THE THIRD REALM: YELLOW — Asking for help

She hadn’t gone far when several fugaíns surrounded her. They wanted the torch. Skyblue held it against her body and tried to move away without raising it.

One sprang at her. She dodged him, but two more appeared behind her. The resin protected her skin from the flames; the effort of keeping them at bay was exhausting. Every step into the clear ended with another circle closing around her.

She realized she was defending more than her own life. If the torch fell into the hands of a fugaín bent on gathering power, the harm would continue.

The thought gave her the strength to hold out a little longer. She tried to concentrate on her inner flame, but fear filled her head with images. She saw herself defeated on the ground, stripped of the dwarves’ gift. She saw herself running. She saw herself attacking again.

She could barely stand.

“Helio… Please help me.”

The plea was scarcely a whisper.

Golden light flowed from her heart. The nearest fugaíns drew back; those who kept advancing met a resistance they could not pass through. One by one they moved away, leaving Skyblue alone in the radiance.

She heard a familiar beating of wings.

She didn’t dare raise her head.

“Why can’t you look at me?” Helio asked.

There was no harshness in her voice. That made Skyblue want to cry all the more.

“You warned me. Everyone warned me. I wouldn’t listen.”

The light enfolded her like an embrace.

“I know how hard it’s been. I’m not here to judge you.”

“I’ve done so much harm.”

“Now you can see it. And we can begin here.”

Skyblue said nothing. She had expected a reproach, a condition, something she would have to do before being allowed to come close.

“I love you as you are,” Helio went on. “You don’t have to hide anything from me. My love doesn’t depend on how many lessons you still have to learn.”

The dragon looked up.

“Even after all this?”

“I was with you while you were growing up, even on the days you felt alone. I’m part of you. How could I stop loving you? I give form to God’s love for you, and that love doesn’t disappear when you stumble.”

Skyblue cried until she could breathe without that weight.

“Learn to turn to me,” Helio added. “Talk to me. You don’t have to wait until the very last moment.”

The dragon nodded. In her chest, the flame she had thought almost extinguished was beginning to feel steady.

“Now you need to rest. There’s still much more of the Yellow Realm to discover.”

Skyblue shuddered.

Helio gave a gentle laugh.

“What comes next won’t be like what you’ve just been through.”