Wild Magick He knew it only took seconds but it could have been days. He felt like he was falling into the night sky until he suddenly hit the wall of agony. His body jerked, wanting to sever the tie to her, stop the pain, but he couldn't allow that. It was like being struck by lightning and drowning at the same time. He would save her. He knew he had no chance of living through this but he couldn't let her die. The bond they shared could only be severed by death. He was not going to allow it to be her death no matter how selfish that made him. He knew this war might be the end and he had been proved right. The nausea hit him hard and for a moment he lost concentration. His hands lost contact and the intense burning began. The wild magic would eat him from the inside out. He pushed his hands back to the skin of her chest to reconnect the flow. She was still unconscious, she would probably stay that way for days. He had never seen wild magic poisoning this serious but he had never met another Magick as strong as she was either. The stronger the Magick the stronger her bonds to nature. Her magick was so strong and pure some thought she was able to wrangle pure wild magick but he knew the truth. He had listened to the prophesies, he had spent his entire #life with her, he loved her more than #life itself. He knew the truth. He knew she had to live. He had to siphon off the wild magick before it did permanent damage. Her arms would be bruised for weeks if not months. She wouldn't be able to cast. She would want to die. He only cared about her #life, the rest could be dealt with. The pain was intense, he knew blacking out would happen soon. He felt her breathing get stronger, and through the pain he felt relief. The magick flowing into his body was wreaking havoc, fireworks were going off in his head, he felt the grass grow, the trees shed leaves, the magma flow beneath the skin of the land, lightning crash down from the heavens, fire glorifying in destruction, rivers weathering away rock, wind uprooting entire forests. Then suddenly he felt nothing. He knew this must be death. The wild magick had eaten him like it had so many before him. He only had one regret.

Roots From My Feet I stood at the top of the hill and scanned the fields below. This is the land of sun and dreams. I belong here in this eternal tranquility. I am ill fitted for the city #life where the fields are a thing from stories and yards are minuscule. I grew up playing in the woods, running through fields, digging in the earth. This is my habitat, my long lost love. You can put me in a pretty dress and curl my hair but I will always have dirt under my nails. You can pull me from my garden but you can't pull the roots from my feet. You can force me to look at you but you can't pull my head from the clouds. I can take you to a place where the stars shine so bright you'll think you've never seen them clearly before. I was born to tend these lands just as my father before me, his mother before him. I roamed these hills and hollers as soon as I learned to walk and I will continue to do so until I cannot walk. I will watch the sun rise from my hill top reprieve. I will watch the sun set with my love beside me. This is my fate and I accept it with open arms.

Shadows She stood silently in the doorway as her stomach tied in knots. She had tried so hard to keep her supper down but her efforts were futile. She closed her eyes and fought back tears as he stirred and his arms reached to her side of the bed, searching for her warmth. She had no more warmth to give. Her eyes scanned the dark room and they stopped on the table full of superbly polished armor. The metallic smell permeating the room. She walked silently in and placed her hand on the battle axe that was almost always at his side. This weapon had been passed through his family for generations. It was the most valuable thing he owned and it was his favorite possession, even if she was added into the competition. She prayed to the goddess of war to bring him back alive like she did last time. She reached out to the spirit in the axe and the spirit answered her by soothing her worry. It would do its best. She had given him sons and daughters and she knew he felt he had to protect them but he didn't know the cost. She felt the cold reality settling into her bones. She felt death whispering to her.