At the top of the tower Leon Karnak, I continued to focus on channeling energy to Avani long after I reached the point of collapse. Whenever I thought I couldn’t maintain the flow one more second, the thought of her fighting not only for her life but for all our lives gave me the strength to go on, first another moment and then yet another.

Then without warning, after what might have been hours or days or even minutes, there was a change in the flow of energy through me. I don’t know to describe it other than that there was a sudden increase in the flow, as if filling a void that hadn’t been there moments before. Already weakened by my exertion, the increased drain nearly brought me to my knees. Then, just as suddenly as it started, it ceased. The channels were closed; the energy that continued to flow through me for a few moments afterwards merely dissipated. I dropped down on my hands and knees, gasping for breath, sweat dripping from my brow to the stone terrace.

“What is it? What’s happened?” Forte demanded anxiously as they all crowded around me. I slipped to the ground and lay there panting, unable to reply.

In response to my collapse, Volkanon pulled some dried fruit out of his pack and fed it to me. Soon I could stand again, and I gazed up towards the aerial fortress as I answered Forte’s question. “I… I don’t know. Something suddenly drew a massive amount of energy from me, then it stopped as suddenly as it started and the flow of energy ceased. I don’t know what it signifies.”

The others joined me looking skyward, and as we peered at the far-off fortress, my keen eyes caught a miniscule shape departing, soaring towards Selphia. Tiny as the figure was, I was able to discern Venti’s form. However, I couldn’t rejoice yet—it was impossible to tell at that distance if she was alone or if Avani was with her.

“It… it’s Venti, flying towards the town. But I can’t tell if Avani is with her or not—she’s too far away!” I exclaimed in frustration as I stumbled towards the ladder. Volkanon grabbed my arm and forced another large portion of dried fruits into my hands, insisting I eat it before trying to walk. I bolted it and immediately felt reenergized. We all hurried back down the tower, keeping an eye out for the dragon’s form in the sky.

Finally as we emerged from the barren no-man’s lands around the tower into the lush greenness of the Selphia Plains, Venti soared overhead. Craning my neck, I felt relief wash over me, leaving me giddy—there on her back, clinging to her neck, was Avani, her hair rippling out behind her like a silky green banner. The others jumped and danced with glee, but all I could do was stand there, grinning like an idiot as I waved to her. When she glanced down and saw me, she raised her hand in a return salute. Then she blew me a kiss, and I felt weak in the knees, such was my elation.

Although I was eager to return to town, we nevertheless traveled more slowly than when we’d departed. I was still fatigued, and the others were tired, too, unused as they were to such activities. When we reached the town gate, Xiao ran on ahead, closely followed by Forte. I felt strangely nervous, though; relieved as I was that Avani appeared to have emerged victorious—and most importantly, alive—I wondered if she would resent that I abandoned her, even if I was following her orders. It was irrational and ridiculous, and I knew it was so. But I couldn’t help myself.

I trailed along behind the others, and by the time I reached the courtyard, Avani was already chatting merrily with them, laughing and smiling her dazzling smile, her luminous green eyes shining. She glanced in my direction as I strolled over, and if I thought she was radiant before, it was as nothing compared to the way her face lit up when she saw me.

“Leo!” she cried, bounding over to me. “I’m so glad to see you! Are you okay? All the time I was fighting, I kept thinking of you and worrying about you. And thank you, Leo, for all your help. I could never have beat him on my own.” She took my hand and gave it a squeeze as she looked up at me, and I smiled at her, my fears quieted for the moment by her evident delight at our reunion.

Everyone started talking at once then, and I laughed, saying, “Okay, okay! Everyone calm down!” Turning back to her, I said, “Thank you, My Lady. I’m glad that we chose you to bear our hopes.”

Just then, Margaret and Arthur came hurrying up. “Oh, there you are, Avani! And everyone else is with you—perfect!”

“What’s up? Is anything wrong?” Avani asked, concern dimming her glow for a moment.

“No, no. Nothing of the sort,” Arthur interjected. “Will you all please come to the restaurant?”

“Why? What’s going on?” asked Forte and Xiao in unison.

Margaret laughed, and flinging her arms wide open, she exclaimed, “We’re having a party! To celebrate Avani’s victory and Venti’s recovery, of course! So come on! Porco and Dylas are going all out, cooking up masses of special dishes for the occasion, and Porco’s even breaking out some of his best wine! So hurry up, let’s get the party started!”

Avani laughed, a sweet, trilling laugh like a cheerfully babbling brook. “Then Venti will be there, too, right?”

Shaking his head, Arthur replied, “No, sadly the Lady Ventuswill will not be joining us. She says she needs to rest, and besides, she points out that she wouldn’t really fit in the restaurant.”

I chuckled at the thought of her squeezing into Porcoline’s. “Well, that’s certainly true enough.” I smiled at Avani, adding, “Go on ahead, My Lady. We’ll join you as soon as we’ve spoken with Venti.” She gave me a quick squeeze, then ran off with Margaret to her rooms to clean up and change out of her battle gear while Arthur returned to the restaurant. I crossed the courtyard and pushed open the doors to Venti’s chamber, holding them open for the others as they filed in.

Once again I held back while each of the others greeted Venti in turn, chatting with her and expressing their joy at her recovery. As they took their leave of her, they hurried out the door, eager to join the festivities. Soon I was the only one left with her.

She turned her head to look at me, her eyes whirling slowly. “Leon. Thank you for all you have done, not just for me, but for Avani as well—though I am certain she will find her own way of expressing her gratitude.”

I gave her a half smile and sauntered over to her. “I’d say you’re welcome, but you know it’s my duty as Dragon Priest to see to your well-being.”

She snorted. “As if you’re fooling anyone, anyway.” Then in a softer voice, “Don’t let your fears get the better of you, Leon. This is very unlike your normal, brash, overconfident self.”

I shrugged one shoulder. “Perhaps. But I can’t….” I trailed off, reluctant to give voice to my thoughts.

“You can’t forgive yourself for what you persist in viewing as your desertion; for not being able to give Avani what you feel she wants, needs, and deserves; and, perhaps most of all, simply for loving her. Isn’t that right?”

My eyes opened wide. “H-how did you…?”

“When you channeled your hopes, your wishes, and your prayers to Avani through my charm, I sensed all that lay within your mind and your heart. Don’t forget that charm is a piece of me, and I am acutely aware of all that concerns it. You fear that she won’t forgive you for leaving her behind. Isn’t that so?”

I bent my head and slowly nodded. “I… I despise myself for abandoning her when she needed me. Even if she ordered me to leave, even if Dylas needed aid, even if the town needed to be warned… all these things may be true, but they don’t excuse the fact that some part… some little, shameful, cowardly part deep inside me was glad to leave—glad to get out of there and save my own worthless hide, even if it meant leaving her to continue the fight alone. And if I can’t forgive myself for that, how can I expect her to forgive me?”

She slowly stretched out her wing, then gently brushed the tips of her flight feathers against my cheek, lifting my face to look with glimmering blue-green eyes into mine. “No, you’re right. She will never forgive you…” I hung my head again as shame and a sense of loss again washed over me. “…because to her, there’s nothing to forgive. She’d marvel at your shame and would never be able to understand how you could feel so. To her, it’s very straightforward and simple. She asked—begged, even—for you to do something, and you did it. It wouldn’t matter to her that you were, on some small level, glad to go, because she knows that she can depend on you when it counts—that you’ll do whatever needs to be done, even at personal risk. If she’d asked you to stay, or to return, she knows that you would have done so despite your fears. And you know it, too.”

She folded her wing again and slowly swung her tail side to side, her eyes half closed in thought. “I also saw her heart—saw it clearly, for the first time. I won’t tell you what I saw there, because there is no need. You already know, don’t you? Even if you won’t admit it to yourself, let alone to anyone else, you know what lies there, nestled like a precious jewel within her heart of hearts.”

She sighed and looked sadly at me, her eyes becoming tinged with violet. “I know of your promise, Leon. And I say to you, a promise—no matter how sincere—does not outlast the grave. When she died, you were released from your promise.”

I scowled and looked away again. “You think it’s only that vow that binds me? If it were that simple, there would be no problem.”

She shifted in a manner suggestive of a shrug—if a dragon could shrug—and said, “You’re making things far more difficult than necessary.” She lowered her head so that she lay with her snout nearly touching my chest. “You know how you feel. You know how she feels. Go to her, Leon—she’s waiting for you.” Then she lay her head down and closed her eyes; the interview was over.

I joined the party in the restaurant—the last of the latecomers. I was gratified by the enthusiastic reception awaiting me when I walked through the door, particularly the way Avani leaped at me and flung her arms around my neck. There was drinking and feasting, music and dancing, laughter and storytelling until late into the night. Avani was kept busy dancing all night—every man in town danced at least one dance with her, and several danced far more. I was able to secure her as a partner on only three occasions, but I didn’t mind—not too much, anyway—as she seemed so happy.

Later, well into the night, I noticed her slipping silently out the door. I smiled to myself—I suspected that she wanted to spend some time alone with Venti. Despite the dragon’s frequent incapacitations, it was clear that the two had developed a very close bond in the two years they’d known each other. I turned away in order to avoid drawing attention to her departure, and in so doing, I saw that the other Guardians had noticed her, too. We gave each other knowing looks and nods and rejoined the festivities.

It was perhaps half an hour after her stealthy departure when I felt a sudden void in my consciousness—something missing that had been there for as long as I could remember. Alarmed, I looked around and saw that the other Guardians likewise were affected, and no one else. The four of us slipped away as unobtrusively as possible, and made haste to the castle.

“You felt it, too?” Dylas called as we raced down Melody Street.

“We all did, you dolt,” Dolce snapped in reply. “That’s why we’re here.” Amber fluttered her wings and exclaimed in alarm as we ran up the steps to the courtyard.

I barged into Venti’s chamber and stopped short, the others falling in beside me. Across the empty dais lay Avani, curled into a ball and sobbing as if her heart would break as she wailed, “Venti, you… you dummy! How… how could you ask me to smile at a time like this?”

I knew then that Ventuswill, the Divine Wind—our own dear friend—was gone.