Wings of Fate

43. Flight Across the City

Kalian walked alongside Jasmine, one hand braced on the mare's neck to hold him steady. Samson was riding ahead to scout the trail they were following. A few more hours would see them safely out of the foothills of the mountains. From there, they would continue to Noctis and hope they'd arrive in time to help the Faeries.

Their progress had been slightly slowed when Kalian decided he wanted to walk, rather than ride. Samson had argued against the idea, but Kalian pointed out that he needed to be used to balancing without his wings when they arrived on the battlefield. There wouldn't be room for small errors, like him stumbling over his own feet. In the end, everyone agreed and Kalian had been walking for the past day.

Moira still sat astride Jasmine, her head lolling against her chest. An occasional snore escaped her lips, coaxing a smile onto Kalian's own. He shifted his attention to his other side as Bellamy rode up and dismounted. He fell in step with Kalian, leading his horse by the reins.

"How are you feeling?" Bellamy asked.

"Better than yesterday," Kalian replied. "Still sore though."

"Samson's magic can only help so much it seems."

Kalian nodded. "Some Faeries and Scindoes have powerful healing magic, but others only possess a scrap of it. Witches have all the power in that regard."

Bellamy's mouth curved into a grin. "When I was little, I used to believe that Witches were ugly wicked women who would steal me out of my bed and eat me."

"What do you believe now?"

Bellamy shrugged. "I'm not sure, but it isn't that."

"There are wicked Witches in the world, but most of them are healers and oracles who try to help those in need."

"That's what the Witch who healed you said."

Kalian lowered his gaze, watching his boots as he stepped over a rock. "There are wicked people in every race and species. No single one is innocent, and no single one is guilty. It's not right to hold an entire people accountable for the actions of a few, or for the actions of the past. We can't forget what was done, but we can learn from it and move on."

"Is that what the Commander is doing? Is she learning and moving on?"

"She is."

"Are you?"

"Yes."

Bellamy nodded slowly. "Then I suppose I will too."

"Was it hard, learning that Samson was a Scindo?"

Bellamy combed his fingers through his hair, breathing a sigh. "Yes and no. I always knew there was something different about him. I just didn't know what. After he told me, so many things made sense, but..."

He sighed again. "I've never sought to destroy Faeriekind, but I had my prejudices. It's taken me time to put them aside, but I knew I had to try. I'd do anything for him." He smiled in the direction of Samson's silhouette. "Just like you'd do anything for Commander Lev."

"You know, she's not a Commander anymore. You can probably just call her Moira," Kalian chuckled.

"I'm taking no chances. Just because she won't hurt you doesn't mean she won't hurt me."

"I won't hurt you," Moira mumbled, lifting her head slightly. Kalian rested his hand on her knee. "I was getting tired of being called Commander anyway. I have a name. It would be nice if people used it more often." Shame flooded her features. "And not as a warning or frightening message." Kalian squeezed her knee gently.