Radiance and Shadows

Twenty Eight

Zina stood at the base of the tower, calling out to Zasrin to come lift her to the top.

Once her and Salyrria were inside, she found the elf sitting on the bed, facing away.

"Synika.." Zina said.

The elf was silent, melting into vapor and reforming in front of the tiefling.

The girl's eyes were red from crying, puffy and tired. She wiped them, taking a sharp intake of breath. "You.. were right. I'm reckless and stupid. And I do not deserve this arrow. I'm going to hurt someone with it."

Zina pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back. "Synika.. You're not any of those things. I was just angry." She held her at arm's length. "I just worry. You are so brave sometimes that you don't think about yourself first. You launch yourself into harm's way to liberate places infested with evil, but you keep forgetting that you're not a lone warrior anymore. You can't keep this up."

"I know." Synika sniffled. "That's why I ran away. It all just hit me at once, and I understood."

"And that arrow was given to you because you deserve it. You deserve a chance to prove yourself in a way that people will respect; the ability to wield devastation, but have restraint with it, rather than boasting about it like some kind of new toy."

The elf looked to the ground. "Okay."

Zina lifted her chin with a finger, delicately kissing the crying girl. Synika's body shivered.

"I believe in you, Synika. I have trusted and followed you since my first day with you. Since you busted me out of the prison." Zina said. She pulled her sister's record from within her breastplate.

"Knox gave me this. It's my sister's record."

The elf sniffled, silent.

"Celeste, the healer attending to Kira, mentioned a ranger that brought Kira into the ward. She said she'd given her own energy to help heal her wounds."

Synika looked slowly up at Zina.

"Why did you leave that out? That was so... sweet of you."

Synika shook her head. "I don't like to take credit for those things. It's not something I do for recognition, I do them because she would have died otherwise. Celeste was exhausted."

"You should have told me, regardless."

"I'm not a hero, Zina. I didn't tell you because I don't want any special treatment for it."

Zina sighed. "I would have only said thank you, not presented you with a medal."

The elf backed away, sitting back on the bed. "I guess."

There was a long silence, Zina shivering as the cold night air began to come in as the sun set. She sat beside the elf, leaning on her.

"I believe in you, Synika. And so does Sune. Even Salyrria looks up to you." Zina said.

The big cat yawned, stretching out flat, legs sticking out in all directions. Her head flopped onto the floor, tongue hanging out.

Synika smiled weakly. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Come on. We're going to start on the path to Valindra tomorrow. In the Dread Ring. We can search for ways to weaken her, as well as any clues about my sister."

"Okay. Celeste will most likely still be there. She goes where she is needed most, and it's there, with the beating we're taking."

The pair dropped their armor off, falling against the soft bed as the moon began to rise.