Bonds of Light and Fire

39. Cryptic Messages

    Vaughan trudged through the snow, breaking a path for Luciana. She flailed about behind him, her eyes bright in the dim light of the moon. A few gentle flakes of snow drifted through the air, stirred up by the breeze. The storm itself had seemingly let up.

    "Where are we going?" Luciana huffed, wiping snow from her face.

    "Just a little ways outside the camp," Vaughan replied. "We don't want to wake anyone."

    Luciana gave no response and kept following him. They were soon beyond the boundaries of the camp, but Vaughan walked onward still. He didn't stop until they reached a clearing in the woods, just within view of the camp. Vaughan scooped up a handful of snow. He watched Luciana from the corner of his eye. She crossed her arms, shivering slightly as she looked around. Her shivering ceased gradually, and Vaughan knew she'd used magic to warm herself.

    "Now what?" Luciana asked. Vaughan threw a snowball at her and grabbed more snow as she gasped in shock. "You brought me outside in the middle of the night for a snowball fight?"

    "Yes," Vaughan replied, letting his next round fly. It smacked Luciana square in the chest. She grinned, wide enough to reveal her elongated canines, and grabbed a fistful of snow. Vaughan ran.

    Luciana was much faster than he anticipated. She threw a snowball and made another before he'd even let one fly. She chased him in circles around the clearing, that brilliant grin still resting on her lips. Vaughan shifted into his osprey and flew in an attempt to evade her. A snowball hit him right between the wings.

    Vaughan crashed to the ground with a disgruntled squawk. Luciana shifted and furry paws pinned his wings down before he had a chance to escape. Luciana chuffed with victorious delight. Vaughan shifted into himself and attempted to shove her off. Luciana shifted and kept her hands on his arms, holding them down in the snow.

    His traitorous heart faltered. Vaughan swallowed hard and let a sly grin cross his features. "You might be the bigger animal, but I'm the bigger Fae." He hooked his leg around her hips and twisted, trapping her beneath him effortlessly.

    "You've never taught me this move," Luciana said, her eyes shining brighter.

    "No?" She shook her head. "It's never too late to learn. It's a fairly simple move. Your force comes from your legs and hips." Vaughan slid his hand beneath her thigh and drew her leg up to his hips. "Wrap your leg around me."

    Luciana obeyed. He could practically hear the racing of her heart. "Push up with your hips and twist at the same time. Follow the movement through with the rest of your body, and you should be able to flip me," Vaughan explained.

    Luciana bit her lip. "I'm not sure I believe you."

    "You can do it."

    Luciana hesitated a moment longer, then lifted her hips and twisted. Vaughan became slightly unbalanced, but Luciana didn't flip him. She shook her head and lowered her leg. "It's not going to work. You're too heavy."

    "No, I'm not. Nascha can do it. You can too."

    "Nascha is stronger than me."

    "Nascha has more upper body strength than you do, but you're using your lower body. You outmatch her there."

    "How do you know?"

    "Your builds. The strength of your kicks. The way you perform certain exercises. There are lots of ways I can tell."

    Luciana averted her eyes. "I don't think I can do it. Besides, it's a strange technique."

    "It's a technique that will serve you well in many instances."