OathBlade (Wattys2015)

59. Approaching The Wind*

Elery woke the next morning with a knot in her stomach that destroyed any appetite she might have had. Isandel's change in attitude made more sense in light of Misani's words. Of course he would show sympathy—his pain ran far deeper than the loss of a close friend. It was the pain of betrayal she'd felt from Taelin, only on a much grander scale.

And he'd had thousands of seasons to suffer it, knowing she was so close yet so far beyond his reach.

She'd thought she understood the pain that drove him to wish for an end but she was so wrong. So horribly wrong...

She still rested in the crook of his arm, a position that left her feeling safer and more secure than she'd felt since the days of falling asleep in her father's arms.

Isandel slept with his head resting on its side, his mouth open just enough to see his teeth peeking past his thin, scaled lips. His breath came in slow, rumbling purrs punctuated by the occasional grumble.

Water dripped from the leaves overhead and patted against her cheek. Sometime during the night his wing had shifted, for she lay in clothing soaked through from the rain. She slipped over the side of his arm and stood to strip her clothes and lay them aside to find a place in which she might bathe. A small pond several hundred paces to the north drew her attention as she walked and she approached it, kneeling to look at her reflection.

Her eyes were still swollen and red splotches decorated her cheeks and eyelids. All the telltale signs one would need to know she'd cried long and hard into the night. She scooped handfuls of water and splashed it on her face before standing and stepping into the water until it reached her waist.

"Early riser," Vydel spoke behind her.

Her silent approach startled Elery and she spun, sending a cascade of ripples outward. "I'd thought Isandel the only one able to sneak up behind me."

Vydel pointed to herself. "Assassin. It's my job to be silent, remember?" She stripped and walked into the water, breathing a soft sigh of relief as the warm water slid up her slender body. "Rotting in a cell grants a renewed appreciation for the lovely feel of a bath."

"As does traveling through a cave with no access to one," Elery remarked.

"Aye, true." Vydel trailed her claws through the water. "I've no idea how welcome my condolences are, but I offer them nonetheless. I've never truly lost anyone so I can't say I understand how it feels, but by the looks of you I can see it is painful. Pain I understand." She splashed some water over the scales of her upper arm and rubbed. "Father instructed me to stay with you and aid you as you desire. If that aid requires me to kill, merely speak the words and it will be done."

"Anyone that stands between me and Celestine," Elery replied without hesitation. "Whether it's a corpse or Taelin himself, it matters not. They'll all fall with her."

She nodded. "I won't stop till none are left standing. Even if it means I have to search Leria for every one of those bedeviled creatures."

"Of those among us, you would be one of the few right now able to. Your weapon is amazing. For so long I thought Isandel's weapon was special."

"It is, to a point," Vydel said. "All dragonsoul weapons are special because of their ability to dispel other auras. Halfling weapons are different only because they cannot be given to others. If you attempted to hold my bow it would only disappear." She chuckled. "Not that I would allow any other to have it, in any case. I am not so trusting with something so precious."

"I can only hope the dragons don't share that sentiment," Elery said with a sigh. "I need as many of those weapons as I might lay hands on, otherwise we'll not make it far."