Four Elements Book 3 - Sacrifice

Part 37

After Bane and Andie left the room, there was an awkward silence between Isabelle and Zarias. Robert had gone to bed, exhausted, saying he'd "ask questions in the morning". Isabelle cleared her throat and asked:

"Are... do you have any injuries you need me to heal?"

It took him a second to realize she was actually talking to him.

"What? Oh... no, thank you. Bane had the tougher job. He took on Zorak alone."

Isabelle's eyes widened.

"How on Earth did he not get hurt?" she inquired incredulously. "I know Balon trained him well, but still!"

Zarias had to admit he'd been wondering that, too.

"The only logical reason I can think of is Zorak is hesitant to kill you because he still hasn't got what he wanted, which he can't do if you're dead."

"Our powers," Isabelle said, nodding. "But he'd just have to wait for new reincarnations, wouldn't he?"

"In theory yes, but from what I know, it took an extremely long time for the reincarnations to be chosen, so who knows when the next ones would be."

"Hey, speaking of, imagine we did die," Isabelle said. "Would we then... become the new spirits? Like Bane would take Balon's place, and I would replace River?"

Zarias touched his chin, pondering.

"I must admit I don't know, Zorak's only ever spoken of Balon and his group," he finally said. "But I suppose it's possible."

There was a short pause.

"I want to thank you for watching out for Bane," Isabelle finally said. "I honestly don't think Andie could get over losing him."

"They certainly seem very attached to each other," Zarias agreed.

"They're in love, and when it's as deep as Andie and Bane's relationship, it often makes you feel like you'd die without your other half," Isabelle explained.

Zarias glanced at her, slightly confused.

"... Like swans?" he asked curiously. "I believe I heard they choose one mate for their entire lives, and when one dies, the other die of heartbreak."

"It can happen," Isabelle agreed. "For swans, not humans. Well... in a way, I suppose it is like that for us. If you lose the one you love, a part of you dies with them. Emotionally, I mean. You're never the same."

A new silence fell.

"Have you ever felt that strongly for someone?" Zarias inquired.

He wondered if he'd asked an uncomfortable question for some reason, because Isabelle's cheeks turned rather pink.

"... No, not really," she finally said."Have you?"

Now it was Zarias's turn to be uncomfortable. He fumbled with his hands uneasily.

"Well, I used to think I'd be ready to do anything for my father, and I believed that was love." he said. "But now... I'm not so sure. Is it?"

Isabelle thought about it a moment.

"It is, sort of," she replied. "It's just not supposed to be one way. Love is when two people would be ready to do anything for each other. Like a mother will die to protect her son, or..."

She bit her lip, seeming to realize she'd been tapping into a sensitive subject.

"I see," he said smoothly, carefully concealing his emotions. "So... I loved him, but he never returned the feeling..."