“You found the dress,” he began.
She smiled sheepishly her cheeks turning pink. She gestured towards the rucksack. “It was with the rest of your things.”
Krishani gave her an all knowing smile and reached past her, bringing the pack on the bed. He shifted and moved the blankets out of the way as he reached in. She didn’t know what he was looking for until he produced a little wooden box and the leather journal. Her eyes widened as he slid it into her hands. “I took these too.”
Kaliel didn’t have any words. She didn’t even realize there were tears streaming down her cheeks until Krishani brushed them away with his fingers. She lifted the lid, seeing the familiar birthstone with its milky white translucency. “I can’t believe you kept them.”
Krishani wound a lock of her hair behind her ear. They weren’t elongated anymore, only slightly sharp at the edges. “They were important to you, I had to keep them.”
She took the birthstone in her hands. It was cool, the way it had always been. She closed her eyes and flooded the stone with energy. On the inside she felt the rocking and swaying as though she was embedded in the soil at the bottom of the lake. When she opened her eyes to peek at it, it was covered in a violet aura. She breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at Krishani who was staring at her with admiration. It was like he was used to the birthstone turning violet. “I never showed you what it did.”
Krishani smirked. “I’ve seen your eyes turn that color more than once.”
“Really?”
“The first time I kissed you, while you were wearing that green dress.” He pushed the sleeve up and turned her arm over, his lips brushing the skin on her inner forearm. She shivered at the gesture and pulled her sleeve down. She remembered the moment too, in the cave behind the waterfall. She cupped the stone in her left hand and shifted her weight on the bed so that her legs were folded beside her instead of under her. She put the stone back in the box and closed the lid. Looking at the crystal and journal caused a deep ache in her chest as she thought of home and what Grimand had said. Krishani couldn’t return to Avristar. She was too afraid to ask anyone why. It was better having moments like this with him. She held it in her lap, avoiding the journal because of the sketches in it. She didn’t have to open it to know about the prophecy in those pages; she didn’t want to know what it meant.
“At least I have something to remind me of home,” she said, unsure how to bridge the subject.
Krishani dropped his gaze. She hadn’t noticed it before, but the blanket covered his right arm. She tried to ignore it as she pushed off the cot and stood in the tiny room. Her head swelled with dizziness as she put her hands to her stomach and noticed her limbs quivering. She frowned at the reaction; it was an unusual feeling and turned to face Krishani. “I think I’m hungry.”
Krishani gave her a funny look. “There was food in the main hall, but the tables were almost empty when I came in.”
“I think I had a piece of bread.” She sunk onto the edge of the bed and grabbed her temples. Krishani rubbed her back.
“Come then. I’ll get dressed and we’ll go find the servants.” He stood, hunched over and pulled out a long sleeved tunic from somewhere in the room. It was almost colorless like the rest of the clothes the villagers wore. He slid his right hand into hers. She frowned but didn’t protest as he pushed the door open and ushered her into the hallway.
It was louder in the corridors. Krishani held her hand in an iron grip, strength she’d never seen him exert. She felt his pulse through his palm, and her heartbeat matched his. They reached the archway to the main hall and passed it. It was different during the day. People conglomerated in the hall, celebrating, eating. She wondered if the humans ever stopped eating. It had to be well past midday. She sidled up to Krishani as he pulled her towards the drab wooden table and began picking at what was left. He came up with a bun that seemed unscathed and a piece of chicken that looked inedible. “Here, you won’t find much better,” Krishani said.
She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the taste and sunk her teeth into the bun. It tasted hard and chewy. She took a few bites to satisfy her stomach and even tried the chicken, but the bitter taste made her gag and she had to force herself to swallow. He watched her with idle fascination and she groaned. “You have to watch me eat?”
He shrugged and turned back to the humans chattering on. The elvens and feorns were gone. He glanced at her. “I used to watch you do a lot of things you know.”
She raised an eyebrow and stifled a giggle. A second later it escaped her lips and once she started, she couldn’t stop. Her body shook with the sound. Krishani didn’t join. He stared at her with a perplexed look on his face like this was the most unnatural thing she could be doing. She took a few deep breaths and tried to stop, putting the bun on the edge of the table to wipe her watery eyes. She coughed and tried to clear her throat. “I was thinking about Samhain, and focus training.”
Krishani grinned. “Oh, you mean the hundreds of potatoes you and Melianna had yourselves in fits of giggles over? Yes, you watched me all day and you didn’t bother to peel a single potato.”
She pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. “Hernadette wouldn’t let us, remember?”
Krishani let out a reserved laugh. “I remember. She was quite the cook.”
“So were you. Why didn’t you tell Elwen?” She wanted to know what it was with Elwen. He didn’t seem like the kind of ancestor she would want. It was hard to believe Krishani was related to Elwen at all, that this village was his home. It seemed foreign compared to the way they had grown up together.
He raked a hand through his hair, shaking the long black locks in every direction. “I didn’t stay here long enough.”
She picked up the bread at the urge of her rumbling stomach and took another bite. A least it satisfied the body despite its repugnant taste. Krishani watched as some of the other villagers trekked into the hall with flutes, small guitars and drums. Pux pounded blithely on a drum as they gathered in a corner of the room, the joyous tune wafting through the air, picking up speed and twisting into the rafters. A few of the villagers began a jig. It wasn’t the same as the dances on Avristar. The villagers hooked arms and skipped around each other. A whoop came from the crowd as women curtsied and men gathered them up, continuing the dance.
Kaliel’s eyes lit up and before Krishani could protest she pulled him to the dance floor. Pux caught sight of her and she waved him over. The three of them got lost in the dance. Kaliel passed through the men, skipping around them, keeping her eyes on Krishani as the music swelled and faded. The bards didn’t stop, their swan songs changing melody and rhythm as they played throughout the afternoon.
Kaliel laughed when one of the men grabbed her by the waist, lifted her into the air, spun around and set her down again. She turned to find Krishani behind her with a warning expression on his face. He stared at her like she was fragile and wrapped his arms around her, spinning in circles with only her, leading her around the dance floor. She meant to dance with the villagers, but he kept her against him, unwilling to let go.
She sighed when the bards struck up a slow tune and the dancers paired off, moving in slower circles. “Why didn’t you stay?” she asked, resuming their conversation.
He stiffened but kept moving. “You know what I had to do.” His tone was low, like when he talked about sparring matches, only the meaning behind it was different. He had faced something much more dangerous than a sparring match.
Her eyes widened. “You mean Crestaos?” Her voice came out hoarse.
Krishani spun her carefully under his arm and pulled her back. “Yes,” he said, his tone unbecoming.
She stopped. Her feet didn’t want to move. She didn’t know how to feel. Dread kicked its heels up, frothing her in heat. “You faced him yourself?”
He hung his head and glanced at the floor. She went to pull out of his embrace when he took her hands and pressed them against his chest, her e
lbows digging into his stomach. His eyes blazed and she drew a shaky breath.
“I won.” His tone was harsh.
She averted her gaze as Pux approached. Krishani let her go. “You’re feeling better?” she asked, her entire focus on Pux. She couldn’t handle Krishani when he acted like he was a battering ram and she was nothing but a helpless sheep.
“Would you care to dance?” Pux made a grand gesture of bowing and extending his hand to her. She giggled and took it, getting lost in the crowd. She glanced behind her as she rounded the edge of the dance floor. Krishani leaned against one of the stone pillars, his arms crossed. He glared at everyone that wasn’t her. A pang of guilt crept into her bones. She let go of the man she was dancing with, wending through the people until she was next to him. Pux took off again, being his usual silly self. She wondered if the sky would be green when she went outside. “Pux is lively,” she commented, digging her toe into the carpet.
Krishani didn’t lower his gaze or uncross his arms as he scowled at someone across the room. She followed his gaze but couldn’t comprehend who he was angry with. “Pux is foolish,” Krishani said. Her heart dropped. “But he’s happy you’re back.”
“I was wondering when we would get to welcome you back,” Shimma said, appearing from the crowd. She snaked around one last big oaf and lingered beside Krishani. Kaliel watched her like a hawk, her expression turning to stone.
“Why are you here?” she asked accusingly.
Shimma looked at Krishani. “It’s definitely Kaliel.”
Krishani didn’t move, but he stopped scowling. He took a deep breath, his expression weary. “Shimma was rather helpful after I left Avristar.”
Shimma blushed. “Yes well, I only stitched you up. You caused all the trouble yourself.” She didn’t wait for a response, but her eyes met Kaliel’s before she crossed the room. Kaliel noticed both Kuruny and Kazza at the dining table and felt dizzy. Nausea swept into her, both at the sight of the witches and at what Shimma had said.
“She had to heal you? From what? Krishani, why are they here?”
Krishani pulled her into the fold of his arms. She didn’t struggle against his grip but she was unnerved. His mouth dropped to her ear, his lips skimming the tip.
“They helped me find the other Flames and face Crestaos. They’re not my enemies anymore,” he whispered.
Kaliel blinked, thinking about what he said about the other Flames. She gripped him tighter, distress pulling her muscles taut. She didn’t care what they had done for Krishani, to her they would always be her enemies. “Come, let’s dance,” she said, trying to distract herself from the tension surrounding them.
* * *
6 - True Names
Kuruny flipped her hair over her shoulder and shot Shimma a disapproving stare. Shimma shied away and sat, picking at chicken bones. She didn’t want to talk about what happened with Krishani and the new Kaliel. It was too awkward to watch Kaliel giggle and skip around the dance floor like nothing had happened. She was acting like they were in Avristar, like she hadn’t died and Krishani hadn’t almost become a Vulture. She was acting like Krishani hadn’t killed someone in cold blood. Shimma snapped a chicken bone in half and pushed it away, wiping her hands down her clean blue dress. She glanced at Kuruny, clad in an unseemly gray tunic to her ankles. It wasn’t formed with a bodice or proper neckline, almost like a burlap sack.
“Are you satisfied then?” Kuruny asked, her black eyes meeting Shimma’s. Today they were stormy and sharp. She looked away and watched the villagers dance. Kaliel’s laughter frothed from the midst of the crowd and she grabbed another chicken bone and plucked grizzle off it.
“No,” she began. The bone snapped and she shoved it away. “No I’m not okay alright?” She folded her hands in her lap wiping chicken grease between her legs. The heavy weight against her chest wasn’t going away. She didn’t intend to feel anything for Krishani; he wasn’t likeable to begin with, but there was something vulnerable about him underneath all that hardness. She saw why Kaliel never questioned his love for her. He was loyal and tender when it counted most.
All of the men she had been with were rough and dishonest. In return she was the same, not expecting it to last very long. She used men for what she could gain. She had no interest in raising a family and settling down. Not with a man anyway.
Kazza chuckled softly. “She’s hopeless, Kuruny. She still thinks she can be close to him.” Kazza went to stand but Shimma got up first, rounded the table and grabbed Kazza’s shoulder, pinching it hard between her thumb and forefinger. The beads around Kazza’s neck clanked in response.
“How’s that wound healing, dear sister?” She snickered, digging her fingers in harder until Kazza gasped.
“Enough,” Kuruny said like she was bored. “You’ll only cause him misery if you stay.”
Shimma let go and caught Krishani facing her from across the room. It was only for a second and he didn’t even look in her direction. His entire focus was on Kaliel. “How so?”
“If he is happy, he should remain that way,” Kuruny muttered.
Shimma scoffed and plopped down, her legs straddling the bench. The silver platters and mugs jangled around. “You think I should let it go?”
Kuruny smirked. “You’re right, Kazza. She’s hopeless. We should leave her so she can see what will happen when she interferes with the two of them.” She sounded bitter, so bitter that Shimma remembered something from long ago, before the enemies ravaged Avristar and the volcano exploded. She stopped, her hand resting on the table, her fingers trembling. She had forgotten all about that night, all about what Kuruny had done.
“I didn’t even think. I’m sorry,” Shimma said.
Kuruny set her jaw. “You forget that I have seen the extent of his anger. That night on Avristar aside, he has extraordinary power.”
“You mean the beach?” Shimma asked, her eyes darting across the room. She caught the bards in their familiar formation, playing to their hearts’ content. They weren’t half as good as the bards on Avristar. She almost wished she could live a nomadic lifestyle like they did, traveling, not staying for long in one place. Trekking to safe places with her sisters and always running from something was destitute. She wanted to have a reason to belong, not just a warm bed for a night while she figured out where to go next.
“Not the beach. You forget that I knew almost everything that happened on Avristar. Krishani hurt someone else, someone in Hawklin. Istar was too much of a coward to admit it publically.” Her eyes filled with fiery stone, ringlets of deep purple skirting the pupils.
“You didn’t tell us,” Kazza interrupted. She sounded annoyed. Shimma let out a breath and was glad that she didn’t have to say anything for a change. Facing Kuruny while she was near her maximum strength was a difficult task. She didn’t want to anger her sister.
“I thought you would use it to gain leverage with our father,” Kuruny said.
“I would have!” Kazza rebutted.
“Yes, but you saw what happened. Istar wiped his hands of Krishani after Kaliel awakened Avred. There would be no boon to gain once Krishani was exiled.”
“So why keep the truth to yourself?” Shimma asked. She tapped her foot on the ground nervously, her knee bouncing with it. She wanted to chew her fingernails but they were caked with dirt.
Kuruny looked distracted for a moment, letting a lull fall between them. She looked at Shimma. “I kept it to myself so he wouldn’t hurt me.”
Shimma slumped. Kuruny said it like it was obvious, that Shimma should have realized Krishani wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her if she got too close. Shimma shuddered at the memory of Aulises. She was the only one to see that atrocity and she hiccupped. She pressed a fist to her lips, biting her knuckles.
“So now you see why you cannot stay?” Kazza interjected.
Shimma took her fist out of her mouth and swished her blonde hair behind her shoulders. “He might need me again as a healer. He can’t expect to not be what he
is.”
“A Ferryman?” Kazza asked.
Shimma nodded. “He may not like it, but that’s what he is.”
Kuruny scoffed. “Kaliel can heal him.”
“She doesn’t have any training!” Shimma shot back with a tinge of jealousy. Kuruny smirked and Shimma flushed scarlet.
“Maybe we should stay and let her stupidity prove us right,” Kuruny said with a chortle. Kazza joined and Shimma turned, burying her head in the circle of her arms.
“I think you’ve upset her,” Kazza said mockingly.
Shimma didn’t say anything. In the dark of her arms she seethed with both anger and envy. She couldn’t help it; she had never experienced love in her life. Seeing Kaliel and Krishani together confounded her. On the one hand, she wished she were Kaliel and that someone like Krishani had fallen for her. On the other she felt for him and wanted to stay and help no matter what he was to her.
She knew she should let go, travel with them to Nimphalls and aid the dragon riders. She was rather good at taming baby dragons. But she couldn’t go with her sisters, not with their condescending looks and limitations. As much as it pained her to think about it, she would have to break free of them.
• • •
Kaliel was fluid and Krishani was stone, heavy stone pounding the floor while she stepped lightly, skipping and prancing between villagers. He lost her in the music rising above the din, flashes of her green eyes turning briefly to violet as her aura spiked with wisps of color. He caught her by the hand and drew her close.
“Careful,” he said, lowering his lips to her ear. He didn’t want the humans to see her eyes, the thing that made her different. He worried it would make them covet her the way they coveted gold and jewels.
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