OathBlade (Wattys2015)

4. The Birth Of Doubt*

The rain brought thick fog the next morning. When Elery woke she was tucked into bed with Cylphi laying beside her. Her armor was stripped and laying atop their belongings in the far corner, near the circular window.

As she sat up, Elery cringed at the feel of her clothes sticking to her back. She hadn't changed out of the rain-drenched cloth. Now that she was more alert she realized she hadn't stripped off her armor, either. Cylphi must have done it, proving how deeply she must have slept after crying herself dry.

She stripped off the clothes and put them on the window sill.

Cylphi groaned and sat up. She'd had the mind to change before going to sleep and now wore a simple white tunic and brown shorts. "Are you all right?"

Elery nodded and moved her armor aside, opening her pack to pull out a spare tunic for herself. "Yes, I think so. Thank you for stripping my armor. I should have had the sense to do that, at least."

"It was no bother. You sleep rather heavily." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched, then stood and walked over to her. "You slept on your back all night, it kept the clothing moist." She poked her bare flesh. "Your skin is wrinkled. Wait here, I'll fetch a towel and dry you off a little."

"I'm plenty dry," Elery said with a soft groan. "Please don't fuss."

"I'm going to fuss," she called back as she walked out of the room.

Elery sat on the edge of the bed to await Cylphi's return. Wind blew in through the open window, chilling her bare skin. She looked out and watched the mist curl and move. Some twirled into a soft peak before dispersing as a gust of wind blew in.

The rainy season was moving in early, it seemed.

Just one more thing to make her task all the more difficult.

Cylphi returned with a towel and moved behind her, pressing the warm, plush cloth against her skin. "Do you feel better? Now that you've cried, I mean?"

"No." Elery leaned forward and pulled her hair over her shoulder. "But I don't think I'll need to cry again. That's something."

"You will," Cylphi said, pressing and gently rubbing to dry her damp skin. "But I know you. You probably won't. Not until you can't stand it anymore."

"I suspect you're right." She looked at the bondmark on her hand and touched it. "It wasn't even complete," she whispered.

Cylphi put the towel down and reached over her shoulders to take her hand. She ran her fingers slowly over the coiling mark, then rested her chin on Elery's shoulder. "A powerful spirit could remove it."

"I could never!" Elery gasped, snatching her hand away and standing. "This is the..." She bit her lip, then turned away. "This is all I have left of Dallyn now."

"It was merely a passing thought. But it's strange...if you were meant to be together, the Aldramel would have finished it, no matter what. " Cylphi mused. "What if he sensed something—"

"Stop!" Elery yelled. The sound filled the small room and both of them flinched. After a breath, Elery grabbed the new tunic and began to dress. "Please, Cylphi, just stop."

Cylphi stood and walked from the room but paused before closing the door. "I'm sorry," she said, then pulled the thick door closed.

After Elery finished dressing in a thin tunic and pants she put on her armor slowly. She could have gone much faster. She knew she should, but she wanted to stay within the quiet of her room for just a little while longer.

Elery hadn't given herself time to think about the ramifications of Aldramel's unfinished binding. Now that Cylphi brought it up, she had no choice.

She touched the end of her mark, which stopped under the knuckle of her right thumb. Why had he stopped?

Angered by her own lack of understanding, Elery finished armoring herself and hurried downstairs to find Cylphi holding a plate.

"You were taking a while, and I thought...perhaps I'd bring it you." She chewed her lip. "I'm truly sorry."

"I'm not angry with you," Elery said, reaching out and gently flicking her horn. "So stop apologizing. It's merely a sensitive subject right now. It's not something I wish to mull over."

With a heavy sigh, Cylphi let her head fall back. "I worried you might leave me again."

"It isn't as though you don't know where I'm going," she said.

Cylphi rubbed the horn Elery had thumped her finger against. Her gaze grew distant, as if the minor contact brought her back to some long-ignored thought. "I don't think they're ever going to change."

"So you have male horns? The rest of you is female now." Elery followed her to the next room and sat at a small table with her plate, picking off strips of cooked delk. "I think you look much better with smaller horns. I've never quite liked my own." She reached up, following the curving silver horns with her finger before poking the blunt tip.

"You think so?" Cylphi reached up to touch her own horns. They didn't curve as much as Elery's did. They swept around the sides of her head but stopped just above her ears, while Elery's nearly touched at the back of her head. "I suppose they are pretty."

"You changed many springs ago, Cylphi, I doubt they'll suddenly grow now." She reached out and ruffled her companions hair, earning a disgruntled groan. "Run upstairs and get our things. Load up the molners and we'll set out shortly."

"Sure," she replied before racing from the room.

When Elery finished eating she walked to the front desk. "How much do we owe you?"

"Nothing at all," the innkeeper replied. "Just take care of yourself."

"Your kindness will not go unpaid." She rested her fist against her chest. "If I may ask one more thing?"

He nodded. "Please."

"The bridge guard said the patrol was found dead after the attack, and it is assumed the enemy came across the bridge. Did you see anything?"

He shook his head and furrowed his thick brows, "No, not a soul. Sorcery, perhaps?"

"I fear so," she murmured. "We should have been warned well in advance." She glanced to the door, where Cylphi stood propped against the door frame, then back to the innkeeper. "Thank you for everything."

Cylphi moved aside as Elery walked out. "Do you think they could have come by ship? Maybe to the first bridge and—"

Elery shook her head and pulled Ishthemir's reins free of the hitch. "Dismounting a ship would have been too slow. The patrol relay would have sent word to us. The only possible way to remain undetected is with an ethereal shield."

Cylphi paled. "Necrocasters...?"

Elery frowned, then nodded. "We must hurry."