Yasenka indeed turned out to be a strict, but wonderful teacher. Me and Siaril made quite swift progress under her wing, even without falling on our faces at least once every hour. Siaril very quickly caught onto the principles of using fire and I gladly practiced with him for a day, before Yasenka decided to let us try it in flight.

"The key to it is perfect control over your wings," she said when we ascended above the lake, its waters warmed by the forenoon sun. Ertralia, lazy after the late breakfast, watched us sleepily from a nearby tree. "They cannot disturb your concentration on anything else. They need to become something as natural as walking or running, they need to become an obvious reflex."

It sounded simple, but when we switched from theory to practice, the situation quickly became more complicated than I anticipated. I was able to summon a flame so strong and beautiful that even Yasenka wouldn't be ashamed of it. All good. But I was pleased only until I briefly glanced down. When I noticed the weirdly quickly approaching surface of the lake, I panicked and started to beat my wings harder, the flames between my palms vanishing instantly. To my left, Siaril seemed to have similar problems. We both looked up to Yasenka who hovered above us at ease, watching us in deep thought.

I never realized how much of my brain was occupied by the movement of my wings, and how it became painfully irregular as soon as I started to focus on something else.

"As you can see, it only sounds easy..." Yasenka said after lowering herself a bit towards our level. "How about we just practice more flying for starters, so that you get used to it as much as possible? We can train the endurance in long-distance flight that way too." A small smile decorated her lips, as if she just came up with some interesting idea. "But I don't plan to chase you in circles around the lake or anything like that, don't worry. What would you say to... a little trip?"

The wind got a bit quieter, the surface of the lake smoothening out.

"A trip?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows.

This time Yasenka wasn't very eager to explain much though. When we returned to the mansion, she asked us to organize some provisions and some clean clothing for ourselves and prepare for departure. She went to the other part of the residence to have a word with Light in the meantime.

"Any ideas as to what attractions she prepared for us this time?" I asked Siaril, watching him fold a shirt on the neatly made bed, so unlike my own.

"You need a clairvoyant to answer this question, not my humble person, Sigrian," he answered with a hint of amusement. I just smiled and went to pack some stuff as well.

After returning, Yasenka grabbed a bag from her room, the surprised Ertralia from one of the armchairs which she only just contently started occupying, and flew out to the lake again. She made a few circles around the mansion's premise, enticing us to leave our hesitation on the balcony we were watching her from. When we finally joined her, she turned south.

Our sudden journey lasted two days. We spent one night in the Serelath Valley, in a small cluster of trees on the southern bank of Yesta, which mooned around lazily on her way to Istria. Me and Siaril took turns carrying Ertralia, who happily became an adorable tool for strengthening our wings. We knew it made no sense to interrogate Yasenka about anything if she refused to give an answer once already, so we decided to just enjoy the trip and the calm winds.

On the second day, sailing on the remnants of a soon to change wind, she corrected our course slightly to the west, and it became even more clear that we weren't heading for the illathan camp, like I initially suspected.

"Yasenka!" I yelled after her at last, my patience burned out.

"Yes?" she slowed down a little to be able to talk to me more easily.

I pulled Ertralia slightly up so she didn't slide all the way down my back. "I really think it's about time you told us..."

"And I'm really amazed you were able to keep quiet all this time," Yasenka gave me an amused look. "But patience pays off..."

She looked straight ahead and my eyes just followed.

The sea was clearly visible by now, seeming to spread even wider now that I could see it from above. The forest that accompanied us for quite a while now didn't seem to reach its shores. It seemed to rise a little before cutting off, probably on the edge of a cliff. A cliff that seemed to go for miles towards both the Ethir Mountains and Istria's estuary.

We soon reached the shore, where I was able to confirm my suspicions. The cliffs were not too massive, but almost perfectly vertical, their face a gray so dark it almost seemed black. Only an occasional tuft of more stubborn grass or a small but brave flower disturbed the strong image. Below spread nearly white sand, its edge constantly washed by calm waves. The woods, hiding their secrets and their inhabitants in the silvery-green, stood over it all like an army looking out for unknown enemies. Even from above, the sea seemed as endless as the sky...

"Such a beautiful spot," Siaril spoke my thoughts aloud, his eyes devouring the landscape with a spark of a smile. "But why here? Is there anything we can learn more efficiently here than by the Apries Lake?"

"Well, the trip itself was already a good lesson," Yasenka smiled innocently. "Did you notice how long our last stretch was after the last stop? Your wings are already getting stronger even if it's not immediately noticeable." She paused for a moment, before adding in a more serious tone: "But I guess I just have a sentiment for this place. It's where I learned to fly..."

"Ooh..."

Yasenka turned her gaze to the horizon. "I spent countless hours catching the sea breezes and allowing the waves to catch me in return when something went wrong. This place has excellent conditions for exercise, and for regenerating our bodies and minds after."

"So we stay for a while?" I was already excited, never even worrying about the exercise part.

"Until I give the permission to return," Yasenka joked.

I set Ertralia down beneath one of the trees at the border of the forest and the three of us flew out above the endless waters. Up to some point every detail of the sandy sea bed was clearly visible. After that, the bottom probably went into an abrupt drop, turning the water dark and impenetrable. There, in the water's reflection, I was able to observe myself in flight basically for the first time. I saw for myself how my wings looked like in all their glory, how they changed shape while gracefully catching the wind... and how all of that harmonized with what I was feeling with every beat.

Yasenka soon tore me away from admiring myself though, deciding to show us the real magic of flying.

She taught us all conceivable maneuvers that we could possibly think of, from barrel rolls and wing-overs, through using air currents to fly as long as we could without beating our wings, to flight with one wing dipped slightly into the cool water. She didn't need to remind us to do it carefully. I've experienced first-hand what the consequences could be and wouldn't forget them for the rest of my life. My favorite move became a free fall towards the water and opening my wings at literally the last moment to change the fall into a glide right above the waves. The best part were the tiny droplets jumping towards me, torn free by the force of the air blast.

It felt like I could fly like this without end. In the air I felt boundlessly free, all worries staying somewhere on the ground. With each breath, I took a subtle piece of the sea and coastal greenery and welcomed it to my very soul, becoming one with them. Above all else though, I delighted in the effect it had on Siaril. The longer we played like this, the more lively he became, more eager to open himself up fully. Even the last remnants of pain that always resided at the bottom of his eyes no matter what I did, seemed to suddenly starting to fade.

Ertralia on the other hand turned out to be rather insensitive to the charm of something she wasn't able to do herself, so when the exercises started to absorb our full attention, she set off into the brushes.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Only when she called out to us from the shore around sunset did we get tempted to take a break. We landed on the soft sand next to her, and my stomach immediately grumbled at the sight of the wild strawberries which she held in a clean cloth. She found us a great spot to rest too. There was a solitary cliff pillar in the middle of the beach not far away, its form resembling a cudgel with a slanted peak covered in young trees. It was connected to the other cliffs with a sort of rock bridge. We sat in its shadow and prepared a colorful supper together.

"I'm beat..." I said softly after satisfying the first hunger. Complaining always made things feel better. "And sweaty too. I should have taken a dip at the end there."

"Yasenka always says that the more you sweat, the more the wind will reward you," Ertralia put a finger up, sounding smart but cute all the same.

"I don't get it."

"Well, the harder you work, the more you sweat, right? And the more you sweat, the better you feel the breeze cooling you down during and after the work."

"Fair I guess," I laughed a little before looking at the wise one to my left. But Yasenka had her eyes on the sea, not paying attention to us. Her bread was almost untouched, as if she was taking a long time between bites. She looked... sad, but relieved somehow... "Yasenka?" I spoke up to get her attention.

"Yeah?" she looked at me, her eyes returning from wherever beyond the horizon she just was.

"Is something out there?"

"No, no... I mean there is, but..." she sighed, then laughed a little. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't make me tickle it out of you..."

Another laugh. "Sorry, I just got caught up in the past."

"Past?"

Now the illathan became a bit more serious. "It was before we met... shortly after I escaped from Sharish..." her eyes wandered to the horizon again. "I used to take advantage of my wings a lot to seek secluded places, safe ones, where no one who would want to use me could find me... I was in a really bad spot at the time..." Without thinking much, I covered her hand with mine, worried. Her grateful smile lit up the evening a little. "Then one day, when I felt like my mind was about to burst with too many thoughts... I came here and just leaped forward. I have no clue how long I flew for... I just did, trying to tire myself out, trying to throw all thoughts away, to leave the place where everyone knew who I was behind... Now that I think about it, it was way too crazy and way too irresponsible... But at some point, I saw something in the far distance... It looked like dense mist or a huge cloud, only that it seemed to float right above the water..."

"That's... weird."

"It was. I didn't dare to get closer. It made me think that maybe I'm hallucinating because of exhaustion, my tired mind showing me the entrance to the afterlife... It made me scared..." Yasenka paused for a second. "And I'm glad it did. It made me realize that, despite all the pain, despite the fear I carried every day... there were still people I wanted to live for, things I wanted to do, souls I was responsible for... I couldn't just vanish... I didn't want to... It was kind of a turning point. I learned to focus not on the past that just tries to destroy me, but on what's really important. On the best parts of our world."

"You are the best part..." Ertralia mumbled timidly.

I just nodded, agreeing.

Yasenka blushed, smiling shyly. It made her look more like a silly teen than a young woman with more experience than most men could carry. I had to shake my head, partly in amused annoyance. Even when I plunged into deepest concern for her, all she did was just drive away all darkness with one single smile. How in the world was a man supposed to worry properly around her?

"Oh, by the way, you need to see something," she just changed the subject, throwing the previous one away like it was a stone leisurely thrown into the sea. She noticed that she was the only one who hasn't finished her meal yet, so she quickly corrected that and got up. "Come on."

"But we just ate..." Ertralia whined lazily.

"It'll just be a walk, for good digestion. Don't you want to show them one of your favorite places?"

"Oh!" the sykerien immediately became all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

I stifled a laugh. "Now I'm curious," putting the bowls we used together so we could wash them later, I started to roll up my trousers. A walk on the beach sounded nicer if bare footed.

"Maybe don't do that," Yasenka interrupted me before I could take off my shoes.

"Why?"

"You'll see," Ertralia gave me an innocent smile.

The two beauties led us along the shore towards west, without hurry, giving us time to admire the fiery reflections of the setting sun on the waves and the breeze that helped the food settle down. It didn't take long until I suddenly felt something scrunch beneath my boot. Crouching down, I saw a middle-sized shell, almost the same color as the sand around us. I picked it up, smiling. "I guess it's not rare to find one or two washed ashore around here?" I asked, showing it to Yasenka.

"One or twelve, yes," she said, amused for some reason. When I tilted my head in confusion, she just turned away and continued to walk.

As we did, I couldn't help but notice how that sound underneath mine and my companions' feet became more and more frequent. Something else caught my attention too. The cliffs that ran along the beach seemed to get closer to the shoreline with every step, and I soon spotted the area where they met not far ahead.

"Now that's crazy..." Siaril suddenly spoke up.

"What?" I asked dumbly before following his stare which was fixated on the ground.

Ground? Was that the right term now? Beach didn't even sound right. The whole surface between the cliffs and the water was covered in... shells. "Whoa..."

Ertralia sent a radiant smile our way, like a full treasure chest seeing the sun. "Welcome to the Clam Beach."

"How is this possible?" this time, Siaril crouched down.

"I'm not entirely sure," Yasenka continued the walk, even slower now. "It probably took hundreds of years for all of them to be washed ashore here. They might have some special spot in the water nearby."

"If only we could dive underwater for long enough..."

"You can already fly. Don't get greedy."

I laughed and glanced over at Ertralia, who meanwhile reached the place where the cliffs met the water. There were some smaller rocks hugging the bottom of the dark walls, which she began to climb with mind blowing agility. Yasenka urged us to join her, and we soon saw why the sykerien was so drawn to them.

The stone formed three small reservoirs, three rock pools, each on a slightly different level above the ground. The water in two them was so clear it would have been invisible, if it weren't for the faint hue given to it by blood-red and pale blue seaweed growing at the bottom. Only the third, closest to the shoreline, seemed different. The water was just as transparent, but colored a delicate green, though for some reason with no sign of any plant in it. Instead, there were tiny fish swimming around...

"Beautiful..." I whispered.

"Do they get stuck in here due to the tide?" asked Siaril, sitting on the edge next to Ertralia. True enough, the waves were crashing against the edge facing the big water, spraying droplets around. Despite the fierceness of the element though, there were a few terrestrial looking plants growing between the more flat rocks, enjoying their leaves being washed over and over.

"Yep," Yasenka dipped her hand into the pool, the fish getting scared first, then gathering around her fingers in curiosity before quickly losing interest again. "They'll be out of here soon again."

"And will have a tale to tell their families," added Ertralia, her tail moving as she watched. I just now noticed how the hairpin next to her ear made her fit right in with the surroundings. "I wonder if being trapped here for a while makes them taste any different..."

I covered my lips to hide a wide smile, but Yasenka didn't hold back much: "Here we are, admiring a place that's probably one of a kind in our whole world, and she thinks about food."

I saw Siaril's shoulders twitch in silent laughter.

Yasenka was sort of right about the one of a kind part. This world was so much more colorful to me now than it was before it all started... I wouldn't be surprised if I used up my lifetime supply of luck when meeting them all...

I jumped up a little upon feeling a painful stinging at my thigh. I looked down to see a small crab, moving its pincers in a comically threatening way.

Yeah, I really might have.

~

A few days passed in that peaceful atmosphere. We spent the nights under the branches of the forest, among the green of cedars and ivy, surrounded by the fresh scent of sea and the whisper of its waves. We had our breakfasts shortly after dawn to set off into the sky above the waters as soon as the food settled.

At the beginning, Yasenka suggested simple games of tag. It sounded silly, but was meant to improve our agility in air. Of course me and Siaril became the chasers. It didn't take long until that childish game became the hardest I've ever played. Yasenka was experienced, skilled and very fast, making it hard for even the both of us at once to catch her. Every time I thought we finally had her, she eluded with a movement light as a flutter of a butterfly's wings. It also didn't help matters that me and Siaril sometimes felt tempted to chase each other like silly kids rather than chase our teacher. With time though, observing her made us understand some more subtle mechanics and develop a new kind of instinct. Soon, we set the games aside.

We started using fire in flight again and planned to bring swords for some lessons in midair with them in the near future. Yasenka was very pleased with our quick progress and I felt more and more hope with every successful exercise. During physical breaks, she made sure to jog our brains instead. There was three of us, so it was convenient to teach about parts of the wing anatomy that we didn't see without breaking our backs. We also learned what we could from the Dracascarion, even if it was about dragon traits that we didn't inherit. It made some things more understandable and easier to imagine.

When neither of us felt like continuing anymore, we would sit down in the grass on the high cliffs to eat and observe the clouds that carried the glow of setting sun on their edges. If rain passed by in the morning and the afternoon was hot, at the end of the day the forest emitted a dizzying scent that soothed the exhaustion and helped to fall asleep peacefully. After dusk, Ertralia always rested in the crown of a low willow, listening to our calm breaths, as if watching over our sleep and our safety, and disappeared only shortly for a hunt in the middle of the night.

Every now and then we visited the illathan camp to replenish our provisions and check if Sharish has decided to show himself again. Time passed though, and the successor of the Caydranth lineage was nowhere to be seen...