OathBlade (Wattys2015)

61. The Empty and Frozen World*

Leria spread around Elery and her companions with a strange sort of stillness. Each town they passed was empty, some partially destroyed, while others stood in pristine condition. No fires smoked below them. No corpses littered the streets. The people would have made it to Ortuna if luck was on Elery's side.

By the damage of some small villages she could tell not all had been fortunate.

It seemed strange to see not only the lack of seryn but the absence of their enemy. It was chilling, as if she peered through some looking glass to witness the world as it would be if she should fail. Eventually the dead would rot and Celestine's army would be reduced to helpless piles of decomposing flesh. She could bring them back, but she could only slow the natural process. In the end everyone would lose, even the enemy.

The night of Darkmoon was fast approaching, though they were certain to reach Andethayn long before. Only for a short time did both moons darken in tandem, leaving the night's sky devoid of their luminescence, and when it did the calendar would renew and the war would truly begin.

Fourteen nights had come and gone since leaving the island. Nyph was, in some strange way, like Misani. Her boundless curiosity caused her to question everything. They spent time teaching her to speak the common tongue, expanding her grasp of it quite fast. It left little time for Elery to think of Cylphi. That was saved for the moments before sleep when everyone had settled and not even the low songs of snowbirds could fill the silence.

The only difference between Nyph and Misani in that respect was the emotionless demeanor the former showed. It was somewhat disturbing to see her face remain so placid, showing not even a hint of a smile. She wondered briefly during her conversations what sort of upbringing the aurels had to render them devoid of emotion and expression. She thought to ask once, but thought better of it for fear that it would be rude.

Thankfully, Vydel was less concerned over decorum.

"What ails you creatures that you can't do something so simple as smile?" The drakborne asked as they sat huddled around a fire.

"I'm afraid I not understand," Nyph said.

Vydel turned toward her and rid her face of any sign of emotion. "I suppose this seems normal to you, does it?"

"Yes. I not understand things you creatures do with your faces."

"It is called 'emotion' you feathered twit," Vydel said.

"Vydel!" Elery gasped.

If Nyph was offended, indeed if she was even capable of being offended, she did not show it. Instead she remarked, "This merely who I am. I not demand you behave like me, so I ask you have same courtesy."

"How is anyone supposed to know what you feel if you show nothing?" Vydel asked. "Surely I can't be the only one to find your behavior strange, I'm merely the only one with the courage to say it."

Elery sighed and rested back against Isandel. It had been some time since he'd taken his seryn form. It had become a rare treat, something he seemed to realize she needed at least once in a while. He could not wrap his arms around her as a dragon.

They'd come to settle in a forest of thick evergreens with canopies so wide and entwined it sheltered the ground from snow and left the ground bare of all growth. Despite seeing none of the corpse creatures along the way they left nothing to chance. Staying out of sight of possible dragon corpses seemed a better choice than camping in the open, allowing for an attack as they slept.

Isandel curled his arms more tightly around her and rested his head beside hers, whispering in her ear, "Let them talk. Vydel is merely seeking some way to vent and the aurel seems able to handle it."