The only Ehp’uch we concern ourselves with is the one we serve in the afterlife. Our tie broke when you allied with the thief.
– Correspondence from New Dragon to White Hawk.
Drystan – Borva, Votruvia
Awet wind buffeted against my face, and I took a deep breath of the salty air that whipped off the Crimson Sea. The sweat on my palms dampened the leather reins in my hand, and I laced my fingers tightly through Tempest’s charcoal mane.
My legs clenched around her side as an updraft sent her wings wobbling. Had I not spent weeks on Tiberius’s back last year flying from Lotrennia to find Lyvia, I might have toppled off.
I gave Tempest’s sweaty side a pat, and her ears pinned as if I were chastising her. We flew over Borva, heading to a large hill where we’d meet Lyvia and the others. The four other VotruvianIslands emerged in the distance, each anchored in the gray waters of the Crimson Sea. The misty, floating mountain of the Arx hung in the center of them like an unnatural cloud.
I adjusted myself in the saddle and angled my hips toward the large hill in the distance, leaning forward slightly. Tempest took my meaning, and she tilted her wings. A bud of resentment flared for a moment. It would be so much easier to ride her if we’d shared a conscious connection. If she had been meant for me…
I squashed the emotion as soon as it arose, certain the mare would catch onto my disappointment and likely toss me into the clouds. I braced myself as we began our descent. My stomach somersaulted as the ground came up to meet us. My teeth clanked together as her hooves hit the ground, and she cantered up to the gathering of people.
I hopped off her back and made my way to stand next to Jon Pavel. He looked over his shoulder as we approached, nodding in soft appreciation as he eyed the winged horse.
A line broke in the clouds, and the morning sun stabbed through, drawing a bright line over the field. I rubbed my hands over my arms, willing the morning rays to chase away the airborne chill that had settled into my bones. Bits of frost clung to the blades of grass before my feet and sparkled in the light like they possessed their own sort of magic.
I tripped forward as Tempest’s giant head nudged me from behind. I held the gray mare’s lead as she shoved her way between us, as if to get a better view.
Vulcan and Raek stood in the line of pirates at the far end of the field, most of them with arms crossed and eyes wary as Lyvia approached a white mare. Her matted mane and tail were tangled with burrs, and a large smudge of mud ran down her flank. But where her coat was clear, it shimmered in the morning light.
Lyvia pursed her lips at the stable hand who brought the horse up, no doubt taking note of the tangles, but she nodded as she took the lead from him. Her eyes cut to where Tiberius stood next to Lord Astraeus several feet away, and her features softened as an easy confidence fell over her.
Jon Pavel shifted on his feet next to me, and his brows narrowed as he crossed his arms, waiting for Lyvia to make the transformation. Lyvia’s lips moved slightly as she ran a hand down the front of the mare’s face, smoothing her thick forelock to the side as she did so.
Lyvia’s eyes closed, and she leaned her forehead on the pane of the mare’s face, her lips continuing to move. Several small, twinkling lines of golden power blinked into existence in the air surrounding her. The whites of the mare’s eyes flashed and her ears flickered back and forth, but she kept her head still. Her hooves remained planted firmly on the ground.
The lines of magic gently looped up and around the horse, dancing through the air and encircling the two of them. A moment later, golden sparkles of light floated from behind the mare as Tiberius added his own Transcindiel power.
The light twisted and danced around the horse, thickening until Lyvia and the mare were wrapped in a slow cyclone of glittering golden magic. Astraeus’s shoulders tensed as they disappeared from view entirely.
A blinding white flash erupted before me, and I jerked my arm in front of my face. As I lowered it, two thick, white wings flapped wildly in the center of the field. Little glittering bits of magic dissipated in the air that blew around them.
Pride swelled in my chest, and I clapped my hands together as the mare threw her head back. Lyvia let the lead slide smoothly through her hands, giving the horse space as she began to trot around her in circles. The mare held her wings to the side, and they wavered slightly, not knowing what to do with themyet. Lyvia’s smile was wide, and she crinkled her nose as her eyes met mine.
Jon Pavel’s mouth had gone slack, and as I looked at the old warrior, his hardened eyes softened before he brought his fingers to his lips. The whistle must have been loud because the mare bolted, her wings sending a gust of air against the summer grass, leaving giant divots of mud in the ground.
Lyvia held strong, moving with the mare and directing her energy with a slight tug of the lead. She threw Pavel an exasperated look but smiled and turned as Vulcan approached. The ex-War Slayer circled the mare once before taking the lead from Lyvia and walking the horse down the hill to the training grounds.
“How do you feel?” Astraeus asked as he approached. Though he spoke to Lyvia, his hands moved in my own language as Pavel, and I made to join them.
My chest tightened at the gesture.
“Amazing,” Lyvia replied, her smile still wide. “It requires much less energy to simply add the wings. Nothing like transforming a creature into a caeluma.”
Her throat bobbed as her eyes landed on me before cutting to Tempest. I resisted the twisting in my gut and forced my jaw to relax.
Don’t pity me.
I shoved the feeling down and jerked my head to the stable hand, who approached with another horse.
“How many do you think you manage today?” I asked.
Her gaze cut to the stables in the distance.
“Five or six. But I’ll keep going as long as I can,” she replied, nodding. “We’ll begin training the riders and horses immediately.”
