Page 156 of A Song of Air
The black reflection changed. The surface of the mirror rippled and changed, distorted. They couldn’t see anything on the other side, but a bright light shone through the relic and enveloped them in its embrace. Bryson looked up one last time at the eldest Prince of Unseelie and found him smiling. Not angrily, mischievously. But genuinely. And she smiled back at him, right before the light sucked both her and Weylyn inside.
Out of Unseelie.
And back to the humanlands.
Time to Live
Their feet touchedthe ground on the humanlands. Daylight shone brightly. Birds chirped. And Bryson, after weeks of what felt like being trapped beneath a drowning surface, was finally able to breathe.
Above her, a hawk screeched, and she reached out for that connection to her familiar. Her familiar’s mind was tumultuous like a storm, but the moment Bryson touched it with her own, the hawk settled.
“You’re back.”
“I will always come back to you,” Bryson whispered.
The hawk cried out and Bryson cast her gaze around. They’d landed in the middle of the rebel camp. Their sudden appearance garnered attention, and one by one, people came out of their tents, gasping, calling out to her.
Tears pricked her eyes. She thought she’d never see them again. Even now, the steady burn of the brand on her hand pulsed with a threatening reminder of a promise unfulfilled.
She hid that hand beneath Weylyn’s so they couldn’t see the mark, and he held her tightly.
Arlo and Everette appeared. And so did the Resistance. Her magic immediately reached out for the Elementals as they approached, eyes wide as they took her in. With the lenses on her face, she could see them clearly and make out details that had been lost to her before.
Like the scars on the water elemental’s hands and bent fingers. The golden hair and bright eyes.
There were absolutely no familial features she shared with Weylyn at all, as he favored his mother, but now that she knew the truth, something in her warmed towards the other female. Bryson resisted the urge to run to her and wrap her arms around her.
“Bryce.” Malika pushed her way forward. Her gaze went down to the hand Weylyn clasped against hers and then back up to the lenses on her face. “You’re here. You’re back. How?”
“It’s a bit of a long story...”
“Bryce!”
Bryson turned and watched as Everette pushed his way through the crowd to reach her.
“Bryce!”
