"It's a start," I whisper, frowning. "Yo, magic torches, you were supposed to take me to him."
None of them flicker abnormally.
"Witch."
I turn at the hesitant voice of my squire.
"You're alive!" I exclaim. Depositing the cats, I race to him and throw my arms around him, grateful the kid is okay.
"Ahhhh," he says, wriggling free, a look of embarrassment and bafflement on his features.
Note to self: don't hug your squire.
"What happened?" I demand. "Do you remember?"
"Aye. I was falling and then I stopped in the air." His eyes bug as he speaks. "I could not move for half a candlemark. And then, suddenly, I could. I landed there." He points to the corner of the foyer. "The fog disappeared and the sun came out."
I'm analyzing his words, torn between hope the Shadow Knight survived and despair I'm too late. "Was anyone with you?" I venture fearfully.
"Aye. The son of the Desert Knight."
"The Red Knight?"
He shakes his head, and I experience the sense once more that I shouldn't have helped the man driven to find LF.
Then again, after the emotional turmoil of my adventure, she deserves to have the shit scared out of her by a fully armed knight showing up at her door.
"Anyone else?" I prod.
The squire starts to smile and nods. Pointing, his ears grow red.
"Watch my cats, okay?"
His eyebrows go up.
I don't have time to explain. Every cell in my body needs to know if I succeeded in saving Atreyu. I leave the foyer and blink in the sunshine, spotting the large, muscular frame of the man I'm looking for. He's paused halfway down the short bridge leading to the city.
Thank god! I race after him, heart in my throat, and slow before reaching him, enamored by the sight of him.
His face is turned towards the sky, his eyes closed as he absorbs direct sunlight for the first time in his life. A thousand years and he's the first Shadow Knight to see the blue skies.
Tears stream down my cheeks and I cover my face with my hands, unable to stand the thought I helped him reach this moment. It makes me want to scream or explode from happiness. My blood roars with need, but it's pride that makes me almost giddy. "You got your blue sky," I whisper, choking up.
"Aye." He holds out an arm without turning. "Come, witch."
I circle him and fling myself into his arms, breathing in the scent of brownies and grass, of sunshine and destiny. I squeeze him as hard as I can to reassure myself that he's real. His arms circle me and he hauls me into his hard frame.