She spun and stalked away, snatching up the saddlebags as she went.
Bastion was so taken aback that she was well beyond the circle of firelight before he started after her.By the time he stumbled into the dark, she was gone.
__________
You failed.You failed.You failed.
Bastion kicked at the shards of rock scattered around the boulder’s base.Ulla had been gone a long time, and he wrinkled his nose, cursing his own stupidity.
To distract himself, he opened the bedroll and threw it over Finn’s back.A pair of hobbles dropped to the ground.Bastion debated using them on the gelding.They weren’t foolproof, and with the Thatian reputation for trouble, Bastion worried he’d wake up to find Finn gone.
In the end, he secured them around Finn’s front ankles before he removed the bridle.The Thatian inched his way to the stream and took a long drink before turning to graze.
Appeased, Bastion looked around.Ulla still hadn’t returned, and part of him feared she’d gone back to the sea.
Unable to stand the sight of the empty camp any longer, he stomped off into the dark.The grass brushed against him with a soft swish as he paced, running his hands through his hair.He’d bumbled too many interactions with Ulla.Not because she was fierce or beautiful or deaf.But because she wasYvri.
He paused to look up at the stars, bright with barely any moon to compete with.
His eyes landed on a familiar constellation.Some called it the Knight, others, the Hero.Legend claimed it was named after the acolyte of a forgotten goddess, tasked with guarding a great evil.
Whatever the case, Bastion had always had a certain affinity for that particular group of stars.He looked at it often during training, going over the pillars of knighthood before he went to sleep each night.Now, it filled him with bitterness.The island had forsaken him and instead of appearing competent and confident in front of Ulla, he’d been an idiot.
Sighing, he made his way back to camp, his steps sullen while he absently skimmed his palms over the grass.Maybe his failure on the island was a sign he truly wasn’t worthy of–
Ulla sat atop the boulder, now clad in her mottled shift.One arm draped over her knees while she propped her chin in the other.The saddlebags lay beside her, a pinch of lace peeking out from one flap the only indication of her borrowed clothes.
Before he could say anything, she held out the green leather book, pages spread for him to see the lines written there.
I encountered nothing and no one.My prayers have gone unanswered all my life, so I should not be surprised it is the same here.If there was ever a god that favored me, they are sleeping or dead.
Bastion’s body went cold and rigid, like he’d jumped into the ocean and hit the waves sideways.For a long moment, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from those words painted in firelight.The way she brandished them now felt like she was trying to peel back his skin and rub salt beneath it.
He scowled and shook his head.
Ulla waved the book between them, frowning.She pointed at the page, then at her heart.
“No,” he said.In two strides, he crossed the space between them, leapt up onto the boulder, and snatched the book from her hand.Bastion shoved it into his tunic and slid back down to the ground, landing in a heap by the fire.
You failed.You failed.You failed.
He thought he’d scrubbed those words from his mind.
But he didn’t have to fail here.He could fix this right now by simply swallowing his pride.
Unclenching his fists, Bastion stood and turned.Ulla hadn’t moved, her face as smooth as still water.
“You’re right,” he said.“I shouldn’t have expected an answer to such a personal question if I wasn’t willing to also share.But that’s not something I can talk about right now.”
A mixture of bewilderment and annoyance rippled across her face, but he didn’t offer any further explanation.The wind gusted, making the fire flicker.
He took the opportunity to change the subject.
“Are you cold?”He shrugged off his cloak and leapt back up beside her.“Hungry?”
He dropped the cloak over her shoulders and collapsed at her side, groaning as his ribs protested.Belatedly, he remembered that Yvri didn’t need warmth the way humans did, but she didn’t seem to mind.He pulled the saddle bags closer, retrieved the bag of food, and offered her a winter apple.
She took it, her twilight skin against the rosy fruit an attractive color combination.Bastion dragged his eyes away.He withdrew a wedge of cheese from the bag and used his long knife to carve off a slice.
