“I’m sorry I couldn’t help more,” he spoke quietly.

I turned to fully face him and knocked him gently on the uninjured portion of his head. “You literally carved the hole I escaped from. I’m pretty sure you couldn’t have done more to help.” Gods, it hurt my heart to see Soren so resigned. Over the past hundred years I’d gotten to know Soren very well, and never once in the cacophony of behaviors and actions from him had he been like this. Silent, frustrated, in pain that wasn’t just physical. I placed my hand over his heart, letting it glow for a minute like I’d done on his face, but nothing happened.

“I don’t think you fix this type of feeling that way,” Soren said, offering a smile.

“It’ll pass, Soren. I promise it will.” The others began their trek back into the ice and mist. “Let’s go,” I said.

Soren made a few uneasy steps forward until he found his center of balance once more and then continued behind me toward the line of single-file travelers that we created. When rejoining, I noticed Rose offering his help to Soren once more, but Soren shook his head, prepared to walk alone. And he did, and though his step was a bit heavy and lumbering, he managed to keep himself on his own two feet.

“He’ll be fine,” Lydian said. “He’s stronger than his insecurities.”

I nearly jumped from the unexpected voice at my side. “No one asked you. No one wants your opinion on anything other than how to get from here to wherever we need to go. You don’t get to judge any of us or act friendly like nothing ever happened.”

“You did ask me a question though, about the stag. And I’m assuming I’m the only one who can answer it, unless someone else here has been cursed with infinite, insanity-driven knowledge that they have a smidge more control of now.” Gods, the cockiness in his voice made me want to strike him. The thing that got me was how much he sounded like Soren when he was trying to annoy me. I quickly swallowed the bile that came up with the thought of Soren and Lydian having anything to do with each other.

“So, answer me, then. Stop messing around with my emotions and stop trying to get me to go into a rage.”