Uprooted

Content Warning: This section includes discussion of sexual content, graphic violence, and death.

Agnieszka tries to sleep but eventually goes upstairs toward Sarkan’s bedchamber. She feels a protective spell pressing against her but pushes past it until she reaches a door and opens it. As she steps up beside Sarkan in his bed, he wakes, surprised and confused. Agnieszka climbs into the bed and kisses Sarkan. He objects for a moment, reminding her of his age, but when she asks if he wants her to leave, he says no and kisses her back. They make love in the dark.

Later, Agnieszka asks Sarkan why he takes the village girls. He admits that they are bound to the valley and that he uses them as a channel to siphon away some of the Wood’s power, weakening it. He could not do it himself because he is not bound to the valley the way they are. He promises that if they survive their current ordeal, he will find a way to untangle Agnieszka from the valley’s pull. Sarkan then falls asleep, but Agnieszka lies awake. She had not fully considered what might happen if they defeated the Wood, though she imagined she would remain with Sarkan in the tower, happily teasing him and visiting her family in the village.