Page 386 of Elemental Becoming

Then, so quietly I almost miss it, he speaks. “Hold on, my love.”

A hand settles on his arm just as he turns toward Xaroth.

Rowena.

Her eyes are full of resolve.

“Thane,” she says softly.

There is sorrow in her voice, but no hesitation.

“We have to do this here.”

Thane turns to her. For a moment, he doesn’t seem able to breathe.

“Amara can do this. She can heal herself. We just have to help her.” She glances at me just briefly before looking back at him. “You won’t make it in time if you try to fly to the capital. And you know it.”

Thane is still looking at me.

I want to tell him I’ll be okay. That Rowena is right. That I can do this.

But my body won’t cooperate.

Everything feels sluggish and distant, as though I’ve downed an entire barrel of strong ale and the world is swaying beneath me. My limbs are heavy. My thoughts drift. Even holding onto a single thought takes effort.

How do I tell him not to worry when I can barely hold onto myself?

I feel as though I’m slipping deeper with every passing second. The farther I sink, the darker and quieter it becomes.

But even from down here, I can still see the surface.

And I can still see him. He’s there, reaching for me. There is light there.

And I am not ready to let it go.

Calryx is yelling again and pounding her feet into the ground so hard that I can feel the vibrations through Thane’s arms. Her voice rattles around inside my skull, making my head pound.

By all the gods, dragon, we have a bond! You don’t need to yell!

But she can’t hear me. My words don’t reach her for some reason.

“Virelya! You must speak! Fight! Speak through the bond you share with the Warlord! Find the words! Use your mind! Push through!”Her voice thunders through my head, fierce and commanding.

The thought lags, like light filtering down through deep water.

The bond.

Yes.

That’s how I’ll reach him.

Not with breath. Not with sound. With thought. With will.

Everything around me feels muffled and distant. I’m drifting, suspended in something thick and cold. I’m sinking deeper and deeper into dark water.

I reach for the bond. Somewhere in the darkness, I know it’s there. The thread between us.

I picture it stretching through the depths, bright and thin, like moonlight on silk.