The Healer ✔

Chapter Sixteen

The forest was as quiet as everywhere else in the realm. No birds chirped, and no rabbits hopped about between the thick dark trees. Elora had almost gotten used to the silence, but there was something about it that unnerved her, a sick feeling rising in her stomach. It wasn't normal for a forest to be so deathly silent.

If she flew up above the trees (which she wasn't comfortable doing after their run-in with Gaizma) she could see the faint outline of the mountains in the distance. Planina was spread out across the mountain range, but she knew of one town that sat at the entrance of the range, mostly a trading hub between the kingdom and the rest of Veridun.

There was a high chance it would be destroyed by the time they got there, especially seeing as the Zlohiel were heading in that direction, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be useful information there. All they had to do was make it through the forest. Like most things since the Gate had opened, it was easier said than done.

They had rested in the field for only a few hours the day before, allowing Ragen to rest and gain back energy he had lost during the fight. Nyal had eventually healed both Elora and Mikhail, as well as himself, despite only sustaining minor injuries. The group had been lucky enough to make it to the tree line by night and had spent the night huddled in the trees.

Now, they trudged through the freezing cold forest. Elora hoped they would come across a river sometime during the day. They had run low on the vital liquid during the fight with Gaizma, most of it being used to heal Ragen and fight off the dragon. They would need to find some soon or they would all be facing severe dehydration.

The run-in with Gaizma only made Elora more certain that Ragen and Mikhail shouldn't come with them to Planina. Nyal needed to be there, but they didn't. They would surely die if they came along, and they didn't deserve that. She knew, however, that if she spoke her thoughts aloud, they would only disagree. No matter how much she didn't want them there, they would still follow her.

Ragen seemed to be doing well with only one arm. Over the course of the day after the battle with Gaizma, he had tried to use it, forgetting that it was no longer there. He'd slept on the ground the night before after getting angry about not being able to climb the tree they were going to sleep in. It would be a struggle for the warlock, but Elora knew he would be able to push past it.

She also knew that Nyal was feeling guilty for it. She did as well, but she knew that Gaizma attacking hadn't been her fault. Nyal hadn't said anything to her, not yet, but she still knew that he blamed himself for not being able to give Ragen's arm back. If he had tried, who knew how it would have turned out.

Gaizma was heading for Planina, that much she knew for sure. It was where the war would play out, and knowing her luck, had already started. She wasn't sure that they were going to get there on time to actually be of any help, or to stop Gaizma before he could destroy what was left of Veridun.

And if she did kill him and somehow find a way to get rid of all the Zlohiel, what would happen to Veridun? There was so little left of it, just Planina and possibly little pockets of civilisation hiding out where no one could possibly find them. They would have to rebuild everything, but there wouldn't be enough people to populate the realm anymore.

She sighed, it was something she could worry about once she defeated Gaizma and the rest of the Zlohiel. Part of her hoped that once she killed Gaizma the others would realise their efforts were all for nought, but it was just wishful thinking. Even without Giazma ruling them they would still try to take over the realm, the dragon was just keeping them organised.

Yararanje still would not help her, would not tell her how to defeat the Zlohiel. She had been told to figure that out on her own, but she had fought them before and even then, they had been too powerful for her and the warlocks. They had to be locked away, but Elora didn't trust that to work a second time if she could even get warlocks powerful enough to make another Gate.