Keanu
I stopped next to a massive oak, pressing my palm against the bark. The tree was ancient. It had probably been here when dragons still flew openly and the world hadn’t yet decided to hunt the things it couldn’t control.
I stared out at the dense forest stretching ahead of me, endless, green, full of hiding places that a woman who controlled the elements itself could disappear into forever.
“Or is there another reason you’re hiding?” My voice was quieter now. The anger spent. What replaced it was the thing I’d been avoiding since I woke up alone on that moss with her warmth still on my skin and her absence already carved into my chest. “Am I not who you want?”
The question hung in the air. I felt it leave my mouth and wished I could grab it and shove it back in.
“I know I’m inexp
