Song: "Lost" by David Arkenstone & Charlee Brooks

I don't know why I brought up Nell, Mother. It was eight years ago that he left me. Maybe it was because I was wondering what it'd have been like if I were normal. I'd have married him; I loved him then, and I still occasionally daydream about that kiss by the creek, beneath the eclipse. His smile and cheerful sarcasm are something I dearly miss. However, I have accepted that because of who I am, our love was not meant to be. Nell went on to be a doctor, helping people, and I cannot be helped.

❂❂❂

Micah held Light Spinner's unconscious form in his hands, grabbing a vial of moondust from his pocket. I have barely enough power. Let's hope this is enough to get home. He downed the vial, which tasted like sour grapes. Then he drew the mandala for a transportation spell, holding Light Spinner tight against him as the air whisked around him.

His cheek touched the pavement, and he groaned, clutching his injured arm. It was bound tightly with Light Spinner's petticoats, but it still hurt like mad, and he was disoriented from the trip back to Mystacor. It took all his strength to bring them back. That's it, Micah. No more magic today.

Light Spinner needs help. He gathered the energy to shout. "Hey! We're back!" Micah collapsed again as Norwyn rushed over to them, his long gray hair blowing in the warm breeze of Mystacor's summer air.

Norwyn picked Light Spinner up like a child. "Help me carry them to the steam grotto, Arvina."

The woman nodded. "Lean on me, Micah." He did as she asked, and they walked toward the hot springs, which seemed a million miles away.

Micah's brain slogged - she'd said something about expelling his teacher from the Guild. "Light Spinner saved me," he said weakly. "She saved everyone."

Arvina sighed. "Did she fight the terrorists?"

Micah nodded numbly. Arvina turned to the Head Sorcerer. "We must expel her, Norwyn. I know you're fond of her, but she has caused too great a commotion. She could have gotten Mystacor involved in the war."

Micah's eyes widened. "No - please, she worked so hard to join you guys -"

"It isn't for you to decide, young one," Arvina said, undressing him and laying him down in the pool. "Deep breaths - I'm going to remove the bullet."

Micah braced himself, then screamed as sharp pain wracked his arm. The hunk of metal was encased in the satyr's hands, but he didn't want to look at it. "I'll get a medic to bind up your wound more properly," she said. "In the meantime, stay here." Soon Arvina was gone, leaving Micah with Norwyn and Light Spinner.

The old satyr laid her on a medical bed beside the pool. Micah squinted to see what he was doing. He had her stripped down to her linens and was feeding her a glass of moondust. Her thin, chiseled features were solemn as she rested unconscious.

Norwyn sat down beside her and tucked a lock of her ebony hair behind her pointed ears on each side, his wrinkles prominent. "Oh, Alura...you have strayed over the line, my child. But there is one thing I must do for you. To protect you." He took her tall, slender form in his arms and let her slip into the water next to Micah.

The satyr knelt. "Micah, I love her greatly. You know this?"

Micah hugged his knees, listening to the soft rhythm of Light Spinner's breathing. He stared at the water. "She feels like you don't listen to her. She's cried about it before."

Norwyn's eyes grew cloudier, but Micah didn't feel bad for him. He wasn't a good parent, and he needed to own up to it. Micah sighed. "What are you going to do?"

Norwyn didn't take his eyes off of Micah. "I'm going to Bright Moon. Because Light Spinner got involved in the struggle against the Horde, I must make it clear that her actions do not represent Mystacor's position in the war." He inhaled. "She could have led the Horde to our kingdom, and then more lives would have been lost than those in Illuras that day. Take care of her - I will not be around to implement her punishment, but the Guild has been commanded not to expel her."

"Will I be attending the sentencing?" Micah asked.

He nodded. "You must. Without me there, you must protect her."

Micah's eyes widened. "Protect her from what?"

"From the other Guild members," Norwyn said. "You must."

"This isn't right," Micah said. "I'm thirteen - I shouldn't have to do this. You need to have better council members if they're willing to sentence her that harshly - "

He held up a hand. "You're thirteen. And yet you fought a dangerous battle in which you could have easily lost your life. Light Spinner put you in a situation you were not ready for."

"So you're going to do the same to me?" he cried. "What are they going to do to her if I don't protect her? Will she..." Micah swallowed. "Will she die?"

"No. But there are other humiliating things that might come about without me there to protect her." Norwyn sighed. "If she had just listened and hadn't thrown herself into a situation she wasn't prepared for, if she had just trusted in my love for her - "

As the satyr trailed off, overcome with grief for his daughter, Micah placed his good hand over his. "I'll take care of her, Master," he said. "I promise."

Norwyn squeezed it back. "Pass on my affection." He rose and left the room with a heavy gait. As he did, Emeth Arvina entered the room again, her hooves clopping as she bent down and bound up his arm.

"How is she?" she asked, looking over at Light Spinner.

"She's fine," Micah said. "I'll stay with her." He winced as she tied off his bandage.

Arvina sighed. "Her sentencing is tomorrow. Norwyn has commanded you to come, but he won't be there. You don't have to show up if you don't want to."

"I'm going to," Micah said firmly. He had to be brave, just like his teacher. There was no more room for running away. "I have to."

✧✧✧

Light Spinner woke up some time later, her head swimming. She rubbed her eyes, then flopped her hands down on top of her wet hair. I'm in bed. In the dark. And it's freezing cold.

Micah's arm was bound up, but he looked more chipper than she felt as he lay beside her. She closed her eyes and sniffled, more from the cold than anything else. "I really did that, didn't I? It wasn't just a dream?"

Micah held her hand gently, and that was the answer she needed. He was holding something back, and she considered demanding the information from him, but she was so relieved he was okay that she couldn't say anything without tears threatening to break loose. All she could do was hold out her arms, show him that she wanted him to hold her more than anything else in the world.

They embraced one another, and Micah shuddered. "Your sentencing is tomorrow. Norwyn...won't be there. But he told me that I have to join you there. I need to protect you."

She cupped his cheek in a hand, her eyes wide. Through the slur in her head, she bit down a growl. Norwyn's running away. Of course he is. Because he would actually have to defend me for once, and one can't have that. "You don't need to come, Micah. I can handle them myself."

"No, you can't," he said. "Norwyn said he won't put you in a situation he knows you're not ready for."

"I'm ready for them," she almost snarled; one had to be a fool to not know what was possible for her tomorrow. "They have nothing I can't handle."

Micah lowered his eyes. "I can't disobey him. His word overrules yours...as the Head Sorcerer. But he asked me to pass his affection to you."

Light Spinner couldn't smile. She shut her eyes, dreading the day she was sentenced. Whatever Norwyn had wanted to protect her from was far worse than expulsion. And she could not face it alone. 

❂❂❂

Did you know...

• I never intended for people to see Norwyn as a villain proper. His presence was meant to communicate the theme that even well-meaning parents can screw up their kids.

Tell me what you think...

• How will Light Spinner be punished?

• Should she have fought off the terrorists? Why or why not?