Seeing him attempt and fail spectacularly at battling a such a beast made her laugh aloud. He climbed on her back, to which she shivered him off. The baby joined in quickly, an adversary he stood equal to, and he wrestled it to the ground. The baby wrapped its wings around him, tumbling them to the floor. Aydra shook her head at them and turned back to the mother.
Do these fights happen often?she asked her.
A slow blink came from the beast, and Aydra felt its happiness fill her core. She shivered at the spread of it and allowed her eyes to close.
Draven appeared beside her a few moments later, dusting his pants of the dirt that had collected from his wrestling. Aydra laughed at him, and then turned back to the horn, still admiring it in her hands.
“Samar said something the other night that puzzled me,” she as he sat at her side once more.
“Surprised you had time to talk with all the moaning going on,” he mocked
She glared at him, but chose not to respond to his musing. “She said you know all the calls of the Noctuans.”
“I do.”
“I didn’t know there were such.”
He took the horn from her hands again. “There is the main call, which is simply blowing into it,” he began explaining. “The great war bellow, which requires blood and your feet to be in the water of the forest.”
“What if you are not near the forest and you need them?” she asked.
“Then I would call Samar,” he said simply. “She can turn any water to the forest waters.”
“How did you learn them?”
Draven stared at the fire and pushed his hair that had fallen behind his ear. “Duarb,” he said softly.
Her gaze narrowed. “But… how…”
“After I received the horn, I didn’t know what I was doing with it. I had no idea why it had been given to me. Nadir, one of the traders, came through town, saw what I had. I was chatting with him and happened to mention my questions. Two days later, the Nitesh showed up—”
“The Nitesh?” Aydra interjected. “You’ve met her?”
“Just the once,” he replied. “She took me to Duarb’s roots had me sit in front of her. She channeled him, and suddenly it was he sitting in front of me instead of her. We didn’t have long. He showed each of them to me only twice. I was left to master them on my own.”
“Will you play one for me?” she asked.
He laid back on the log and crossed his legs out in front of him, a long sigh emitting from his lungs. “Who would you like to meet?” he asked, fingers strumming on the ivory.
She thought about it a moment. “Noirdiem,” she finally answered.
A shadow passed over his face. “How do you know about the Diem?”
She smiled at the memory. “They were the first creatures Zoria and I came upon when she took me into the Forest. I remember how elegant and beautiful they were.”
“The Diem rarely show themselves,” Draven said. “If they found the two of you…” His words faded as he stared at her a moment, his fingers strumming on the horn. “All right, Sun Queen—”
“And the Berdijay after,” she interjected.
A brow raised on his face. “No.”
“No?”
Draven swallowed hard, and some of the color faded from his cheeks. “The Berdijay is not to be called upon. He comes when he sees fit.”
“Sounds like you’re afraid, Venari King,” she mocked.
The look on his face did not fade. “Terrified,” he told her.
