The leading edge of my Detection found the path to the Corells’ home sooner than I expected. I let out an audible sigh of relief as my mana revealed Elise and Bella sitting on the front steps of the house, both of whom had an arm around Marin’s back. The trio gazed out into the darkness of the forest with tired, drawn faces. Hana and Marten waited inside, sitting hand-in-hand on the couch in their living room as they stared blankly at the opposite wall. I rushed ahead, finally breaking out onto the Corells’ driveway from what felt like a never-ending forest.
Marin spotted us first as we entered the flickering lamplight of the clearing. She leapt to her feet, startling both Elise and Bella, then dashed a few yards towards us before skidding to a sudden halt. While her face was hidden in shadow beneath her thick mane of hair, I could feel her emotion clearly through her aura: she was afraid of me. “Lux?” she asked, her voice uncharacteristically meek. “Is Lia… Is she…?” she mumbled, swallowing hard as the final word failed to come.
“She’s alive, Marin,” I answered softly. “Alive, but unconscious. She just needs rest now.” I believed the words as I spoke them, but a small voice in the back of my head whispered in doubt. Or, she’s in a coma, or paralyzed, or her mind’s been burned out by that dark presence.
“Thank the Primes,” she whispered as her whole body slumped, shedding its tension. I took a step towards the house, and Marin reflexively took a step backwards, her body instantly drawn taut again. I froze in place as we warily stared each other down until Elise and Bella reached us. Elise rushed past Marin and hugged me tightly with one arm, cradling the other beneath Lia’s head. Bella waited a few steps back with her hands clasped tightly in front of her.
“Primes bless you, Lux,” Elise said fervently, her hand grasping at the cloak behind my head. “We’ve been so worried. When Marin came back alone, we didn’t know what to think.” She pulled her head up from my chest and looked back to where Marin stood, watching us intently. “She wouldn’t say what happened when she returned, just that we needed to wait for you to come back.” Marin took another step back and turned her eyes to the ground. “It looked as if she’d seen death itself.”
She did. With both of my arms already occupied, I gave her a gracious nod. “I told her to run, and she ran. She did the right thing.” My stomach roiled as I watched Marin recoil at the sound of my voice. “Things were...too dangerous for her to stay.”
Elise took a step back and brushed a stray strand of hair from Lia’s face. “And Marly? She’s okay?”
“She just needs rest,” I repeated. “She’ll be okay.”
“Good.” Elise cleared her throat and stepped back to stand beside Bella. They remained a few feet apart, each clearly resisting the urge to drift closer together. “Thank you again, Lux. And you too, Marin. You’ve saved a lot of lives today.” Marin jumped at the mention of her name, mumbling a small acceptance of her praise. “You should get back inside. Hana and Marten will want to see you, too.”
“Of course,” I answered. As I moved to follow them inside, Marin gave us a wide berth, keeping her eyes lowered. I paused, waiting for her to look up at me. “Marin,” I called out when her face remained turned away. Her eyes snapped up as she took another step back, and she watched me with wide eyes. “I think Lia and I are going to stay here for a few days, until she’s recovered. If you’re feeling up to it, could you grab a few of her things from our house?” She blinked at me silently as if she hadn’t heard the question. “I can do it if you’re not—”
“No!” she interrupted suddenly. “I’ll do it.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and ran off into the dark forest. “Thank you,” I murmured after her, biting my lip. She’s terrified of me. The last image of her face before she ran away from my burning visage in the woods filled my view. She’s one of the only people alive who’s seen who I really am and lived. Of course she’s afraid; anybody would be. I frowned as I repositioned Lia to a more comfortable position in my arms. Even you.
Marten and Hana met us at the door. “She’s fine!” I called out to them before they had a chance to ask. “Unconscious, but fine!”
The reassurance did little to assuage their fears as their daughter’s unconscious form appeared before them. “Oh, dear,” Hana said softly, brushing Lia’s cheek, “what happened?”
Calling on my memories to assist me, I put on my best apologetic smile and attempted a nonchalant chuckle. “I’m afraid she’s learned a little too much from me; she overexerted herself out there and passed out. Lucky for her, she doesn’t have to sleep in a tree like I did, back when we first met. If you don’t mind, I’d like to let her rest here.”
Marten took a step forward and blocked the entrance to the house with his stocky shoulders. “You’re sure that’s all it is, Lux?” he asked suspiciously, looking over his daughter's limp body in my arms. “She just needs rest?”
“I’m sure,” I lied. “It might take a few days, but Lia will be up and just as energetic as ever. I promise.”
He stared me down for a long moment, then sighed and stepped aside as his concern trumped his frustration. “Alright. You know where the bedroom is.” I walked past him into the house, and the rest of the group followed close behind.
“Lux, please let me know if there’s anything we can do to help,”
