Jahree followed closely behind Shan and Loka as they navigated the bustling shop. Their goal was simple but urgent: gather the ingredients for healing potions and green bough and stock up on the hair dye the dragons used. Jahree’s primary role was to add numbers to their group—a necessary precaution for safety. Although they all would have preferred to stay together, splitting up allowed them to complete the resupply faster, ensuring they could leave by day’s end. Despite his primary purpose being safety in numbers, Jahree did his best to help. He scanned the shelves, looking for items from their list, occasionally bringing what he found to Loka. She was the only one with the authority to actually buy the ingredients. Both Yarb and Menthan law said that only licensed potion-makers could purchase certain ingredients. These licenses were meant to prevent untrained hands from meddling with potentially dangerous substances. As it turned out, Loka had acquired a Yarb license, which surprised both Jahree and Shan. When they asked her about it, she explained that she’d obtained it years ago, as soon as she’d arrived. A foreign license was enough to raise eyebrows, and she’d wanted to blend in with as little hassle as possible. Jahree handed her a bottle of dark, rich hair dye—a reminder of how Lanni had to disguise her true nature. He didn’t like it, but there was no other way for her to move freely among others. As he held the bottle, his thoughts turned to her, feeling their bond gently thrum with her presence. She was sleeping, but the connection allowed him to sense her dreams. A dark current threaded through them, sending an ache of unease over their bond. He tried to counter it, filling his thoughts with pleasant memories, hoping they’d ease her troubled rest. His mind drifted to the morning they’d first become mates, a tender warmth blossoming in his chest. He thought about the reactions of Mama Sai and Papa Tey when they heard the news, imagining their joyful expressions. His mind flitted to his foster brother, Breyin, who had always been his closest friend and was more like family than any other. Breyin would be thrilled for him. He was sure of it. Yet, despite his efforts, the sense of unease from Lanni’s dream didn’t dissipate. Jahree felt a tickle in his throat and coughed, dismissing it. As they moved through the marketplace, his cough deepened, constricting his breath until it grew difficult to take in air. “Are you okay?” Loka’s voice cut through his thoughts, her tone laced with concern. She laid a hand on his arm, her eyes searching his face. “I don’t read anything off you,” she murmured, perplexed. Shan, glancing back, looked equally puzzled. “Could that be because of this magic eater we heard about? Or maybe his resistance?” Jahree managed a few labored breaths. “No… It’s Lanni… the bond…” he rasped, barely able to speak through the coughing. “Maybe we should head back,” Loka suggested, casting a worried glance back toward the inn. “Do you have everything?” Shan asked, his gaze shifting back to the stalls, his brow furrowed. “Most of what we need. We can get the rest later,” Loka replied, turning to pay the shopkeeper. They had barely stepped out of the shop when a wave of excruciating pain hit Jahree, crashing through the bond. The intensity of it forced him to his knees, white-hot agony burning through his chest. It was a searing, all-consuming pain, worse than anything he’d felt since that time in that box Lonna had used in her experiments. His vision blurred, and it took every ounce of willpower to push the pain down, just enough to keep himself upright. “Take it easy, Jahree. What is it?” Shan asked, moving quickly to steady him. “Lanni…” Jahree gasped, the single word hoarse as he struggled to hold onto consciousness. The connection to her was a storm, filled with fear, pain, and choking black smoke. He clung to it, trying to send whatever strength he could across the bond, bolster her, and ease whatever torment she was experiencing. Loka’s face hardened, worry etched into her expression as she gripped his shoulder. “We need to get back now.” They moved quickly, supporting Jahree as they made their way through the crowded market, urgency driving their steps. He was barely aware of his surroundings, and his entire focus was on Lanni. He could feel her struggle, her terror like a raw nerve exposed. He knew with a dreadful certainty that whatever she was facing, it was real and immediate, not just a nightmare. The pain continued to pulse through him, each step a battle against the overwhelming sensation radiating from their bond. It wasn’t just her distress; he could feel smoke filling her lungs, the weight of suffocating heat. He knew he had to reach her, to do something. His mind spun with fear, memories of her flickering like flashes of light in the darkness as he desperately fought to stay on his feet. #fantasy #magic #dragons #hiddenlands