Lost in a chapter

Six

"Theanna!" Marthos exclaimed, throwing her arms around Tora. "Aureth filled me in, I can't believe it's really you." She held Tora close for a fleeting moment, urgency already breaking through her relief. Her grip loosened as she pulled back, her voice taut with purpose. "We don’t have time to waste. Solis and Sylvain, they’re relentless when they want something. Aureth tells me you possess Sylvain’s shadow. I need you to let me into your mind so I can use it to get us closer to Lunarys."

Tora frowned, uncertainty clouding her features. "Is that where the Fayb is?"

"No," Marthos replied with a shake of her head, her tone steady but sharp. "But there’s an oracle there who might help us locate it."

"Why not shadow directly to the Fayb?" Tora asked, suspicion lacing her voice.

Marthos’s expression darkened as she frowned. "Our lands are steeped in power and magic. Shadowing recklessly could be catastrophic."

Tora winced, pressing her hand to her temple as pain flared. "Okay, so how do I let you in?" she managed, her voice strained.

Concern flickered across Marthos’s face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it’s Sylvain," Tora admitted through gritted teeth. "I’ve been able to block him out with the ointment your brother gave me, but sometimes he breaks through, it feels like I’m being stabbed in the head."

Marthos shook her head in frustration. "I’ve always despised him. When I was told he was my mate, I felt nothing but misery," she confessed, the bitterness lingering in her tone.

"It wasn’t by choice, Marthos," Tora snapped, cutting through the shared frustrations. "Anyway, how do you want to do this?"

"Try to relax," Marthos instructed, gently placing her hands atop Tora’s head. "When you feel a tug, don’t panic, it’ll be me. I’ll work my way into your mind and place Lunarys’s location there. When you see the image, shadow us there. Got it?"

Despite her nerves, Tora nodded in reluctant agreement.

They shadowed into a dense, dark forest, the air thick with an eerie stillness. Marthos’s eyes widened as she scanned their surroundings, her voice sharp and urgent. "Theanna!" she hissed. "Take us back to Aurathen, now!"

Her hand clamped tightly around Tora’s wrist, guiding her as they shadowed back to Aurathen. As they reappeared in the familiar safety of Aurathen, Marthos turned to Tora, annoyance etched deeply into her features.

"Do you want us captured?" she snapped.

"No!" Tora shot back, confusion bubbling in her voice as she tried to grasp Marthos’s sudden change in mood.

"You took us to Sylvarune!" Marthos scolded, her words biting. "Didn’t you see Lunarys?"

"I thought that was it, sorry," Tora admitted, her confidence faltering under Marthos’s harsh glare.

Marthos shook her head, her frustration simmering. "Seriously, Theanna, if we’re going to find the Fayb, we can’t afford these kinds of mistakes."

After their near capture, Tora steeled her resolve, determined not to make another mistake. As the black smoke coiled around them, she focused her mind, locking onto the image of Lunarys. With a sharp exhale, they emerged in a misty forest, vibrant colours glowing softly amidst the thick haze. The sounds of the forest were alive, a symphony of rustling leaves and distant calls. The air carried an overwhelming scent that twisted Tora’s face in disgust as she pinched her nose.

"The forest doesn’t take too kindly to female visitors," Marthos remarked, her tone laced with amused sympathy. "Don’t worry, though. The worst it does is rid us of our scent."

"Wow, that’s a little rude," Tora quipped, a small smile tugging at her lips despite her discomfort.

"So, where do we find the oracle?" Tora asked, turning her attention to Marthos.

"Oh, he’s somewhere close by," Marthos replied casually. "We just have to follow the silence."

Tora tilted her head in confusion, the cryptic answer leaving her more curious than reassured. "Follow the silence?"

"Exactly." Marthos replied.

"Is there anything I should know before we meet him?" Tora continued, unease creeping into her voice.

Marthos hesitated briefly before answering, her tone shifting to something almost playful. "Well, he’s exceptionally attractive, so I've heard. Just keep your thoughts and hands to yourself. All we’re doing is asking for the Fayb’s location, don’t stray off topic," she warned, her expression stern despite the glimmer of humour in her voice.

Tora raised a brow. "So, do we owe him anything for the information?"

Marthos smirked. "He’s lonely. Our time is more than enough."

The forest was alive, each step muffled by a thick carpet of moss as an eerie silence pressed heavily against their ears. The whispers of the wind faded entirely, leaving behind a void that only seemed to amplify Sylvain’s voice within Tora’s mind. His thoughts grew louder, sharper, until they became impossible to ignore.

Tora pressed her fingers to her temples, desperate to block him out, but the silence only seemed to make his presence clearer. She stopped abruptly, frozen in place, while Marthos, oblivious to her struggle, continued ahead, widening the distance between them.

Fumbling with the small jar in her satchel, Tora applied more ointment to her temples, her movements hurried and shaky. But Sylvain’s voice broke through the haze, stronger than ever. "Theanna, where are you?!"

Tora’s eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. "How are you doing this?" she demanded, her thoughts racing.

"Where are you?" Sylvain pressed, his tone insistent and sharp.

"I left Aurathen. Please leave them alone!" she pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation.

"I will if you tell me where you are." His words twisted through her mind, like a hunter cornering prey.

Tora clenched her fists. Her heart pounded but resolve swelled within her. "I’m going to sever this bond! Now leave me alone!" she shouted back, the force of her thoughts echoing in the void.

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and ran, her feet pounding against the mossy ground. She sprinted toward Marthos, her only anchor in the suffocating grip of the forest.

Tora reached Marthos, her breath ragged as she caught up to the woman’s determined stride. Marthos glanced back, her brow furrowing. "What’s wrong?" she asked oblivious to what had just happened.

"It’s Sylvain," Tora blurted, her words tumbling out in gasps. "He…he spoke to me."

Marthos halted, turning to face Tora fully. The forest seemed to react to her stillness, vibrant colours pulsating faintly, the mist curling closer as if drawn to the tension between them.

“Then we need to move fast, we have to find the feyb before he does, he’s unpredictable, him and Solis” Marthos said, her voice low, laced with urgency.

“Why do you hate him so much but like Solis?” Tora asked, while trailing quickly behind Marthos.

Marthos hesitated before speaking. "It wasn’t long after the fall of Thoradian, when I came of age. I already hated him for what he did, and how he forced Solis to join him, and then he had the audacity to ask for my hand. Naturally, I rejected him. Imagine my shock when he tore down Aurathen’s borders just for me. Fortunately for Aurathen, we are equals in power, and he was willing to wait, up until I tried to kill him. After that, he branded Aurathen as his enemy, but in truth, I'm sure we already were" she revealed, her tone casual, as though her words carried no weight.

Tora’s eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, you tried to kill him?"

"Yeah, but I failed," Marthos admitted with a light chuckle. "And I was punished by my late father, so don’t give me too much credit."

Tora tilted her head, intrigued. "So, the only reason you’re alive is because of a mate bond?"

"Pretty much," Marthos replied with a shrug.

"And what about Solis?" Tora pressed.

"Solis and I are close friends. Believe it or not, Sylvain was a good friend too, once. That was before he grew up and claimed the throne as High King. You might not remember this, but Thoradian and Aurathen were once allies. Our parents severed ties over land disputes, but we continued to meet in secret. And you," Marthos added with a teasing smirk, "you used to have a secret crush on Sylvain."

Tora’s jaw dropped. "Shut up! I don’t remember that! Let’s keep that between us," she pleaded with a nervous laugh.

Marthos slowed her pace for just a moment, her gaze fixed ahead, as though speaking the next words aloud was an act of defiance. "So, to answer your question, I hate him because he’s done nothing but cause me grief for centuries. And if I’m being honest," she paused, a steely glint in her eyes, "I’m here with you to sever the Fayb’s magic bond it also has on me."