You are not welcome.
Veleria saw them again, the cosmic dragon Orthenheim. Not just them, but Caellach too. They stood together.
Leave, traveler from beyond the stars.
She did not know whose voice she heard. Only, before her Caellach took her hands in his. The dragon lowered their wings around them both.
“No,” said Caellach and Orthenheim in tandem. “I will have my vengeance.”
It was just her and Caellach now. No longer did he appear in his sunlit room, but a dark expanse instead, lit by numerous floating lights that led up to where she and Caellach stood.
“Phosryn has noticed us.” Caellach told her, gently letting Veleria go.
“The Arbiter?”
“He is the reason we could not speak. That curse, tainted by him, buried into your spine and briefly severed our connection, Veleria.”
Veleria knit her brows.
“How was he able to do that?” She asked.
“You still deny our merging. We are yet vulnerable.” He went silent momentarily before continuing. “We should exercise more caution.”
* * *
In the days they spent waiting, Veleria practiced her magics. She entertained the children on multiple occasions, but mostly focused on simple control, and speaking with Caellach through their shared space within her mind.
Once an avian familiar found her, although Veleria was somewhat hesitant to speak with the lich. She was short with him, and told him that she would send word through Meredith once she had arrived in Almor.
For his part, Adrian was resilient. He was thin but recovering steadily, and usually spent his time drinking with the locals in Marty’s tavern. One night, after a few rounds, he walked back up to his shared room with Veleria to find the woman reading unrolled parchment.
“Hey,” he greeted her. “You’ve gotten better at reading, huh?”
“Wren and Caed helped me a lot,” replied Veleria. She did not see the man make a face when the sorcerer was mentioned.
He removed his shirt before walking over to her, although Adrian grimaced slightly when he did. Each finger that Corvus had taken a nail from had their nail beds again, but the actual keratin was still regrowing. Simple actions with his hands were often painful. He held out his arm towards her.
“Can we talk?” He asked her.
With a small smile, Veleria rolled up the parchment in her hands and set it aside. She gingerly took his elbow and let him lead her to his bed. They sat beside one another.
“What happened with Alessa is still…Well, it wasn’t what I expected.” Adrian opened honestly. “That fire…I mean, you literally melted metal. You took off half her face. Hell, the fact that Vos’iin didn’t even notice me sneak up behind him despite barely being able to walk should tell you how much of a threat they saw you as.”
“That…The face part…It wasn’t intentional. Caellach did that.” Veleria put her hand over her chest. “I wanted to get out of there without harming anyone.”
“You can’t get held up on morality when you face sorcerers. Or psychopaths, for that matter. Did that elf harm you?”
“A minor amount. I’m sure he intended to commit to far worse.” Veleria shrugged. “I’ve learned a lot since we parted ways. I can’t…I can’t do what Caellach can, but—“
“You refer to an individual I don’t know,” Adrian stopped her.
Veleria stared at him. She looked away briefly, then sighed.
“Caellach is the one that resurrected me. It’s like…We share my body.” She held her arms, causing Adrian to drape one of his around her shoulders. “It’s a bit complicated.”
“Complicated is right,” said Adrian with a chuckle. “You don’t have to tell me everything. I just got a little scared when you faced off with Alessa, you know? In just a few months you went from needing protection to somehow…Not, although I wouldn’t know what to call you now. Witch? Sorceress?”
“I don’t think either of those titles applies to me,” Veleria met his gaze. “Too hard to explain, I think.”
Adrian leaned back into his elbows. He looked down at himself, noting the numerous scars that now pocked his chest, plus the noticeable bandage beneath his pants where Corvus had stabbed him.
“Whatever you are now,” Adrian smiled at her. “I’m glad you’re with me.”