Cloud Piercer

Twenty Three

I was only away from Veymaw for two days. But when we emerge from the forest and step foot upon the cobblestoned streets, the soft morning light creating a haze along the horizon, my stomach settles.

Casimir and I walk silently back to his cabin. I've never been away from Veymaw for longer than a day before. Being back is more grounding than I expected. It's too early for most people to arise, aside from a few opening shops, who wave us past, eyeing the frumpy dress Trina managed to find for me to return in since mine was ruined. Despite the freedom the trousers gave me, there's a certain comfort in the familiarity of a skirt swishing around my ankles.

The cabin has been left in a disarray, a mug of tea knocked over on the bench, tea leaves dried to the side. Casimir quickly brushes it to the side, straightening to crooked wooden chair.

"Sorry," Cas murmurs, cheeks pinkening. "I didn't have time to clean up."

I conceal my smile, settling in the chair. He's always prided himself on keeping his quarters clean, so much so that when I first moved in, we had several passive aggressive conversations on how to properly tidy the kitchen.

He brushes the leaves carefully into the palm of his hand. "How much time do you spend down there?" I ask. "I can't believe I never noticed you were missing."

"Not that often. When I was first placed in Veymaw, Trina didn't contact me for two years. It was important I was acclimated to life here. After that, I attended monthly check-in's during the night. This past year, however, I've been more frequent—maybe once a week."

"Is that because of what Trina said about shifters coming from Torrine?"

Casimir sighs as he takes a seat, running a hand tiredly through his hair. The dark circles under his eyes have deepened, and his cheeks appear hollower. I can't remember him every looking this exhausted.

"She'd kill me if she knew I told you any of this," he says with a slight smile, like the thought pleases him. "It's becoming a lot more dangerous to be a deserter."

"Because there are more shifters?"

He nods. "What did Killian tell you about why he came to Veymaw?"

"He said it's because he didn't have a choice." I pause. "Is that a lie?"

"No, it wasn't a lie," he says, seeming slightly annoyed by the thought that Killian would tell me the truth.

"He also said his father was a trader and went missing, so he didn't have a place in Portson anymore."

"A half-truth," Cas says. "His father did go missing, but they were no traders. Killian was a high-ranking member of the deserter clan in Portson. That used to be the biggest clan in the entirety of Elel. They were extremely important to the entire network of deserters as they were able to trade with others in Torrine and Ayrith for weaponry and distribute them to the rest of us."

"What happened?"

His eyes darken. "A large storm rolled in from Torinne, wrecking the Portson village. The shifters came during the chaos. Nobody saw them or heard them. But in the morning, the deserters were slaughtered. Nearly every single one of them. Only Killian and a few others survived. About thirty are still missing, Killian's family included."

A chill crawls down my spine. "How did the shifters know who to attack?" I whisper.

"A traitor," Casimir spits. "Killian said he was second in command of the Portson crew, captured by the council in Portson a month before. He must've given the names of the deserters there in exchange for his life. And they used the storm as cover to attack."