“Wow, good memory,” was all he said, but I could tell by the higher pitch to his voice that he was growing excited. If anything, it made me realize just how well he knew me.
“Want to learn?”
“Absolutely.”
By the time we’d finished hunting through old volcanic tunnels and hot springs, collected enough silver-laced volcanic rock, and melted it down to be molded, night had already fallen. Immediately after training the next morning, he got back to work, listening intently to each of my instructions. Again, he proved himself to be annoyingly exceptional at all he did, every step coming easier than the last.
Before the end of the following day, Azazel had made a brand new ring.
Chapter Thirty-One
Azazel
“Sometimes I wonder if I’ve lived before. If, in my past life, I offended the stars. Maybe that’s why they cursed me with this second wretched existence. With parents who hate me.”
-From the journal of Azazel Altair, 9233 AS
The grass was hidden beneath piles of snow, the soft powder blowing into our faces from the icy wind gusts as we hiked to the spot.
“Almost there,” I reassured Nova, pulling her into my side. She nodded, her hair beginning to freeze against her face. The curls were frizzing, becoming stiff and large. I wished I could help, but all we could do was push on.
The spot we were meeting at was the same one Talon and I had stumbled upon when we were kids. The trees formed a triangle-shaped opening, the branches all leaning towards one another over the tiny clearing. It was a space perfect for our group. We’d go out there and laugh, drink, complain, argue, even outwardly doubt all we’d learned. It was the one place in the entire world we were truly safe.
“Is that it?” Nova asked, her body sinking further into mine. Sure enough, there was our place. Our safe haven.
A large rock poked out of the northern point of the clearing, the snow not quite covering it. I pulled her along, grinning widely despite the fact we were knee deep in freezing powder.
Upon the rock tip was a note, the parchment shaped like a perched snake. Laughing, I placed my hand against the ward I knew would be there, closing my eyes to focus. The worst thing about wards was that they could always be broken, so long as the person wanting past was strong enough. Our magic was measured in strange ways that felt as if they ebbed and flowed. Like nothing was concrete. Maybe that was by the stars’ design. Perhaps they preferred the chaos that entailed.
After a few seconds I felt the ward shatter, pieces of the magic humming as they dissipated. Wind whipping through the clearing, the note flew on a gust, forcing me to jump up and catch it.
Nova steadied me as I came back down, her hand fitting perfectly in the dip at the center of my chest. We both stared at the note, ready to go home and open it in the safety of our cottage. Yet, I couldn’t make myself shadow walk us. Couldn’t look away from the clearing, where peace permeated the air and memories danced in the light.
Brittle tree branches swayed, clouds moving lazily through the sky. A single bird leapt across the ground, fluttering its tiny brown wings every so often. I swore I could hear our laughter echoing across the area.
“What’s wrong?” Nova asked, leaning into my line of sight. Unlike me, she didn’t seem to fit here. Where I embodied the cold, she radiated heat. Every snowflake that stuck to her stood out in stark contrast to what it clung to, the intricate details more noticeable in comparison. She was a sun, and I a moon.
And somehow I still felt that we were a perfect fit.
“Just remembering good times.” My smile softened, images of us as kids flashing across the back of my lids as I closed them.
“Want to tell me about them?”
My eyes shot open, startled by her gentle tone. “Really?”
“Of course. I’m a sucker for a good story or two.”
Smiling, I let her go, doing a slow circle, breathing in the perfect air. She perched on the rock, watching me with a grin so wide her big eyes folded in half.
I love you so much,I thought. Then I began.
“Talon and I found this place by accident one day. We loved to come to the woods. It felt like freedom. I was ten, he was nine. Quinn and Cal were eight, Dove was twelve, and I think Pri would’ve been four at the time. She didn’t get to play with us yet, so it was only the five of us running through the trees that day.”
I let my fingers graze the branches we’d run past, watching the scene unfold in my memories.
“Tal and I were fastest, lost in a race we’d be in for the rest of our lives. He barreled through these trees here, stumbling into the clearing. We were both so amazed that we didn’t even argue over who won or who cheated or when we’d race again. Instead, we stared in awe.”
I could still smell the flowers, feel the sun peeking through the breaks in leafy branches. I let my head tip back, staring up at the grey clouds and twisting branches above.
