The Gembound: The Price of Keeping Chapter 118: Volume 5: Chapter 108 – The Sending and the Spark

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Volume 5: Chapter 108 – The Sending and the Spark Night fell quickly in the mountains surrounding Eldania. The air was sharp enough to bite at exposed skin, and torchlight flickered along the walls as Yara, Harry, Renn, Rosa, Bruno, Sera, Thrain, and Weaver’s Small Voices gathered at the northern gate. The Small Voices came first. Twelve animals stepped into neat lines. Ravens perched on the shoulders of dwarves and soldiers. Foxes padded silently at their feet. Rats curled into satchels or climbed onto belts. The mountain goat moved to the front, its horns shining like etched stone. Weaver spoke through the ravens, voice layered and soft. We hear. We follow. We are ready. Gayle approached each animal with a bowl of clear oil. He touched a finger to each forehead. “Endurance,” he said. “Sight. Truth. Return.” The ravens blinked as if receiving a hidden command. The foxes shook their fur once, ready. Rosa approached next. She carried two heavy packs. Her hands glowed with a steady ember-heat from her Enhancement, and steam rose from her breath in the cold. “Food,” she said. “Real food. Dried meat, oatcakes, cliff nuts, pickled vegetables, cold cheese, and a small loaf of sweet bread for each of you.” She handed Sera an extra wrapped bundle. “That one is for the goat.” The goat bleated once, firmly. Thrain accepted his pack. "Thank you, Rosa." She gave him a sharp nod. "If you die, I will be very offended. And I will find a way to tell you so." Despite the cold and the danger ahead, Thrain actually smiled. Sera tied her pack and secured her axe. “We will be shadows before dawn.” Eliza’s absence was felt but not spoken. The circle mirror sent her voice earlier that afternoon. She had promised to maintain Aramore’s stability while they marched. Yara stepped forward and touched both dwarves on the shoulders. “Two days to reach the foothills. Two months of infiltration if the paths are open. If anything turns against you, retreat. Do not take unnecessary risks.” Thrain nodded. “We understand.” Sera glanced at the Small Voices gathering behind them. “With these eyes, the mountain will not hide long.” Yara exhaled. “Go.” The gate opened with a heavy grind of stone on stone. Cold air rushed inside like a warning. Thrain, Sera, and the animals stepped into the night. The ravens took flight. The foxes melted into shadows. The rats slipped along the rock walls. The goat moved with surprising quiet, a creature born for cliffs and hidden passes. Weaver’s voice drifted back to Yara through the network of minds. They walk. I watch. I listen. I thread through stone. Harry stood beside Yara, gaze fixed on the mountains. The shard in his chest pulsed so brightly it almost illuminated his silhouette. “They need to hurry,” he said. Yara nodded. “They will,” she replied. Then the gate closed, leaving the night outside and their worry inside. The night after Thrain and Sera departed arrived cold, as mountain nights always did. Eldania sat high enough and deep enough in the northern peaks that spring came late and left early. A sharp wind cut across the inner courtyard, carrying dust and thin snowflakes that melted the moment they touched stone. Harry sat against the far wall with Sam standing guard beside him. His claws shook slightly every few breaths. The shard beneath his ribs pulsed with an uneven, almost violent rhythm. Every time his chest rose, light spilled through the seams of his scales, bright enough to cast moving patterns on the ground. Yara approached him with Renn and Rosa at her sides. Gayle hovered nearby, his lantern held high. Harry lifted his head. His eyes glowed a bit too bright. “It hurts a little more today.” Renn knelt to check his pulse. The cleric’s face tightened. “It is not slowing down anymore. The fragments inside you are accelerating. They are feeding on nothing; they are not getting enough from your Enhanced. That is the problem.” The Gem stirred inside Yara, pleased and hungry. He is starving. Feed him power, and he