The Red Day

V.

         He hadn't learned anything new in the following days about Renua. He assumed she was still sore from their little tent box joke. He hoped that once they left the desert, she'd be more agreeable. He'd hate to be traveling for potentially months with a monk. He got enough silence from Festis as it was.

Danver hadn't received any words from the Gods. Radio silence. He thought that was a good sign. That they were on the right path. Surely, they would be directing him back to the small village if not. And wouldn't that absolutely suck to crush Renua's dreams like that.

They still had about a day's worth of travel left and he couldn't wait to be out of the desert. Mostly because he seriously needed a bath. Festis seriously needed a bath. But also, he never got the appeal of the desert. Nothing but dunes and sky to look at for miles and miles. He wondered how Renua felt about it, having grown up here. Not knowing anything else.

Renua. The daughter of M'kaia, Goddess of the Night. Danver was curious who would give their child such a name. The Renua of stories old was a sad tale. A sad name for a sad girl, he mused.

He decided to break the silence, "It didn't look like you had much family... back in Tenb'ir."

"Tenb'ir is my family," she said curtly, as if warding off any further discussion on the topic.

But he pressed on, "Right. But surely someone gave birth to you."

Ren stopped in her tracks and faced Danver, "As I'm sure someone gave birth to you. That doesn't make a family."

Danver raised his hand up in protest. He'd been doing that a lot lately. "I don't have a high view of my parents either. I'm only curious is all."

"I don't have parents. I don't know anything about them, okay?" Ren turned her back and marched forward. He sure wasn't making these new travel arrangements easy on any of them.

Before he could speak again, Festis, of all people, said, "Drop it."

He looked his companion in the eye and gave a nod. He addressed her, "I'm sorry, Renua."

"Her name is Ren," Festis spoke for the girl. Danver didn't know when his friend had gotten so protective of her. Perhaps they had some sort of unspoken understanding.

"Ren. Right," Danver corrected himself. "I'm sorry, Ren."

But the girl didn't bother replying. Not even acknowledging that she heard him. This was going to be a long, long journey.

~

Ren liked Festis. For some reason, she trusted him and felt a sort of kinship with him. She thought he must feel the same. She wondered what lead him to swear his life to the Gods and their Godsmiths?

Danver, on the other hand, was getting on her nerves. She couldn't see how Festis put up with him for so long. Always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. He was also so unlike her mental image of the Godsmiths. She'd heard all the tales of them from nights spent in Siobahn's tavern. Old, graying men who spent their days traveling from town to town, spreading their faith like a disease. Shunning those who committed Godless acts. But Danver was young. Very young. And he didn't seem to force words and prayers down others' throats. He seemed sort of... sneaky. Calculating.

No one had told Ren that travel and adventure would be so boring. A lot of walking, and more walking, and even more walking. She supposed things would change once they reached the desert's edge, but the sands felt eternal. She suddenly had a lot more respect for the traders that ventured to Tenb'ir every moon during the off months.

Today was another especially hot day. Thoughts of Kallen swirled in her mind. She missed him. The feeling of his white blond hair curling between her fingers. His smile he kept hidden away from everyone but her. The golden waves that haunted his eyes. Once she rescued him, she'd ask him. She would finally be brave enough to ask him. If she could sneak into a tyrannical King's dungeons, she could ask the man she loves about his past.

Almost as if he could read her mind, the Godsmith asked her, "What was, er, is Kallen like?"

"Well, for starters, he's not nosy like you are," she snapped. She swore she could hear Festis snicker from behind her.

But Danver took her vocal lashings in stride. He was quite good at that. "Hey now. How am I supposed to learn anything if I don't ask questions?"

"Whatever happened to waiting until I was ready to talk?"

Danver shrugged, "What can I say? I'm impatient. Plus, if we're going to help you rescue him, I'd like to know a little about the man I'm putting myself in danger for."

He had a point. Danver and Festis didn't have to help her. Even if these so-called Gods were guiding them to. She should be more grateful. She sighed, "He's amazing. He's kind. He's always been there for me. He's always taking the time to teach me new things. He-"

"He sounds like a God," Danver chuckled, cutting her off.

"Well, he's not. He's still struggles like every other person," Ren felt defensive. "No Gods have ever done anything for us. We only have each other."

"What struggles does he have?" Danver asked sincerely.

"I-" Ren had to think. Could she really reveal that beyond her time spent with Kallen, she didn't actually know that much about him? "There's things in his past. Sad childhood stuff."

"Like what?"

"Just stuff, okay?" Please stop asking.

"You don't know." It wasn't a question.

Ren deflected, "I'm not about to reveal all of his secrets to two strangers."

"Revealing secrets to strangers can be quite therapeutic," Danver smiled.

"Well, we're not going to be exactly strangers after this is all over," Ren griped. She was growing tired of the interrogation.

"And what will we be?"

"I don't know," Ren waved a hand in the air, "Friends, at most. Acquaintances. A future tavern story."

Festis spoke up, "I hope we will be friends, Ren."

A warm feeling permeated her chest. "I hope so, too. Festis."

"What about me?" Danver pouted.

"You'll be 'That Annoying Guy I Was Forced to Travel With That One Time'."

"I'll take it," he grinned.

And Ren felt herself grinning back.