A Shield of Faith (BOOK 4)

Chapter 35

YUVEN

The wind howled into a swirling storm in his chest. Down in the deep, where both wyvern and child slept, wrapped in a blanket of snow. Rivers broke the dams of coagulation of his life to sweep it away into the abyssal recesses. Crystals shone against pillars and centralized on an ancient tomb of Evyriaz' ascension. Another song softened the air, and he found his grip on reality and tore open his eyes to Neven not singing, but plucking on the strings in quiet contemplation. Shadows dug into his cheekbones as he kept his head against the pegs. He clenched his fist underneath the blanket, the flow slipping between his fingers. Pinpricks swept up his arm at his attempt at magick, and he frowned when it refused to respond to his focused call. Clarity concentrated on the lamps instead of Neven's face, so he tried to find other familiar things — to prove the truth of his existence.

"I'm alive?" he spoke out his hopeful terror, causing the blur of Neven to straighten out his feathers. Yuven winced when he came closer, into the crystals to brighten the sapphire depths. "Is this... real?"

"Yes." Neven squeezed his shoulder. "You should get more rest, though. Maria—

"No. Do not bother her." Yuven wriggled his arm out from underneath the sheets. For once... I don't taste blood. I don't taste stale death. He stuck out his tongue to lick his lips of the warm liquid which splattered across his front. His thoughts wavered when Neven rolled over to the alchemy station to sweep up a cup, holding it out to him with a big smile. "What?"

"Maria said that if you woke up to get something into you as a start to get you on track of recovery." Yuven found the strength in his hand to grab onto it without assistance, though none to lift himself up into a sitting position. Though he was no Aurus, Neven's happiness spread out all the same when Yuven used his shoulders to push himself into the pillows, shaking his head in one wild motion to stop Neven from assisting him over and over again. "How are you feeling?" His feathers shuddered in anxious rattles, his Navei slipping out as a broken song.

Yuven held the cup close to his nose, then touched the bubbly surface with the tip of his tongue. Sweet scents lifted into his nose when he poked at it once more, then pressed the cup to his lips, bracing himself for the decay of his insides, but tugged it back when it continued to hold its too sweet aftertaste, which he pushed down his throat to find the remnants of blood. One more taste. One more determination. He held the cup in front of him, licking the dregs off his lips as Neven scooted closer. "What is this?"

"Broth."

Yuven brought his lips closer to the rim. "Broth?"

"Yes, Maria wants to work through your current diet before throwing usual fare at you, but before that we have to ease you back into this," Neven explained, though Yuven hadn't doubted the reason, but the taste left on his tongue. The memory was all that remained of it. Yuven sipped at the last dregs to savor the sweet, unfamiliar taste of something he had over a thousand times before. He kept the rim pressed up against his lips with nothing left, and Neven's brow creased in worry. "Yuven?" Yuven put the cup back into Neven's waiting hand. He pushed his thumb into his eyelid to quell the crack of the dam. "This must be much to process," Neven said as Yuven set his hands back onto the blanket. "Maria also said that once she's gotten some sleep she will come and check on you."

Every breath filled his lungs without the bubbles of webbed tendrils. "How long have you been up?" he questioned. "Do not tell me you've been at my bedside since—"

"I had a nap."

"You have so many other things to do." Yuven tugged at the blanket to bring it over his chest. "Also, naps are a waste of time. We talked about this."