Chapter 285: Joining Ashlynn’s Coven
The diffuse light in the Briar had begun to dim as Amahle and her coven stood in silence, waiting through the final hours that would determine Heila’s fate.
Ashlynn still lay next to Heila, wrapped comfortingly around the diminutive horned woman like a mother cradling her child. A thin, steady stream of emerald green energy flowed from Ashlynn’s hand into Heila’s heart, sustaining and strengthening the prospective witch as she continued to struggle with whatever seemed to be obstructing her trail.
"Mother, mother, look," Talauia cried, pointing excitedly as her wings began to beat rapidly with a high-pitched hum.
The sound of a soft -crack- broke the still silence that enveloped the island and a piece of willow bark that had grown over one of Heila’s horns cracked a second time before falling to the ground. The first piece was followed by a second and a third as the transformation gained speed.
A healthy pallor returned to her face and the green tendrils that had crept up her neck faded away as though they’d never been there. While the process wasn’t instant, it took only a few minutes for the diminutive woman’s transformation to completely reverse, leaving her even more radiant and healthy than she had appeared before the start of her trial.
Behind her, an ethereal willow tree took shape, starting as a sapling and growing rapidly until its branches drooped over Heila and Ashlynn. The branches moved and swayed in the wind for a moment before the tree transformed into a stream of silvery-green energy that flowed into Heila.
No sooner had the glow faded than Heila drew a deep, shuddering breath, opening her soft, grass-green eyes and blinking several times in surprise when she found herself in Ashlynn’s warm, comforting embrace.
"Welcome back," Ashlynn whispered from behind her diminutive friend. Her arms wrapped completely around Heila, drawing her in close for a fierce hug. Tears dripped down Ashlynn’s eyes and her heart trembled with relief. "I was afraid we would lose you. That I would lose you," she whispered.
"No," Heila said softly. "No, no, no, no, no. You need me," she whispered fiercely. "And, and I need you too. So I’ll never go. I, I’m sorry I took so long," she added, closing her eyes and hanging her head low. "If I was just a little bit smarter, I would have,"