Violet had forgotten what being alone felt like. For over a year now, sheâd always had someone else there. Even when Tairn was blocked off, she still felt him. Even when Andarna was sleeping, there was still that comforting heartbeat of her younger dragon in the background. If it wasnât them, it was Xaden.
Xaden. Violet couldnât let herself think of him in this moment. She had been painfully aware of exactly what had been in front of her before she had been dropped into this place. Maybe this was the afterlife. Maybe this was where your soul went when you were killed.
She had been one to hope that she would see her other loved ones when that time came. That her mother would be here waiting, that Liam would be beyond, maybe standing by her father. But no, it was just a forest, a dense forest and the sounds of nature rose up around her and--
No Tairn. No Andarna. No Xaden. No Sgaeyl.
Violet still had all of the aches and pains of the battle, of trying to power the wardstone, and of the emotional loss of her mother. She was bruised and bloodied and exhausted, which might have explained not feeling them, if all of this didnât just feel off. Like the worst kind of nightmare to find out your lover (that term was still a weird one to Violet) was venin and shit was⌠fucked, to be perfectly honest.
But she wasnât dead, and that was how she shouldâve been if Tairn was dead. So she would have known that, right? Would have felt that. And if Xaden had killed her-- well, heâd probably be dead too, according to their theories. It was a vicious cycle and one that Violet wasnât ready to think about and yet she couldnât really think about anything else. Xaden, venin. What did that mean for her? What did that mean for Sgaeyl? And if something happened to Sgaeyl, what did that mean for Tairn? Violet didnât have any answers, she just had questions, and pain.
She just wanted to keep laying there, in the forest, feeling sorry for herself.
Now she really knew Tairn wasnât here. Violet sat up and grumbled to herself in a deep tone, âLaying there wonât fix anything, Silver One.â It was a poor attempt to sound like Tairn and didnât make herself feel any better, but it did make her finally look around. Really look around.
None of this was familiar. Violet didnât even think they had forests this lush and full of life, but where else could she have been? Now she was lost, and dragon-less and- oh shit. Footsteps.
They were the footsteps of someone who clearly knew how to make themselves silent, but was walking with purpose, and that made Violet nervous. She couldnât feel her magic channeling - though at this point that could have just been sheer exhaustion from the battle, she wasnât sure - but she still had some throwing knives strapped to her body. Two left on her chest, one on her thigh.
Violet waited. She waited and she stared and then when she saw the leaf crunch under a boot, the dagger released with lightning speed. She would not die today.