she looked to see Vevin staring at her. It was
nighttime and he was sitting on a rock with her on his lap. “You
were whimpering in your sleep. What’s wrong?”
“It’s alright,” she mumbled. “The flowers
are keeping me safe. I’m so tired.” Liselle leaned her head on his
shoulder again and fell asleep.
***
The air was hot and cloying. Flowers did
their best to shield her from the sinister fog but it kept killing
them, each death hurting Liselle. She shook her head and feebly
tried to shoot cold blue fire at the mist. Vevin appeared next to
her and wrapped her in his arms. He whispered things she didn’t
understand, but they were soothing and she relaxed.
“Liselle,” he said in her ear. “Wake up just
for a little while. You need to drink some water.” She didn’t want
to, but he persisted. “Liselle, wake up now, just for a little bit
to drink some water and then I’ll let you go back to sleep.
Her eyes were heavy and filled with crud.
Someone held a cup to her mouth and liquid flowed between her dry
lips. It didn’t taste like water. They had added something that
tasted like medicine. Liselle opened her eyes a fraction and looked
around. It was nighttime again and her companions had camped.
Spirits in the trees looked for her, but nightflowers were
distracting them. She rested her sweat-crusted brow against Vevin’s
shoulder again.
***
The entity was looking at her. She looked
back, not showing the weakness running through her body. To do so
would be to allow it into her heart. The army of flowers shielded
her against the evil.
Then it attacked. Liselle joined forces with
the flowers and together they counterattacked. The two forces
clashed, one dark and ethereal, the other a bright, pure blue. The
blue fire set the mists ablaze, driving the entity back. It
retreated into the sky at the overwhelming power, only now it was afraid of Liselle and her flowers.
“Liselle, please wake up! I’m scared. He’s
going to eat me.” Liselle cracked her eyes to see Anilyia kneeling
above, tears streaming down her face. There was something over the
princess. Liselle blinked a couple of times and focused. It was
Vevin’s stomach. He was in dragon form standing guard over the
women.
It took all her effort to look to the side.
Tathan’s legs were nearby. He was next to Vevin with his sword
drawn. Liselle lost consciousness. The mist was gone and the
phantoms scattered. The boys could handle anything else.
***
Liselle tried to open her eyes, but they
were crusted shut. So she moaned instead. Lips that felt like
Vevin’s touched her forehead. She hoped very much that they were
and communicated that with louder moan. It was about the best she
was going to be able to speak for now.
“Shh, shh,” Vevin’s soothing voice came from
near her left ear. “It’s alright. The fever’s broken and you’re
going to be just fine,” he assured her.
A fever. That’s why she had been so hot. In
her entire life, Liselle had never been sick. It felt terrible and
she made a mental note never to do it again.
Vevin stroked her cheek and ran fingers
through her hair. Perhaps being sick wasn’t so bad after all. “I’ll
give you a year to stop that,” she attempted to say. It came out as
an unintelligible croak instead.
“Huh?” Vevin whispered after a pause. “Here,
drink this,” he instructed, holding a moist cloth to her lips. He
squeezed and the water eased the dryness in her mouth. “Now try
speaking.”
She cleared her throat, dismayed at how
coarse and raw it was. “I’ll give you a year to stop that,” she
repeated. It was ragged, but intelligible.
“Hmm,” Vevin responded. “It might take me
two years.”
“Mmm.” That sound came out broken too. Vevin
put more water to her lips. Liselle realized she was very thirsty
and hungry all of a sudden. She tried to open her eyes again. They
felt icky and she blinked a few times to clear them. Something was
covering her
nighttime and he was sitting on a rock with her on his lap. “You
were whimpering in your sleep. What’s wrong?”
“It’s alright,” she mumbled. “The flowers
are keeping me safe. I’m so tired.” Liselle leaned her head on his
shoulder again and fell asleep.
***
The air was hot and cloying. Flowers did
their best to shield her from the sinister fog but it kept killing
them, each death hurting Liselle. She shook her head and feebly
tried to shoot cold blue fire at the mist. Vevin appeared next to
her and wrapped her in his arms. He whispered things she didn’t
understand, but they were soothing and she relaxed.
“Liselle,” he said in her ear. “Wake up just
for a little while. You need to drink some water.” She didn’t want
to, but he persisted. “Liselle, wake up now, just for a little bit
to drink some water and then I’ll let you go back to sleep.
Her eyes were heavy and filled with crud.
Someone held a cup to her mouth and liquid flowed between her dry
lips. It didn’t taste like water. They had added something that
tasted like medicine. Liselle opened her eyes a fraction and looked
around. It was nighttime again and her companions had camped.
Spirits in the trees looked for her, but nightflowers were
distracting them. She rested her sweat-crusted brow against Vevin’s
shoulder again.
***
The entity was looking at her. She looked
back, not showing the weakness running through her body. To do so
would be to allow it into her heart. The army of flowers shielded
her against the evil.
Then it attacked. Liselle joined forces with
the flowers and together they counterattacked. The two forces
clashed, one dark and ethereal, the other a bright, pure blue. The
blue fire set the mists ablaze, driving the entity back. It
retreated into the sky at the overwhelming power, only now it was afraid of Liselle and her flowers.
“Liselle, please wake up! I’m scared. He’s
going to eat me.” Liselle cracked her eyes to see Anilyia kneeling
above, tears streaming down her face. There was something over the
princess. Liselle blinked a couple of times and focused. It was
Vevin’s stomach. He was in dragon form standing guard over the
women.
It took all her effort to look to the side.
Tathan’s legs were nearby. He was next to Vevin with his sword
drawn. Liselle lost consciousness. The mist was gone and the
phantoms scattered. The boys could handle anything else.
***
Liselle tried to open her eyes, but they
were crusted shut. So she moaned instead. Lips that felt like
Vevin’s touched her forehead. She hoped very much that they were
and communicated that with louder moan. It was about the best she
was going to be able to speak for now.
“Shh, shh,” Vevin’s soothing voice came from
near her left ear. “It’s alright. The fever’s broken and you’re
going to be just fine,” he assured her.
A fever. That’s why she had been so hot. In
her entire life, Liselle had never been sick. It felt terrible and
she made a mental note never to do it again.
Vevin stroked her cheek and ran fingers
through her hair. Perhaps being sick wasn’t so bad after all. “I’ll
give you a year to stop that,” she attempted to say. It came out as
an unintelligible croak instead.
“Huh?” Vevin whispered after a pause. “Here,
drink this,” he instructed, holding a moist cloth to her lips. He
squeezed and the water eased the dryness in her mouth. “Now try
speaking.”
She cleared her throat, dismayed at how
coarse and raw it was. “I’ll give you a year to stop that,” she
repeated. It was ragged, but intelligible.
“Hmm,” Vevin responded. “It might take me
two years.”
“Mmm.” That sound came out broken too. Vevin
put more water to her lips. Liselle realized she was very thirsty
and hungry all of a sudden. She tried to open her eyes again. They
felt icky and she blinked a few times to clear them. Something was
covering her
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