Sunkissed Feathers & Severed Ties

by Kellie Doherty

  “It’s not! We should go to Craigskeep down the Pebble Pathway. The Elu living there might be able to build a cage to better contain that sunbaked pendant.”

  Craigskeep. Misti remembered the tiny village at the base of the Hallr Mountains. It was Elu sanctuary of sorts, a place for meditation, where crafting itself was worshipped. The Moon Knights had saved it from a band of banished ones a couple of seasons ago.

  “Who says the Elu at Craigskeep are any more capable than the Elu in Amiin?” Misti fired back.

  “I do,” Dylori said, crossing her arms. “Besides, it’s much closer than Rok.”

  Arias scuffed her boot on the rocks and spoke up. “But the Elu would only be able to cage the pendant, Dylori.”

  “Exactly. I don’t want to just contain it, I want to get it off me.” Misti couldn’t believe Dylori was questioning her plan. The woman could be reckless in her sleep! And yet she’s balking at this?

  “I understand that,” Dylori muttered, scratching her left horn and sighing. Nervous, again. “But Rok is far away, Misti. The pendant could kill you—or me or Dis or Zora—many times over before we reach it. Going to Praxis is a sunbaked plan.”

  “You and Dis don’t have to come to come with me, then,” Misti snapped back, hurt.

  The look Dylori gave her in reply withered that argument to dust. She stepped forward and punched Misti on the shoulder. “I’ll always come with you, Misti. You know that.”

  “Good.” Relief settled over Misti like a cloak. She now turned to Arias. “Are you coming, too?”

  “Certainly. I can send a note to my village and then send the materials back with a traveling caravan.” Arias’ eyes sparkled in the light. “Besides, Aluriah wouldn’t want me to leave you. That pendant’s got Ponuriah’s symbol on it, after all.”

  Misti arched an eyebrow and glanced at Dylori. She hadn’t realized Arias was the religious type, but it made sense, in a way. Many folk considered Moon crafting to be Aluriah’s favorite because it reflected her more than the others, showing in the blue color so favored by the goddess and her protective aspect in the shields and cages and defenses the crafting provided. Most Elu were highly religious, dressing in black and silver and spreading the teachings of the goddess through her holy text, the Azure, and hosting gatherings in Aluriah’s honor.

  Dylori tilted her head. “So Aluriah told you to come with us? Not just for the adventure of it all?”

  Arias chuckled. “Well, I did come for the adventure. And, as much as I would like it, Aluriah doesn’t speak directly to me like that. It’s more…symbolic. When I met you, I felt like I had to help you. And then when the pendant killed those men…well, I took it as a sign.” Her eyes darkened, and she fingered the woven earring in her left ear. “I knew that pendant was much more dangerous than I originally thought, and I had to find out as much about it as I could so I could tell my people. We have to know what we’re dealing with, where it came from, and how to stop it. The only way to do that was to help you try to get it off.”

  The added and unexpected explanation for Arias’ aid caused Misti to pause. She’s coming with me to figure out what this pendant is, to figure out how to stop it. Why didn’t she just say that in the first place? Her reasoning clunked around Misti’s mind. Arias had said, ‘my people’ but who did she mean? Surely not all of Aluriah’s worshippers; there are so many of them. Some other group?

  Dylori frowned. “You thought their deaths were a sign from Aluriah? That’s a sunbaked kind of sign.”

  Arias gave her a sad smile. “Aluriah can’t save them all, but she’d want me to discover where the pendant came from and how to get it off, so it won’t kill anyone again.”

  Dylori scoffed and turned away, but Misti’s curiosity was piqued. “You said ‘my people’ before. Who are you working with?”

  “I’m a dabbler, remember? I work with a lot of people.” Arias grinned, but secrets lingered behind her pale-green eyes. “Besides, I wanted to show you how to use this thing, remember?” She lifted the bow.

  Arias clearly wasn’t willing to say more, but Misti needed to know. “We can’t have secrets from each other, Arias. Who are you working for?”

  “Everyone has secrets,” Arias returned, but then she amended herself, “I have secrets, but trust me when I say mine will bring no harm to you. I only want to help, like I’ve done before now.”

  The answer, while not entirely what Misti wanted, satisfied her enough. This pendant made her a walking death bomb, and she had to get to Praxis before it went off. Besides, if Arias had wanted to injure them in some way, she could’ve done it before now. Carry your secrets then. Misti bowed to them both, a rush of gratitude running through her. “Thank you for risking your life for me.”

  Arias nodded, but Dylori rolled her eyes. She threw Misti’s packs onto Dis’ back and clambered up to her seat before lowering a hand down for Misti and Arias. Zora settled around Misti’s shoulders.

  “Thank you, Dis,” Misti murmured, scratching his thick fur.

  Dis huffed in return and started the long walk south. After their rest in Ingo Grove everyone was eager to be off even though it was daylight, Misti included. Arias and Misti ate some nutty bread and sharp cheese, commenting on the scenery. Dylori didn’t join in, keeping her eyes on the massive mountain to the right of them that made up the Hallr Grove. The Hallr Grove, where the Nemora mined stone, was the center of the Groves and of Inber, and though the mountain touched the clouds, the base was over twenty nights away to their west.

  The Ingo Grove technically spanned much further than its official entryway, all the way down to the Laidly Grove in fact. The rest of Ingo was certainly a sight to see. They skirted around holes as big as the Moon Knights’ base at Amiin. Voices floated up from the darkness, Nemora chatting in their language of sharp, uneven tones. Metals glinted in the holes, but Misti couldn’t tell what kind. She kept an eye out for banished ones, suncreatures, and worshippers, but the road seemed quiet today.

  Dylori’s silence worried her, as did her earlier anger. Her friend usually wasn’t this quiet. They had been walking for half the day and Dylori had been staring at the sky for the better part of it. She rode with both legs on one side like some madwoman, swaying with each step Dis took.

  “Are you feeling okay?” She scooted a little closer to Dylori. “You’ve been quiet.”

  “I’m fine. Are you going to contact your family now that we know this will take longer? Your sister said she needed those herbs.”

  Misti frowned. “Yes, I’ll contact her.” Contact her, sure. Give her the yellow jaho, maybe not. But Dylori didn’t need to know that. Not in the ruffled state she was in anyway.

  “Good. You should do that soon.” Dylori shifted her weight a little, swinging one leg over to face the front, but Misti put a hand on her arm to stop her.

  “You seem upset. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Dylori looked to the sky, watching some gray clouds drift by, and took a deep breath. “You nearly died, Misti. When I found you lying on the ground, I…” Her voice trailed off, and tears shimmered in her eyes. She lowered her gaze.

  Arias, who had been listening to their conversation, nudged Misti’s back and whispered, “I think I’d like to stretch my legs for a little bit.” She slipped from her perch and walked on the other side of Dis, reaching up to pat his rump. It was the most privacy she could give them and for that, Misti was thankful. She’d only seen Dylori cry once before.

  “But I didn’t,” Misti said.

  “But you could have, you sunbaked idiot.” Dylori swiped at her eyes again and turned fully to meet Misti’s gaze. “I rushed into the attack without thinking. I didn’t know there was a second worshipper.”

  No one had known about the second attacker, but Misti had suspected. She gave Dylori a small smile. “Next time, maybe don’t be so hasty.”

  “After the Vagari hit Dis it was all a blur.” Dylori’s rumbling voice getting faster with each word, taking on the sout
hern lilt of her home. She grabbed her horns in obvious disbelief, shaking her head. “I killed her without thinking.”

  “You wanted to protect Dis.” Misti put her hand on Dylori’s knee and squeezed. Usually Dylori gave her this type of comfort, a gentle hand on her knee or arm when she was upset, so she was happy to finally be able to return the favor. She glanced at Zora, who fluttered beside Arias, stretching her wings as well. “I tried to do the same thing for Zora.”

  “Tried and failed,” Dylori muttered. “Because of me. You used up all your crafting on the other beasts and didn’t have any to heal Zora. You chose to heal Dis first.”

  Misti nodded. “He protected me from the Nemora. And I did heal Zora…maybe not completely, but she can fly. And you were busy with that Vagari. A basilisk Vagari, no less!”

  “Still.” Dylori sighed. “I should’ve thought it through better. Should’ve helped you. Arias had to kill that Nemora. I should’ve done that, not her. I’m the warrior, not her.”

  Arias had killed the Nemora. Misti hadn’t really thought of it since it happened. Arias, who loved adventure but not fighting, who’d rather protect than injure, had killed someone because of her. She made a mental note to talk to her about it, make sure she was okay.

  “Arias has traveled the Rainy Pass, so I’m sure she’s had to protect herself before. We’re all in this together, and we all have our own roles. Yours just happens to be kicking ass.” Misti thought she saw a hint of a smile pass over Dylori’s features.

  Ever the protector, Misti understood why Dylori would internalize the failure to protect them. She felt the same about not being able to heal Zora completely. But it wasn’t Dylori’s fault. She had an inkling the attack had been meant to goad them away from Dis and get one more blood sacrifice in, and Dylori had fallen for the trap.

  “Arias protected me because you were protecting Dis. There’s no need to feel badly about that. Next time, we’ll just assess the situation completely, okay? For now, let’s enjoy the quiet.” Misti gave Dylori a quick hug, the smell of the sweet hybis soap Dylori used sending a spark straight to her core. When she pulled back, Dylori’s features had brightened and she whispered a small “thanks” before settling back down to look at the cloudy sky. Misti couldn’t help smiling after the brief hug, glad that she could reassure her friend, like Dylori had done so many times before for her.

  To ease her friend’s worry, Misti pulled out some parchment and a quill and wrote a short letter to her sister, asking a few clarifying questions, even though she knew most of the answers. How long had their parents been sick? How far progressed was their illness? Had she tried all the options in Northtown? She dug the small message bag out of her pack, curling up the letter and slipping it inside. She almost stuffed the yellow jaho in with the letter, but then she remembered the ritual she had just disrupted. How familiar it looked. How much pain the beasts had been in. Anger flared, and with it her stubbornness returned. Instead, she slipped in the strange red leaves Zayla had given her, commenting on how someone had given them to her on their adventure and Misti wasn’t quite sure what they were, but she thought Char might like to figure it out.

  Zora hopped onto her lap and presented her back for the message bag, but Misti scratched the base of her tails. “No, Zora, you’re injured.” Misti tried to push her away, but Zora stayed firm. When she dipped into her crafting, Zora’s high-pitched voice came into her mind.

  “I am strong enough to send this letter to your sister. I want to do this.” Zora nipped Misti’s hand and flared her wings open. Some of her feathers were angled wrong, so Misti took some time to position them correctly, dipping into her strength to heal the wing completely. The feathers looked a little lopsided, but the muscles, tendons, and bones underneath were strong, and Zora seemed anxious to fly. She had always taken her job as messenger seriously. It was a point of pride for her, so Misti strapped the message bag to Zora’s back, taking special care to make sure it was comfortable.

  “Please be safe, Zora, and only talk to Char,” Misti replied, giving her vulnix a hug.

  “As usual, my friend. I shall see you soon.”

  Once Zora flew away, Dylori nodded her approval. Guilt twisted Misti’s stomach, guilt over lying to Dylori, over letting Zora go when she had just been injured, and over not helping her sister. She found herself growing restless, so she slipped off the neades and walked next to Arias. Dylori took the opportunity to stretch out completely on her companion animal’s back, hands behind her head, staring at the cloudy, ever-darkening sky.

  “How did it go?” Arias asked, poking Misti’s side and smiling. “That hug looked nice. With her being all teary and such.”

  “She’s fine. Shaken up by the fight, is all.” Misti skirted away from Arias’ finger as the woman tried to poke her again. “I didn’t tell her.”

  “So much opportunity lost.” Arias sighed.

  Misti wanted to ask her more about her past and who she worked with, but she respected that secret. “How are you doing? After the fight, I mean.”

  Arias grin slipped. “I’m…managing. A little sad that I could kill someone so easily with this.” She patted the bow on her back. “I’ve only used it for hunting before.”

  “Anything can be used as a weapon if you try hard enough. I’m sorry you had to kill that Nemora.”

  “She wasn’t my first.” Arias gave Misti a sidelong glance.

  Shock straightened Misti’s spine. While she had assumed she’d protected herself before, she didn’t honestly think Arias had actually ever killed someone. Arias had been so wary of the fights before, Misti had assumed she had never really been in one. “Really?”

  “Yes. Only one other. A Divus who tried to attack the group I was traveling with.” Arias’ voice trailed off, as if she was remembering the attack. She shook herself out of it and thumbed her sword. “I used the sword to do it, though rather clumsily. My father probably would’ve been proud.”

  “Probably happy that his gift had protected you,” Misti replied slowly.

  “Most likely.”

  They walked for a few more hours in comfortable silence and stopped for the night beneath a rather large white stone outcropping, much like the one the sun goddess worshippers had used for their ritual. It formed a roof of sorts, so they settled underneath it to rest. The clouds opened, pouring thick sheets of rain onto the rocks, but the outcropping protected them from the worst of it. Arias showed Misti the proper way to string a bow, and Dylori started a gentle fire. They ate listening to the rain, each in their own thoughts.

  After a time, Dylori unhooked her Moon Knight gear and wandered into the downpour. She set out a small cooking pot to gather some rain, then settled down onto her back and let the water rush over her. Dis followed and did the same. Misti had seen her friend do this many times before so it didn’t seem strange, but Arias kept glancing Dylori’s way. After a short while, both Dylori and Dis came back to sit under the outcropping by the fire, soaking wet.

  Dylori wiped some water off her face, grinning, the scar on her cheek glimmering even brighter in the firelight. Her damp tunic—dark purple with green trim—reflected her village’s colors. Misti knew she always kept to those colors in honor of her home, and it was something she respected Dylori for, her loyalty to her village. Dylori poured the water from the cooking pot into her water jug before setting the pot next to the fire to dry. Only then did she lift her gaze to meet Arias’ questioning one.

  “What…was that about?” Arias finally asked.

  Dylori shrugged. “Water is valuable in the desert, and in some places it’s actually treated like coin. I always go out to enjoy it when I can.” She shook her water jug. “And gather some for later just in case.”

  When Misti settled down on a blanket, she wondered if she should’ve been more insistent with Zora. Should I have called another vulnix to send the letter? Zora had a stubborn streak, too, especially when it came to Misti’s family. Zora wanted to be Misti’s only messenger when it
came to them. As she listened to her friends’ soft conversation and turned her worries over and over in her mind, it happened. The pendant throbbed on her skin.

  Misti gritted her teeth against the pain. She remained silent, wondering if she could dart away from the others in time and wishing she could pull the power into herself. Imagining the power collapsing inward instead of expanding out, she tried to do just that. She felt herself growing weary, much wearier than a day of light travel should have made her, but to her amazement, the pendant stilled. Did I do that? Did it accede to my wish to take my strength instead of the others’? Can I control it? Before she could answer her own questions, Misti fell asleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  MISTI ROSE THE NEXT night feeling no ill effects from absorbing the pulse. Her friends seemed okay, chatting easily about the Ingo Nemora, the Ingo Grove itself, their other travels. Happiness infused Misti’s being. If she couldn’t go on this journey alone, then these two women were the people she’d like to be with. Apparently they had developed quite the rapport when Misti had been unconscious, and she was glad for it. Dylori put together a quick lunch, bread with a cheese and berry mix spread on top, and gave it to Arias. She eyed it with a dubious look and handed her portion to Misti.

  “You can try it first.” Arias’ words were serious, but the glint in her eyes gave her away. Dylori punched her arm and gave her a piece of plain bread. Arias nibbled on it, seemingly satisfied with herself.

  Arias got back at Dylori during dinner, adding a heaping handful of spicy herbs to their food and laughing when Dylori had a coughing fit. As tough as she was, Dylori couldn’t handle spice. But she could handle a joke and grinned good-naturedly in return. They made good time. The Laidly Grove was now only five nights away. While she thought Zayla’s idea to find a banished Divus to help seemed far-fetched, she kept an eye out for them anyway. But when they settled down to rest, the pendant pulsed again. Misti drew it within herself like before, the energy drain sending her instantly to sleep.