The morning mists over the Apries Lake were slowly dispersing in the delicate breeze. A pair of swallows who made a nest under the beams of the roof in the corner of the balcony kept me absorbed with their chirping in my laziness.

Two days ago, Yasenka enacted a break, so we returned to the mansion. The training and exploring all sorts of magnificent spots along the shoreline was exciting, but even I felt like I needed a breather and a change of scenery. Plus, we needed to fetch our swords if we wanted to actually try swordplay in the air. I was really looking forward to that part.

When the delicious breakfast finally settled down in my stomach and I felt like it wouldn't hurt to move again, I decided to browse the countless books a little. The enormous collection was far too tempting. For a few minutes, I enjoyed the cool of the interior and the smooth feeling of the leather spines as I moved my finger across the shelf. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that my brain was way too lazy to pick anything on its own. But there was a bookworm downstairs... I've seen him with various tomes so many times that I had the feeling he already read everything that could be read in this mansion.

I went down and gave his bedroom door a gentle knock. There only answer was silence, so I knocked again and peeked inside. The room was empty. I tried the floor below, but he wasn't in the bath either. Finally, I ended up in Yasenka's room.

"Need help with something?" she asked when I entered after a word of admittance. She was sitting on her bed, busy cleaning her beautiful wings.

"Yeah... do you know where Siaril went?"

"He's not in his room?" When I shook my head, she suggested: "Maybe he went to talk to Light, or for a little walk?"

"Maybe..."

There was a hint of amusement in the smile that she gave me. "No need to panic every time he disappears for a few minutes. He's all grown up, he can take care of himself."

"Yeah, sorry," now that she pointed it out, it did feel kind of silly. "But you didn't see him go or fly anywhere, did you?"

Yasenka shook her head slightly and turned her attention back to the ruby scales.

And I suddenly felt the crystal underneath my shirt becoming slightly warmer... I raised my eyebrows, utterly confused. "Yasenka..."

She sighed heavily and put the damp cloth down. "And I was doing so good... I think asking questions which require a direct answer is falling into a habit with you," she smiled apologetically. "You'll have to forgive me though, because I can't tell you anything yet."

"Wha... why?" I understood less than nothing now. "Where did Siaril go?"

"He had to take care of something."

"What?"

"You'll see soon."

"Stop playing around, what's going on?"

"Don't get angry, please... we'll tell you everything, I promise, just be a bit more patient."

I sighed in irritation. "Fine... I never thought we'd have some silly secrets between us, but I'll wait..."

"Please don't make that face..." she looked me in the eyes pleadingly. "We don't want to spite you or anything, we just want it to remain a tiny mystery for just a little longer, agreed?"

I melted a bit under this warm gaze that begged me to say 'yes'. It was inevitable. Seeing her smile like that made it impossible to not smile back and submit. "Fine," I said again, still a bit reluctantly, but gentler. "I can endure if it's something between the two of you, but if this has something to do with me, which I feel like it has, then I want to know everything, to the last detail."

"You have my word."

I smiled and returned upstairs to try and find some reading material on my own after all.

Siaril came back late afternoon, shortly before supper. That gave my thoughts a lot of time to circle around my friends' secrets like our swallows did in the sky at twilight in search for insects. My frustration was soothed a bit by a nap in the gardens, caused by a book that turned out to be interesting only on the title page. I decided to arm myself with patience though. I knew Yasenka would keep her word.

The next morning, when I was just about to start the daily battle with my bed hair, Siaril peeked into my room.

"Morning," he greeted with a warm smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah. Breakfast is ready, I'll be waiting upstairs."

When he disappeared, I quickly tamed my hair, fastened the last leather bands of my shirt underneath my wings and followed. We sat at the table, as always neatly set for our meal. But the room felt weirdly empty...

"Did you call Yasenka and Ertralia?" I asked when none of them showed up after a few minutes.

"There was no need to, they already ate," he propped his chin on his wrist.

I frowned. "Let me guess... after that they left to who knows where, like you did yesterday."

"Sig..." apology mixed with amusement in Siaril's voice.

"You were supposed to stop these silly games soon and tell me what's going on."

"And we will, after we join them." I just opened my mouth slightly, but didn't answer. My rising confusion seemed to amuse my friend even more, and he added: "Eat, the faster we leave, the faster you can satisfy your curiosity."

I just returned to my meal.

After finishing and bringing the dishes to the kitchen, Siaril dragged me outside, where he took a few moments to evaluate the strength and direction of the wind. "Are you ready?" he finally asked.

"Don't know for what, but let's say I am..."

"Come on..." he gently nudged me with one of his wings. "I understand your irritation, but I promise that you won't regret it."

"I'll be the one judging that."

My friend sighed softly and we both ascended above the residence. Siaril turned east, so I followed without a word.

He took his time, not wanting either of us to get an upset stomach. I decided to just enjoy the flight that for once wasn't training, looking for birds in the sky and game in the forest below. After a while, it became hard to tell if it's been one hour or two... but eventually, while soaring with the already faint, fading wind, I spotted a vast clearing in the distance and the roofs of familiar huts among the green of the forest.

I slowed down a little, finally realizing what all of this was about.

It was just...

I came to a stop in midair, a bit away from the village's border still. A memory came back to me, a memory of the day I learned to fly, came here... met Elithia... An unpleasant sting in my chest returned too. I didn't have the courage to do it again...

That moment of hesitation didn't escape Siaril's notice. He turned back to hover at my side. "Don't be afraid," his voice was soothing... "Your friend has something important to tell you."

I lifted my head in surprise. Did Siaril actually talk to Elithia about what happened that one evening? Did she contact him somehow or did he...?

"Come on," Siaril didn't let me finish my thoughts. His warm gaze was strangely encouraging... "If you fall from a horse, you can just climb back on, right?"

"Unless you break something in the process," I shot back with an unsure smile. Nevertheless, I followed.

When we came out into view above the first houses, we heard a few enthusiastic shouts and saw the villagers starting to gather in the open space in the centre. I noticed Yasenka standing a bit further to the back of the crowd and Ertralia perching on the roof of one of the cottages at the opposite border of the village...

I didn't have much time to think about what they were even here for because upon landing, my mind got occupied with a mild panic attack. All gazes were focused on me... or rather on my wings. A silent whisper raised among the villagers, like the rustle of approaching wind... I bit my lip and cast my eyes down, clumsily fixing one of my unruly bangs and futilely trying to cower my wings behind my back. I expected either some sort of long torture or something quick and destructive like a thunderbolt of a summer storm...

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But then, before anyone could even say a word, I saw a golden light squirm through the others, run towards me and I felt myself being tackled and squeezed tightly around my waist. I had to flap my wings to not lose balance and reflexively circled my arms around Elithia's back.

"I'm sorry..." she mumbled, lifting her head after a moment and looking me in the eyes with a hint of... shame? "I'm so so sorry for what I said back then... I have no idea what's gotten into me, it just slipped out..."

I wasn't sure yet, but I thought I saw a snippet of hope, like the rim of the moon in the sky... I took a breath, deep, but very quiet. "It's alright... It's not every day that you come across someone with wings and all... I think my logic would've shut off too."

"So you're not angry?"

"Please, there's nothing to be angry about..." I managed an unsure smile.

She smiled back, visibly relieved. "Then I need to tell you one more thing..."

"What?"

"Happy birthday."

I blinked. I needed quite a few moments to actually get it. It was today... today was my birthday, the real one... This whole commotion caused by Sharish and the training completely wiped that from my mind...

I glanced towards Siaril and Yasenka, standing in a respectful distance in the shadow of the trees. Light and his inseparable, four-legged friend somehow materialized there as well. His beautiful horse stood further back, happily chewing on some grass and sometimes pausing this pleasant activity to cast a confused glance at the human gathering, clearly not understanding its purpose. When Yasenka waved at me happily, I started to wonder how in the world they found out. It seemed impossible that Siaril coincidentally, just a day before, simply flew over here and asked about it.

I wasn't allowed to think about that for long though. I soon got surrounded by the other villagers and showered with birthday wishes. None of them, my parents, Lisiel, Kristya, no one, seemed to pay attention to my wings anymore.

Shortly after, still feeling the firm arms of the lumberjack's sons on my back, I was led to the middle of the village, where a huge pile of firewood along with tables bending under the weight of food and drinks already stood prepared. It looked almost like that one evening, when I returned home after two years...

Already after the first toast, Ertralia got snatched away to play by a few kids who showed particular interest in her fluffy tail and ears. I didn't get much peace either, because Lisiel categorically refused to leave my side, and keeping an eye on her was surprisingly difficult for a child which just learned to crawl. Shia being in a playful mood didn't help matters either. An effective solution turned out to be the fiery-green ribbons that marked my guest of honor chair. Lisiel was so mesmerized when I took one off for her so she could play around that she probably didn't even notice how the other end kept the cat entertained as well.

Siaril and Yasenka were busy explaining a lot to the elders, who asked things about magic and the Disciples of the Last Dragons. Our appearance must have sparked the young spirit of adventurers in all of them. I was pretty sure that in around a week their imaginations would bestow upon us some crazy abilities that I couldn't even dream of, and their made up stories would tell about us fighting battles that I would have preferred never to see.

What touched me most of all during the celebration was the fact that my two friends never hid their wings for even just a second. They just sat there, in all their glory, among the other partiers. It was clear they did it for me, the only one unable to get rid of them... I felt encouraged and grateful... grateful for everything they've done for me, the irritation about their earlier secrets long forgotten. And while watching them all, a warm thought crossed my mind...

In this heaven, wings are completely superfluous...

When darkness started to gently but assiduously seep into the village, and the thrushes to call the surroundings to sleep, me, Siaril and Yasenka gave a small display of our magic and lit the bonfire, making the villagers gape in amazement. Among the three circles of flames that we created at the end of the 'show', mine seemed to shine brightest. It earned me a proud glance from Yasenka, but wasn't really much of a surprise to me. The feeling that fed the fire was now crystal clear like water coming straight from a mountain spring...

The party lasted till late at night. I spent most of that time with Elithia, talking and messing around like we always used to. Later, I got charged with putting Lisiel to bed, so my childhood friend snatched Kristya and went to talk to Yasenka about something. Since our arrival here I sensed some kind of mistrust the two eyed my beautiful friend with, but it didn't take them long to get comfortable like they've known each other for years. Especially Kristya seemed to find some sort of common tongue with the illathan, both of them spending quite some time talking throughout the event.

I received quite a lot of beautiful gifts that evening, but one burned itself into my memory especially vividly. After sharing an apple tart that Elithia made for me, I caught a glance from Yasenka. At first, I thought she'd be the next one to surprise me with something, but she just smiled and cast a kind of conspirative look towards Ertralia.

The younger girl came up to me, cheeks slightly darkened, and asked for a little walk. Lazily getting up, I already started to wonder which one of the beautiful spots nearby I could take her to... but then she locked arms with me and led me into the forest with a determination that told me we already had some destination.

We wandered through the thicket north-east of the village, to the little stargazing hill. Reaching the top, Ertralia let go of my arm. "Please wait here for a moment," she said before walking off towards the bushes to our left. She soon came back, carrying something small in her hands, carefully, almost lovingly.

She stood in front of me and shyly extended it towards me. I raised my eyebrows in astonishment.

She was holding a small crystal, transparent, beautiful, the size of her palm. There was a flower trapped in it... it resembled something between a winter aconite and an arctic starflower, but the petals were fuller, overlapping each other and multilayered. It had the color of the sky right after sunset, when darkness hasn't entirely conquered it yet but was eager to spread like ink in water.

"It's a flower that only we sykeriens know how to grow..." Ertralia's soft voice brought me back to reality. "Or rather only we have the ability to. I don't know, I don't remember ever learning it, and the way the elves explained it was difficult..." I smiled at the clumsy explanations, but kept quiet, not wanting to disconcert her. "It's said that it brings good fortune to any race except our own. But we're forbidden to give it to anyone outside our kin... it's punished by exile. But since I can't live among my tribe anyway, I wanted to give it to you, with the greatest wishes of good luck... Yasenka says it too, she put it in the crystal with her magic."

I carefully enveloped her warm hands with my own. "It's beautiful..." I whispered. "But still, the feelings you both put into it are even more precious. Thank you..."

She didn't seem to mind when I embraced her gratefully, just put her head on my shoulder and circled her fragile arms around my back. She smelled like pine trees...

"Even if I still was living among my kin, I'd gladly risk giving it to you..." I heard her quiet whisper. "You, Yasenka, Siaril and Light are the best family I could've wished for..."

I wanted to pet her head but... got too tempted and took the opportunity to touch one of her ears too. They seemed warmer than the rest of her body and the fur covering them was as soft as the outer surface of my wings, but in a different, fluffy way. She seemed to enjoy it, but it still made her pull away pretty quickly, cheeks flaming red. I smiled again, half amused, half apologetic. I was just about to suggest we return to the village, when a realization hit me...

"Wait... did you say that elves explained this to you? How would..."

Ertralia covered her lips in panic before I even finished the sentence. "I... oh no... what have I..."

"Hey," I softly put my free hand on her shoulder. "No reason to panic. If it's a secret then it's safe with me, cross my heart. You know you can trust me."

Some tension left Ertralia's body. "Not a word...?"

"To no one, I swear," but I failed at stopping an excited grin. "So the elves that perished in Ilmer weren't the last...?"

"No... some still live in the Silivren Forest. They're so few of them though, they prefer to hide..."

"Understandable..." I glanced towards south, a small smile forming on my lips. The elves, just like the dragons, seemed to not have completely given up their legacy just yet...

As the singing and hum of conversations in the village slowly started to become quieter than the whispers of the crickets, the last few of us still awake gathered by the fire. Some of the participants were having so much fun that evening that they crossed the ways to their homes in a record-breakingly long time. It was incredibly pleasant to forget about all worries by watching them, allowing the warmth of the flames to neutralize the night's chill that brushed our backs.

The night was warm, filled with the scent of resin and dried needles, so the younger banqueters, including us Disciples, Ertralia and Light, chose a night in the open, among the soft grass at the border of the forest. The poor sykerien quickly dozed off in the branches somewhere above our heads, clearly worn out after the last ambush of the tiniest ones.

A delicate, pleasant breeze picked up, the mighty old trees starting to murmur a lullaby. Even so, every now and then an incautious, louder laughter would echo among the silent conversations still continuing here and there.

Finally though, when the dying out moon emerged from between the cloudlets above the Elladar Plains and started to seep its delicate, silvery light between the leaves, sleep conclusively conquered us and the village fell silent.

In the afternoon the next day, Yasenka was clearly regretful to announce that we need to go back to continue our training. I promised Elithia and my parents to visit more often from now on, while the illathan had a word with Kristya again. The former maid seemed quite excited about something. Eventually we set off, waving to the shrinking silhouettes below.

"You got really friendly for knowing each other for just one day," I said after we've put some distance between us and the village and Light fell a little behind on his horse in the forest beneath.

"She's nice, but it was more about helping her with her work actually."

"Her work?" I raised an eyebrow which probably came out a little comically since I had to at the same time squint from the sun's rays that were painting the sky amber. "Do you have experience with smithing?"

"None at all," the illathan laughed a little. "But I do know someone who does. I'll be trying to convince him to give her a few lessons."

"Ooh... By the way, how in the world did you know when my birthday is? I've never told any of you..."

"You didn't need to. We kind of found out by accident."

"How?"

"Well..." Siaril started hesitantly, "I noticed that you weren't even mentioning your family lately, let alone voicing the need to visit them and spend even just a little time there... It seemed weird to me, because I know you're very attached to them. I reached a conclusion that something must have happened, so I flew over to try and find the cause. I talked to your parents first, but they didn't know anything. But the conversation with your friend enlightened me... about your birthday as well, purely by coincidence."

I couldn't help but smile warmly. "You're both fantastic..."

"You're exaggerating."

I shook my head slightly. "You are... you reminded me of how many things there actually are that I want to fight for. Basically gave me new strength for the fight against Sharish... Until today, I had my doubts, but now I feel like even if his magic is stronger and more advanced, we still have better chances. Because we fight together."

Yasenka looked at me as if I was some rare species. "Would you look at that, our Sig is growing up..."

She had to immediately scamper off further up to escape me, which didn't stop her from laughing at me anyways. And how in the world was she still able to evade me while carrying Ertralia...

More training it is then.