Chapter 48: The Last Goodbye

“It is so beautiful here,” Skylar muttered, slipping his arm around Illyra’s shoulders as they walked along a forest path.

Rowan ran ahead picking flowers and talking to the squirrels and birds that followed her around. She didn’t seem to understand the heaviness that hung between Skylar and Illyra, but she felt it.

“And tomorrow you’ll be leaving again, now that Theros has backed off,” Illyra whispered.

Skylar sighed and nodded. “That’s the reality of it,” he said.

“Sky, I can’t thank you enough for protecting my kingdom and my people,” Illyra said softly.

“I’m happy to help, but you know it can’t happen again. Theros was right about that…”

It pained him to say, but Skylar knew that if he joined military forces with Illyra again, Theros would have a lot to say about imbalances in power. She needed to focus on rebuilding her own defenses.

“I’ve already got Hunter recruiting a small military force. We’ll keep growing from there,” Illyra assured with a nod.