Jade Fern Grove valar dohaeris

She didn’t dare try again. Druid recovered from the shock and charged across the stream instead, headed back toward Rivenwood. She didn’t feel the eyes on her back as she slowed to a stop outside the familiar arches. She stood there, breathing harshly, body quivering.

@Etienne had told her what to expect. Soon, the opioids would hit her bloodstream. They should block pain messages and boost pleasure, though Druid could hardly fathom the latter. Ideally, she would fall asleep before the poison began its work.

@Witch’s words echoed across the years, coming out in Druid’s slightly strangled voice: My bones shall rest in this loam forever…

She shut her eyes, recalling that late summer night. Instead of seeing her blood sister, she pictured a younger Heda Skaigona. They clasped paws in her mind, as they often did in the present, and tears oozed from Druid’s closed eyes.