I returned to the waking world before dawn. The sky was starting to turn grey with daybreak, the camp silent and calm. Siaril was still by my side, breathing peacefully.

I yawned, quietly got up and stretched a little. The slumbering illathan and embers of the bonfire that emitted only the faintest of smokes now, a single rabbit watching me from the other side of the camp, the morning dew glistening on fresh leaves... they all painted a fairytale-like picture of pure serenity. I could almost hear the breath of the forest among the soft silence embracing the clearing... Feeling some inexplicable urge, I cast Siaril a short glance before slowly wandering off into the shadows of the trees.

The forest in early bright was unique. The only things audible were the murmur of the leaves and the whisper of my own, careful steps among the soft grass. The warmth and the delicate mist caused me to feel like I was still asleep, my body left under the tree next to my friend while my soul wandered freely.

I took a deep breath, stretching again, my wings included this time. The Silivren Forest did wonders to the body and soul. I felt well-rested despite having slept so short. Still, from the moment I woke up, I wasn't able to stop thinking about what Yasenka told us just hours ago...

I let my arms fall with a short exhale and looked up into the sky. I had some really weird dreams last night, my imagination recreating things from Yasenka's words only. I saw the rampaging magic, people dying from it... for some reason though, all of it didn't take place in a bare castle chamber, but out in the open, near what looked like the seashore.

It was almost as if Yasenka placed a crystalline clear vision deep inside my soul, a vision that I could recall at all times, even if I didn't want to. A memory that wasn't just her own anymore... I had to admit, yesterday she impressed me far more than she already has before. Not because she was some 'Empress' in the past though... rather with her inner strength. She carried such a cruel past, lost and suffered so much... and yet maintained her cheerfulness, still had faith in other people and there was not a single day where one couldn't find a beautiful, honest smile on her angelic face. Me or Siaril were pale next to her...

These thoughts clouded my mind so mercilessly that when I returned to reality, I had to reluctantly admit that I didn't have the slightest idea where I've wandered to. No landmarks as far as the eye could see, no sign of human or illathan activity. Even the vague path meandering between the trunks was suddenly gone, leaving me in the middle of nowhere to contemplate my own stupidity.

"Fantastic..." I whispered to myself in annoyance, glancing towards a huge spider web hanging between two trunks, a composition of silver droplets on the delicate threads. "The last thing I need right now is waking up the entire camp by flying there or having Siaril raise an alarm when he notices that the usual sleepyhead has dematerialized even before daybreak..."

My response was a louder rustle of leaves somewhere behind my back and a shy voice resembling a soft purr: "I can lead you back if you want..."

I turned around the very instance Ertralia jumped down from a nearby tree. For a long moment, I just stared at the fascinating creature, now in a crouch from cushioning the fall and watching me vigilantly, but in a friendly manner. There was something in the warm sadness of her sapphire eyes that made her seem older than her looks suggested.

"Well..." I stammered, "if it's not too much trouble, then I'd really appreciate it..."

Her tail swayed, making it look like she was amused for some reason, then she smiled at me and came closer. "Of course it's not," she grabbed my sleeve with just her thumb and index finger and gently pulled me in the complete opposite direction than I thought I came from.

In the awkward silence that fell upon us, I took the opportunity to take a better look. There was nothing cat-like in her face itself. No vertical pupils or whiskers or anything. Just the normal features of a sweet girl slightly younger than me, only that I've never seen a blue so vibrant as in her eyes before. The ears kept twitching at the quietest of sounds, the fur on them well groomed and almost begging to be stroked. Her hair was quite unusual too, the brown darkening into black at the very tips. When walking on solid ground, she kept her tail mostly hidden underneath her simple dress. She probably only really needed it when balancing on branches of trees...

It didn't take long until the sleeping clearing appeared between the trees, still breathing the memory of the passing night. An orange glow already formed in the sky above it.

Ertralia stopped, and after a brief moment turned to face me. "Will you be leaving again today?" she asked silently.

"I don't know, it will depend on Yasenka's condition I guess..."

Her ears slumped. "I don't want her to leave again... I feel so lonely..."

"Maybe you could come with us then?" unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to bite my tongue in time to prevent that offer from leaving my mouth. I knew far too well that it could be too dangerous...

But the sykerien's ears already perked back up, sparks of hope igniting in her eyes. "Really? You think I could? I'd be so happy if I could help Yasenka somehow..."

I sighed in surrender. "Look... you'll have to ask Yasenka. If she'll feel certain that she can protect you from what awaits us, I'm sure she'll allow you to come. And me and Siaril will gladly do our best to take care of you too. And as for the helping Yasenka part... From what she told us yesterday, you already helped so much..." I hesitated before slowly extending my hand and patting the silky hair between those ears. To my relief, she didn't flinch away, her expression relaxing a little. "Thank you... for being with her in those bad moments..."

"I'd do anything for her..."

A small movement at the border of the camp caught my eye before I could say anything else. Siaril sat up underneath the hornbeam and started to look around, most probably looking for me. Without thinking much, I took Ertralia's hand in my own and left the shadow of the trees to prevent him from unnecessarily waking the others.

"Where have you been?" asked my friend after a relieved sigh.

"Just a little morning walk."

"Oh?" one of his eyebrows rose in what seemed to be amusement. I noticed that he was looking at my hand, still holding Ertralia's, and I released it abruptly. He chose not to make any comments about that, but he didn't spare me another one: "You getting up before dawn? Are you feeling alright?"

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"Says the one who was sleeping like a log until just now."

An innocent smile was all I received in response.

The young sykerien left us alone, her cheeks beautifully red for some reason. We stayed underneath the tree for a while, discussing yesterday's events. When the illathan started to stir and soon began preparations for breakfast, we got up to help, ignoring our guest status.

When everyone sat down by a fresh fire, Asaya informed us that Yasenka was still asleep, and it would be good to leave her in peace for as long as she needed. We ate without her, then started to repair the hovels.

We didn't leave as early as Ertralia feared. Yasenka slept almost through the entire day, two of the other illathan regularly checking on her. Considering that she didn't suffer much physical damage aside from her knee, we assumed she must have been rather exhausted mentally... But master Arakiel said that she already 'sailed around worse cliffs' in the past. True enough, when she finally woke up in the evening, she seemed as energetic and healthy as ever.

During the evening meal, she suggested we return to the Apries Lake as soon as possible. Light must have been worried sick, going from window to window and wondering what happened to his friends and beloved... And since he was a mage, he was probably the best to ask if we wanted to figure out what Sharish is really up to. Not to mention we needed to focus on developing our own magic at last...

We convinced Yasenka to gather her strength for another night and leave tomorrow. After these words I more felt than saw how Ertralia, sitting on a low branch of a nearby oak, stirred uneasily and dropped her ears yet again. I couldn't just let the little heart that was so attached to Yasenka to suffer... so I decided to help the matter the next morning. This time Siaril and me got to sleep in a hovel that has been built exclusively for us, listening to the gentle murmur of a storm in the east and the far singsong of some night bird.

The delicate rain that came that night fell steadily, calmly and long.

~

The first, still blurry thing I saw after opening my eyes was a petite figure with lynx-ears sitting by my side, roughly at the level of my knees. I could hear soft exhales that sounded like the most discreet purring. The ears twitched as soon as I stirred, as if their owner was specifically waiting for me to wake up.

My mind was still too sleepy to process what I was really seeing and I sat right up, startled, waking Siaril with an unintended jerk of my wing.

"Sorry!" I yelped when he jumped up as well, probably even more terrified than me.

Meanwhile Ertralia, completely unruffled by the panic she caused, smiled at me sweetly and chirped: "Thank you. You were right, I just needed to ask her." And with a happy sway of that black tail, she vanished from the hovel.

I just stared at the entrance, now empty, with just the first rays of morning sun peeping inside. When I finally comprehended what just happened, and that the problem I wanted to solve just solved itself, I couldn't hold back a short laugh.

Catching the inquisitive look of still confused Siaril, I explained what caused the unexpected dawn sighting. We left the hovel and went to freshen up by the brook. When we came back, Yasenka and a few other illathan were already making breakfast by a small fire. We treated ourselves with delicate smoked fish and fresh fruit, without any rush at all.

When it was time to go, Yasenka got down on one knee and extended her arms to the back, offering to carry Ertralia. But the younger girl seemed to hesitate.

"What's wrong?" the illathan asked.

"Um..." Ertralia cast her eyes down a little, her tail moving nervously. "Could I maybe try it with someone else today?" When Yasenka raised her eyebrows, she quickly added: "It's not that I don't like flying with you, but... you were just hurt, you should still be careful, even if you feel better for now."

"Oh... well if Sigrian or Siaril feel up to the task?"

I was busy wondering if I would even manage to fly far with an additional weight on my back, when Ertralia gave me a shy look that suggested there was more than that one reason why she didn't want to fly with Yasenka. "Well..." the tone I spoke in might have been the most unsure I got out of me in my whole life, "I can try, nothing against strengthening my wings a bit..."

Ertralia almost beamed when I took her on my back. She was surprisingly light, just like a cat should be, the hands that wrapped around my neck as delicate and careful as Yasenka's. Once I was sure my passenger was secure, we said our goodbyes to the other illathan and ascended from the clearing into the morning sky. At first, Yasenka watched us with a hint of anxiety, but after a while of accident-free flight she smiled and flew a bit ahead, clearly at ease.

The day was beautiful, the sky free from clouds, and the sun warmed the pleasantly fresh air above the tree tops. It was hard to wish for better flying conditions. The three of us never before did it together and while I listened to the barely audible melody of the air being cut by our wings, I started to feel like there was some new, unique bond slowly taking its shape between us...

Ertralia must have been flying with Yasenka quite frequently in the past, because she showed no signs of fright. She just kept looking around curiously and I could almost feel the joy she was getting from the rush of wind caressing the fur on her ears.

We took a few breaks in between, allowing my wings to rest since they weren't used to carrying two people, even if one of them was incredibly light. As a result, the return took us almost a whole day.

When we landed on the vast balcony on the top floor of our part of the mansion, I carefully put Ertralia down. A feather-light and curious touch brushed the surface of my left wing as I did so. I was getting the impression that she was itching to check how they felt like the whole journey, but didn't want to disturb my concentration in flight until now. When I gave her an amused look, she flushed an adorable shade of red and ran up to the shelves inside, pretending to be intrigued by the mountains of books three times taller than herself. Yasenka told us to let her explore the place to her heart's content and the three of us went down to the level of our bedrooms.

Almost as soon as the door leading to the bridge came into my field of vision, it opened, and Light stormed inside, completely out of breath. He must have rushed here the moment he noticed us coming from the south.

"Where have you been all this time?!" we heard instead of a greeting. It wasn't really unexpected. Already on our way here, Yasenka was musing about how Light was coping with the fact that we pretty much evaporated two days ago and he didn't have the slightest idea what happened.

The illathan decided to take the matter in her own hands. She walked up to my mentor and delicately put a hand on his heart. "I'm sorry, it was my fault..." she said softly, giving him one of those looks that caused men's legs to give up on them. "I acted rashly and didn't think about the consequences. Will you let me explain?"

Seeing the worried anger in Light's eyes melt into almost teary relief, me and Siaril allowed this explaining to happen between the two of them and didn't follow back upstairs.

"Her charm is more effective than any lock pick..."

"Yeah, that's why I'm sometimes jealous, and sometimes I pity him... she'll always be able to have things her own way."

Siaril laughed. "It won't be that bad. She cares for him too much."

"Yep."

"Anyway, I guess we should get prepared."

"Get prepared?" I repeated unwittingly, too distracted by watching Ertralia who let the pair upstairs be alone as well and was now eyeing the water in the bathroom downstairs rather mistrustfully.

"While still in Silivren Forest, Yasenka mentioned giving us a proper course in being Disciples and that learning through mistakes has worked pretty well until now, especially for you..."

"Very funny..."

"Well, I think we can expect her to teach us everything we need to know for the battle against Sharish the hard way."

"Including how to surprise not only your enemies, but occasionally your friends as well?"

Siaril laughed again and I couldn't help but smile even with the perspective of backbreaking work ahead. I was kind of wondering why we didn't start doing that much earlier anyway. I always had the feeling that there are still so many things I wasn't even able to imagine about our second nature, about myself and everything around me...