"You weren't running just to get away from me. That can't be all there is. There's something else."
"And suddenly you know all the answers?"
"No… I don't, but this doesn't make sense. Why would you run out into the forest just to get away from me? You could have went anywhere… Connel, Pinesway, even further east into the farmlands. This was dangerous and you knew it. You could have even stayed home and told me to leave you alone. You didn't have to come out here. Why would you put yourself in that kind of danger?"
"Why?" Linda reeled with shock at the question, as if incapable of believing that Ryson would actually ask. "To show you what it feels like, that's why! Are you really that stupid? You leave all the time. Where do you go? Just to Connel? To Pinesway or the farmlands? No! You go into this forest. You go into the hills and the mountains. You go anywhere you want. I can do the same!"
Linda's wrath grew. She began to pace about the forest floor, flashing an angry gaze at Ryson with every turn. She would start to talk, but before a hostile word could pass through her lips, she clamped her mouth shut and grunted through gritted teeth. She shook her head and smacked her hand against her hip as if she needed to strike out at something, anything.
She suddenly stopped stone dead still and stared into the ground. She bit down on her lip, almost drawing blood. She stopped hitting herself, but her hands clenched into tight fists. She began to breathe heavily and when she finally looked up at the delver, there was pure rage in her expression.
"You tell me I could have stayed home? That you would have left me alone?! You wouldn't even leave me alone out here! You followed me like some pathetic puppy! I didn't want you here. I don't want you here. I want you to leave me. Go back to exploring some hole in the ground or whatever it is that delver's do. I'm sick of you. Do you hear me?! I'm sick of you!"
The words cut him more than any weapon could, but Ryson held his ground. He would not turn from her. He wouldn't even argue with her. He accepted it all.
"I'm sorry," he offered.
His sincere apology, however, meant nothing to her. She lashed out, swung with her fists, but not at the air, the tree branches, or even her own hip. She struck at her husband. Struck him over and over.
"Get out of here!" she screamed.
But Ryson wouldn't move. He wouldn't even try to avoid her assault. He accepted it; penance for every conceived error in judgment. He allowed her to take out her anger on him, hoped it would purge her of whatever fury was stuck inside of her.
It was Dzeb that intervened. He wouldn't allow Linda to continue. As gently as he could, he took hold of her. Pulled her away so she could not reach the delver.
Linda continued to swing in Ryson's direction even as she hit nothing but the tree branches overhead. Her frustration exploded.
"Let me go! Let me go!"
But Dzeb would not release her.
She struggled mightily, but she could not hope to break the titan's grip. In a fit of pure fury, she screamed with every ounce of energy within her. It was the last noise she made before she passed out.
Ryson rushed toward the cliff behemoth and took his wife from Dzeb. He held her in his arms as a flood of emotions overwhelmed him. He was hurt, both physically and emotionally. He was confused and at a complete loss for what to do next.
"She's not herself," Dzeb said with more than just compassion. He appeared to have a far greater understanding of the situation than the delver.
"What's wrong with her?" Ryson demanded.
"Something is inside of her, something that should not be there."
"I don't understand what that means."
"Do you understand that the rage was not her own?"
It was a relief to hear, but Ryson wasn't sure he could believe it.
"You're saying something's controlling her?"
"Control? No. Confusing her. Angering her."
"Do you know what it is?"
"I cannot say."
"Then how do you know?"
"How could I not?"
Ryson wanted to shout at the behemoth, but he could not find it within himself. He was emotionally spent, but he still needed answers.
"Dzeb, this isn't the time for games. How did you know?"
"I am not trying to play a game with you, Ryson Acumen. She is stricken, even you should know that, but by what, I still cannot say. I simply do not know."
"We need to get her to help."
"I am in agreement. Let me take her for now."
Ryson was reluctant to let Linda go. He almost argued, but the gentle behemoth stated a simple truth.
"You must use your skills to find the quickest path back to your home. You cannot do that and carry her at the same time. Let me help you."
Ryson conceded and allowed Dzeb to gently take hold of Linda once more.
"You lead and I will follow," the cliff behemoth offered.
Ryson agreed, but decided to change their destination.
"We're not going back to Burbon. We're going to Connel. I don't know if this is magic or not, I don't see how it could be, but I think we should go see Enin."
Dzeb nodded and then followed Ryson through Dark Spruce toward the east, toward Connel.
Chapter 24
Linda regained consciousness just as Ryson and Dzeb reached the outer limits of Connel. She stirred as if waking from a long sleep, but she never struggled to be free of the cliff behemoth's grasp. She looked up at Dzeb, recognized the giant, but did not smile or curse. She simply shrugged.
"She is awake," Dzeb alerted the delver.
Ryson stopped immediately with both relief and trepidation gripping his every thought. He was thankful to hear Linda was conscious, but he braced himself for a another outburst of her seemingly uncontrollable fury. It was like finding her in the forest all over again. His heart leapt at the prospect of avoiding catastrophe despite the terrible odds, but he feared just how angry she would be over his decision to remove her from Dark Spruce.
He stepped up quickly to check on her, and to possibly cope with a barrage of insults and scorn. As he looked upon her face, most of his fear began to drain away, but his burden had not been completely eased.
Linda appeared well enough, but the hostility that had been etched on her face melted into indifference. She gave him no joyful smile of recognition, no glow of emotional attachment. She just looked at her husband, and then seemed to gaze through him as if he wasn't even there.
"Are you alright?" Ryson asked with genuine concern, but also with a level of delver curiosity. He could not understand the change within her, and though he worried terribly about her, he could not dismiss the mystery of her emotions.
Linda did not answer immediately. She took a heavy breath as she looked at the delver with clear recognition. She did not shout or snarl at her husband, showed not the slightest hostility, but she didn't offer any genuine affection, either. Her expression, her entire being, was devoid of emotion.
"Did you hear me?" Ryson asked again, not wanting to antagonize his wife, but needing her to answer.
"I heard you," she replied. "I'm tired. Where are we?"
"Connel."
"It looked familiar," Linda stated.
"Do you remember what happened?"
"When?"
"In the forest, right before you passed out."
"I think so," she admitted with another shrug.
She frowned slightly, but not at the thought of her own actions. She could recall her outburst-even remembered striking her husband-but that caused her little regret. The only thing that annoyed her, and it was only marginally, was the thought of the shag running away.
"I hit you," she announced as if she had recalled serving him an ale at the Borderline Inn. "I was in the forest. A shag ran away from me. I wonder why."