We opened our eyes.
Our body hurt. The pain centered on our neck, and we couldn’t breathe.
Retching blood, we reached for our dark magic and spun it into thread, sewing our wounds closed. We coughed black-red onto the leaves, and then we could breathe again. We sucked in huge, grateful gasps as blood flooded once again through our veins.
We sat up. Memory came rushing back, from two sets of eyes: running from Dusk Wolves and falling to the leaves. Flying back to the boat only to find it empty.
Emotion came next, and we wished it hadn’t. It was hard to stay whole with one-- one half-- it couldn’t--
I gasped air into my own lungs, my own arms wrapping around my chest. My front was soaked with blood, some of it a strange blackish red. Miles was nowhere to be seen, but--
I’m sorry, his voice whispered against my skull. I didn’t mean to scare you.
I rubbed two fingers against my forehead. “This is really weird,” I managed. “This is really freaking weird.”
I get that-- hold on--
Smoky darkness poured from my mouth and coalesced into Miles. He dropped to his knees where I sat and raised a hand, but he didn’t touch me. “You’re-- you’re okay now, right? It worked, didn’t it?”
I was still getting over having a split personality. “What? Oh--” I rubbed my neck. “Yeah, it did-- how--”
“Arcanes are much more powerful if we have a human host, remember?” Miles explained. “I couldn’t heal your…” he swallowed, paused for a second, then kept going “--so I asked for your name. We’d be stronger together and could heal the wound.”
I was silent, examining the odd, blackish blood on my shirt. I’d bled that. Or rather, we’d bled that. My mind chewed on the idea, and-- to my surprise-- it didn’t taste all that bad.
“Minnow-- Madeline, whatever-- I swear I only did that to save your life. I wouldn’t have--”
I tossed my arms around him and pressed my cheek to his shoulder. “Thank you,” I said. “And call me Maddie.”
Miles’s shoulders untensed. “Don’t ever, ever do that again,” he grumbled. “Or I will tie you to the boat and leave you at Keely’s mercy.”
I laughed into his shirt. “Oh, God, no. I’ll do anything you ask.”
He pulled back and stood, wrapping his hands around my arms to tug me to my feet. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“Yes, please.”
We hurriedly retreated from the circle of dead wolves. I bent to retrieve my knife and tried to clean it as we went. “You killed two of them,” Miles marveled as we made our way back to the boat.
“You killed five,” I pointed out.
“Yes, but I’m an immortal being with inhuman strength, talons, and razor sharp teeth.”
“Point taken.” I turned the knife in my hand. “Yes, I suppose I did quite well. Up until, you know, the part where my throat was ripped out.”
Miles shuddered. “That was horrible.”
I went for a subject change. “Did you get me any food?”
He nodded. “Yes. Two rabbits. Then I had to-- you know-- save your life.”
“Ah.”
Keely was waiting at the boat when we arrived at the Iss-Noor. She gave my bloody shirt a long look, then peered at the lack of a mortal wound on my throat. “It would seem that you had quite the morning.”
I picked at my shirt, which was becoming very cold and uncomfortable. “Ah, yeah. You know.”
Her mouth twitched in the direction of a smile, but she managed to control it. “You need to get rid of that shirt. The blood will attract beasts.”
Miles shifted, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “You, um-- have another shirt, right?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes.”
Keely tsked. “Bad luck, arcane.”
Miles made an indignant sound. I burst out laughing.
I didn’t stop to process what had happened until I lay down to sleep that night. I remembered how the part that was me had fought; I’d been scared and rather self defensive, especially after meeting a pack of hungry wolves. But… Miles had been right, all those weeks ago. Working in tandem. I hadn’t enjoyed myself, but thinking back on it made me realize I didn’t have to be scared of what an arcane was.
Miles peered down at me from the bench. “Comfy?”
I smiled sleepily. “Getting there.” I shifted to the right and patted the space I’d left. “You can sit down here, you know.”
He came over and curled up beside me. I scooted closer until my shoulder touched his. Miles sighed and pressed his forehead to my hair. “I was worried you’d- I don’t know… feel different since I’d learned your name.”
“Of course I feel different. It’s like when you share a personal moment with someone and you come out of it trusting them more.”
“Oh. So it didn’t completely freak you out?”
“No. I didn’t have fun, but--” I shrugged. “It’s fine. And, honestly? Kind of cool. The whole two souls thing.”
He laughed softly. “I’m just glad you’re not warding me off with your knife.”
“Come on, Miles, I--” I loosed a breath, “--I love you, you idiot.”
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders. Being this close, it was almost like being the same person again. “I love you too, Maddie.”
Our body hurt. The pain centered on our neck, and we couldn’t breathe.
Retching blood, we reached for our dark magic and spun it into thread, sewing our wounds closed. We coughed black-red onto the leaves, and then we could breathe again. We sucked in huge, grateful gasps as blood flooded once again through our veins.
We sat up. Memory came rushing back, from two sets of eyes: running from Dusk Wolves and falling to the leaves. Flying back to the boat only to find it empty.
Emotion came next, and we wished it hadn’t. It was hard to stay whole with one-- one half-- it couldn’t--
I gasped air into my own lungs, my own arms wrapping around my chest. My front was soaked with blood, some of it a strange blackish red. Miles was nowhere to be seen, but--
I’m sorry, his voice whispered against my skull. I didn’t mean to scare you.
I rubbed two fingers against my forehead. “This is really weird,” I managed. “This is really freaking weird.”
I get that-- hold on--
Smoky darkness poured from my mouth and coalesced into Miles. He dropped to his knees where I sat and raised a hand, but he didn’t touch me. “You’re-- you’re okay now, right? It worked, didn’t it?”
I was still getting over having a split personality. “What? Oh--” I rubbed my neck. “Yeah, it did-- how--”
“Arcanes are much more powerful if we have a human host, remember?” Miles explained. “I couldn’t heal your…” he swallowed, paused for a second, then kept going “--so I asked for your name. We’d be stronger together and could heal the wound.”
I was silent, examining the odd, blackish blood on my shirt. I’d bled that. Or rather, we’d bled that. My mind chewed on the idea, and-- to my surprise-- it didn’t taste all that bad.
“Minnow-- Madeline, whatever-- I swear I only did that to save your life. I wouldn’t have--”
I tossed my arms around him and pressed my cheek to his shoulder. “Thank you,” I said. “And call me Maddie.”
Miles’s shoulders untensed. “Don’t ever, ever do that again,” he grumbled. “Or I will tie you to the boat and leave you at Keely’s mercy.”
I laughed into his shirt. “Oh, God, no. I’ll do anything you ask.”
He pulled back and stood, wrapping his hands around my arms to tug me to my feet. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“Yes, please.”
We hurriedly retreated from the circle of dead wolves. I bent to retrieve my knife and tried to clean it as we went. “You killed two of them,” Miles marveled as we made our way back to the boat.
“You killed five,” I pointed out.
“Yes, but I’m an immortal being with inhuman strength, talons, and razor sharp teeth.”
“Point taken.” I turned the knife in my hand. “Yes, I suppose I did quite well. Up until, you know, the part where my throat was ripped out.”
Miles shuddered. “That was horrible.”
I went for a subject change. “Did you get me any food?”
He nodded. “Yes. Two rabbits. Then I had to-- you know-- save your life.”
“Ah.”
Keely was waiting at the boat when we arrived at the Iss-Noor. She gave my bloody shirt a long look, then peered at the lack of a mortal wound on my throat. “It would seem that you had quite the morning.”
I picked at my shirt, which was becoming very cold and uncomfortable. “Ah, yeah. You know.”
Her mouth twitched in the direction of a smile, but she managed to control it. “You need to get rid of that shirt. The blood will attract beasts.”
Miles shifted, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “You, um-- have another shirt, right?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes.”
Keely tsked. “Bad luck, arcane.”
Miles made an indignant sound. I burst out laughing.
I didn’t stop to process what had happened until I lay down to sleep that night. I remembered how the part that was me had fought; I’d been scared and rather self defensive, especially after meeting a pack of hungry wolves. But… Miles had been right, all those weeks ago. Working in tandem. I hadn’t enjoyed myself, but thinking back on it made me realize I didn’t have to be scared of what an arcane was.
Miles peered down at me from the bench. “Comfy?”
I smiled sleepily. “Getting there.” I shifted to the right and patted the space I’d left. “You can sit down here, you know.”
He came over and curled up beside me. I scooted closer until my shoulder touched his. Miles sighed and pressed his forehead to my hair. “I was worried you’d- I don’t know… feel different since I’d learned your name.”
“Of course I feel different. It’s like when you share a personal moment with someone and you come out of it trusting them more.”
“Oh. So it didn’t completely freak you out?”
“No. I didn’t have fun, but--” I shrugged. “It’s fine. And, honestly? Kind of cool. The whole two souls thing.”
He laughed softly. “I’m just glad you’re not warding me off with your knife.”
“Come on, Miles, I--” I loosed a breath, “--I love you, you idiot.”
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders. Being this close, it was almost like being the same person again. “I love you too, Maddie.”
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