Yes, I’m on borrowed time, Vi thought in reply, touching the watch around her neck. Her body was a gift from the goddess, one she’d eventually have to return for the world to be saved. The thought should panic her. Vi felt as calm as the tall, still trees of the forest. But the thorny thoughts snagged her like the underbrush as they pushed deeper into the Twilight Forest.
“How do the morphi feel about Lightspinning at this point in time?” Vi asked. Taavin looked to Deneya.
“What?” Deneya glanced between them. “I haven’t been on Meru in a few decades. How am I supposed to know?”
“One way to find out.Durroe watt ivin.” A ball of light appeared above Vi’s open palm. It reminded her of the orbs she and Sehra would make when she was first learning her magic. Lifting her eyes from the illusion, Vi looked around the forest, waiting.
Deneya and Taavin both took a step closer. The three of them stood back-to-back, watching for any signs of movement. Collectively, they held their breaths until Vi dismissed the shining glyphs above her hand.
“I suppose they don’t have as hard of a stance toward Lightspinning as they did in the world we left,” Vi observed.
“Further proof that Ulvarth hasn’t begun closing in on them,” Taavin said bitterly.
“Let’s keep going.” Vi started off in no direction in particular. “We’ll meet a Morphi sooner or later.”
By late afternoon, their wandering intersected with the main road through the Twilight Forest and the three continued along it. There were no posted signs anywhere along the way, so they merely kept walking, hoping to be found. After about two more hours of wandering, they came to a bridge across a stream.
Vi paused, her hands on the worn stone, looking out over the water that flowed down and away toward the cliffs they’d climbed earlier.
“What is it?” Deneya asked.
“I wonder if it’s the same stream we stayed near the last time we were here,” Vi said thoughtfully, looking to Taavin.
“Perhaps, though I’ve had enough of that cave for several lifetimes.” He grimaced. The man’s mood only seemed to sour the longer they were on Meru. Vi couldn’t blame him. This forest, this land, was a place of memories for them both—good and bad mixed together.
“Let’s make camp soon,” Vi suggested. “Get off the main road again and find somewhere that looks dry enough.” She tilted her eyes skyward, peering through the break in the trees. “It looks like it’ll be clear night, so we don’t have to worry about rain.”
They hiked for one more hour and then did as Vi suggested, breaking off the main road and finding a space between several trees where they could set up camp. Vi ignited a fire usingjuth starys, yet again, her Lightspinning didn’t seem to summon the morphs. As night fell they split some of their hard baked bread.
“I’d love to get my hands on some more of the crackers Sarphos gave us,” Vi said through her food.
“The ones he magicked to fill an empty stomach?” Taavin clarified and Vi nodded. “That’d be nice.”
“Who’s Sarphos?” Deneya asked. “And what’s this about magic crackers?”
“Sarphos is a morphi we met the last time we were here.” Vi chewed thoughtfully. “He was the younger brother of one of the people we’re looking for now… though I have no idea if he’ll be around yet.”It should feel stranger to think about someone not being born, Vi thought to herself. But it had become quite normal. “He could use the magic of the shift to make a cracker that filled you up as if you’d eaten a meal. That power is one of the reasons why I think they could use the shift to make a fake crystal crown.”
“I don’t want any shift crackers.” Deneya scrunched her nose. “But I would give my sword arm right about now though for some rovash.”
“Rovash?” Vi asked as Taavin made a satisfied noise.
“I’d almost forgotten,” he said wistfully. “I only got to eat it on high holy days.” Taavin looked to her. “Rovash is a celebratory roast—giant spotted pheasant stuffed with dates, figs, and bread left over from the temples’ holy celebrations.”
“Cookeries would bake it slow over root vegetables.” Deneya sighed wistfully. “If I’d known it’d be so long until I had it again, I would’ve bought a whole bird just for myself.”
“You would’ve exploded,” Taavin said with a small smile.
“Death by rovash would be an honor.” Deneya grinned in return.
“Maybe we can all get some together… when this is all over,” Vi said almost timidly, the thoughts from earlier still exercising their strong hold. Her companions fell quiet.
“What happens, when this is over?” Deneya asked delicately. None of them had ever discussed the topic aloud. It felt taboo. Like if they even uttered anything about the world being saved, it wouldn’t come to pass. “You put Yargen back together with all her pieces like some divine puzzle and she beats Raspian into submission, heralding a new Age of Light. There’s much rejoicing and a saved world …Thenwhat happens?”
Vi looked to Taavin. He gave a tiny shrug. “Your guess is as good as ours. We’ve never made it that far before… never made it this far, even.” He finished the last bite of his meal and looked at his hand, flexing his fingers. She wondered if he, too, was imagining the crystal skeleton within him that held his consciousness and gave him life.
“We should go to bed,” Vi suggested abruptly. “Got a long day ahead tomorrow.”
“Of what? More wandering?” Deneya said smartly, stretching out on the leaves they’d piled up as pallets.
