she should feel torn to shreds it was just such a comforting feeling to have him near, doing the same things he always did.
“Me too,” He grinned at her. He retracted his hand and stretched, “Now I think I’m going to walk this off a bit. Why don’t you head inside and get some rest. You look tired.”
“Alright, be careful,” Aliya nodded and watched him walk off down the street, waiting for him to disappear from sight before she headed off in the opposite direction.
Zephyr was finding the night air rather refreshing as he wandered around a bit, following the narrow roads and taking a turn whenever he felt like it. He’d happily wave to the knights he passed and they just let him be since he wasn’t causing any trouble, not that he wanted to. It wasn’t every day he heard from his sister how much she loved him. He didn’t need to, but it was always something special coming from her.
As Zephyr turned another corner, he physically ran into Erik. Erik was moving so fast that they both lost their footing and fell to the ground.
“Watch it, man!” Zephyr sat up rather than standing up right away. He realized it was Erik and saw he was in a panic. “What? Did you catch the attention of some knights or something?”
“Zephyr! You have to help me!” Erik’s body relaxed upon seeing Zephyr but his panicked expression didn’t change one bit. “Earlier, I watched Aliya’s tether explode!”
“What? Don’t joke like that, man!” Zephyr waved his hand at him dismissively as he got to his feet. “Tethers don’t do that.”
“Does it look like I’m joking!” Erik raised his voice as he reached up and grabbed Zephyr’s shirt, pulling him closer to look him in the eye. Zephyr couldn’t recall a time when he’d seen Erik look so desperate and angry. “Your sister’s life is on the line here! I’m trying to save her!”
“If she doesn't have a tether, then…” Zephyr trailed off realizing that her telling him that she loved him was her way of saying goodbye.
“In the morning this town will turn her into a Fomorian!” Erik hated saying those words. He wasn’t going to let it happen. He tore the lower half of the list in his hand and slapped it against Zephyr’s chest. “This is a list of places in town that sell anything with Runes in them. I’ve hit six already but I can’t find anything!” Erik could see a sliver of light on the horizon line. Sunrise was just a couple short hours away. “There’s not much time left! I can’t keep searching for them by myself and you are way faster than me!”
“To think while she’s been suffering I’ve just been a drunken fool this whole time…” Zephyr looked stunned as he looked down at the paper in hand. He grit his teeth in frustration as tears started to sting at his eyes, “I haven’t changed a bit!”
“Snap out of it!” Erik slapped him, trying to get him to focus on what was important. “Lament later! Focus on saving her now!”
“Right!” Zephyr nodded and disappeared in a gust of wind.
Erik ran towards the inn, he was no longer going to search for a tether. He had to give in and do what needed to be done. He needed to find her and try to convince her to trust him just a little. That was all that mattered now.
“Sigmis! I need your help!” As soon as Erik entered the inn he saw Sigmis sitting with the drunken Kindle. He quickly approached them ready to explain as briefly as he could.
“She’s heading to the Northwest side of town,” Sigmis didn’t need him to explain. He could tell that Erik was the quickest solution despite how strongly Aliya had expressed her feelings before. While sitting with Kindle, Sigmis was already searching for Erik before he realized the young man was already making his way to him. “She won’t be able to hold her form much longer so you better hurry.”
“Thanks!” Erik left just as quickly as he had entered.
“What the hell was that about?” Kindle leered at Sigmis. She felt as though she was missing something.
“I’ll let you know in the morning, perhaps when you aren’t so drunk,” Sigmis snickered, taking a sip of tea.
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