The word trembled, and it was clear to everyone now that something was up as all present turned to look at him as if he had gone mad.
Do not grieve. She whispered to his mind.
Pain twisted in Sagiri's chest as she watched her life fade away. How had she not noticed that even her shape-shifting was an illusion? She had wanted him to believe she was strong and well, and he had.
"What happened to you?" he whispered.
Her great eyes softened.
Time… has come. I have finished my task. I join my mate now.
Her body trembled as if something inside her was fading. Sagiri felt the connection between them fraying like a rope being cut strand by strand. Then something flashed across his mind. A memory. A memory he never knew.
A desert serpent…only gives its egg away when it is dying.
His eyes widened. It was as if he had known it all along, and now that it was repeating itself in his mind, it was torment.
