VISION ✔️ || The Keepers of Astraela #1

18.0 || Of Nectar and Nosy Goblins

EMRYS

BEING WITHOUT MAGIC was a different type of hell.

Emrys had been on the couch for an hour, straining to link his consciousness to the Soulbound amulet he'd left with Bobbi, but the darkness behind his lids spoke volumes over the quiet. While he hated to admit it, Mystia was right. He needed rest. In such a weakened state, he wouldn't stand a chance at communing with Bobbi from a world away.

It didn't make it any less defeating.

Opening his eyes, he did a sweep of the room. There hadn't been a peep since Mystia took Eva down the hall—and even when he listened with a keen ear, it seemed he was truly alone.

Just bending to the side long enough to reach his satchel proved difficult. The stiffness ravaging his joints made the simple movement strenuous, and by the time he rolled onto his back once again, a sharp breath hissed from his gritted teeth. He grabbed at the bag, now lying limp on his chest, until his fingers found a small side pocket.

Emrys unclasped the compartment's wooden button to remove two silver necklace chains. Each was attached to their own Runestone: one a light blue and the other solid black. A frown puckered his lips as he untangled their chains and slipped the onyx pendant back into its pocket.

The blue amulet warmed the closer he held it to his chest, gripped so tight that his nails dug into his palm. He let out a relieved sigh at the tingling sensation that emanated from the trinket, strengthening while the seconds ticked by.

It was a good sign. More than he'd had in months.

Shutting his eyes, he concentrated on the stone's power. Its energy transferred to him, soothing the agonizing ache in his body. Soft colors permeated his vision and hazy shapes formed within the darkness.

"Amaya," he whispered. "We need your help."

The colors vanished as soon as they had begun. Even the stone's warmth cooled, cutting the flow of power to his weakened body and bringing pain back to the surface.

She had shut him out. Again.

Emrys couldn't help but think back to all those months prior, as he stood at the edge of the Guardian's Dell. Amaya had pressed the amulet into his hand, while nearby roars had signaled the Corrupted barreling down on them.

"Get through the Barrier," she had told him. "You'll be weak, but you can siphon my power from this. It will be enough to keep you alive."

And, with those words, she had vanished into the trees.

It hadn't lasted more than a day. No matter how many times he tried to commune with her, or how hard he pleaded, Amaya never answered the call. Eventually, he had given up trying.

He should have known that another attempt would be fruitless.

"Dammit, Amaya," he muttered. "Where are you?"

When the sound of pattering feet infiltrated the silence, he winced.

"I told you to rest. Your friend listens better than you do."

Emrys opened his eyes. Mystia leaned against the archway to the hall, thigh holsters dangling from one hand. An amused grin dented her cheeks with playful dimples.

"Is she out?" he asked.

Mystia pushed herself from the wall and walked toward the fireplace, dropping her holsters in one of the empty lounge chairs. "Like a light." She snickered, searching through the decanters on the mantle. "Thought it'd take a lot more coaxing with all that anxious energy. It radiated from her pores before she ever walked into the tavern."