Silver Winds

Chapter 21

That night, Astra woke in darkness with a full bladder. She cursed Ithzar in her head.

Lifting herself carefully away from Volos’ sleeping frame. She pulled on her soft boots and padded toward the door. A sleepy moan made her freeze in her tracks. A look over her shoulder revealed Kay, with sleep present in his eyes. His arm was slung over Nikolaus’ stomach. The larger man was still snoring like a hog.

“Wher’re ya goin,’ Vinr?” he mumbled, pressing a palm into his eye socket.

“Bathroom,” Astra replied, and Kay shrugged.

“Wouldn’t catch me going out there at this time.”

“I’ll be okay,” Astra murmured, but she felt the pocket on her shoulder to make sure her dagger was there nonetheless. Relief spread through her when the decimeter-long blade met her probing fingers with a careful precision. “I’ll be okay,” she reiterated. Kay nodded, then laid his head back down on Nikolaus. His breathing slowed, and Astra waited until it had evened out before opening the door.

Cold night air blasted her the moment she stepped down onto the first stair. Goose bumps rose on her exposed arms, and the shorts she was wearing wasn’t doing much in the way of keeping her legs warm.

Though her eyes had already adjusted to the dark, she couldn’t see farther than the treeline. Wan light from a crescent moon fluttered weakly across the landscape, and at times, when clouds covered the pale orb, darkness shrouded her like a veil. Nervousness flooded her system as she entertained the prospect of entering the forest, where branches and dying leaves would cause the light to disappear more than than it had. But the clenching of her bladder was so insistent that she knew she would not be able to wait for the day’s ruler.

So, with a nervous twitch in her shoulder, she padded down the stairs and made her way to the treeline. She looked back as she heard wood’s creaking. but it was so dark that she couldn’t know what it was. Her mouth opened as if to ask for the source, but it closed again as she thought about potential consequences. She didn’t need extra attention, especially when she was going to be relieving herself. Her footsteps were soft as she kept her movements small and nigh invisible in the dark.

When she was quite far from the camp, she found a tree branch she could lean over. She hooked a thumb into the waistband of her pants, but froze when a tiny rustle greeted her keen ears. Her hand slid away from her hips.

“Who’s there?” she called, managing as much authority as she could muster. Even so, he voice trembled as she waited for a response. That rustle was more than any forest animal could make. Her jaw clenched and her hand trailed toward the pocket over her collarbone.

There was no reply.

Astra’s breathing quieted as she attempted to calm herself. She had never been afraid of being alone, surrounded by her beloved trees, but recent events told her that these people, this place, was dangerous. One wrong move and she would be dead.

She waited for a few more moments in silence, then tore off toward camp. Her survival instincts were overriding any control her bladder had over her.

Her breath caught as she was yanked sideways by enormous hands. Silence was her cry as she was thrown. She landed hard on her back. Air exploded from her lungs, leaving her with none. Her hands scrabbled at loose leaves as the shaded attacker’s footsteps came closer. Astra rolled as her lungs demanded air, and her foot caught just enough that she was able to get to her feet. Eyes wide, she sprinted toward the Kinerell. She no longer cared which direction she was going, so long as it was away from him.

An arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her into the air. Grunts and curses flooded from her mouth as she flailed in his grasp. Horror filled every centimeter of her when she realized it was hopeless at that point.