“We’re staying all night!” Silene remarks with glee, dragging Fionn to dance with her. Laurel grabs two cups of faerie wine for us, and we nurse them slowly while watching the dancing, the alcohol making me feel lighter. When a song I know from Velmara starts, I drag Laurel to the dance floor with me, and we wow the other revelers with a display of magic while we perform the steps of the sophisticated dance. By the end, Laurel’s cheeks are flushed and she’s grinning wide, unbridled joy on her face.

The music switches to a somber and sultry ballad, and I sweep Laurel up in my arms and spin her around. The people around us pair up, and soon we’re surrounded by couples swaying to the music. Laurel looks up at me, full lips pink and cheeks rosy. She’s breathtaking, and I lower her into a dip, taking her by surprise. It reminds me of the first time we danced, at the Welcome Ball. Just as they did then, my eyes hungrily take her in. She laughs as I pull her up to my chest, and just as I’m about to drag her away to a dark corner to ravish her luscious body, there’s a loud and violent explosion across the meadow.

Hawthorne

The witch and the light bringer were each the half of a powerful whole—the witch’s raw power a question, the light bringer the answer. Without the shared burden of a bond, the power would have corrupted the witch’s mind, making her go insane, as so many others before her. But with her light bringer by her side, she saved the realm from the beasts above.

Unknown Story, Unknown Origin

Screams and moans fill the Valley of Moormyr after the explosion. I push Laurel behind me amidst the chaos, angling our bodies away from the sight of the explosion and wrapping a shield of light around us both. Eyes trained to the opposite side of the valley where people run from, both Laurel and I miss the bomb that detonates right by the dancing area. We’re knocked to the ground, and only my light shield protects us from flying debris. More shrieks pierce my ears as I try to make sense of my surroundings, never taking my hand from Laurel’s.

I light up the meadow with magical orbs to help us see the attackers—and the damage.