WILLOW'S POV
They barely made it out of the cave alive.
If it hadn't been for Jasper's quick thinking, they wouldn't have.
Willow slid down against the wall, clutching the parcel close to her chest as she tried to catch her breath. Her brother slumped down next to her.
"You good?" He asked, his voice slightly shaky.
She nodded. It wasn't like the cave collapse would have killed them, just seriously injured them in a way that would have taken a long time to recover from. They didn't have that time.
"Is that the last thing we need?" Jasper continued.
"Yes." She replied, slipping it into the satchel on her side along with the others.
"We should head back to Dues." He suggested.
She nodded again, getting to her feet.
"I, uh, was wondering..." She began.
"What is it, Will'?"
"I think you should talk to Lizzie."
"Well, duh."
"No, I mean talk to her. Like, feelings, and stuff like that."
"Why?" Jasper asked suspiciously.
"I just, I talked to her the other day, and she seemed kinda off. You're close to her."
"You're as close to her as I am, Willow. We've known each other since we were kids."
"But you two used to be closer."
"Key word: used to be." Jasper countered.
"Look, I'm just saying that she seemed unsettled by something. Talk to her."
"You just don't want to."
"What? Why wouldn't I- okay, she's scary, okay. But I also think she'll listen to you more."
"I'll consider it." Jasper answered after a brief pause, offering his arm to her, "But first we have to get to her."
Willow smiled as she clasped her twin's forearm. With a flash, they were gone, reappearing in the place she had learnt to call home.
To her surprise, it was empty. The elven tree was shimmering in the centre of the cavern, but neither Lizzie nor her sister were anywhere to be seen.
"Where are they?" Jasper wondered, stepping away from her.
"Did they go to get another item?" Willow asked, glancing around.
"I thought they already had the ones they needed for Alina and Lilith. Did they go to Hyria already?"
"Maybe." Willow murmured in response, spying a scroll atop one of the small tables scattered throughout the cave.
She made a beeline for it, her brother following closely behind. She recognised Lizzie's surprisingly neat handwriting the moment she unrolled it. She shifted it slightly so that Jasper could see before she read through it.
"They did." She realised, with a relieved sigh.
"I guess we should go there too."
She nodded in agreement, this time offering her arm to her brother. He took it with a slight smirk, and in another flash, they were gone.
A/N: Art by Martith on DevianArt.