Land of Light and Shadows

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun, Lyv stepped out of the archive, holding the grimoire tight to her chest. She hadn't read past those first few pages of history and prophecy. She couldn't, actually, not when she had an idea of who those it spoke about would be, not when she had a feeling she would want to try out a few of the spells she would find inside.

They were waiting, just like she knew they would be. Jai, Kalla, and Allel were sitting down as they watched the scene in front of them, along with almost everyone else who passed. Elys's laughter echoed around them as he and Gideon sparred in the street with Thia correcting both of their movements when they got it incorrect. Mik was nowhere in sight, though Lyv knew he must have been spending more time with his parents and sister while they were in Palrion.

Obviously, they'd been there for some time, having empty containers of food beside them that Kalla and Allel then stood up to take to a nearby disposal. When they turned back, they were the first to catch sight of Lyv, immediately recognizing the grimoire in her arms.

"How long have you been out here?" Lyv asked without even mentioning it, turning her attention to Elys and Gideon, both glistening with sweat as they continued to spar.

"About an hour," Jai answered after he kissed the side of her head after she sat down in between him and Allel. "Long enough for them to start sparring after lunch. If you're hungry, we got you some, too."

She shook her head, her lips turning down in a grimace at the thought of food. "I'm all right."

His eyes cast down to the grimoire, not saying a word about it. He knew she would in her own time. "I'm going to make sure Elys doesn't kill Gideon. Then we'll go looking around. That sound all right with you?"

Lyv nodded, reaching up to put her hand on his cheek for just a moment before he stood. Dusting off off the dirt from his leather pants, he called out for Gideon to jump out of the way before Elys launched himself at him. He was unsuccessful, though, and Elys's laughter was joined almost immediately by Thia and Jai's.

"Mik still at the inn?" Lyv asked then, her eyes still on the others.

"He knows we're not going to be here for much longer, so he wanted to get as much time with his parents and Aila as possible," Allel answered, watching as Lyv tightened her hold on the grimoire.

"I'm glad he's getting time with them, even if it's for just a little while. But are you sure...are you sure you two don't want to stay? I mean, Mik just found out he has a little sister. Surely, he can't get to know her in just a day. Not when we don't know what we're getting ourselves into."

"No need to be pessimistic, Lyv," she told her with a smile. "And it's not like we're never coming back here."

"We're going to another world, Allel."

"Which we're coming back from."

"Then we're off to war on another continent. What if...?"

"Lyv."

The sharpness in Allel's tone made her eyes snap up to hers, having been one she'd never heard her use before.

"There's an obvious reason you're on edge right now."

Lyv nodded, absentmindedly rubbing her hand over the grimoire cover. "I only read through the first few pages. I...I couldn't look at any more of it just yet."

Kalla leaned forward to peer at it over Allel. "It hasn't changed, that's for sure. Corliss used to tote that thing around with her everywhere. I wondered where it had disappeared to after all these years, but I never dared go looking for it. Just the thought of her getting her hands on it once more..."