Page 76 of A Spark So Bright
Gunnar was a little speechless. He had no idea what to say to someone who had to be dead. There were no elves left. There hadn't been elves for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. There wasn't a chance that this person was real, but he knew he wasn't using his magic to lift that elf's hand and wave at himself.
"Rhydian," the man said, pressing his hand to his chest. "A pleasure to meet you, Gunnar. I have heard much about you.”
He thought he might have made some kind of sound. A scoff, or a snort, something unbefitting of a troll meeting his literal maker.
Eyes wide, he looked to see Rose was staring up at him with a pleased expression. Something in that look grounded him. This was strange. Impossible, even. But she was here in it with him, so he hadn't lost his mind and it wasn't a hallucination from the poison.
Still, he couldn't stop himself from leaning a little closer to her and whispering, "So he's actually there?"
"I'm still getting used to it myself."
"Hm." He took a deep breath, testing to see if his lungs were still working the right way before nodding. "All right. We go then. Rhydian, you had concerns?"
"There are many of the black sunder above you. I can hear their clicking, but I can also look at them if you'd like." Rhydian flexed his hands. "I was able to touch the bulb, but I am uncertain that I will be able to do so again. It was strange to be able to feel something again."
"Outside of the realm in my head," Rose corrected.
The elf nodded. "Yes, well, that was an odd circumstance. You were not quite ready to see dead people around you, and so you created a place in your own mind where it was safe to see me. Disassociation at its finest, I suspect. Or perhaps a realm between realms where souls linger."
This was all so far beyond Gunnar's understanding. He did not know what it would take to conjure an elf into this place, but apparently that was something Rose was capable of. And now that they were bound...
Oh shit.
He looked down at his shoulder and then at her hand. "You bound us together."
"Yes, the troll crone did say that." Rose lifted her palm so he could see the bright red streak of blood. "It doesn't hurt."
"I'm sure it doesn't, but you bound us. Do you understand what that means?" He stared at her, hopeless. This was worse than the bridal games. It was worse than any other situation they could have found themselves in.
Rose blinked up at him. "I have spoken with both Astrid and Maia, you know. I know what it means."
His brain sort of stopped working for a bit there. All he could think was that she understood what she had done, but she couldn't understand what she had done. If she had, she wouldn't have done it. Binding was more than just a friendship, like they had. And yes, she had kissed him, though he hadn’t planned to push her further than that.
But a binding required more than just kissing. More than just touching, even. It was a soul deep need that grew deeper and deeper with each passing moment. It wasn't something that could... could…
"Does that sound like a good plan to you?" Rose asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He had no idea what she had been talking about. He'd been so focused on the binding that whatever plan they had already conjured up together was not one he had heard.
"Say it again," he said gruffly, ignoring the look on the elf's face, which was far too amused for his liking.
"Rhydian will head out before us and he will make sure that there aren't any black sunder above our heads. If there are, then we will know it and be able to prepare accordingly. I will toss this bulb out into the main chamber and we'll have to hurry to get to it before they start rushing us. Which they could at any point." She planted her hands on her hips and looked him over. "Can you do all that?"
"I have been in worse conditions in far more dangerous situations. I will follow if you lead." Even though it grated on him to even say that.
"Rhydian says he knows the way out of the cave, so he can guide us."
The elf in question stepped forward, clearing his throat. "He can see me, Rose."
She blushed a deep, dark red. "Sorry, I forgot."
This time it was the elf who spoke directly to Gunnar, and that was still very strange to be addressing the same creature who had once breathed life into Gunnar's kind. Who knew, Rhydian himself might have been the one to make Gunnar's line.
"I already have a few guesses on which direction to go. But I will rush ahead of you. There are few perks to being dead, and this is one of them. I am not limited to the same paths you are, as I can walk through the stone. I will find you a safe place where these creatures cannot follow you, and then we will consider how to get you out of this place."
"Good enough. I'm not going to refuse a gift simply because of what you are." Gunnar moved to a crouch, his limbs so slow and sluggish it was hard to think around them. "Let's go before I collapse again."
Rose threw the lantern. Likely a little sooner than any of them were ready for, but she did it and off they all had to go. Gunnar lumbered after her, lurching forward as he forced his legs to move. He could hear the sound of the black sunder churning forward. A sea of black carapaces already heading for them, but they still paused at the edge of the light.
