DARKLIGHT

- 18 -

Kaces took the first watch, saying he would wake me up in the middle of the night, but I awoke in the morning and he was nowhere to be found. Given that I was still alive, I figured that he had gone out to find food or gather materials, but I couldn't imagine why he hadn't taken the opportunity to sleep.

With the energy of the morning, I easily transformed and took a few practice loops around the clearing to warm up. Good morning, Sid, Anahid said warmly.

Hey, Anahid. I spotted a Dark arkaetre in the clearing and swooped down with a mighty caw, landing behind the dragon. "Good mo-"

Kaces cut me off harshly. "You shouldn't be flying if you're not making progress away from the conversion complex. It wastes energy and only raises the already high risk of being seen and recaptured."

That dulled my spirits, but he had a point. "Sorry," I murmured.

"Try to be more careful," was all he said in reply. He made his way to the smoldering fire and threw some kindling on it to get it going again. As he worked, I saw that he was holding several small eggs in one of his claws. They were unfamiliar to me, but I trusted Kaces to know about the animals in the area. Kaces produced a sheet of metal, incanting, "Olustur," the creation spell that I knew from my early casting classes. He then used Liykuda to keep it floating above the fire and maintained his focus on it, shutting me out.

I shifted my wings awkwardly and laid down in the grass, watching the blades shift in the faint breeze in front of the dragon's profile. "What's your arkaetre's name?" I asked him.

"Zephion."

"Nice to meet you, Zephion," I said good-naturedly.

The dragon's voice shifted slightly, becoming deep and gravelly. "And you, Siderion and Anahid."

I lifted my head in awe. "That was him speaking!"

"Yes." Kaces's voice was back to normal now. "Eventually you'll learn to let your arkaetre take control of your actions. It's the only way they can visibly express themselves, you know. It takes practice, though."

"Can you teach me?"

Kaces used magic to separate the eggs from the makeshift pan, and he split the metal to act as plates, handing one to me. It was already cold. "It's a matter of relinquishing your body to Anahid. With time, you can learn to exchange control over your griffin form. This isn't something that can be taught. You'll need to find a way that works for you."

Kaces didn't let us waste time in the clearing. As soon as we finished eating, we took to the skies. The air was still foggy, and I couldn't help but keep looking behind us as we flew. Visibility was lower in the air, and I occasionally lost track of Kaces while flying behind him.

Suddenly, I was sure I heard flapping behind me. "Kaces!" I crowed. "There's-"

But Zephion had already heard. He stopped and turned around mid-flight, facing our potential enemies with his symbol brightly glowing. I dove out of the way, and the dragon hovered as a single songbird flitted past us and down into the trees.

I laughed nervously. "We're both on edge, aren't we?" Kaces shrugged me off and resumed our pace silently. He, too, checked over his shoulder now.