A Shield of Faith (BOOK 4)

Chapter 6

ADARA

Several covered carts sat around the fields, filled to the brim with boxes full of supplies and weapons loaded from the armory creating a bridge from the citadel to one of the mountain peaks. Adara offered herself to help, with Yuven all too happy to saddle bags of preserved food onto her shoulders, which left her and Fenrer taking their burden to the cart which Captain Lotayrin designated for food and medicine and Yuven disappearing into the paddocks in what she assumed was to saddle Tix'snuv, the magnificent hippogryph as snow touched as its bonded Rider. The wardens a part of the Irimount mission called out to each other for status reports, with Neven Lotayrin in the center of the carts, a ledger in hand as he directed with a familiar sense of efficiency, but an even more startling amount of patience for questions.

"You know, you don't have to help with this," Fenrer said as he effortlessly carried a large burlap bag over his shoulders, but she felt the pain in her legs with her own. "You're not a Storm Warden, Adara, no one is going to push you into this." He came to a stop at the lowered ramp of the food cart, setting his sack down to tuck it between a couple boxes with others.

Adara followed his lead with a shake of her head and a love for normality and shook out her arms. "If there's one thing I can do well, it's carrying things," she said and dusted off dirt from her slacks. "I know I'm not a Storm Warden, but you've done so much to help me, and I don't want to feel useless anymore — and Yuven dumped this on me after I asked so..." Her smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and her heart fluttered when Fenrer made himself out of her reflection. His smile danced across his sun-bronzed skin when he tipped his head, and the wolven braid drifted across his jaw. "I'm trying to keep him off my case for a little while."

"Yuven often gets like that when he wishes to distract himself," a different, melodic voice entered the fray from around the cart. Neven Lotayrin's feathers flicked with the breeze when he beamed at Fenrer, before bowing to her in one deep, smooth motion. "We did not get properly introduced, but I have heard much of you from Yuven and Fenrer. Neven Lotayrin, at service to the balance of light." Though his fangs sharpened with ferocity, a warm presence extruded from him. "You are Adara Sazaka, of Tebora."

Adara frowned at the odd, formal greeting. "Yes. Oh! Thank you for saving us," she said with her own bow at the awkward tension pulsing through the air.

"I am just happy that I reached the boat in time." Neven swept his gaze over the new burlap sacks before writing in the ledger, before tapping the point of his quill against the edge. "Everything is almost ready. All we need now is the hippogryphs saddled and prepared for the cold. Molvei'saliz?" his question came through the tone of parental concern, and Fenrer's smile dropped when he switched his attention to Neven. "Are you certain this is the route you want to go? So soon after your recovery?"

"I'm certain, Neven, it is either this or complete destruction of both husk and host... and I'm not willing to take that path though it was Yuven's first suggestion," Fenrer said. "Thank you."

Neven clapped his shoulder. "Then I need you to help me carry a couple more things, if you do not mind. The Warden-Commander Faehariel will be here soon to grip onto your previous paths through the Umbral Sea using the volcano's breath. We need to make sure we lose naught of our supplies. We're going to need every piece of them."

"I don't mind." Fenrer grasped his shoulder in return, then nodded at her. "Go check on Yuven. Tell him everything is ready to go." He wanted no time in following Neven around the cart, which left her with the daunting task of facing down Yuven Traye once more.

It was a small jaunt past the paddocks and into the stables through the wood hewn doors, where the chirping of hippogryphs spread the grassy scent through the air with a tinge of seared meat. Her soles broke small pieces of hay as she went straight to the back, where they kept the Rider's hippogryphs. One door hung open on its hinges. Through the doorway, Yuven Traye sat on a chair with Tix'snuv's claws spread out across his lap, a dangerous game at the glint across the edges, though he wore gray studded chaps to protect himself from the cantankerous hippogryph. "What?" he asked as he checked them.