She clicks her beak. “Not like this.”
“It’s a little like your winter blues,” Rim says, joining Fyrestar at the big window. “When the days are short and dark.”
I nod. He’s right. I get listless in the winter if there are too many cloudy days in a row, but I go outside, and there’s still some sunlight on me. This is much worse. “Do you think a sunblood feeds off the sun? Like a vampire feeds off blood?”
Fyrestar tilts his head toward the emptiness outside my window, the invitation clear. “I think you’re happier in the sunlight—happier and stronger—and that’s all that matters.”
I huff at the simplicity of it after all these days of questioning myself. I have two options: stay out of the sunshine so vampires don’t find me as delectable, or soak up as much sunshine as possible so I can be stronger and faster if they come after me again.
The choice is easier than I thought. I throw off my covers, stagger toward my south-facing window, and tilt my face to the rays.
The light and heat shock me. I gasp, the sunshine on my face and neck scorching me like a blast of fire—a sudden, fierce burn. But then it soaks in, wonderful, and I sigh, basking in the warmth.
“I needed this.” Oh great stars, how did I ever let a stranger convince me to weaken myself? “I need a whole day of this. Or ten.”
“I guess you’re done with your experiment.” Rim sounds relieved. Sol joins us all at the window, squeezing herself between Rim and Fyrestar.
“If I want a witch’s hope of being able to fight off vampires, I need some sunshine again. Let’s go for a flight around the lake.”
I hurry to change into warmer clothes and tie my hair back. It’s chilly outside, but I roll up my sleeves to get more sunshine on my skin. I already feel stronger just from standing at the window, and I want to absorb as much as I can before dusk.
“Off you go.” I flick my fingers, encouraging the phoenixes to take off. Fyrestar leads the way off the window frame. When they all drop below my line of sight, I take a few running steps and dive out the window after them.
Wind pulls at me, cool air battering my skin. Sunshine coats me all over. Grinning, I spread my arms and soar. Sensation rushes through me, my laughter snatched away by the wind and left to echo against the granite. There’s nothing like leaping out my window, the sheer mountainside a blur, the weather magnificent.
Drayke is a sprawling pattern of buildings and streets below, the river a shining ribbon winding through the middle of it. My phoenixes fly with just as much joy, their bright plumage glowing. A weight slides off my shoulders. Too soon, Fyrestar swoops underneath me. I clamp my legs around his body and plunge my already chilled fingers into his warm, black neck feathers, holding on. Rim and Sol flank us, my wing guards.
I can’t help my shout of excitement as we bank hard, heading for the lake.
“Feeling better already?” Fyrestar trills a chuckle.
I laugh. “It’s like magic.”
“Magic!” Sol caws.
“A sunblood must need sun.” Rim’s dry comment fills my head as his amber eyes glint over at me.
I smile wryly. “You’d think we’d have been smart enough to figure that out a few days ago.”
“It’s never a bad thing to heed advice and see where it takes you.” Fyrestar is far wiser than I am most of the time but, right now, I don’t agree with him. For all I know, Rexton Hale is a liar. Unfortunately, I’m worried that Bale is too.
“I didn’t know the source. I shouldn’t have given him five seconds in the tavern, let alone five beautiful autumn days cooped up inside instead of enjoying the sunshine with all of you.”
“You can’t believe Rexton Hale about you being a sunblood—which no one’s ever heard of—but disregard everything else he says,” Fyrestar tells me.
“Well, aren’t you the annoying voice of reason?” I say without heat or malice.
He warbles a chuckle. “Look, even Embersol is nodding her agreement.”
I glance off our left wing. Sol is bobbing to her own merry tune and not even listening. Her playful zigging and zagging makes me grin. She’ll fly circles around all the other warbirds once she’s fully grown again.
“Since you’re probably right, as usual, let’s go to the library after our flight and see if we can find any books that mention sunbloods. We can recruit Sybil if she’s not too busy.” I already told Sybil about the Fanghaven vampire in the tavern and his warning. She’d never heard of sunbloods, either.
“I’m not sure how much help we’ll be with books,” Rim chirps.
“Moral support,” I tell him with a wink.
“Support!” Sol tweets.
