Wind Wielder

Chapter 2 - The language of Wind and Shadow

The hours of the day bled into one another as Zara bent over her desk, writing letter after letter. She stacked them into a dispatch pile that would soon be whisked away and sent across Pyrinthian, to various contacts. It was only when her hands cramped that she moved onto her charm bracelets, seeing the many charms on each one light up.

Each charm represented a different contact the wind wielder had. A different information source. And when a source had information to share, they would tap on their charm, an invention created by Nuan, that would cause the matching charm Zara had to light up. Zara would send a wind searching for them, and once it reached them, the contact would be able to feel it brush their face, and speak the message for the wind to carry back to Zara. It was a much quicker way to communicate than letters. The second most efficient form of communication, other than being a Daemati. And since Zara was only allowed to speak to the spies who were farther up the chain of command and could be trusted not to share the gender of the wind wielder, she had to resort to sending letters to the rest.

Zara believed it was frustrating and wildly inefficient, but alas, she was bound to do as her High Lord bade. And the only real time her father Zephyr showed her affection or approval, was when she did what the High Lord bade.

Sometime long after dark, Zara finally rose from her desk, yawning blearily as she stretched and cracked her back and neck. Sleep was beckoning. Or at least, tea. Something other than that blasted desk and quill.

The wind wielder crept through the halls on near silent feet, taking the secret entrance into her chambers, as to avoid attention entering her room while still dressed in her cloak and dark uniform. Zara contemplated which pair of sleep shorts she might pull on, and which cup of tea she might drink. She planned on having a quiet evening.

The same could not be said for the figure who occupied her bed, feathered wings sprawled lazily on either side of her head. Kazia Barlett. The third person and final person in Dawn who knew of Zara's true identity.

The brown eyed female wore a striking armored dress of gold and navy that did much to emphasize her strong legs. She wore an amused smirk as she flicked a pinstraight lock of blonde hair out of her face, looking Zara up and down. "Rough day for the wind wielder, I see?" Zara's best friend drawled, nursing her bottle of beer. Kazia had snagged it from Zara's personal supply that supposedly only Zara knew about. Supposedly.

Zara sighed longsufferingly, although a smile tugged at her lips as she moved to snatch the beer out of Kazia's hand. Kazia only tutted, moving her hand away to motion to the uncorked bottle that was already waiting for Zara, still cold.

"Duty calls, I suppose," Zara said, picking up the beer before shuffling over to the bed. Zara sat unceremoniously, and took a long swig of her beer, relishing in the cool, biting taste.

"You didn't miss much at the meeting. We were supposed to stand there looking all official. I think Zayn looked like he was about to shit himself instead when that general Cassian walked by. That was good." Kazia mused, and did her best to curl into Zara's side despite her massive gold plumed peregrini wings.

Zara moved her beer to the other hand and spit out a feather, huffing in annoyance as Kazia forced her arm to the side to make more room. "You do this every time."

"And you complain every time. but you still let me do it."

"Bitch." Zara scoffed.

"Whore. See, this is why we're best friends." Kazia said warmly, a pleased smile pulling at those full lips as she tossed a leg between Zara's, her ice cold foot stealing Zara's warmth.

Zara bit back a smile and flicked her finger towards the throw blanket on the edge of the bed. A gust of wind came and picked it up, levitating it towards the two females and over Kazia's feet to help warm hers. "Did I miss anything else at the meeting?" Zara asked. "I heard the spymaster got into it with Eris."