“Can you believe him?” I scoffed, seething.
“Adrian, you did it!”Zyacried, already halfway across the clearing and gripping my shoulders. She shook me excitedly, practically jumping up and down. I just blinked at her, confused. “I can’t believe it! You actually did it!”
“Zya, he could have killed you.”
“But you did it! You called the Dark!”
“Has everyone in this camp lost theirgodsforsakenminds?”
I shrugged her off then, stooped to grab my jacket, and then strode past her toward the copse of treesGryfonhad vanishedinto. I heard the clatter of knives behind me asZyarushed to gather her things before catching up to me.
“Do you know what this means, Adrian?” she whispered, her voice carrying through the forest despite her effort to keep it low. “It means we can help them! We can go back.”
I stopped suddenly, whirling to face her.
“Zya—” I tried.
“I know. I know. Don’t get my hopes up. But we could, Adrian. We could go back for them. We could see them again. I know you want to. That’s how this whole thing started in the first place.”
I frowned.
“But what if that’s what they expect us to do?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Her smiled faltered, eagerness melting away in a puff of smoke.
“If the leaders of this place, these people, are right, we have actual gods hunting us down,” I explained slowly, carefully, trying in vain not to allow my fear to show. “Don’t you think the first place they’ll go to search for us is our home? Don’t you think they’ll have people watching at all times to see if we’re foolish enough to return? I had one small success,Zya. I called one ounce of the power I would need to wield to fight them. We can’t face them alone. We can’t—”
“Who said anything about going alone?”
I froze, lips parting in surprise as her eyes met mine. There was ice in her stare, a frigidness I'd never seen before. I blinked at her, taken aback.
“Zya…” I started, unsure of how to finish.
“I will not bow before them again, Adrian. And I will not give them the honor of my fear. These people are determined to use you in order to wage a war they believe will end all of this. Every war has a first battle. Why shouldn’t this one’s be for Sanctuary?”
I stared at her, shocked, but she merely strode away from me. In moments, she was stepping through the canopy of trees shielding us from the camp beyond and the spell of the quiet woods was broken. I blinked as I watched Roxy meet her at the tree line, the two of them linking arms before walking away, laughing, to join the preparations for the festivities of the evening.
FestumPrimi; I was told it meant Festival of the First in the old language, the language ofPrima’smother, of the ancient humans. They celebrated it here every year. The camp was strewn with brightly colored green, blue, and maroon banners, an ode to the original houses of Sanctuary. I stared at the sweeping paper snake on a stick children ran around with among the tents. Viper. A house I would rather forget. So I focused instead on the paper cranes flying through the air as the children pelted one another with them, the blue satin sashes tied around their waists and feathers adorning their hair in honor ofAvus. I watched the little boys in long fur cloaks growling at one another, slashing out with fake claws for Lynx.
I took a breath and stepped out from the tree line, letting the intoxicating scent of roasted meats and powdered pastries carry me forward. If there was one thing I could find the attitude to celebrate, it was the festival food.
“We’re leaving soon,” a familiar voice said from beside me.
I looked up to find Kane standing nearby, sword slung at his waist as it always was lately. He wanted to be one ofGryfon’s warriors. He'd taken to speaking with them, practicing with them, and in the light of the midnight fires, sharing laughter and spirits with them. But he still didn’t wear a sword right. It weighed him down so he was awkwardly imbalanced whenever he wore it.
My gaze snapped back up to meet his as I stepped forward and he strode over to walk with me.
“I assumed,” I replied, nodding at the line of people already making their way toward the river on the other side of the encampment.
“He isn’t coming,” Kane whispered but the edge of his disappointment was as sharp as ever.
I grit my teeth but only replied, “that's his prerogative.”
“Is it? These people have treated us well. They've welcomed us with open arms. Given us food, shelter, and protection even though it put them in danger. And he throws it all back in their faces, preferring to stay in that damn tent rather than make himself useful.”
“Darius is mourning another life lost.”
“As are we. As is my sister. But the rest of us are at least trying to pick up the pieces.”
