Lunar Rising

Ch. 29 Shadowshade

Chapter 29

Two Weeks Later

Eryx's exhaustion weighed heavily on him as he rubbed his eyes, the weariness blurring his vision and the throbbing headache intensifying at the back of his skull. He was surrounded by a stack of books, their pages filled with knowledge and wisdom, symbols and diagrams dancing before his tired eyes. But nothing offered the answers he was searching for.

"Have you been here all night?" Fenno's voice broke through the silence, his presence announced by the soft rustle of his footsteps. The old man, with his curly golden locks cascading over his face like a veil, approached Eryx seated at the round table beside the grand window.

"What time is it?" Eryx inquired, dragging his focus away from the  book in his hands. He glanced around, noting the faint light of morning filtering through the window and the spent candle flickering in its holder.

"Oh, Eryx," Fenno sighed, his expression a mixture of concern and frustration as he moved toward his desk, muttering under his breath. Eryx, pinching the bridge of his nose, rose from his seat, joints protesting at the sudden movement.

"I've written to the Arcane Scholars," Fenno announced, his tone grave. "I requested a graduate student For Zeeb. We need all the help we can get. If we're to fix her, we need to do it quickly."

"She's not broken," Eryx objected, his voice tinged with both weariness and defiance. "She's not an object that we have to put back together."

"She's an elemental who can't control her powers," Fenno's words pierced Eryx's heart with every syllable. As if Eryx needed any more reminders of Meera's plight; her condition was a ceaseless torment that haunted him day and night.

"She's a mate without a mark. The longer we wait, the worse this situation might become," Fenno continued, his tone grave, his eyes mirroring Eryx's own concerns.

"What will the Arcane Scholars do?" Eryx questioned, his frustration bubbling to the surface, his irritation seeping into his words. "Do they know what's causing this?"

"No," Fenno admitted, his voice tinged with resignation. "But they will be able to help us look for answers."

Eryx's doubts lingered, festering like a wound that refused to heal. He had scoured every inch of Fenno's vast library, delving deep into ancient tomes and obscure texts in search of a solution. Countless hours had been spent lost in the labyrinth of knowledge, his desperation driving him ever onward. Eryx felt the weight of worry press heavily upon him, a constant companion that shadowed his every thought and action. Meera's well-being consumed him, her struggles a relentless echo in the chambers of his mind.

"Go get some rest, Eryx," Fenno's gentle suggestion cut through the heavy silence, his gaze peering over the rim of his glasses with a mix of concern and weariness. "You can't help anybody like this."

Eryx remained rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on the flickering flame of the dying candle. His chest tightened with a hollow ache, the weight of guilt pressing down upon him like a leaden cloak. The chill of despair crept through his veins, chilling him to the bone as he grappled with the turmoil raging within.

Outside the towering walls of their sanctuary, a snowstorm raged, its icy tendrils creeping ever closer, blanketing the world in a pristine shroud of white. The silence of the wintry landscape enveloped the tower in a suffocating embrace, the only sound was the soft whisper of snowflakes dancing upon the frozen earth. Yet, amidst the hush of nature's fury, the echo of Eryx's guilt resounded louder than any tempest.

"Go, Eryx," Fenno urged once more, his voice a gentle push toward respite amidst the storm of their troubles.

With a weary sigh, Eryx finally tore his gaze away from the dwindling candlelight. His footsteps echoed heavily in the empty corridors as he made his way through the labyrinthine halls, the air heavy with the scent of burning sage from Zeeb's chambers. The silence wrapped around him like a shroud, its embrace both comforting and suffocating as he leaned against the door, shutting his eyes against the weight of his heartache.