She ran as Airyl through the trees, so fast that all around her was a barely perceptible blur. Her nose twitched as she breathed in deep, earthy scents, heading in the direction that the scrawled maps provided by Gertal told her would take her to the chasm dividing her from her home.
She reached out over the mindlink, hoping to call to her husband, her darling mate. Every fiber and sinew of her being longed to see him again, to throw herself into his powerful strong arms. For some reason, she couldn’t seem to reach him, but she knew this was likely the lingering effects of the Nightsblush, which she had been forced to drink as recently as that morning. Still, with every few frantic paces forward she found herself trying, hoping against hope that the plant would be pushed from her system
