The Crystal Mines

25 Ameer

We were only an hour or so away from the port Emyr's father had told us to dock at. Taury's father had sailed non-stop for days, rushing to save his niece. Every minute was critical, and the pressure of time weighed upon us all. I watched Garren pack extra food while Trife kept stealing it from the pack. The little sprite had taken a liking to Kayanna and had spent most of his time with her. She was still below deck with Eliza, tending to Dath and Alden. Trife was most happy on Kayanna's shoulder, his tail wrapped gentle around her neck, napping.

Garren jumped, trying to reach the sprite dangling some sun-dried fish jerky just out of reach. Taury looked on from the stairs, trying to be invisible. I watched her smile and then shake it off almost immediately. Rion was leaning against a mast, watching Garren struggle with Trife, a corner of his mouth turned up. I shook my head at the ridiculousness of the creature, knowing only Nik could befriend such a thing.

Garren shot water at the sprite, soaking his wings enough that he fell. He dropped right into Garren's hand, and he snatched the jerky back in victory. Trife stuck out his tongue like a child. Then, surprising everyone, the tiny thing spun around in his hand, stuck his butt up in the air, and farted in his face. Garren dropped him, gagging and sputtering. The deck roared with laughter as Trife hovered and clapped his hands gleefully. With the game over, he darted down the stairs, back to the comforting shoulder of Taury's mom.

Eliza came up the stairs, looking around in question. Finding Rion, she approached him. I heard her giggle as he recalled stiffly what Trife had wrought. Evander was nowhere to be found, having stayed by Alden's side, waiting desperately for the few times he would wake.

Each time was always the same. His eyes would be open, clearly taking in his surroundings, but he wouldn't move off the bed. Evander or Rion would try to speak to him, and he remained silent. Sometimes, tears would escape from him, and his brothers would wipe them away. The two of them did their best to make sure he ate too. Offering water to his dry cracked lips, small slivers of fish or apple. He would take a few bites here and there, nothing more than a morsel. Rion had come above deck, avoiding seeing his brother in the state he was in. I could see it now. The way he cared for them. It wasn't obvious at first. He kept his emotions well hidden from the world. But I think that came from what he's had to live through with as Erix as his father.

I was itching to see Dath and Alden again, but I wanted to be there to see Taury off, knowing that it's what Nik would do. I stood up from the steps that had quickly become a favorite spot, refusing to fall into a depression about what she may be having to endure at the moment. Emyr and Syphor stood around a table, discussing the path they would take through the slums to the city. I joined, looking at the map Josiah had on hand.

"We need to cross through here," Emyr pointed, "because the temple will be nearby and will be a good excuse to random strangers passing through."

"The temple?" Syphor asked.

Emyr looked up at them. "Yes. Viatrix Temple. The Goddess of Death. It is not like Phaewen's temple in Salvare. Fae flock to Viatrix's Temple, ready with offerings. Some bring decorated animal skulls, covered in flowers and smooth twigs. Others bring music and play on the steps. There are many people that enjoy being in her presence." Her eyes glittered with emotion.

I had heard of the goddess, but not many worshiped her in Salvare or Aegran. As the Goddess of Death, she was feared. Many believed her to be vengeful and full of hate. But anyone that spoke of her, only did so as though remembering something beautiful, just as Emyr did now.

"I would like to learn more of the goddess," Syphor stated fondly to her. He grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles tenderly.

"I shall. We can speak more of her during our journey to my castle."

Syphor bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. I recalled our first class with the Pyro Master. He has shown Emyr she was a phoenix by releasing his own. They clicked right then, and we all knew it. Fae that shifted into phoenixes were extremely rare. While we were in school, he had maintained a distance from her, clearly trying to maintain appearances with a student. But we all knew. We all saw. And no one said a word about it. Syphor could be no more than a couple years older than us, which was perfectly reasonable when it came to relationships. It wasn't until we left and went underground, did they begin exploring their feelings for each other more openly.

As I watched the plan unfolding, Taury an Garren joined, adding in their thoughts and concerns. And all I could do, was mourn the loss of Nik's presence. Though we never pursued anything beyond friendship, there were moments I thought that maybe she had felt the same. Those moments, where we played, and laughed, teased and shared our thoughts, I missed the closeness. The last time I had felt that safe with someone was my brother. Fingers danced around the map near the Temple, their voices never penetrating my ears. All I saw was time. Time that was our greatest enemy.