Lunar Heart, Shadow Bound ✓ [when the moon lies]

Ch.38: Lost and Found

"Daero?" she whispered and sniffed for him, but only a faint lemongrass scent remained. The blanket of light pulsed and his deep, velvety voice echo around her.

"I will protect Kathula at the cost of my life."

She didn't understand at first but soon remembered the protection sigil he said he had placed on her. The sigil now floated beside her and broke up into individual runic symbols. She recognized them and their meanings.

"Not your life!" She choked on her words in disbelief. He couldn't be gone! Tears blurred her vision as her back touched the bottom. The blanket of light turned into many small, blue runes making little tinkling sounds like bells as they disappeared. 

It was dark at first but little by little the ground lit up into a golden orange light. Pinti was laying on a glass-like floor with swirls of golden orange and yellow light mingling or separating as they churned in place like someone mixing paints.

"...his place!" Deel's voice rang in her ears.

"Deel?" she called, but there were no more sounds.

Wiping her eyes, she sniffed the air but there was nothing. As far as she could see, above was pitch black darkness, but below, the glowing floor illuminated her surroundings. The floor seemed to stretch on forever. When she stood, a sigil floated ahead of her and stopped. She followed it feeling that was the thing to do.

Ahead were two blue silhouettes along with a tall black one. A white light shimmered and sparkled across the air in front of her. The sigil passed through something that rippled. The vague silhouette of the sigil could be seen on the other side.

Am I...dead? She dared to wonder. Beyond the rippling air, the sigil floated around as if waiting for her. Taking a deep breath, she took a single pawstep and felt a barrier move around her like a blanket being wrapped around her shoulders. On the other side, her ears picked up a voice speaking in modern Kathulan.

"Is that what you choose?" said a male. She recognized him somehow.

"It's not my choice to make." Her chest leapt at the sound of Daero's strained voice. He was alive! She knew he couldn't be gone! Excitement and joy zipped through her body to the tip of her tail. With a trill, she let out a yowl of happiness and called for him.

"Daero!" Her voice squeaked at the end unable to hide her excitement. She ran towards the silhouettes. They were right there, and she looked down at her feet to make sure the ground was passing her by. Something was strange. She couldn't get closer.

"Daero, Deel?" she called them both. The sigil floated down in front of her and Pinti hissed at it, frustrated she couldn't reach them.

"Deel," Daero's voice sounded like he was right there in front of her, but she could only see his far away blue silhouette. "You're the only family I have. We can both be saved if I give up my magick. He said..." His voice cracked and a stabbing pain in her chest as if she was feeling his emotions. Tears stung her eyes.

"I want you to be grown-up Deel in my place," came Deel's squeaky voice. "I know you can do a really good job. I want you to be Sorcerer, too. You're really good. And I've been dead anyway, and I was fading anyway. But now my death is meaningful. And we'll always be brothers."

One of the silhouettes was shorter and she knew that to be Deel. Their tails were no longer connected. The darker blue silhouette turned to face the smaller one. Pinti could only stand there and watch as Deel and Daero hugged as separate individuals for the first time.

The third silhouette, a black Kathula with gold swirls on the arms and legs, stepped up to them. "It's time," came a deep male voice.

Daero and Deel broke away. Daero ruffled Deel's fur and was met with a giggle. Then, Deel stepped up to the black Kathula.