Thorns between us

Ten: Found

Drayk’s POV

The night was quiet.

Too quiet.

I was still sitting in the mud where her camp had been.

Holding the braid.

Burns aching.

_“She’s gone,”_ the voice said.

“No,” I said. “She’s close.”

The tug was gone.

But something else was there.

Faint.

Like breath on the back of my neck.

I stood.

Water moved behind me.

Soft.

Not an animal.

I didn’t turn fast.

If it was her and I scared her, she’d run again.

“Didn’t think you’d wait,” a voice said.

Rough.

Tired.

Familiar.

My chest pulled.

Hard.

I turned.

She was there.

At the edge of the reeds.

Bare feet in the water.

Dress torn. Hair wet.

Face pale in the moonlight.

Dionne.

She wasn’t smiling.

She was just looking at me.

Like she wasn’t sure I was real either.

The world went still.

“You left signs,” I said.

“I didn’t want you to get lost,” she said.

Her voice.

It was right.

Low. Broken from not using it.

I took a step toward her.

She didn’t move.

“You’re hurt,” I said.

I could see it.

A cut on her arm.

Black blood under her nails.

Same as mine.

She lifted her arm.

Looked at it like she’d forgotten.

“It’s nothing,” she said.

I got closer.

Close enough to smell her.

Marsh water. Iron.

Night flowers.

Same.

All of it.

_“Careful,”_ the voice said.

“Shut up,” I said.

Dionne’s eyes flicked to my wrists.

To the burns.

To the black scars.

“You got out,” she said.

“Yeah,” I said. “Alone.”

She nodded.

Like she expected that.

“I thought—” she started.

Then stopped.

“I thought they burned you.”

“I dreamed you came,” I said.

Her mouth twitched.

Almost a smile.

“Maybe I did,” she said.

She took a step forward.

Water lapped at her ankles.

I reached out.

Touched her face.

Cold.

Wet.

Real.

She leaned into it.

Just a little.

“I didn’t kill you,” she whispered.

“I know,” I said.

We didn’t talk after that.

There was nothing to say.

She held out her hand.

I took it.

Cold fingers.

Black under the nails.

She pulled me.

Not toward the camp.

Deeper.

Where the water was darker.

“Priests will come,” she said. “We can’t stay.”

“Where to.”

“Away,” she said. “Where they don’t know the words.”

I followed.

Because the tug was back.

Strong.

Right in my chest.

Tied to her hand.

She walked fast.

Didn’t stumble.

Didn’t look back.

_“She’s different,”_ the voice said.

“She’s tired,” I said.

Every few minutes she’d stop.

Listen.

Then move again.

Like she knew where we were going.

Like she’d been here before.

I didn’t ask.

We stopped in another hollow.

Bigger this time.

Dry ground.

Hidden by roots.

She let go of my hand.

Sat down.

Pulled her knees up.

I sat across from her.

For a long time neither of us spoke.

Just breathed.

Listened to the marsh.

“You look worse,” she said finally.

“You look the same,” I said.

She laughed. Once.

Soft. It sounded like her. Then she looked at me.

“You’re not afraid of me,” she said.

“No,” I said.

“Why.”

“Because you broke my chains,” I said. She didn’t answer just reached out touched the burn on my wrist gentle It still hurt.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t be,” I said. She moved closer until our shoulders touched until I could feel her breathing.

The marsh was quiet.

No priests.

No elves.No fire.

Just her.

And me Alive.

_“Finally,”_ the voice said.

I closed my eyes.

“Stay,” I said.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said and I believed her.