Chapter 34

Me-la-ni

We slumped down on the ground underneath the roof, too exhausted to travel anywhere. Se-le-ni reached out and took hold of my hand, and I gently squeezed it. Albin glanced around, and then asked,

“So… What happened?”

They all turned to me, and I shrugged.

“I… don’t know. Si-ri told me we would be trapped if we entered the room, but for some reason, it never took hold of me.”

Na-sh-dara murmured to herself before she looked up at me.

“Bo-lo-to’s weave was made from power.”

I looked at her, not understanding what she meant.

“It had a flaw. Power can only hold so much, but it cannot withstand its opposite”.

“Which is?”

“Kindness. Or love.”

I stared at her, still not understanding anything.

“It’s a known rule among magicians, but often forgotten because so few of our spells are ever built on power.”

“So Me-la-ni…?”, Albin asked.

“Who did you think of as you entered the building?”, Na-sh-dara asked.

I blushed, wishing she hadn’t asked, but I whispered,

“Se-le-ni…”

Na-sh-dara nodded.

“That explains it. You must have protected Si-ri as well, and when you entered, the weave never took hold of you.”

I glanced at Se-le-ni, and she shrugged.

We travelled then, finding a place in the forest to stay for the night. As we sat around the fire that night, Ka-ma-la announced,

“This will be my last night.”

I looked at her.

“What do you mean?”

“I am old. It is time to travel with the Seed.”

I let go of Se-le-ni’s hand and knelt down next to her.

“No…”

I sobbed and put my head in her lap.

“Not yet…”

She smiled, laying a hand on me, and said.

“It will be your time, too, and then you’ll look forward to it.”

She stood up, giving us each a kiss, before she turned without a word and walked into the forest. I squeezed Se-le-ni’s hand as I watched the light emerge between the trees, and as it dimmed, I whispered through the tears,

“Until next time…”