The Veiled One

Chapter Fourteen: You should always be good to your ex in case of emergencies

"What the hell are you doing here?" I demand, gesturing to the vastness around us as I sheathe my sword. "You're supposed to be joining the priesthood right now!"

"I thought on what you said," Endor replies, looking me in the eye, "and I decided that I don't want to be a mystic, not if it means leaving you forever. A year apart was too much, and I wanted to turn that into forever? I wanted to tell you that, but you'd disappeared in the middle of the night and no one knew where you went!"

"How did you find me?"

"I tracked you," he replies matter-of-factly. "Leo taught me while you were gone. He also taught me how to use this!" And Endor presents his bow with a flourish. I raise my eyebrows.

"And in close combat? When you need to maneuver easily?"

Endor blinks. "Hadn't thought of that."

"Doesn't matter," I reply. I wrap him into a tight hug, running my hands up and down his spine. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"Me, too," he whispers. I release him and cuff him on the ear. Endor rubs the sore spot and winces.

"Jeez," he cries, "what was that for?"

"That's for running away!" I exclaim, throwing my hands up in exasperation.

"You did it," Endor replies matter-of-factly. I roll my eyes.

"That's different. I'm seventeen," I retort. "I'm a grown-up."

"Oh, don't try that with me," Endor snaps, stepping closer and looking me straight in the eye. "You went to train with Grim Volker when you were eight, and I know he made you do crazy, dangerous shit!"

"Language, Endor!" I scold him, slapping the back of his head in punishment.

"Whatever," he mutters. I soften, then sit down on the ground. Endor joins me, and he leans onto my shoulder. "Why did you run away, Sylas?" he asks me. I sigh.

"I fell in love with the Veiled One," I confess. Endor doesn't laugh like I thought he would. Instead he just nods, taking it all in stride in his usual Endor-like way.

"What's her name?" he asks.

"Sibyl."

"Is she old?"

I shrug. "No older than me, at least in appearance."

"What's she look like?"

I shoot him a pointed glance. He realizes his mistake and flushes. "I mean, the parts you can see."

"Well, she's really tall, for one thing. And skinny. And she's got this long, auburn hair that reaches all the way down to her waist. Her voice is low and rich, and it sounds just like when you hear the pleasant crisp of snow under your boots."

Endor smiles sleepily. "That's poetic, Sylas. What does she like to do for fun?"

"She likes to read. She's really smart, smarter even than us. She's been to other kingdoms, she speaks eight languages, and..." Here I get excited, and I feel the prickles under my skin. "She knows magic."

At the mention of magic, Endor goes still. For a long time he is silent, until he finally asks, "Magic? Like what Grandma..."

"Yes, charen," I reply, calling him a hedgehog in the Old Tongue like Grandma used to do for us. "She does real magic. And she said that maybe she could teach it to me."

Endor sits bolt upright, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "You can do magic? Could I? Could you teach me?"

I find myself smiling too. His enthusiasm is infectious, and it's the best I've felt in a long while. I was happy with Sibyl, but I missed Endor every second I was gone. Now I have the chance to finally, finally get everything I've ever wanted. Brother, wife, home. No more laboring in the fields, no more hiding in exile. We can see the world, travel, raise a family, and finally enjoy ourselves. We'll live, all three of us, not just survive.