Her hand fisted over the flame and it snuffed out into a waft of gray smoke. A cascade of smoke circled the altar as all the candles blew out with a great breath of wind, plunging the statue into shadow. “I’m stumbling blindly through the darkness,” she whispered, shaken by fear of the unknown, and driven to madness by what she did know. “And I‘m so afraid of what the light will reveal. I’m so very afraid, Athan, of what I am becoming, and of falling alone into shadow as the darkness chases me.”
Athan’s arms came around her, pulling her to his chest and wrapping her within his cloak. He held her tightly, protecting her from the shadows that sought to unhinge her mind. “You’re not alone in this, Dnara. I’m here, with you.”
“I feel so lost,” she said, hand clutching his shirt for stability.
“We’ll find our way,” he said in return. “There must be answers to all this, somewhere; a way forward for us both.”
The wind wove through her hair, and through the shadow, she could see the path opening before her. “I need to go back.”
“Go back?” Athan lifted his head away from her hair and searched her eyes.
“I must go back, if I’m to go forward.” Moonlight seeping into the open doorway glistened across unshed tears and gave light to her resolve. “To the tower, Athan. I must go back to the tower.”
In his eyes, she saw her fear reflected, and he hesitated before asking, “Why?”
“I believe there are answers waiting there. Answers I wasn’t ready to learn until now.” She knew it sounded like madness, suddenly wishing to go back to a place she’d run so fast and hard from. It was madness, but it was also the only thing that made sense. “I can’t explain it. All I can do is ask you to trust me. But, I understand if you must leave in a different direction than I’m headed.”
“This whole time,” he whispered, his hand raising from her shoulder to cup her cheek. “You’ve been following me. Trusting. Unquestioning. How could I deny you the same?” His thumb coasted down her cheek to her lips. His expression clouded with conflict then softened. “Dnara, I will follow wherever you lead, and I will do so happily as long as we are together.”
His words reverberated into her heart, quieting any remaining uncertainty. With one last, fleeting hesitation dissipating from his eyes, his head dipped downward until his lips brushed hers. A question, to which she only felt one answer. Eyes closing, she leapt into the waiting dark sea, knowing he would be there to catch her.
The warmth of his kiss flooded through her, igniting a fire that fought back the encroaching shadows. From where they stood, embraced within their own world, the candles sputtered back to life and danced in the wind. When their lips parted, the wind settled. They shared a smile, and she no longer feared the path before her.
“My keeper,” she said, her words making his head tilt. She supposed it wasn’t what one expected to hear after a kiss, but she had to say it now, out loud, while she had the courage to do so. “His name is...was, Ishkar.”
Athan’s eyes widened and he glanced from her to the masked statue. She could see the thoughts working their way through his shifting expression. Disbelief. Confusion. Acceptance. Anger? He cursed under his breath.
“I know it’s an impossible idea,” she began.
“No.” He turned his eyes back to her, and in them existed only clarity. “It’s not, and I think you’re right. We must return to the forest I found you in, and we should leave tonight, before-”
“Athan!?” Jenny’s alarmed call echoed through the temple’s empty corridors, reverberating off the stones and adding a thundering boom to her voice.
Worry crossed Athan’s expression as Dnara startled in his arms. As Jenny called again, Athan faced the open doorway and returned a call to the darkness. “In here!”
When no further response came, they moved to the doorway. The hallway appeared empty at first, then, from the shadow, Jenny stepped silently into the sliver of moonlight from the open courtyard. Lowering her hood, the blackrope presented an ominous figure, even while wearing a farmer’s attire.
“We must move, and quickly,” she said with a motion towards the hall leading back the way they’d come.
“What’s happened?” Athan asked but followed as Jenny began walking ahead of them.
“King’s Guard,” Jenny answered. “In the town. Showed up just as the elder priest began the blessing. Interrupted the festival, started questioning folks and brandishing swords to get answers.”
“Questioning about what?” Dnara asked, though she feared she already knew the answer.
“About you,” Jenny confirmed. “Said they’d gotten word a wild mage had been using her powers to hurt people. That she’d brought the blight with her.”
“Lies,” Athan hissed, his hand squeezing Dnara’s as they turned a sharp corner. “She’s done nothing but help people.”
“And broken a man’s arm before tossing him in a river,” Jenny reminded. “Sure as shit that bastard’s the one who done reported her. Then one of the town’s folk mentioned the fires going out, and the King’s Sword ordered his men to tear the town apart until
