To the Shadowsinger | Azriel

Chapter 71: Tired

It wasn't until he was shooting up into the air, did Azriel feel the tears in his eyes. How the hell was he supposed to go home and explain what happened to Wylla? He wasn't even sure if he could form words. He imagined Nyxous' reaction, the kind little boy becoming violent as he slammed his fist into Azriel's chest and asked how he could have let this happen.

"I'm so sorry," Azriel told Wylla even though he knew she was no longer with him. There were so many things he would have done differently if he got the chance but this was his reality.

He held Wylla so tightly he feared he would crush her, but he was too anxious to loosen his grip. To make matters worse, each beat of his wings brought him further from his mate. He hadn't even said goodbye to her, simply winnowed outside of the castle; he refused to think about that. He had his own messed up head to work through and right now, he was on the verge of losing it. He wasn't even sure if he was breathing right and his head spun. He could have even sworn his arms stung with sharp pain.

That pain was very real. Where his skin met Wylla's it stung as if tiny bolts of electricity shot through his skin. He gritted his teeth through the pain until it was too much to tolerate and he landed, quickly rolling Wylla into a soft bed of grass.

He studied her form, she wasn't moving but the twitch of her leg caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes, thinking his vision was betraying him, and then he nudged her in the shoulder. He felt the same pain from the contact and yanked his hand away with a hiss.

Azriel listened to the low hum of electricity coming from Wylla and waited. The sound grew louder and was joined by a light thumping. It was a heartbeat- Azriel couldn't believe it.

"Wylla?" He whispered.

She sucked in a breath, sitting upright with color instantly flooding to her cheeks. Her eyes were dazed as she scanned the field Azriel had landed on and then stopped on him. She was struggling to catch her breath, he couldn't tell if she was panicking or if it was just part of coming back to life. When he saw how wide her blue eyes were, he realized she was afraid.

"Bryaxis?" She whispered. "He was just with me."

A sound escaped Azriel's lips and he resisted the urge to pull her into a hug as his heart saddened. So Bryaxis' sacrifice wasn't for nothing. Wylla just took her time coming back, perhaps it took so long for her soul to return to her body because it went back home, where it belonged.

"Azriel, where is he?"

He couldn't meet her tearfilled eyes. His voice was rough when he finally found his way to speak, "He's gone, Wylla."

Her face twisted almost as if she didn't trust what the shadowsinger was saying. He figured he should rephrase it, but this time he looked her in the eyes.

"Wylla," he held her hand, ignoring the sting of her skin. "You died." She didn't look surprised, she waited for him to continue. "Rai was going to bring you back but Bryaxis interrupted. He brought you back."

"He was just with me," she whispered in disbelief. When the morning sun broke through the trees and casted her face in a glowing light, she turned towards the warmth and let a small sad smile form on her lips. "He thanked me... he said it was for helping him find his light again and for not being afraid of him. I didn't know what the first part meant."

This time, Azriel did pull her into a hug. He took a breath that relaxed his muscles and thanked Bryaxis once again in his head. This day would have gone so much differently without him.

"Do you feel okay?" He asked, letting go.

Shadows lurked under her eyes, her cheeks were red from rubbing away the tears, but she looked alive and well. She only nodded as response to his question, her attention falling to her hands in her lap. "I'm tired."

Tired was good. Being tired meant there was nothing else for him to worry about besides getting her tucked away into a warm bed.

Wylla glanced up at him then back down with her brows lowering, "I didn't save Rai, did I?"

Rai, his thoughts painfully wandered back to her. That was another thing for another day- even if it hurt to leave her. "You saved her," his voice was soft, reassuring. "Now let's go home."