36. No Reason

[ELARA]

“Magnus!” I call out his name without another thought, catching him mid-turn.

Was he trying to run away from me? Avoid me once again and pretend he didn’t see me?

I can’t tolerate any more of this. It’s suffocating and beyond annoying.

With quick strides, I reach him. Alistair is behind him, of course, like a shadow.

“Elara,” he mumbles, his voice coarse. It has been this way since he gained consciousness. His eyes stare intently into mine. His gaze combined with the way he sounds, make me aware of the air touching my arms. “What happened?”

“I need to talk to you,” I tell him, my voice faltering as I suddenly realize that this is a bad idea. How do I approach this?

‘Silly, why do you even care?’ Lila taunts me.

“I’m occupied right now. The King will arrive shortly. His ship is in view at the coast. I think whatever you have to say can wait,” he responds dismissively.

Although he stands firmly, I can see that it's not effortless. Goddess knows what he’s going throug