Ch. 14: Our Rest

I lifted a cup of warm tea to my lips as Illesior settled in his chair, and he leaned forward expectantly. Beside him was Unydae, the leader of the party heading to Undergrove. Her warriors, Ephamari, Irandor, and Owix, were behind her, and the Sorcerers stood menacingly off to the side. I noticed with a jolt that Shefaris was missing.

Illesior blinked at me and my friends. "Tell us everything that has happened since yesterday."

Before I could speak, Sophi began cheerfully. "Aven had us jump off that cliff that was at the edge of the forest. Turns out the forest was in a ravine!" She laughed, and the rest of us chuckled uncomfortably.

"Illesior, did you ever end up staying in the forest?" I asked as Sophi softened to a giggle. Illesior shook his head.

"I hadn't realized it was in a ravine, Aven," He replied. "No, we didn't go in there. Instead, after we fought off the Spectre, we took the long way around and headed straight for Undergrove. We arrived at about dawn today."

"How did you handle the storm?"

Illesior smiled. "The winds took a different direction after an hour or so and went west. But continue, Sophi. You have my curiosity piqued."

The orange aetyr tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, it took a while for all of us to find each other again. Kirune found me in a tree on the cliffside and guided me to the lake."

"I woke up in a bush nearby," Kirune chimed in, looking embarrassed.

"And what about you, Aven?" Illesior asked.

I shrugged. "I fell into the lake but thankfully was okay. I had cut my leg on a sharp stone but healed it using my magic." I propped up my leg to showcase my new scar, then continued. "I decided to go look for the others, but ran into Strubin. He was running from a Zenatile, which chased us back to the lake."

Illesior flinched. "Oh, I'm so sorry, my dear." He murmured with an unusual gentleness. "It must have been terrifying. How did you escape?"

Strubin answered for me. "We both went into the lake to try and swim away. I almost drowned, but Aven saved my life." He glanced at me fondly and my face felt hot. "We rested on an island in the lake for the night, then in the morning swam back to shore and cooked the Zenatile that had gone into a coma. Then Arius showed up with Kirune and Sophi."

For the entire exchange, Arius had been quiet, glaring at me with a silent fury. Finally he spoke as Strubin finished. "I dimly remember waking up on the island that Strubin and Aven regrouped on. Once they settled there, I left and found Sophi and Kirune at the edge of the cliff side. Then the next morning I took them to find the other two, and there we talked over our plans to escape the ravine and get to Undergrove."

"Aven had a map," Strubin broke in proudly. "She told us that we were previously in the Jade Hills and led us out of the ravine."

"I found the passageway!" Sophi said, looking indignant. "If it weren't for that, we wouldn't be here."

Illesior stared at me with a smug smile. "What happened after that?"

Kirune, the quiet one, decided to answer this time around. "Sophi found a passageway that led under the west side of the cliff, which traveled upwards and broke out on the other side. From there we raced along the river until nightfall, in which case we had finally entered the city."

"Excellent!" Illesior praised. "I knew I chose well when I picked you as my warriors! You all have a strong fighting spirit, and not even a storm nor a Spectre can bring you down. If only half of the nation's Black Manes were as determined as you!" But I caught him staring at me as he said this, rather than looking at my friends.

"Aven, I'm honored to have you as my resident Sorcerer," He added. "You are very strong and skilled. I knew you were the perfect leader."

My mouth was dry, and when I tried to answer I found that I couldn't.

"Save your breath," He chided, leaning back in his chair. "Unydae, tell them our side of the story."

She nodded, and cleared her throat. "When the Spectre overtook Shefaris, Illesior took it upon himself to fend it off using protective magic. Sadly, it wasn't enough to free her, and now she lurks the plains as a Consumed." She bowed her head and I gasped. So that was why she wasn't here. An old ally… now a mindless monster.

Unydae lifted her head after a moment of silence. "We fled while we still had a chance and after briefly calling for you, we proceeded on to Undergrove. We rested for most of the day, then sent out a small party to scout the outskirts of the ravine in hopes that you were there. You weren't, so they returned back here and we began to plan the proceedings for the Assessment Ceremony for tomorrow."

"Then Arius arrived!" Illesior broke in, a smile crossing his dark face. "He told us that you were on your way. And what a relief as well! We were beginning to think that you had died from the fall."

"Well, we didn't," Arius snapped, lashing his tail uncomfortably. "It's because we had all fallen into either bushes or the lake."

"And Aven led you out." Illesior murmured. Then he suddenly clapped his hands. "Have you had your fill of food?"

We all nodded.

"Then go upstairs and take your leave," The prince commanded. "Rest! We need to be prepared for the final stretch of our journey. Unydae and her escorts will obviously stay here in Undergrove, and return on their own. With the arrival of the Summer Solstice comes a lack of danger from Spectres or Consumed, so we will be safe."

We collectively stood and exited the hall, but as I headed upstairs Sophi came up beside me. "Isn't Prince Illesior so handsome?" She gushed.

I shrugged.

"You know, Aven," She continued, poking me gently, "Strubin's going to have some competition."

"What do you mean?" I mumbled, my face growing red.

"Don't you see? Illesior's got the hots for you." She giggled. "You're so lucky! I wish I had a boyfriend, but you seem to get them easily. Any chance you can trade me one?"

"Ha, ha, very funny." I sighed grumpily as I stumbled into one of the guest rooms and dropped my satchel. "You can try talking to Kirune if you're so eager, you know. He seems nice."

Sophi put her hand to her chin. "...I suppose so. He is pretty cute, but I don't think he would be interested in me." Before I could answer, she quickly added, "I'll at least try! There's no harm in doing that."

If only I had her confidence.

"Hey, maybe we can share a room!" Sophi trilled. "That would be so fun! We can be roommates!"

I shrugged again. "I don't care."

As she turned to exit my room, she almost ran into Strubin, who was standing in the doorway. "Ah! Heyyy, Strubin!" Sophi chirped. "Come to see your girlfriend?"

"Yes, actually." Strubin blushed. "Aven, I was wondering…"

I sat up on my bed. "What's up?"

Strubin scratched behind his ear. "Well…"

Sophi looked at both of us, then chuckled quietly. "Maybe we can share a room some other time, Av." With that she turned and left the room, but not before cheekily chucking the door shut behind her.

The tall green aetyr shook his head, a small smile crossing his face before he turned back to me. "Um… Aven, I was thinking. Erm… could I… Can I sleep with you?"

I stared at him, my ears and face flushing red. "Aren't there enough rooms?"

He began to sweat profusely. "I'm sorry. Well, there are enough rooms for all of us, but I… I wanted to spend time with you." He strode forward and sat beside me on my bed, reaching out his hand to stroke my ear gently. "I want to be with you, always."

Feeling touched by his statement, I leaned against him. "I'm sorry. Of course you can be with me." My tail twined with his as he began to purr.

His eyes shone. "We can cuddle." He said suddenly, catching me off guard.

My face felt like it was on fire. "C-cuddle?"

Strubin nodded. "You'll feel safe with me." He reached out his arms and wrapped them around my waist, pulling me closer to him. "I promise I won't let anything hurt you. I'll protect you."

Our faces were only an inch from each other, and I could smell his sweet warm breath stirring my whiskers. His eyes glimmered with affection; his mouth was a warm grin.

"I love you, Aven." He whispered. "More than anything. I don't know what I would do without you." Then he laughed softly. "You're cute when you're all flustered like this, you know that?"

I opened my mouth to speak but only a small yip came out.

Strubin nuzzled my nose lovingly. "Zenatile got your tongue, darling?"

I shrugged, a small grin crossing my face.

Suddenly I felt his body shiver with excitement and he reached out to grasp my mane, pulling me in towards his face. I felt our lips collide, and I sat there, enveloped in his comforting embrace, letting him kiss me.

Finally he pulled away, his breath soft on my face as he caressed my cheek. "Should we go to bed?" He asked gently. "You seem tired."

I nodded numbly.

He smiled as he guided me gently, leaning me over so that I was lying down, and he laid down beside me. I rolled over so that my face was flush with his chest, and snuggled up to him softly. He purred and wrapped his arms around me, drawing me closer until I was buried in his fur.

Strubin ran his fingers through my mane, making it tingle deliciously. I couldn't help but let out a small purr of satisfaction, and I nestled my head in the crook between his head and chest.

I began to doze off, but something ran through my mind, and I woke back up with a jolt.

"Are you okay, baby?" Strubin asked gently, lifting my head so I could meet his gaze.

"It's just… something's bothering me," I confessed. "Can we talk about it?"

"Of course."

"I'm worried about Arius," I began. "He's been so hostile lately. I'm afraid he's going to do something drastic." I stared up at Strubin desperately. "What should I do?"

He looked at me, his face now serious. "...I've noticed that, too," He murmured. "Try and stay away from him for the time being. I'll make sure he doesn't go near you."

"But would that be enough?"

"I don't know," He confessed after a long moment. Then he kissed my forehead softly. "But I swear by the gods that I won't let him hurt you. If he so much as says a word to you…" He clenched his fist and growled quietly.

"Just don't make it so obvious that you're watching him," I said quietly. "That would only make it worse if he knew that you were breathing down his neck."

"How so?" Strubin said with a sudden fury. "If he tries to pull anything then I'll beat him to the East Horizon and back. Simple as that."

Not a good solution, but okay.

I laughed quietly and snuggled up closer to him. "If you say so, big guy. Good night."

He purred and kissed the top of my head before burying his face in my mane. "Sweet dreams, my little goddess. I'll be here when you wake."

I closed my eyes and dozed off, letting his warm comforting embrace take me away.