Conjured Lovers

There was nothing there, she couldn’t even focus enough to reach that deep well inside her let alone wield it. Hazel was actually trembling, she was struggling so hard. But what could she do alone if she had to face him again? When you have to face him again, that tiny voice whispered slyly. But she knew it was the truth. That voice was right.

The next harvest moon was only days away and that meant that Eidolon would be coming after her again. He would have to because for him to live, it meant she would have to die.

The other reason for her sorrow suddenly shot to the forefront of her mind even through she had desperately been trying to keep it at bay. She still didn’t know what would happen to her two warriors one the harvest moon rose. Would they perish as well, like Eidolon was supposed to?

The thought tore her heart to pieces and finally, finally the tears came. Streaming one by one big fat tears of sadness that rolled slow and salty down her reddened cheeks.

“Hazel? Hazel, what’s wrong?” They were there in an instant, two pairs of strong arms wrapped around her, offering her comfort where non was to be had. Because the truth was, she didn’t think she could stand to be without them. These sweet warriors that had fallen into her life, that had chased away her loneliness and changed her so inextricably.

Finally, Jayce pulled back, framing her tear stained face with his big hands. He stared, golden eyed into violet.

“Hazel, what’s wrong? Tell us.”

“Please, little witch, you’re breaking my heart.” Nika whisper softly into her ear from the other side and se couldn’t answer. She could only hold them close, unable or simply unwilling to five voice to the terrible thoughts charging like bulls through her fraught mind.

“You can read my mind, can’t you?” She sniffled softly against Nika’s shoulder, “You can read my thoughts. Don’t make me say it out loud.”

Hazel sniffed softly again, and the two men just continued to hold her tightly, silent for a long moment. Finally, Jayce spoke.

“I can tell that you are angry, and frightened, and so full of heartbreak that makes me wasn’t to cry myself.”

Hazel peeked up at him through a curtain of damp lashes to see if he was joking, but his expression was deadly serious, the look in his golden eyes at sorrowful as she felt.

“But it means a lot more when you tell us,” he said, and she knew he meant if, just as he knew how hard it would be for her to put into words the shear terror she felt at the thought of losing them. But for them, she would try.

“I was just so wrong. So wrong about everything,” She finally whispered, searching for the right words to describe just how massively she had failed, and they hadn’t even really faced the boss level yet. Not really, anyways. She was pretty sure it didn’t count if the bad guy just left before the fight was over.

“Boss level?” Nika finally asked after she had been silent too long, his head tipped to the side in confusion as he tried to understand the video game reference. Hazel pushed him lightly, not moving him an inch as she gave a watery chuckle.

“It means more when I tell you, huh?” and both men gave a soft laugh in return. Nika just shook his head, and they stood there, not once letting go of her.

Jayce stared at Hazel, still wrapped tightly between him and Nika. How she could still laugh when he knew how terribly sad she really was he would never understand. It was one more thing that her the amazing person that she was. And the most amazing part was that she didn’t even realize it. Because the truth was, he really could feel every ounce of her sorrow, and it felt like her whole world was ending. He held her even closer, letting the last of her tears souk into the rust colored cotton of his shirt, and at the same time looked over her head at Nika.

The two warriors shared the same look, the same thoughts even though neither would speak them out loud. He didn’t ease his grasp on her as Hazel started talking again, whispering against his chest all the terrible fears and doubts, how she knew she wasn’t strong enough, how foolish she had been to reach for what wasn’t meant to be hers in the first place.

When she went silent again, he pulled back just a little, just enough to see the pale curve of her cheek and the top of her auburn colored hair. It was another moment before she continued.