As Wren knelt in front of him, still unresponsive, Rowan lifted one of his limp hands and held it loosely in his upturned palm. Wren's fingers uncurled against his, opening like the petals of a broken flower. Tenderly he traced them with his own, wishing that touch alone would enough to bring him back.
"When he's like this, his shadows are so deep, even I can't find him. I've tried before."
Ozul's voice was really starting to get on Rowan's nerves.
"I will always find him." Rowan didn't even try to conceal his anger. The poison had twisted his insides to the breaking point. "Don't underestimate me. I will never abandon him. I'm not afraid of shadows."
And he really didn't need a lecture from one, either.
Still caressing Wren's fingers in what he hoped was a soothing way, Rowan met Ozul's bottomless gaze and held it to prove his point, heedless of the way staring into those shifting depths made the edges of his vision fray into nothing.
