Dangerous. I don’t want anyone to talk about bonds with Jaga.
“She’s not mortal anymore,” I growl, giving him an angry look of warning. “And what if we are? It’s useful on the battlefield.”
“But you’ve never…” he begins, and I grab his elbow.
“Come on. I’ll let you inside, and you can pick a level for yourself unless Nyja is fine with letting you stay in her rooms.”
Nyja rolls her eyes and grabs Strzybog’s other elbow. He looks from me to her with a wide grin, wiggling his eyebrows. He enjoys the attention.
“I’ll take him,” she says in a voice defying opposition. “And you… Focus on your most important goal.”
She doesn’t point at Jaga, but I understand her chiding words just the same. Yes, Jaga is my most important goal, and I should do everything I can to make her mine. Impossible task.
Jaga seems to understand Nyja, too, because she scoffs angrily as soon as the goddess and Strzybog disappear.
“I’m going back to my…”
“Do you want to learn how to fly?”
She breaks off, giving me a sharp, piercing look. I wait with bated breath, hoping she’s tempted. We’ve fought side by sidetwice already, and both times, I felt a jolt of wrongness when I saw Jaga fighting on the ground. She’s a goddess, and gravity should bend to her will. It’s only right.
“Is it possible for me to fly?” she asks after a moment, and I know I have her.
She’s unhappy that she can’t resist my offer, her gaze cold and challenging as it settles on my face. I sigh when the familiar thrill tingles at the base of my spine.
“Of course you can fly. You probably have enough magic to go to the moon and back. It’s easy. I’ll show you.”
I offer her my hand, and Jaga exhales in surrender, taking it. Her mouth works, and she looks away with a frown, like she’s telling herself something. Our bond isn’t strong enough for random thoughts to fall through, so I force myself to smile and ignore the urge to know everything that’s going on in her head.
Soon. I must be patient.
“Different gods do it in different ways.” I begin the flying lesson, leading her to the edge of the cirque. “Some will grow wings, like I did in Perun’s grove. The wings aren’t there to lift you but to help you focus. Or you can simply decide you’re weightless—this is harder—or that the air is water you will swim through. Personally, I just jump and sort of stay up. I’ve decided I can move in all directions whether there’s ground beneath my feet or not, and it works.”
Jaga looks down the mountain at the steep slope dotted with evergreen trees. Then up, into the silver clouds rolling over the sky, and finally at me. Her eyes are calm and curious, and I squeeze her fingers harder, sending a spark of warmth into her cool skin.
“What would you like to try? We can jump. I’ll catch you if you fall.”
She tears her gaze away with reluctance, closing her eyes. The wind plays with the loose strands of hair framing her face, and I sigh wistfully. She is so beautiful.
“Will you catch me because you don’t want me to suffer or because you can’t let me get damaged?” she asks, and her voice is so weary and tired, it’s as if she is thousands years old, not me.
“Honestly? Both,” I say with a shrug. “Does it hurt your vanity?”
The corners of her lips lift in a reluctant smile. “A little. Let’s jump. One… Two…”
I jump on three, holding her hand tightly, and we both shoot into the air. Jaga’s eyes are tightly shut, and she laughs out loud, brilliant and joyful, as wind whips our faces. We go straight up, two arrows aiming to pierce the heavens, and I can’t tear my gaze away from her face.
“You did it,” I shout over the rush of air in my ears.
“If I open my eyes, I’ll fall!” she shouts back, laughing with carefree abandon.
“You won’t. Slow down. Take my other hand.”
I turn to face her, and she lets me hold both her hands as we coast higher, not as fast now. Nawie is a tiny patch of green below us, surrounded by water from all sides. In the south beyond the turbulent waters of Struzina, I can just see the mountain with the city of Slawa.
“Now stop. Gently. Let’s hover. The air will hold us. Good. Open your eyes.”
She does it slowly, her lashes fluttering with hesitation before she gives in. She gasps, her pupils shrinking from all the light. It’s silvery and gorgeous, sunlight filtered through thin, fluffy clouds, and Jaga looks slowly around, her lips parted.
