Son of Night and Daughter of Stars

Chapter 21: The Questions

Estelle twisted slightly in the saddle to glance back at the Illyrian again, only to find he was already staring at her. 

"How much longer?" He asked her, unbothered by the loud wind. In fact, he seemed to feel better up here in the sky. Not surprising, she supposed, given his wings. 

"Not long," She replied, pleased when an annoyed look flashed across his face. 

"You said that 'not long' ago," He muttered, although she still heard him. Estelle twisted as far as she could while still holding on to her brother in front of her, and with the Illyrian's hands wrapped around her own waist. She simply looked at him for a moment, and he raised an eyebrow as if to ask, What?

"Who are you, exactly?" She asked, unable to hold her curiosity in. The Illyrian looked away, as if he suddenly found her stare unbearable. 

"Nobody," He said. She moved her head so she was in front of him again. 

"What's your name, at least?" She pressed. His gaze shot to hers once more, his vibrant blue eyes boring into hers as he smiled wryly. 

"If you won't tell me yours, why should I tell you mine?" He asked. 

Ah. Fair, I suppose, she thought to herself. "Can you at least tell me one thing?" 

"Depends. What do you want to know?" 

She jerked her chin towards his wings. "You're Illyrian, right?" 

He nodded slowly. "Were the wings not obvious enough?" 

She risked taking one hand off her brother to point to his arched ears. "I thought Illyrian's ears were rounded, like a human's." 

The Illyrian's eyes widened slightly, and one hand reached up to trace the line of his ear. "Yes, they usually are." He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "I'm not a full-blooded Illyrian." 

"Your father is Fae?" Estelle asked, her curiosity rising. "I assume it's the father, or you probably wouldn't have survived." 

Again, that hesitation. "Yes, my father is Fae." He sounded unsure. Estelle had to wonder whether he was telling her the whole truth. 

"Hey, what happened to 'not asking any more questions?'" Danica called back to her. "We're almost there. You might want to hold on." 

Estelle twisted back around, grabbing onto her brother. She felt the Illyrian wrap his arms tighter around her waist as Zephyr angled towards the ground. 

"I don't trust this thing," He muttered in her ear. "You're not going to knock me off it, are you?" 

Estelle couldn't help but smirk. "Relax. You'd just take me down with you out of spite." 

To her surprise, the Illyrian actually grinned. "I like to think I have more manners than that."

Without thinking, Estelle laughed, the sound warm and loud even up there amongst the rain-kissed wind. She clamped her mouth shut immediately, cutting off the sound. 

Oh, come on. It wasn't that funny, She told herself, furious for reacting. Focus. This male is a World-walker. He could very well have something to do with the assassin. 

The thought jarred her back to reality. She didn't know this male. There was a reason she'd made herself a barrier between him and her brother on Zephyr. She didn't, couldn't, trust him. 

Zephyr interrupted her brooding thoughts by letting out a loud screech. Her speed increased slightly, and she broke through the clouds, revealing Orynth's towers below them.