Natazia poured drinks as she explained the rules of her game. Unfortunately, Ozyeeq firebomb was their only option. Zyryxa tore through a second succulent steak, hoping that it wouldn’t be making a second appearance later.
“Any questions?” Natazia asked, dropping onto her stump.
The rules seemed simple enough. They would take turns declaring something they had never done. If anyone else around the fire had done it, they would take a sip of the burning beverage. Better still, those who drank had to answer a question from the statement maker about it.
Zyryxa’s hand shot up. “Can I go first?”
“Sure,” Natazia said. “Then we’ll go in a circle—Lexyn, me, Pelzyq.”
“Saving the best for last,” Pelzyq growled.
“You’re the climax, Pelzyq,” Zyryxa teased, winking.
“Pelzyq has heard this before. Usually between shouts of Divine Qoryxa and the occasional Seraxa and Leverith.” He shot bedroom eyes at Lexyn. “Maybe tonight everyone will get to hear.”
“Well, I never,” Zyryxa said, grinning at the growing blush spreading across Lexyn’s already pinkish cheeks. That girl was adorable, and Zyryxa couldn’t help but feel a tiny pang of jealousy. Pelzyq was probably close to experiencing something Zyryxa never would.
“I think Zyryxa should start the game now,” Lexyn interjected. “Right, Natazia?”
Natazia leaned back, making herself comfortable. “I, for one, am enjoying this. I’ve never seen Pelzyq’s famed meat, and I’m so distracted by its legend that I don’t know if I can bear it much longer.”
Pelzyq grinned. “Perhaps we can arrange a deal, broodmaster. Pelzyq, however, has already seen everything you’ve got on offer. A simple exchange would not be fair to Pelzyq.”
Natazia smirked. “A wise bargainer. Why don’t we negotiate after a few rounds?”
“Why not?” Pelzyq said, raising his flask. “To us! To the greatest brood these lands have ever seen! Soon enough, you will all be legends too.”
“To being the best,” Zyryxa added, raising her flask.
“To flying high!” Natazia chimed in.
“To making a difference,” Lexyn finished softly.
They all downed their first sip.
Seraxa’s freezing eyes! Zyryxa hated Ozyeeq firebomb. The liquor went down as smooth as a razor blade and didn’t stop stinging once it reached her stomach. This was going to be a long night.
“Get us started, Zyryxa,” Natazia ordered.
Zyryxa grinned. “I never knew that my father was a freezing war hero.”
“That’s cheating,” Pelzyq objected. “We already knew that!”
“Question,” Lexyn interrupted. “Define war hero. Also, how would we know for sure if our father was or wasn’t one? I know my father fought in the last war, but I can’t say if he meets criteria for ‘war hero.’ And I cannot know what I do not know. You know?” She winked at Zyryxa, a sly Lexynish grin blooming on the corners of her mouth.
“Sorry, Zyryxa,” Natazia agreed, as lighthearted as the others. “You’re outvoted three to one. Rephrase your statement.”
Zyryxa growled. Fine. She’d make them pay. “I’ve never been in love.”
Natazia sipped immediately. Pelzyq wasn’t far behind. Lexyn looked at him, hesitated, and then reluctantly took a sip, gagging as the firebomb went down.
“Feeling lonely over there?” Pelzyq teased.
“Not at all.”
“Zyryxa loves herself so much, she doesn’t need to be in love with someone else,” Lexyn said. Catching Zyryxa’s glare, Lexyn quickly added, “I admire that about you. I wish I could love myself like that.”
Natazia lurched forward. “So what you’re saying, Lexyn, is that Zyryxa’s fingers give her all the love she needs?”
Pelzyq and Lexyn hooted with laughter, and Natazia’s jubilant smile broke through the ice she usually wore. It was surprisingly charming.
Zyryxa’s cheeks burned with embarrassment but she refused to back down. Dash head-on into the threat. Never show weakness. “Why delegate what you can do better yourself?”
The others laughed, and Zyryxa felt her own ice breaking. “My turn. Natazia, what happened with your love?”
Natazia’s laughter died. She sighed, her face hardening back into its usual ice. “The same thing that happened to everything good in my life.” Anger flared across her face as she lifted her flask and took several long sips of the Fire Tribe poison.
Lexyn reached out, resting her hand on Natazia’s arm. “Hatrox?”
Natazia nodded, wiping the excess firebomb from her lips. For all the heat she imbibed, she remained frozen, and Zyryxa felt horrible for reopening old scars. She promised to be more careful with her questions. At least for Natazia. She stilled owed Pelzyq for hiding her furs.
“Pelzyq,” Zyryxa said, “what was your first love’s name?”
Pelzyq hesitated, staring into the fire. Not Lexyn, then, Zyryxa deduced. Natazia relaxed a little as the attention shifted to him.
“You can tell us,” Lexyn said gently. “We all have pain in our past, Pelzyq. We’ll deal with it together. We’ll heal.”
Pelzyq shook his head. “Every woman I’ve loved, starting with Dalcyx, has found nothing but pain because of me.” He looked at Lexyn, his eyes damp. “I’m cursed.”
The pieces clicked together—the bravado, the lewdness, the feuding, the running. Zyryxa shifted closer, squeezing Pelzyq’s shoulder firmly. “Then we break the curse, brother.”
He looked up at her, like a drunk little drake, and offered his paw. Zyryxa took it, gripping hard. They were evenly matched, though she’d still bet on herself to hold the grip longer.
“Sister,” he said, smiling faintly through wet, droopy eyes.
“Zyryxa wouldn’t let you get Lexyn hurt,” Natazia said. “And neither will I.” She bumped fists with Lexyn.
Lexyn blinked away tears. “To breaking curses.”
“To new beginnings,” Natazia said, raising her flask.
“To my brother,” Zyryxa added.
“To you wonderful girls,” Pelzyq said. “May I never bring you pain.”
They drank. This time, the firebomb felt less like jagged glass and more like a welcome warmth.
“I don’t know about anyone else,” Zyryxa said, smirking at Pelzyq, “but I feel secondhand pain every time I look at that fucked up nose of yours.”
Natazia snorted mid-sip, firebomb shooting out through her nostrils. She scrambled for the snow, rubbing it into her face as she gasped and laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Lexyn howled in response, then glanced at Pelzyq. “I think Pelzyq’s face is just fine.”
“Just fine?” Pelzyq repeated, his outrage teetering between feigned and genuine. “How would you feel if Pelzyq said Lexyn’s face is just fine?”
Lexyn shrugged, though her expression betrayed a flicker of self-consciousness. Zyryxa leapt to her friend’s defense. “Unlike Pelzyq, Lexyn can and has looked into a mirror without breaking it. She knows she’s an ice-cold knockout, not someone who’s been knocked out ice cold more times than they can remember.”
Pelzyq’s mouth fell agape. Natazia roared with laughter, still on her hands and knees in the snow.
“I think I’m ready for my question now, Zyryxa,” Lexyn said, shaking her head with a grin.
Zyryxa settled back onto her stump while Natazia staggered to her seat, wiping tears from her eyes. “Why did you hesitate to drink?” Zyryxa asked.
Lexyn’s gaze dropped to the fire. “I don’t doubt that I’m in love,” she murmured. “I’m just scared it might not be felt the same way on the other end. I worry that it might be just physical, or worse, built on pity for the little mouse in need of big strong protector.”
“Don’t ever doubt yourself,” Pelzyq said, stepping forward without hesitation. He wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t doubt what I feel for you.”
Lexyn closed the embrace, leaning into him. Zyryxa looked away, her chest heavy. She did feel alone. She tipped back her flask, wondering how Rivux’s flight to the Pridefort had gone—whether something real could grow from the wild chase and passionate capture today. How could he love someone who tore his dragon’s wing off? Will we ever meet again? Will I have to watch Pelzyq bond with Lexyn, a woman I can’t seem to stop desiring, while I remain alone?
The firebomb burned its way down into her, trying to dull the edge of her thoughts.
“How endearing,” Natazia teased, breaking the silence. “You’re up, Lexyn.”
Pelzyq let her go, but Lexyn pulled him back in for a kiss. For several heartbeats, Zyryxa looked away, unable to shake the feeling of loneliness that no fire could reduce to ash. Lexyn took a deep breath as Pelzyq returned to his log, then looked around the fire, nervously. “I never had sex,” she said.
“Not for much longer,” Natazia muttered, earning herself a friendly glare from Lexyn.
Pelzyq sipped alongside Natazia. “Sex isn’t important to me,” he said, meeting Lexyn’s eyes. “Just knowing you’re here is all I need.”
Lexyn’s serene smile lit up the firelit space, leaving Zyryxa strangely at peace.
“Well,” Natazia said slyly, “I thought Pelzyq might offer to fix both Lexyn and Zyryxa’s little problem.”
“You really, really want a showing of Pelzyq’s cock, don’t you, Natazia?” Zyryxa quipped, taking another swig of firebomb to mask her curiosity.
Natazia threw up her hands. “Guilty! What’s it going to take, Pelzyq? This secret will tear us apart—or at least tear Lexyn apart.”
Zyryxa snorted as Lexyn flushed crimson. The unabashed, boyish glee shining on Pelzyq’s face only made the moment more absurd. Let it be known that drinking, even Ozyeeq firebomb, could be fun.
Pelzyq tsked and took a dramatic sip. Steam curled from his mouth as he exhaled. “I think the going barter for a glimpse of Pelzyq’s legendary cock is three sets of tits.”
Zyryxa shook her head. Pelzyq, you clever boy. By demanding all three, he would prove their curiosity. Zyryxa wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. “No deal.”
“Come on, Zyryxa!” Natazia howled, her voice going shrill. “I heard he’s already seen yours!”
“Without my consent,” Zyryxa shot back. “Then he played stupid games with the furs.”
“Hey! Hey!” Pelzyq said, holding up his hands. “Don’t go fighting over Pelzyq. Besides, Zyryxa owes us a drink. Who else saw that massive stain on the fire knight? Took the poor bastard’s dragon, his stock, and won’t even admit she loves him or that they got it on.”
“Lexyn,” Zyryxa cut in, pulling herself out of the fray. “Ask your question.”
“Hold on!” Natazia interrupted, getting progressively louder with each sip of firebomb. “Pelzyq, surely you have to account for size here. Lexyn’s set is worth at least two sets of standard tits. She’s stacked!”
“Sure, sure,” Pelzyq said, grinning, “but yours are only worth half.”
Natazia scoffed. “No chance. They’re at least average.” To prove her point, she tossed her furs aside. The scars were impossible to ignore, but beneath them, Natazia sported a beautifully chiseled physique. The woman was solid muscle, except for the soft part at her chest. Her “set” was at least worth one. Zyryxa kept the thought to herself, biting a little on her lip before taking another sip of firebomb. Unsurprisingly, the hellish liquor didn’t cool her off.
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Pelzyq tilted his head back and forth, evaluating Natazia keenly. “I’ll give you three-quarters.”
Lexyn shook her head, giggling as drunken warmth glowed on her cheeks. “I don’t have any more questions for Pelzyq. Natazia, do you favor men or women?”
Natazia looked at Lexyn like she’d sprouted wings. “Silly girl,” she said, her voice full of mock condescension. “Why would you waste yourself on only half of life’s possibilities? Do you eat just the yak’s meat and ignore the milk? Do you neglect your sword just because you have the bow? Only a fool chooses one when both are abundant and wonderful.”
“Hear, hear!” Zyryxa toasted, raising her flask.
“Hear, hear!” Natazia echoed, winking before joining Zyryxa in another swig.
Qoryxa’s flaming eyes! Zyryxa’s head spun, and her bladder nagged at her. Everything tingled, an uncomfortably comfortable numb. She giggled, vaguely recognizing that the girlish sound wouldn’t have passed inspection and been released several sips ago.
“You two are just weird,” Zyryxa slurred, pointing at Lexyn and Pelzyq. She giggled again, realizing she sounded now how Pelzyq sounded before any sips. “You’d go to the best restaurant in Loxzua and only look at half the menu.”
“Right?” Natazia guffawed. “Weird-ass weird people.” She burped, tracking some spittle onto her chin. The drool froze onto her face, causing Zyryxa to giggle again. “Its not very Qoryxa of you,” Natazia chirped, “settling for half the menu. Psh!”
Lexyn and Pelzyq exchanged glances, shrugged, and Lexyn grinned. “Only in Volqor would we be the weird ones. Not that anyone here is weird,” she added quickly. “We simply are.”
“Sounds exactly like something a weird person would say,” Natazia added with a snort.
“Let them be weird,” Zyryxa said, taking another sip. “More menu for us, Natazia.”
Natazia shook her head dramatically, the motion so exaggerated that Zyryxa snorted. This bitch wasn’t so bad!
“Not if I don’t get to see some tits and cock,” Natazia said. “Come on, Zyryxa! Don’t let me down.”
Zyryxa saw her opening. Slowly, with great deliberation, she slid off her top furs, folding them and setting them neatly in the snow beside the fire. “I won’t let you down,” she said, conjuring a burp that brought up the steak. It didn’t taste as good the second time, but she swallowed it anyway. Might as well chase it with firebomb.
When she looked up, she saw several blurry sets of eyes drawn to her, each in varying states of admiration. Zyryxa leaned back, pressing her shoulders together to give a better view.
“I think…” Natazia said slowly, “this is art.”
“I think…” Lexyn said slowly, “I might have to pay better attention to the wo-menu.”
“Pelzyq thinks…” Pelzyq said slowly, “he’s seen better.”
The fireside erupted with raucous, drunken laughter. Zyryxa grinned, unshaken. “Is that so?”
Pelzyq nodded, took another swig, though his eyes never left her.
“Oh, Lexyn,” Zyryxa sang, “are you going to let Natazia down?”
Lexyn side-eyed Natazia. “Do you really want this?”
Natazia’s expression turned somber. “I want us to know each other—inside and out. I want to laugh together, love each other, however that looks, because that is how we’re going to be the best that we can be. And I don’t want Pelzyq’s stupid cock jokes to haunt me for the next year and be left wondering whether there is any verity to them. So, yes, Lexyn, show me your tits.”
Zyryxa leaned forward, fighting the flutter in her chest.
“Lexyn,” Pelzyq said as softly as his gruff was capable, “I can fulfill my end of the bargain even if you don’t want to.” That fucking grin spreading across his face, he tilted his head toward Zyryxa, “I think she might count for two and a quarter.”
“Still not the best you’ve seen though?” Zyryxa chirped.
He ignored her, keeping his gaze on Lexyn.
“It’s fine,” Natazia said. “Maybe we just need a few more rounds. I’ll go.”
Lexyn lifted her furs. Her skin beneath the abominable fur was even less pale, as if reduced exposure to the Volqori environment kept it more Leverian. She was toned, with clear definition in her abs, obliques, deltoids, biceps, triceps, and trapezius muscles, making it abundantly clear that she was just as Volqori as she was Leverian. As far as “sets” went, if Pelzyq was teasing about seeing better before, he didn’t have to anymore.
“You must feel pretty lucky, Pelzyq,” Natazia said, whistling at Lexyn. “Three sets. Now, one cock.”
Zyryxa regulated her breathing, forcing her gaze away from Lexyn. Not everything beautiful was meant to be hers. Lexyn was a sister to her—closer than blood, the best she’d ever have. They didn’t need to be more, no matter what her traitorous eyes said. Speaking of which, thank the Divines eyes didn’t actually speak. Right now, hers would betray every thought she needed to bury.
Still, she had new imagery for her lonelier nights. Zyryxa shoved the thought aside, redirecting it toward Rivux. Yes, Rivux. Her fingers would play a ballad for him later, not Lexyn. Maybe Natazia too. Why not order from both sides of the menu? Zyryxa nodded to herself as Pelzyq deliberately undid his belt. He tossed it at Natazia. Their leader put in her mouth and bit down. Zyryxa snorted.
“Careful,” he said, working his fingers inside the rim of his furs. “Don’t stand too close without protective eyewear. And keep a safe distance from the fire. Pelzyq doesn’t want you to fall in if you faint.”
“Enough, preamble,” Natazia said, tossing the belt aside. “Show us the cock already!”
Pelzyq’s fingers hovered over the waist of his pants. “Listen, Natazia. We just agreed to break my curse, didn’t we? Pelzyq loves you all—truly—and doesn’t want any harm to come to you because of him.”
Zyryxa shook her head, laughing despite herself. “How did I ever despise you? You beautiful bastard.”
“You said that out loud,” Pelzyq said, wagging his finger. “Just so you know.”
Lexyn’s laugh rang out, clear and soft.
“Easy, sexy Lexy,” Pelzyq teased, his finger wagging her way now. “Laugh too hard, and you might hit yourself in the face with those. I don’t ever want to be responsible for a single bruise on you.”
Lexyn shook her head, smiling at him with open adoration. Zyryxa, in turn, couldn’t stop gazing at her.
“Enough suspense,” Natazia groaned. “Get on with it!”
“The master has spoken,” Pelzyq said, reaching an arm into his pants. “Ladies and ladies, without further ado…my cock.”
Zyryxa wasn’t exactly an expert on male anatomy. Abbaz had been modest, always covered up in front of his daughters. Her little brother was too young to be a worthwhile reference point. The closest she’d ever been to a man was earlier today, grinding against Rivux through multiple layers of furs. But even she knew this wasn’t normal. Not even if she divided it by two to account for her double vision. She blinked, guessing from the speechlessness around the fire that it might go back to a normal size if she opened and closed her eyes a few times. Yet no matter how many times she closed and reopened her eyes, the truth remained. Not one of her cleverer moments, that.
“What in Zamael’s Hells am I looking at?” Natazia asked, her voice flat.
Lexyn, whose intensive training in medica, participation in many surgeries, and years of study on human anatomy offered her expert opinion. “That’s a cock.”
“That’s like calling Monzqora a hill,” Natazia retorted. “No wonder you’re cursed, boy! You must’ve sold your soul for this giganaska. No wonder every girl you’ve loved ends up in pain. Don’t come near me with that divinedamned club.”
Pelzyq, holding his immense penis in one hand, turned to Zyryxa. “No comment?”
“Zyryxa thinks…,” she said slowly, not just for dramatic effect as her stomach roiled, “she’s seen better.”
“Is that so?” Pelzyq asked, releasing it with a grin. The fucking thing slapped against his thigh with an audible thud. That was enough to send Zyryxa over the cliff. She doubled over, retching, emptying her stomach until she was sure it wasn’t just the two steaks and the firebomb, but her dignity as well.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Natazia said, patting Zyryxa on the back as Lexyn rummaged through her satchel.
Everything a spinning, whirling blur, Zyryxa plummeted into the snow, feeling like a divinedamned fool. Natazia helping her down, both their chests exposed, was a hammer to her pride. She waited for Pelzyq’s laughter. It never came.
“Here, this’ll help Zy,” Lexyn said gently, holding out a water skin. “It will be bitter.”
Zyryxa barely tasted it over the acid burn of vomit. Their commentary became a blur. Sometimes laughter broke up their speech. She just fucking knew it was about her. Never again, she swore. Ozyeeq firebomb could stay north of the Frostmelt. She’d smash the divinedamned cask against a gelubor. Tomorrow—when the world wasn’t spinning so much.
Lexyn kept handing her the skin, the bitter taste becoming increasingly noticeable. Her stomach settled, her vision spun less, the snowflakes falling on her didn’t piss her off as much.
“You with us again?” Natazia asked, her tits in Zyryxa’s face as she knelt down.
“Yeah.” Zyryxa staggered to her feet, and stumbled back to her stump. “All better now.” Her head felt like she got dinged with a hammer. Perhaps that was where the terminology came from? Anyway, thoughts were hard, but she didn’t feel like tossing whatever else her stomach could find.
“Alright,” Natazia announced, her tone firm. “Me and Pelzyq still need to go. I want to ride a dragon, but I’ve never ridden a drake.”
“Me neither,” Pelzyq said. “I don’t want to neither.”
“They used to scare me,” Lexyn said, helping Zyryxa put her furs back on. “But I love my Dryxl now.”
Dryxl pressed close to her, accepting a pat on the head before he started licking up Zyryxa’s puke pile.
“No thanks,” Pelzyq said, grimacing. “You get two more drakes, I ain’t riding mine.”
“I’ll teach you,” Lexyn offered brightly. “It’ll help us grow stronger.”
Pelzyq grunted.
“I hope to learn,” Natazia said. “There wasn’t much need when I was stationed in Loxzua, and…” Her words faltered, growing quieter. “…I never got the chance at Riverwatch.”
The mention of Riverwatch snapped Zyryxa to attention. Drunk, her inhibitions on vacation, she blurted the question that gnawed at her. “What can you tell us about Riverwatch?”
Natazia bit her lip, her usual ice melting into something fragile. “Matyxal saved you,” she said, her voice trembling. “Hatrox takes women like you and turns them into women like me.”
“Women like me?” Zyryxa asked.
Natazia nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. “The strongest, the proudest, the most noble. He rips apart our dreams and turns our lives into a nightmare. Whatever you do, avoid him. Don’t—” Her voice broke, a sob escaping. “Don’t become a broken creature like me.”
“You’re not broken,” Lexyn said, reaching for her. Zyryxa stared at Natazia, unsure if she agreed.
“You are a sweetheart,” Natazia said, smiling faintly though her voice trembled. “I used to be like that, too. I loved dreaming. Now, I can’t sleep without fear of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or feeling him.” Natazia exhaled, gazing up at the blue moon. “Since I left Riverwatch, I’ve only been able to relax when I’m so drunk that I can’t feel anything. Even now, I find myself looking to the skies, expecting to see Coryza—expecting Hatrox to throw me to the ground, to remind me that I’m nothing without him.”
The fire crackled softly as her voice fell to a whisper. “Every time death courts me, a part of me wants to let go—to give in so it can finally be over. An end, once and for all. I just want to rest again, without thinking of him.”
Lexyn sidled onto the stump beside Natazia and gently wrapped an arm around her back. “I’m sorry,” she said softly.
Natazia’s lips curled into a faint, broken smile. “I know,” she said. “Thank you.”
Zyryxa stared into the fire, its flickering light dancing across her face. She thought of Riverwatch, of the unforgettable face of Hatrox. She would rest better knowing she wasn’t destined to become like Natazia—afraid to dream, unable to find peace, broken inside. But even as she thought of it, she felt the hollows within herself, the voids left by a mother she’d never see again and a father she’d never truly known. When was the last time she’d gone a night, or even a day, without being reminded of her loss? Her own dreams had been shattered too.
She glanced at Pelzyq—poor, ridiculous Pelzyq, who believed everyone he loved would suffer because he cared about them. Even Lexyn, pure and sweet as she was, carried scars that could not be seen on her incredible body. Zyryxa clenched her fists, the firelight blurring as tears welled in her eyes.
“None of us are whole,” she said. “When I think of how I will never see Zyrthalla again, never hear her tell me she’s proud of me again, I hurt… so… bad.” She gripped her stomach, even though Lexyn’s mixture had eased the nausea. “I will never fly with her. And I don’t know if I can—or even if I should—try to kill the one who took her from me.” Her voice broke, and the sobs came. “I miss her. The person who made me is gone, and without her, I don’t know who I am. I feel… alone.”
Something warm settled beside her. Expecting Lexyn, Zyryxa glanced up and found Pelzyq instead. He reeked of firebomb, and for a moment, her nausea threatened to return. But then he spoke, his voice low.
“I hurt, too,” he said. “Pavinax.” His hands shook, opening and closing, and his words faltered. “He’s why my face is the way it is. Every day, I dream of killing him—of ripping apart the monster that made me!” Pelzyq roared, then broke into sobs, unable to continue.
“Pelzyq,” Zyryxa said softly, putting an arm around him.
“He did his thirteen years,” Pelzyq choked out, the words barely audible. “Then he wandered the wilderness, seeking Scaleless women. My mother was one of them. The only thing I remember of her… is him beating her to death because I,” he sobbed, “didn’t put away a divinedamned hatchet.”
“Pelzyq,” Zyryxa said, tears rushing out of her eyes, “that wasn’t your fault.”
“Every time I tried to protect one of his Scaleless,” Pelzyq continued, his voice ragged, “he’d beat me half to death… and then beat them anyway.” He swallowed. “And then there was Dalcyx. I loved her.” He took a breath. “I loved that girl even though she belonged to my father. We planned to run away together. When he found out…”
Lexyn and Natazia closed in, encircling him in a silent embrace. Pelzyq cried openly now, years of pain pouring out of him in broken, wracking sobs. Zyryxa thought he shared enough pain, thought that he was done, yet the river didn’t freeze that easily once the ice began to crack.
“I thought that things might get better after another homestead took me in,” he said, his voice raw. “But I did it again. I fell in love with the leader’s daughter. He threw her out, told her she could die out there for all he cared. She wasn’t his child any longer the moment she pretended to be a woman. He sent me to Loxzua for judgment, hoping that I would be branded Scaleless, get my cock cut off, and sent to Leveria.” Pelzyq lifted his swollen eyes to meet Zyryxa’s gaze. “Zyrthalla branded me with the ritemark and told me to find myself in the wilds.”
Pelzyq looked to Natazia. “Not a day has gone by in my whole life when I don’t think I should just die.” His gaze drifted to Lexyn. He whimpered, struggling to work out the pain. “Sometimes I wonder if I’d save you all a lot of pain if I wandered into the ice and never woke again.”
“Pelzyq,” Zyryxa said firmly, “my mother had a gift. She saw something in you. You are not Pavinax. You will find yourself. And we will rip Pavinax apart… with hatchets.”
Pelzyq let out a watery laugh through his sobs. “Okay.”
“And don’t you dare wander into the ice,” Lexyn added fiercely. “I love you. The only way you’re continuing this curse is if you do that to me. Do you understand me, Pelzyq?”
Pelzyq nodded, burying his face in his hands. “I’ll try my best… not to let… you down.”
“Good,” Natazia said. “We’re here for you.” She slapped Lexyn on the back, inviting her to share.
Lexyn took a seat, inhaled deeply, the exhaled as she stared into the flames. She told the others what Zyryxa already knew. She told them about her brother Hyzqar, how she ought to be Scaleless, how she couldn’t sleep either with nightmares of sabretooths ripping her brother apart while she hid up a tree.
“You are no less valuable,” Pelzyq insisted. “No less human. No less loved.”
They turned to Natazia, bracing for her reaction to the heresy. She sat with her hands beneath her chin, tears glimmering in her blue eyes, her expression fragile and lost.
“All of us are broken,” she said, her gaze flickering from person to person, “but all of us are here now—exactly where we are meant to be, with exactly who we need to be with. Together, we will fly. More importantly, together, we will find ourselves and become whole again.”
Zyryxa nodded, a flicker of pride kindling in her chest. She felt no lingering resentment toward her leader now. She was ready to learn, to put her pride aside and follow.
“I will sleep well tonight,” Natazia said, “knowing that I am with you all. I never want to go back to the way it was before we met. I never want to forget this night. And I never want any of us to give up on ourselves. Together, I know we will never let that happen.”
She raised her water skin. Zyryxa lifted hers in response. What was water, if not ice warmed? Bonded in ice, with love. Together, they would heal the cracks in them.