Ever So Lightly- Book 1

50

"We elves, we're made of strong stuff." Chira raised and then promptly downed a shot of her famed Feiwyn whiskey. Zephyr almost choked on her own drink as she laughed. Saria tried to throw her small sip of the stuff back, but ended up spitting it into a trash bin.

"I give up!" Saria said, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I can't stand the stuff. I guess I just don't have the constitution of an elf."

"Huzzah, I win!" Chira exclaimed. "Let's have a celebratory round!" Bennet and Jasper let the girl pour them each another drink, while Zephyr continued to slowly sip on her own.

"And what, exactly, did you win?" Bennet asked, his signature grin making yet another appearance.

"No idea," Chira said, downing another shot. Jasper only sipped his own before placing the glass on the table before him.

"Not in the mood for any midnight confessions this time, Jasper?" Saria teased. She had stolen a spot on Chira's bed, struggling to cross her legs while keeping her skirt covering everything important. Jasper blushed furiously, and Zephyr felt another laugh bubble up. Chira looked back and forth between them all from where she sat perched on the edge of her desk.

"I feel like there's a story here that I really want to hear."

"Oh, there's definitely a story there," Bennet began. "You seen, good old Jasper here has a thing for girls with green eyes, and well..." A knock at the door interrupted their revelries. Chira shouted for whoever was at the door to come in. A messenger popped his head.

"Stars above man," Bennet exclaimed, sloshing liquid over the edge of his glass. "Don't you have anything better to do than to drag poor Zephyr here to meetings all day?" The man gave Bennet a bored look.

"Actually, sir, this time I have a letter for you." He held out an envelope toward Bennet, who stood and took the letter, hovering by the door after the messenger left to pour over its contents.

"Another round?" Chira asked cheerfully.

"No!" the three still sitting responded as one.

"Suit yourselves," the elven girl said, tipping the bottle up once again. "I still want to hear the rest of that story, by the way." Jasper shook his head no vehemently.

"Bennet?" Saria asked suddenly, worry coloring his name. Zephyr turned to see Bennet still holding the letter, visibly paler than he had been mere moments earlier. Jasper stood.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, taking a step toward his friend. After a long moment Bennet finally looked up from the page in his hand.

"What?" he said, glancing back down at the paper. "Oh, yes." He folded the letter, stuffing it into the pocket of his jacket. "No, everything's fine. I just always get nervous when it's a letter from home." Zephyr gave him a skeptical look and he flashed his grin again. "Everything's fine, I promise."

Loud voices from the tunnels pulled their attention away from Bennet. The sound of running footsteps had all of them jumping up. Bennet yanked the door open, and Zephyr gaped at the people rushed past, down the tunnels, all in the same direction. Grabbing Jasper's hand, Zephyr led the way out the door. She asked multiple people rushing past if it was another attack but couldn't get an answer from anyone. Their group looked at one another, seemingly all at a loss as to what they should do.

"Saria!"

Zephyr turned to see Lara making her way toward them through the crowd of fleeing people.

"Mom!" Saria said, and Zephyr didn't miss this flash of adoration that spread across Lara's face at the word. "What's going on? What's happening?"

The smile never left Lara's face. "Just follow me!" Saria looked to Zephyr as she took her mother's hand. Well, it's not like they had any better ideas. Zephyr nodded, and as one they made their way down the tunnels with everyone else.

The going was slow. It seemed to Zephyr that every single inhabitant of Heart was making their way out from under the mountain all at once. What could cause such a mass exodus? If it wasn't an attack then what was it?

At long last, an opening appeared ahead of them. Slowly, Lara led them outside, onto a large plateau where at least a thousand other people stood.

"What's happening, Lara?" Zephyr asked again, growing impatient.

"Just look." Lara was pointing toward the night sky. Zephyr followed the line of where she pointed up, up, up. And if Jasper hadn't still had hold of her hand, Zephyr would have fallen to her knees.

Right above them, shining ever so brightly against the blackest of night skies, were three gleaming stars, arrayed in a wide triangle.

Tears slipped onto Zephyr's cheeks as the smallest of smiles played upon her lips. She couldn't pull her gaze away, she wanted nothing more than to stare up at them forever. Saria's familiar grip slid into her own, and as they looked up at the first stars to be seen in seventeen years, Zephyr gave her friend's hand a small squeeze.