- Ch 14

It was a quiet and warm evening with no wind, except possibly a light breeze playing with the canopy. Siri walked out of the water unperturbed by her nakedness. Large drops of water ran down her body and, others dripped from her long hair. She was hungry and tired, but lying down to sleep was not something that appealed to her. At least not with long wet hair or without a blanket. There were no towels to dry herself with. And it would take ages to let her hair dry by itself.

Siri wrapped herself in her coat. It was dirty and bloody on the outside but clean on the inside so, it had to do.

"Here's some food." Raven's voice was tense and, Siri didn't know why. 'What's wrong now?' she thought. He handed her the steaming flesh of a hare. "Thank you!" Siri replied in a concerned tone and continued. "Is everything okay, you sound tense."

"It's nothing special, I guess it's the fatigue taking over. There's been quite a lot going on lately." That was an understatement, Siri thought. But she couldn't let the thought go, 'Why was he so tense? Had I done something? Why do I feel so comfortable with him?' The irritation that he had lied about his name washed over her. 'Who is he anyway?'

"Is your real name Chen or Raven?" asked Siri. She looked at him intently. Maybe he had a reason to have different names. The question made him flinch. But he wasn't the one to answer her question.

"His name is Raven and, he's Asher's half-brother, but he's not a cultist." The news hit like a bomb. Siri couldn't believe it.

"What do you mean?" She asked slowly without taking her eyes off Raven. He had gone completely still and was looking at Siri expressionlessly.

Finally, he replied, "I am a warlock, like a witch or a runemaster." His voice was still expressionless. "But you were a disciple in the outer court. You must be a cultivator. You must be able to cultivate."

"There are ways around that." Now it was Elix who answered.

"But... but... what were you doing in the Phoenix Sect?" Siri said with a mixture of curiosity, suspicion, and disbelief in her voice.

Now both Elix and Siri were looking at Raven. He sighed. "I can't answer all the questions. But I'm Asher's half-brother, and I'm a warlock. The reason I'm here or was in the Phoenix sect is you, Siri." Siri's head was spinning. "Why?" Her eyes had narrowed a bit, waiting tensely for his answer.

"What do you mean?" asked Elix.

"I have sworn to protect you. The seer had a premonition."

"Who are We?"

'What the hell is this We. And why does everything have to be about me?' thought Siri.

"The convent of blood, bones, and soul." Elix drew air into his lungs with a hissing sound. "The largest convent of warlocks and witches," he whispered.

"We mean you no harm, Siri, and I'm sworn to protect you. I hope you can trust me... even if I haven't been completely honest with you."

"Why..."

"You are the goddess of the last light." He whispered the words.

"I don't think it's so easy to trust a liar."

Raven bowed his head and took out a knife. Siri faltered and, Elix was in front of her in the blink of an eye with a Qi sword whose blade rested lightly against Raven's neck. He froze. "Let me prove my credibility by making a blood contract. I swear I'll protect you, but... I can't give you all the answers to the questions you have for me. I have sworn allegiance to the convent but, they mean you no harm."

Raven let his knife slide across his palm and, blood began to drip from his clenched hand. His blood fell to the ground as he uttered a formula. Siri could see Raven's Qi mixing with his blood as it fell to the ground. Where the drops landed, he began to draw runes that she didn't recognize. But when Siri looked at Elix, she saw that he recognized them and, he seemed relieved. "May I ask my lady to give me some of your blood." Siri looked at Elix and saw him nodding.

Elix gave her a small but sharp knife, which Siri used to cut her finger to get a drop of her blood. It shimmered deep crimson in the setting sun and, it fell to the ground and landed on one of Reven's drawn runes. Siri watched as a new rune formed on his hand and, Elix nodded in satisfaction at the same time.

She could feel that Raven's words were true, and the promise could not be broken. But at the same time, he was sworn to the convent and, she wondered who they were.

Siri took a bite of the meat. She felt guilty that she hadn't shown any gratitude for his cooking.

"Thank you for cooking and fixing the fire," Siri said. She smiled at Raven who smiled back uneasily.

The night was somewhat cold and uneventful. Siri had snuggled up in Elix's arms for warmth and comfort. But she hadn't slept well, even though all her clothes were dry, even her hair. Elix was the sea-realm cultivator and, he could use fire, air, earth, water, thunder, and ice.

Leading the water away in all the clothes and even her hair had not been a problem for him. He had even made a primitive bed of earth to sleep on. But it was no work of art. Elix had no artistic streak.

It was a new morning and the beginning of a new day. "Is there a plan for where we are going or what we are going to do?" asked Siri sleepily. This was followed by a silence and, Elix hung his head, not looking at Siri. "No, we don't have a plan except to get to the main road to the capital and get horses."

Siri drew in the morning air. Fresh air but a bit chilly. Siri looked up at the sky. It was going to be a beautiful day if the blue sky and the shining morning sun were to be believed.

"We could go to the convent... the Lodge," Raven said.

"No! Absolutely not." Elix's almost voice was harsh and firm.

"We won't do that!"

"I don't want to be near gray land," added Siri in the conversation.

"Why can't we go to the convent?"

"They have their own agenda and will use you according to their own agenda."

"And who won't use me if I'm the Goddess of the Last Light?" asked Siri.

Siri looked at Revan and muttered. "Goddess of the Last Light."

"We get horses and a place to sleep first before we decide what to do." Siri's words were not questioned and, both Elix and Raven remained silent or even speechless. Her words had more authority than any of them had experienced before. After a few kilometers, they reached the road to the capital.

The first they encountered were soldiers who were probably heading for Krison, where the Fenix sect was located.

'The nobility of Kirson must be terrified if they summoned the king's soldiers as their power is diminished if the king's soldiers come. But it is insidious as the entire Fenix sect was destroyed. But they would probably regret it. The nobility's scope of action would be less both financially, logistically, and militarily and the local balance of power between the noble houses would change. The balance between supply and demand of goods would also change.' thought Siri.

The soldiers whistled loudly as their gaze slid over her Siri's body. Her coat was unbuttoned and, her short crop-top revealed most of her bare belly. And her tight short shorts were like a second skin even though she was moving. With a fit hourglass-shaped body and her long hair that danced with her movement, she was an immense beauty.

But before she could dismiss them altogether, they saw Elix. All the merriment and whistling disappeared. It was clear that he was a cultist and that instilled both vigilance and fear. Elix walked up to Siri and put his arms around her waist and, pulled her to him. It was clear that he considered Siri to be his. Almost possessively. Siri stared at Elix. She didn't know if she would be angry or like it. "What are you doing?"

Raven had been in the background but said now. "Come on, there's a village behind the next hill," said Raven.