It is Everest and Rathyn, Everest holding a bottle of something in his hands. I stare at it, and he blinks up at me.
“Don’t worry, this wine is for me. I need it after waiting all fucking day for you to return. My nerves are a mess.”
Rathyn puts a calming hand against the side of Everest’s neck. “It was not that long, my love. Time does not move the same on Erethar as it does here. It was but an hour.”
“I don’t care. It was bad. Two minutes. Two days. I almost bit my fingernails down to the quick.”
He holds up his hand, and I lean forward to look at it. His fingers look the same as they always do. I do not think Everest is a liar, but I do think that he might be…exaggerating?
He puts his hand behind his back and then moves to the kitchen.
“I’m assuming Dante is still sleeping? I want to say hello, but I don’t want to wake him.”
I nod. “He is feeel better. But needs sleeeep. Healing.”
“Of course. We’ll let him rest.” Then he turns to Rathyn and places his finger over his lips. “Shush, babe.”
Rathyn stares at him. “You do not need to tell me to be quiet. I am a soldier in battle. I have been trained where you have not.”
“Yeah, sure,” Everest snorts as he begins to rummage through the drawers.
A moment later, he pulls out something that looks like a weapon, which is coiled and made of iron. He grins and then stabs it into the bottle, making me jump slightly.
“Damn thing, better work.” He begins to work it into the bottle, making me wince. He seems angry. I understand. I am angry too, but for a different reason. I am not upset with this red bottle of wine.
“It is fine,” Rathyn says in Eretharian, clearly reading my expression. “He was very upset and afraid something had happened to you two. The red liquid helps him calm down. It is magical. He drinks it and becomes…loose.”
“Can you talk in English? It’s bugging me that I can’t understand,” Everest interrupts. “Fuck. I need you to help me, Rath. This damn thing is stuck. I don’t know why I suck so much at opening these things.”
Rathyn moves toward the bottle and begins to work at it, pulling the plug out eventually with a softpop. The sound is quiet, but my nerves are frayed, and it makes me jump.
Everest pumps his fist and kisses Rathyn on the lips before going up on his tiptoes and reaching up into a cabinet, pulling down a clear glass.
I have seen Dante drink from this occasionally. A wine glass, he calls it. He explained that it is shaped for the way wine tastes, which does not make any sense to me, but then again, many human things do not make sense to me.
All that matters is that Dante enjoys it when he feels good, and I will ensure he can always access things he likes.
“Yes,” Everest says after gulping down a large swallow followed by a soft,ahhh. “I needed this so bad. Mygod.”
He pours more until the entire glass is so full it almost spills over the top. He leans over and loudly slurps at it with a tiny grin playing at his lips, which are now stained red.
After a beat of silence, he looks between Rathyn and me and seems slightly apologetic. “Sorry. I wasn’t joking, though. Your silence almost pushed me over the edge. I haven’t had a realpanic attack in years, but I thought maybe some of the guards swept through the village and grabbed you.”
I shake my head. “No. We weeere safe.”
Everest lets out a small breath, then smiles. “Your English is better.”
“Yes,” I tell him. But it is not perfect, and I doubt it ever will be. Luckily, my Dante and I have more than one language we can communicate in.
Everest picks the glass up and walks toward Rathyn and I, his gaze growing more serious. “Okay, now I’m ready. Tell me what happened.”
I nod and try to find the words, but it is not easy. My tongue feels tied and twisted. “We finnnnd village…”
“Wait,” Everest says, holding up a hand. He looks over at Rathyn. “Use Eretharian. Rathyn can interpret here.” He taps his temple, and Rathyn nods.
I take a breath and begin. “Dante was suffering, and the zitha was not helping. The Vyastil in the Outerlands have worked with the Tarek in harvesting herbs for many, many generations. Sabik has helped me before.”
“Sabik,” Everest says eventually, his eyes wide. “The same one that saved you?”
