The monster screamed and fell backward, his voice an unnatural wail that echoed through the cavern. He yanked the knife from his chest, but it would do him no good now. He fell to the ground, his breathing harsh and rattling. Moments later, his breathing stopped, his eyes staring blankly at the cavern’s ceiling.
I turned away from the monster and stumbled toward Maveryck.
Kneeling beside him, I inspected the cut in his neck, and my fears were confirmed. His life’s vein had been severed. He would die soon. Truthfully, I was surprised he hadn’t died already, so maybe we still had time.
I took his hand, attempting a smile. “I’m going to get you through the portal. You’ll be fine, I promise.”
He grabbed my arm, struggling to speak. “Heidel,” he gasped. “It won’t work. The portal… won’t heal me. Naturally made portals don’t… heal.”
“What?” His words stunned me. If the portal couldn’t heal him, then what chance did I have of saving him? “Shouldn’t I at least try?”
He shook his head. “It’s no use.”
“But I can’t just watch you die. I have to do something.” I grabbed him under the arms and pulled him toward the portal, but he cried out and I stopped. He coughed, choking on his own blood. I knelt beside him, and he took my hand, pressing the crystal into my palm, the blood on his fingers still warm.
“Take the staff and use the crystal… to escape this world.”
I eyed the portal. “No. You’re coming with me. Besides, I don’t know how to use magic.”
“You don’t… need to know how.” He gave me a slight smile, and then he closed his eyes. His face paled, now almost gray, as blood drained from his body.
“Maveryck,” I whispered.
He didn’t respond.
How could this be happening? He’d been fine only a moment ago. I found my knife and cut strips of fabric from my hemline, ripping the embroidered blue flowers in half, and then I pressed the material to the wound in his neck. It wouldn’t stop the bleeding and I knew it, but sitting here and watching him die was not an option. I had to do something.
“Maveryck, you’re going to be okay,” I told him. “You’ll get through this.”
“Yes, you’re right.” He gave me a weak smile. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. We were both talented liars. It was only now that I realized how much I had in common with him. We were both stubborn, both proud, yet he brought out the best in me. He’d taught me that I didn’t need to hide behind my armor—that I could be myself without it—now I was losing him. I refused to lose him. There had to be some way to save him.
His breathing grew shallower.
I turned my attention to the crystal clutched in my hand. If I used it to heal him, it meant there would be no magic left to open the portal. It meant I would never escape this cursed world and return home. I would be trapped here forever without a way back.
The glowing blue light from the portal reflected off his skin, making his pale countenance look ghostly. With his breathing growing more labored, coupled with his blood loss, he wouldn’t last much longer.
I made my decision. Grasping the crystal tight and holding it over him, I felt the warmth of the magic stirring inside. I hated magic, but if using it meant I could save him, I would do it without hesitation.
“Heal him,” I whispered. Inside the shard, magic stirred, warming my hand. It glowed with a soft white light, but the magic stayed within the crystal, unmoving.
“Heal him!” I demanded as I held it over Maveryck’s heart, willing the magic to work. But it only shone a faint light, barely bright enough to illuminate his face. I waited, watching as the magic faded, and then it disappeared altogether.
This isn’t happening.
Around his neck, blood soaked through the makeshift bandage, making the blue flowers turn black. I felt for a pulse in his neck and in his wrists. Tears stained my cheeks as I pressed my ear to his chest, but I heard only silence. It deafened me. The absence of his heartbeat was the loneliest sound I’d ever heard.
I screamed out in frustration and pain, my voice echoing through the cave. Anger over losing him bubbled inside, threatening to boil over.
What curse had been placed on me that I should lose everyone I loved?
I grabbed the useless crystal and threw it across the room. It clattered on the floor, ringing out against the stone until the sound faded, plunging me even deeper into silence, alone with Maveryck’s body.
As I looked at him—at his stone-gray skin and unfocused eyes—I knew he was dead. I debated going to the portal and trying to find a way through, but my mind had gone to a strange place, and I couldn’t fully concentrate on anything. I found myself sitting beside Maveryck, holding his hand in mine. As I stared at our entwined fingers, my scars stood out in the portal’s light, making me remember how I’d gotten them.
“I should have told you,” I said, whispering, “how I got the scars.” I exhaled nervously. “I was seventeen. I was on a scouting expedition near the goblin lands. Our troop got attacked by creatures we thought were elves. Most of my companions were captured, but I managed to escape, only to fall into a trap and break my leg.”
Behind me, the portal sparked, but I ignored it and continued my story.
“After three days alone with no food, I thought I would die in the trap. But then he found me. He rescued me and healed my leg with his magic. I thought he was my savior.
“I continued to meet him in secret after that, and I fell in love with him. One day, when I went to meet him in the forest, he didn’t show up. When I searched for him, I
