THE SAVING
On the fourth day of his rest, the bond began to thin.
I felt it first in the quality of the pull, not absent, not broken, but reduced in the way of something running at diminished capacity. Like a fire that has been given insufficient oxygen. Still burning. Not as bright.
I went to Della.
She looked at me when I described it with the careful expression of someone cross-referencing what they are hearing against something they have been reading.
"The convergence," she said slowly. "The bond sealed during a period of significant physical stress for both of you. The battle, his injury, the territory engagement." She paused. "The old texts suggest that a bond sealed under extreme conditions requires the full health of both parties to hold at complete strength."
"It's weakening
