A Shield of Faith (BOOK 4)

Chapter 10

YUVEN

In the lull of the blizzard, Yuven sliced his crescent blade in the air for warm-up against the endless cold. Any howl sharpened his feathers as he stood in the backyard of the Lotayrin villa. Through the window, Neven and several of the other Storm Wardens sat around the table in discussion of a plan he had yet to be told. It proved a greater suspicion when Fenrer sat outside with him, doing naught but toy with his auric band. "Is something on your mind?" he barked when Fenrer slipped his thumb through the crease. "Or are you just here to make sure I don't get any funny ideas?"

"I don't think I could stop you from getting funny ideas," Fenrer said with a swift glance his way, before setting his hands against the frost grass, legs stretched out. "Stop you from doing them, certainly."

He curled ice around the runes of his blade, then sent two sweeps into the air, where both waves crashed into the other wall. Pebbles broke apart at the contact. Glyphs expanded at the final finish, freezing the holes his attack left. "Did he tell you what he intends to do?" Yuven questioned at Fenrer's characteristic, but no less suspicious silence. "I know you two talked last night, I just didn't hear any details." He rubbed the back of his neck with a scoff of rust, licking the corners of his lips to stifle the cough in his lungs. Thumb against his lower lip, he spat out a small glob of the stale rust, shaking it off his fingers. "Since he doesn't want to tell me and I have to do guesswork..."

"Only what I'm supposed to do, that's it."

"Cleanse a Corruptor, but you knew that," Yuven accused and hooked his crescent blade in the frog on his belt. "Why would he feel the need to reiterate what you already knew?" Fenrer's brow furrowed up at him when Yuven loomed over him, a faint shadow cast over his Oathbound, his best friend. He squatted in front of Fenrer, glaring into his spiral eyes — the shapen truth left unseen to him. Fenrer returned his gaze without a need to blink. Left in stasis, the river of green flames slipped around his pupils when Fenrer set his elbows on his knees, lips thinning in apparent weary annoyance. Ice pricked at the corners of his eyelids, but he refused to take his attention off of Fenrer for the breaking point. His own arms across his knees, he came closer, slipping his fangs over his lips as Fenrer continued to stare blankly at him.

The glass door slid open. "Yuven, Fenrer, I think we're about to... get started..." Adara's voice faltered, but he refused to lose again when he got on his knees, bumping against Fenrer's who twitched at her arrival. Too close to his victory, he slipped his tongue between his lips and bent forward. "What are you two—"

"Shut up, Sazaka." Yuven raised a finger in her vague direction. "This is important." Hands up, he brought one closer to put Fenrer off-kilter, then stopped when a soft scoff left in a puff of mist through Fenrer's nose and he met him halfway, fingers laced together with a tight grip when his eyes narrowed, though refused to blink. Yuven scowled when Fenrer's fingers dug into his knuckles. "That's cheating."

"I haven't done anything yet," Fenrer mumbled. Yuven tried to tug his hand out of Fenrer's, but Fenrer held himself about as bendable as a restless rock. Still, he ignored the screaming of his head and refused to bend, elbow bent with Fenrer's when his Oathbound twitched. "I'll let go if you give this up."

"No."

Fenrer inched his wrist forward with ease, though he battled his own weak bones against his gigantic strength. Yuven dug in, and he sent a burst of ice at Fenrer's face. It swirled in the air around him, and Yuven winced when Fenrer pushed his hand backwards in one smooth motion, then let him go the moment the world flickered out of reality with his loss. "Cheater." Yuven rubbed his wrist and straightened himself out to face Adara, who frowned at them both as Neven came up from behind her. "Are you going to tell me what we're doing or am I to continue guessing?"