Elise confronted Bryn with panicked, desperate eyes at first light. He had known he would have to face this conversation sooner rather than later, though he did not want to have it. Saying the words he would have to say aloud made them too real.
He had considered reloading to the previous save, but what would be the point? The outcome would surely be the same. Hail had chosen her path and would not emerge for him. She had chosen the Dark, and in doing so, had chosen all that would happen to her as a result. He could not endlessly protect her from the consequences of her choices. He could not force her into the light if she chose the shadows.
“She does not want to be found, Elise.”
“I don’t believe that. She screamed when the thing took her.”
Bryn leaned down and put his hands on either side of Elise’s face, cradling her in a way which made her blush. He needed her full attention, and her absolute obedience.
“Elise, you must never speak of that to any of the lyrakin, whelps especially. To the rest of the den, Hail left yesterday and set out on a grand adventure. That is what we will let them believe.”
“But that is a lie!”
“Do you think the children of war would be better served with the image of Hail being dragged into the shadow realm by a demon?”
“Is that what happened?” Elise gasped.
“You know that’s what happened, lass. You saw it with your own eyes, and you had a lucky escape yourself, to be sure.”
Elise’s pretty eyes welled with tears. “But the thing will kill her, won’t it? What was it? A spirit? I tried to tell her that she shouldn’t light that fire. I told her to…” She collapsed into tears against Bryn’s chest.
He could do nothing more than hold her as she wept.
“She never got to have even a single adventure," she cried. “The monster thing took her before we’d even left the mountain really. Why did you let her go? Why did you cast her out?”
“Because she was intent on drawing evil into our lives, and my purpose is to turn back evil whenever it may come.”
“There are many grown lyrakin now. You could leave the whelps in their care and go and reclaim her. You can’t leave her to that thing. You can’t!” Her wailing cries echoed the ones of his own conscience.
“We cannot control everything that happens to others, Elise. People make their choices, and must handle the consequences. I have saved Hail from many of her poor decisions. But she always knew her own mind.”
“Did she anger you so much you love her no longer?”
“Love does not always mean being able to save someone. It means allowing them the freedom of their own choices…”
“Even when those choices are to be snatched up by a demon?”
“In this case, yes.”
Elise’s face grew pink with anger. She had obviously expected Bryn to make this better, as he seemed to make all things better. But there were limits, and Hail’s entire existence had been devoted to finding them. He remained stoic in the face of Elise’s growing outrage.
“I can’t believe this. I won’t believe this. I am going to find her myself, you see if I don’t!”
“You would do well to seek your own happiness rather than chasing after her pain. You are beautiful, you are well-tempered, and you are of a caring disposition. There are many who would wish to wed you, Elise. You could live a charmed life with a family of your own. Or you can destroy all chance of happiness by breaking yourself on Hail’s wheel of torment.”
“Get married,” Elise laughed. “That’s always the answer, isn’t it, Bryn. You like us married off as soon as we are of age so we are no longer your problem.”
“I like to see you all happy, and happiness comes from a loving, stable life.”
“You have an answer for everything, don’t you!” Elise huffed, quite furious.
Bryn knew it was easier to be angry than to be sad, and that Elise would no doubt be angry at him for quite some time. But he also knew she was a good girl, and after seeing what she had seen, there was less than no chance she’d be leaving New Rahvin anytime soon, if ever again.
She left in that temper. Bryn let her go. There would be no saving Hail today. There would never be any saving Hail. He had lost her, and that loss would echo inside him for many years to come.
Eight
Unleashed
“What are you DOING!?” The Dark thundered the question quite furiously. One of his most vicious and nasty beasts of the shadow realm, a creature the size of a wolf, with the teeth of a wolf, the eyes of a spider, and the temper of a stabbed hyena was rolling around on its back with its tentacles flailing in a way that could only be described as jolly.