Free The Dreamer And The Deceiver (Book 1) by Alex Villavasso

forest.
    “We should be safe here... gah!” Omari fell to one knee, balancing himself with his palms to the ground. Protruding from the leg of the newly found ally, a crystal spire was lodged deeply in the center his calf. Wasting no time he grabbed the spire and dislodged it from his calf, tossing it to the ground where it disintegrated with the coming breeze.
    “Are you ok?” Marona asked as she bent forward to aid him, but was impeded by Emil who still hung on her shoulder.
    “I should be fine. I think I removed it in time,” Omari said as he shakily stood to his feet. “I can still move despite the pain.”
    “Where are we, anyway?” Emil asked with more vitality than he had moments before.
    “I’m not sure . That woman’s power-”
    “Silvia ,” Emil said coldly.
    “Yes, Silvia’s mist interfered with my sense of direction, ruling out long distance warping. This area is around where I first found your friend. In addition to inhibiting our powers , it also seems to amplify the effects of hers…”
    “Hm, that sounds about right, I’m already starting to get some feeling back.” Emil released his grip on Marona, standing on his own for the first time in what seemed like ages.
    “Just don’t overdo it… you’re still far from fully recovered,” Omari commented. 
    “Yeah, I know… but we’re going to need all the help we can get,” Emil said as he cradled his ribs with his free hand.
    “As soon as I get my bearings back, we should be able to make it to a safer spot. Until then, we travel by foot.”
    “Come on, Emil,” Marona coughed again and a thin film of red blood sloshed to the ground. “I-I’ll help you move.” She fell forward, collapsing into Emil’s arms, almost causing him to fall.
    “Marona!”
    “It’s the mist. While it seems it only slows us down, to regular humans the effects… are more devastating.” Omari said as he scanned the area.
    “Ah! Damn it! Why did you have to act all tough like that? It was killing you this whole time and you didn’t say a thing!” Emil’s voice flared with anger as he watched whatever gripped her slowly drain the life from her body.
    “I-I wanted to help,” Marona whispered as she lay incased in Emil’s arms, struggling to breathe.
    “Calm yourself, Emil ,” Omari chimed in. “Because of her, you live.”
    Emil looked down at the resting girl in his arms, speechless from the revelation given by his new comrade.
    “Give her to me. There is nothing that we can do for her here, but my sister, she can treat her.”
    “Right.” Emil gently transferred her body over to Omari, careful not to trigger anything else in her frail condition. “Thank you.”
    For what?
    A jolt of pain echoed in his head; a warm welcome from the intruder of his thoughts, Silvia. Grasping his head, he fell to his knees as he yelled in agony. “Omari! Go! It’s Silvia!”
    “I’ll be back!” A gust of wind washed over him, and he was instantly alone.
    From the foliage , Silvia emerged, stretching out her hand as she continued to break Emil. “You really didn’t think you could get rid of me that easily, did you Emil?”
    “H-how did you find me?”
    Silvia briefly chuckled, amused by the naive nature of his question. “Have you not forgotten? I’m in your head, silly boy. It was a stretch from this range , I admit, but with the crystal planted in your friend’s leg it was more than enough to track down your position.”
    Emil struggled to rise to his feet but Silvia thwarted his efforts.
    “Down, boy.” The piercing sound of a constant screech ripped through his mind, rendering him unable to move as she marched closer. “I’ve been toying with you for too long, but now that I’ve had my fun it’s time to send you on your way, reformed .” 
    Before she could reach Emil, a black flash spontaneously appeared in midair in front of the crystal queen. From the void , Omari dived through, leading with a punch that carried the weight of his body. A