He had never seen Alys in so much pain before. Had hoped to never see her so wounded and torn by grief, and it ripped a hole in his chest that not even Frey's Ring could heal while his partner shivered against his chest, cracked through until her heart bled out beneath the Deepfrost sky in waves of pain that he was helpless to staunch.
He didn't even know what was wrong--
And then she moved against him, pushing him away, back, and he reluctantly loosened his grip until he realized she needed to look at him. Needed to see his face and he looked down into hers with eyes that had already widened with surprise and fear at her mention of the Void. Was she infected? Had the Family tried to take her the way they'd taken Soh?
Sascha.
Three heartbeats passed in the space of three hours. Three months. Three years. Tal stared down at his partner, uncomprehending at first. Unable to wrap his mind around the enormity of her words. Sascha, the little bear who was as much a part of their lives as Boreal, inextricable and intertwined with both their hearts, was far too small to have found herself in danger. No threat to anyone, no reason for anything of the Void to target her, no possibly way that she could be gone--
A human mind could refuse to believe the truth of the world, but a dragon's mind was much simpler. Much clearer. Boreal picked the images from her human's thoughts, the meaning of Alys's words transmuted into emotions that she could understand, and the dragon grew very still against the woman's side.
And then she tipped back her head, a keening howl of purest heartbreak rising from her throat to fill the air with the wailing ululation of a lost soul. Her shadow. The little sister of her heart. The pup cub that she had helped to raise was dead.
And their family would never be the same again.
It was Boreal's grief that brought home the reality of Alys's words to Tal. The courier's eyes, still disbelieving, filled with unbidden tears that spilled over, streaking down his cheeks as he crumpled over his partner, pulling her in close again as he drew in a shuddering breath that came out in a strangled sob. "Alys. Alys. Gods. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."
He didn't even know what was wrong--
And then she moved against him, pushing him away, back, and he reluctantly loosened his grip until he realized she needed to look at him. Needed to see his face and he looked down into hers with eyes that had already widened with surprise and fear at her mention of the Void. Was she infected? Had the Family tried to take her the way they'd taken Soh?
Sascha.
Three heartbeats passed in the space of three hours. Three months. Three years. Tal stared down at his partner, uncomprehending at first. Unable to wrap his mind around the enormity of her words. Sascha, the little bear who was as much a part of their lives as Boreal, inextricable and intertwined with both their hearts, was far too small to have found herself in danger. No threat to anyone, no reason for anything of the Void to target her, no possibly way that she could be gone--
A human mind could refuse to believe the truth of the world, but a dragon's mind was much simpler. Much clearer. Boreal picked the images from her human's thoughts, the meaning of Alys's words transmuted into emotions that she could understand, and the dragon grew very still against the woman's side.
And then she tipped back her head, a keening howl of purest heartbreak rising from her throat to fill the air with the wailing ululation of a lost soul. Her shadow. The little sister of her heart. The pup cub that she had helped to raise was dead.
And their family would never be the same again.
It was Boreal's grief that brought home the reality of Alys's words to Tal. The courier's eyes, still disbelieving, filled with unbidden tears that spilled over, streaking down his cheeks as he crumpled over his partner, pulling her in close again as he drew in a shuddering breath that came out in a strangled sob. "Alys. Alys. Gods. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry..."
