Chapter Thirty--Two

Convictions and the Shores of Forgiveness

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“Vaelor says she’s reached the lake,” Ayduin said as she took her seat beside the fire, “We should be safe now.”

Rhydian finally allowed himself to relax as he rubbed at the stubble along his chin.

“Well, what did you think?”

“She’s a quick study, but that’s hardly a profound statement, at this point,” she said.

“With that mental core of hers, I’m hardly surprised,” Cydan said, “She’s been able to communicate telepathically with the wyverns since her, what, second ascension?”

“Something like that,” he said.

Ayduin tilted her head in thought. “It’s different, but not all that odd, if you factor in wyverns and other sentient species outside the Adai. Some just have a natural inclination toward alternative means of communication that we don’t. Her adaptability could be attributed to her core, but it might also be an inherent trait of hers. It’s hard to tell. I’m more interested in her physical core. From everything I’ve seen, she’s not all that far from us in terms of strength despite being two ascensions lower. Skies only know what she’ll be capable of once she’s out of her foundation stage.”

“Regardless of what she becomes, I say we stay the course. It’s better to have her in control of that strength than not. Fallen trees will be the least of our concerns when we reach the capitol,” Rhydian said.

“It would be nice not having to worry as much,” she agreed, “but I still don’t like it. No one should have strength like that.”

“Perhaps not, but it changes little. She has it and we need to do our best to help her get a proper handle on it. She’s progressing nicely enough in her training. Teaching her to spar might be a decent outlet for her. Unless you think we should start a logging business instead?”

She rolled her eyes. “Very funny.”

“At this point, I don’t see the harm in it,” Cydan said, “She’s proven herself to us thus far, hasn't she?”

Ayduin pressed her lips thin. “I'll admit, she's not what I expected. Doesn't mean I'm wholly comfortable with her, though. If something happens and she snaps–”

Rhydian cut her off with a raised hand as he met each of their gazes.

“I think we can all agree that aside from the physical, she's nothing like that other woman. If there were any indication, one of us would have seen it by now,” he said.

The other man nodded and while he was sure it pained her, his secondrider muttered her agreement before glancing off toward Vaelor as he landed. The copper wyvern shook out his hide as he settled and stalked up the hill to take his place along her side of the camp. He dwarfed the tents, but was ever mindful as his horned head snaked between them to rest his snout at her side.

“Even if things were to go south, we have years of practice and technique on our side. A few weeks of basic training isn’t going to change that,” Rhydian continued.

She sighed as she scratched along the softer scales of Vaelor’s jaw.

“Fair enough. And we have silver on hand too, if it ever comes to it.”

“It won’t,” he said, more confident in his answer than he’d first realized.

“I for one am curious to see what she’ll actually be capable of with a little work. We can test our adaptability theory as well. Natural aptitude is all well and good, but there’s a threshold. I still think it has to do with her mental core. No one picks up new skills that fast,” Cydan said, crossing his arms.

Ayduin raised an eyebrow. “Care to make a bet?”

“Always. You know how much I enjoy winning,” he crooned.

As the pair’s banter turned to outright haggling, Rhydian settled back against the log and stretched his legs out toward the fire. Thankfully, the two spirits dancing among the flames were more interested in the embers than his boots today. Little handprints, no larger than a grain of rice, had been burned into the leather along the arch of his left foot the night before when the pair had deemed them worthy of investigation. The material had a tendency to hiss whenever they touched it, which had earned more than a few mad giggles. They had left close to half a dozen prints before they’d seemingly wondered if his skin made a similar sound.

Fortunately, coaxing them back into the fire before they’d fully burned through his pant leg had been relatively easy. A quick toss of fresh wood and a flaring of his rysk to raise the temperature of the flames had them squealing in delight. For better or worse, destruction spirits were as easily pleased as they were offended. He’d need to oil his boots again, but such was a small price to pay in order to keep the camp from turning to ash.

Adjusting the flow of vital essence through his arms, he cast his gaze out across the surrounding field. They were still one wyvern short, but if his estimations were correct, Ephaxus and Sorisanna were due back soon enough. Much like Inerys, he had seen his own improvements in recent weeks. He could stand with far more poise now and aside from the occasional muscle spasms, he rarely stumbled or shook when he moved. His flight times were steadily increasing as well, but from the sage’s last report, maintaining proper form while in the air became rather difficult around the three hour mark. Stamina would come with time and in the grand scheme of things, the setback was mild compared to his triumphs, for as of a few days ago, he could finally launch from a level position rather than having to rely on an elevated one in order to take wing.

Rhydian couldn't help but wonder if a certain huntress’ secret outings had helped. Tanuzet often reported her smelling of crushed herbs upon her return, which led him to believe she’d learned from Sorisanna’s own innovations when it came to the blood infusions. Beyond that, though, he’d noticed a shift in the wyvern’s morale. He had begun to rest closer to camp and on occasion, join some of their nightly conversations and stories. It was a small change, but an important one and seeing inklings of the wyvern he knew before eased a weight Rhydian hadn’t known he’d been carrying all this time. If going out of her way to engage with the wyvern had indeed brought about his gradual return to self, however slight, Rhydian owed her a great deal.

~*~

Inerys did not have to turn her eyes skyward to know which of the wyverns flew overhead, for she had come to discover wing beats were not all that different from footsteps. Each one held a unique weight, a variance to the movement of the air around them that set them apart. Some, like Tanuzet’s, were little more than a smooth hiss like that of a breeze over sand while others howled like wind through mountain crags. Of the four, Ephaxus’ were the most labored, especially toward the tail end of his nightly flights. The membranes of his wings snapped and cracked as if they were a flag at the mercy of a stiff gale.

She spared him a brief glance as he passed low over the treeline along the farside of the lake, his posture stiff, but otherwise sound. Sorisanna was perched between his shoulders, waving at her from the saddle. Inerys returned the gesture with a chuckle, a touch envious of the woman and her vantage. Viewing the world from wyvernback was a rare privilege and one she often found herself craving. What more of the world would she see from their future flight across the continent? More and more, she found herself daydreaming, wondering over the possibilities.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Sighing, she reached her clawed fingertips toward the hem of her blouse and began to peel the garment away from her tacky skin. She grimaced at the way it tugged loose of her underarms and back, her skin still damp and salty. These days, their nightly routine left her sweat-soaked and sore and tonight was no exception. How the others had been able to stomach her stench through their instruction was beyond her.

This nose of hers was more curse than blessing.

She took the time to rinse the fabric in the water, banishing what she could of the filth and stink with the last of her lavender soap. There was no point in sullying the new bar she’d brought with her when enough remained of the old to see the rest of her clothes clean. As she hung the last of her apparel from the branches of a nearby sapling, she paused.

A familiar presence brushed hers, causing the hair along the back of her neck to prickle. Ephaxus’ emotional nudge was gentle in its approach. Cautious, even, as if he wished to announce his presence before he revealed himself. Or perhaps, sought permission. For a moment, she wasn’t quite sure what to do or how to respond. He’d yet to be the one to approach first. And that aside, she was all but bare in her current state.

Am I intruding? He asked.

She could neither see nor scent him.

Was he still at camp?

Not exactly, she said, hooking a fang over her lower lip, Is everything all right?

Yes. I simply thought I might offer my company . . .

Though he sounded hesitant, there was an underlying urgentness to the current of emotion.

She pursed her lips, mourning his timing. On Tanuzet’s suggestion, she’d patiently waited for him to come to her for weeks. Of all times to open up, why now?

You may join me, if you like, she said, deciding she was relieved he felt comfortable enough to do so at all, You won’t mind my bareness, though . . . will you?

Sensing her anxiety, he said, I have no interest in your flesh, little viper. Your nakedness will hardly offend me.

Inerys retrieved her new soap from her satchel before easing herself into the lake. Its cool touch sent gooseflesh skittering up her legs, the luminescence of her skin undimmed by the crystal clear water. She waded in up to her chest, mastering her breaths. Her body stiffened of its own volition, but it had endured more frigid waters before.

That will certainly make things less awkward, she said, undoing what remained of her braid and forcing herself below the surface.

She turned toward the forest when she emerged, waiting to pick out his shape among the shadows. A majority of the trees were tall enough to allow for easy passage, but the shorter ones closest to the lake forced him to stoop low and pick his way through their more crowded trunks. She had to admit, he moved with remarkable grace for a creature of his size. She would have expected more crashing about, more weight when the finger-like appendages at the junction of his wings met the ground. Instead, she found each movement measured and purposeful, as if he were indeed some giant, winged feline. He went so far as to spare saplings and other lesser trees in his path where he could.

You’re moving quite well, she said, hoping he would take her words for the compliment they were.

Sorisanna says I should practice mindfulness, he rumbled, It slows me, forces me to watch where and how I step.

Helps you focus on your coordination? She guessed.

Indeed.

He halted once he slipped free of the treeline, his attention somewhere along the far side of the lake, rather than upon her. She tilted her head, ready to turn and follow his gaze, when he suddenly crossed into the languid waters. Without a word, he circled her and situated himself between her and the rest of the lake beyond. His spinal crests pulled taught from the space between his horns, all the way to the base of his shoulders as he laid upon his side, one massive wing unfurling into a great canopy above her. He even went so far as to ensconce her with his lengthy tail, the end of which was tipped sideways with the tail fins flared wide.

The creature inside her had begun to rouse, seeking whatever threat the wyvern had sensed. With his body positioned the way it was, it was impossible to see much of anything, save the tops of the trees over his tail. His wing had obscured his head as well, though she could easily guess which direction his head pointed.

What’s wrong? She whispered.

He was scaring her and when he didn’t immediately answer, she tried again.

“Ephaxus?”

He poked his head under his wing, something like an apology in his eyes.

All is well.

His actions spoke otherwise.

Something clearly has your attention, what is it?

The sigh he gave made his nostrils whistle.

I noticed Vesryn was not in camp when Sorisanna and I returned. I am aware of your unease around him, so I thought I might see to your comfort in the event the two of you crossed paths.

She blinked. He was protecting her? From Vesryn?

I . . . thank you, she said, He’s on the other side of the lake, isn’t he?

Indeed.

Spirits, how long had he been there without her having noticed?

What is it he’s doing, exactly?

Gathering herbs, from what I can see, he said.

Inerys supposed a sage out gathering materials was far from out of the ordinary. In all fairness, it was her who had broken schedule. Dawn was nearly upon them and for all she knew, the man was accustomed to foraging at this hour. He may not have been interested in her wellbeing, but she’d heard from the others that he’d been taking advantage of the spirit wilds in his own way, creating all manner of powders and pills. It was how he kept himself busy, they’d said.

Oh, was all she said.

His presence out here likely had nothing to do with her, though she appreciated the fact Ephaxus had stepped in when he had. A peek, even if accidental, was a mortifying thought. She pushed it as far from her mind as she could, focusing instead upon the task at hand. The sun would chase her back to camp before too long.

The two fell into an easy silence as she bathed, until he said, almost tentatively, You are not what I expected you to be, viper.

She slicked back her lathered hair.

What do you mean?

That day, we had delved into those woods to destroy a monster. I was told that despite the odds and losses we had taken, we had succeeded, there was no mistaking the way his voice caught as he spoke, Kieshara’s death had been avenged and given meaning. When I learned of you, I thought we had traded one evil for another. So that is how I chose to see you: as another monster. Weak as you were, I could not see the distinction between that creature and the broken girl it left behind.

Her fingers graced the edges of her burn scar.

It . . . was a complicated situation. I can’t say I blame you. I may have felt the same, had our roles been reversed.

His head drifted down beside her, his eyes warm as he took her in.

You have a gentle way about you, despite your new nature. I should have sought to make peace with you long before you came to me.

You’re here now, aren’t you? She asked, carefully reaching out a hand in silent invitation.

She wasn’t entirely sure what had prompted her to, only that it felt right, somehow.

His snout tipped toward her fingers and his nostrils flared. Not in offense, she sensed, but curiosity. She had always been sensitive to the emotions of those around her and her change had only heightened the ability. What she felt now was deeper still, as if some unseen string had been tethered between them.

A shaky breath escaped her lips when he pressed his snout into her palm.

Was this the acceptance Tanuzet had spoken of?

Her gaze flitted up to his eyes in surprise and when they met, he blinked deeply.

There was no helping the smile that tugged at her lips.

Does this mean we can be friends? She asked.

If you’ll have me, littlest of vipers.

One might say you’ve convinced me, she chuckled.

He rumbled in response. Good. Now, hurry and finish. The sun will be up soon.

The sun.

Right.