Sapphire (41 page)

“I don’t know what you’re griping about,” grumbled
Capella, waddling over to stand next to Adhara. “At least you got
to keep your looks.”

Adhara laughed and put her arm around the hunched
back of her sister. Ava had wondered why the sisters she had seen
in Acumen’s Mirror and the sisters before her were so vastly
different, but she wasn’t able to ask until now.

“You,” she said, pointing at Capella.

“Yes, me. You’re learning new words, very good.”

“No,” Ava said, ignoring Capella’s jibe. “You aged,
while—”

“While your parents didn’t?”
Capella finished for her. “
Thank
you for noticing. Your observations truly astound
me.” She clucked her tongue and shook her head. “Honestly, Adhara,
we’re lucky to be standing here at all.”

“The castle,” Ava said, turning to her parents. “Did
that keep you young?”

“Well, my tea certainly doesn’t,” Capella
muttered.

Adhara nodded at Ava. “Lorna trapped us all very
long ago when we tried to stop her.” She walked over and put her
hands on Ava’s cheeks. “I was so afraid that you would never
return, that we’d never see you again. You were the only child we
could ever have.”

“The only? Why?”

“Though the unicorn’s power kept
us young for many years, it seemed to also keep us from changing
at
all,
in any
way. It wasn’t until the power began to weaken, and we began to age
again, that your father and I”—She threw Warwick a loving
glance—“were able to have you.”

“Thank the unicorn’s sparkling
arse,” said Capella. “Or the world’ah been overrun with
more
spoiled
brats.”

Ava rolled her eyes while Adhara and Warwick
laughed.

“Who’s joking?” Capella said seriously.

While her parents and aunt talked amongst
themselves, Ava felt an overwhelming comfort with her true family
and friends and the remarkable world all around them.

“Look,” Lula said, flying up higher and pointing
down the hill.

Many of the people had left, but some remained and a
group was walking up to them. At first, Ava didn’t recognize them
until a little body came racing as fast as its chubby legs could
carry it, arms outstretched, all smiles and sparkling eyes.

“Ant-Aewwwyyy!” Mia squealed, racing straight for
Antares.

Ava had never seen such a look of shock and joy on
his proud stoic face before. Mia threw herself at him yelling,
“Ant-Aewy,” over and over, while Antares just stood there looking
on the verge of either swatting her or bursting into tears. Her
pudgy little arms squeezed his leg, and she buried her face in his
fur. Finally he gave a choking cough and wrapped her up in his
paws, rumbling as he put his large head against hers. Mia was in
raptures with laughter and started trying to climb all over
him.

“Is he,” Lula said, hovering next to Ava.
“Purring?”

Ava looked at her and gave a little shrug. “I
wouldn’t say that too loudly. He might hear you.”

Antares rolled onto his back with something like a
smile on his face and let Mia climb onto his belly.

Faolan and Parla, the boy who had made the boots and
scabbard, the kind old lady, and a few others from the village
followed Mia’s squeals up the incline. Everyone greeted each other
with excitement. Faolan grabbed Orin up in a big hug, and then
welcomed them to journey with their company back to the
village.

“It seems I was wrong,” Faolan said, walking over to
Ava. “We paid dearly for our ignorance.”

She saw respect but also a vestige of old pain and
fear in his eyes before he turned back to Orin. She let them
converse and stood quietly alone listening to everyone. Soon, one
by one the company began to turn towards the eastern mountain
range.

Antares hesitated for a few moments, looking at the
peak where Kryos had stood.

“Ant-Aewy, huwwy up,” Mia said, tugging on his
whiskers.

He gave one last look behind him then crouched down
to let her climb atop. She clapped her hands and crawled to sit
between his shoulders, kicking her heels.

“Yah! Yah!” she urged him on like a pony.

He snorted and a little shock of electricity made
her hair stand on end. Mia froze mid-kick with a stunned look on
her bright red face. Ava wondered if the little girl was about to
cry, and if Antares would get booted in the head again by an angry
Parla, but Mia just screamed in glee and kicked him even harder.
Lula giggled as Antares sighed in defeat and trotted down the hill
with an excited Mia yelling, “yah! Yah!”

As the sun set behind full clouds, streaked with
orange and magenta, Ava paused to look at the fallen arch. The
large stones lay cold and unremarkable, casting long shadows, a
desolate monument to such powerful and beautiful creatures. She
wondered what their realm was like now and wished she had been able
to see it.

“Ava.” Orin, who was a ways down the mountain, was
shouting and waving for her to catch up to them.

With a last look at the ruin, she then turned and
jogged down to join the procession back to their new home.

The village itself had remained standing after the
moloch attack. Its people quickly went about making small repairs,
gathering food, and restoring their home to the way it had been.
Capella mainly ordered everyone around while Lula and everyone else
helped the villagers in whatever way they could. At first Ava
wondered if the wolves would return to the village when Faloan blew
the horns on the third day. Zev had most likely left to his realm
as Kryos, Karuna, and Lesath had.

Much to their rejoice, the wolves returned on the
fourth day, and so did Zev. The villagers were honored to see their
wolf lord and companions again. There was a lot of wagging tails,
licked faces, and happy reunions between the wolves and their
humans. Zev, in his smaller tawny-gold and black form, strode over
to Ava and, to no greater surprise than hers, licked her face.
Faolon’s laughter rang through the town at Ava’s disgusted face,
then everyone around them joined in, everyone but Orin.

He had kept his distance from the villagers,
including Ava, since they had returned. She finally found him at
the ruin of his family’s home, knocking a piece of wood against his
boot where he sat. She walked up to him and sat down. He didn’t
look up.

“They need hunters for more meat before the winter
comes,” she said. “They could probably use you.”

He shrugged.

“Did you ever think the prophecy was wrong?” he
blurted out, looking off into the distance.

She bit her lip, then sat down and decided to tell
him the truth.

He listened intently, then fell
silent before saying, “It was all a
lie?
”

“I suppose it was.”

His face was growing redder by the second. “That…”
he growled, gripping the stick so hard she heard it crack.

She knew he was thinking of not only Sirrush, but
his kidnapper, Lorna. “Orin, don’t think about it. It doesn’t
matter anymore.”

“Doesn’t
matter?
” His eyes were searching and
switching between anger and acceptance at what she was
saying.

She put her hand to his shoulder and his back
drooped under her touch. “No, it doesn’t. You’re home again. That’s
all that matters.”

“Is it?”

Ava caught his eyes with hers and held them.
“Yes.”

He just looked away and let the stick drop from his
fingers. She cupped her hands in her lap not sure what else to say
as he stared at the burned earth beneath their feet.

“Do you think they would still be alive if the
unicorn had found me instead?”

She reached out to touch his arm, then withdrew her
hand. “It’s not your fault.”

He shut his eyes and clenched his jaw.

“It’s
not
your fault your family died,
Orin.”

A sob wracked him and he put his hands up to his
face, but the tears still found their way through his fingers. She
wasn’t sure if he wanted to be left alone or not, but he didn’t
protest when she wrapped her arms around him. They sat like that
for a long time. The air was growing crisp with late afternoon
approaching when he finally took a deep breath and raised his head
from her arms, wiping the evidence of his pain away. He stood up,
squared his shoulders, and walked a few feet away before turning
back to her.

“So, they need more hunters?”

She smiled, rolled her eyes, then nodded.

“Good,” he said, also nodding his head. “That’s
good.” He thumbed over his shoulder and looked everywhere but at
her. “I’ll go, uh…kill…things, then.”

He cleared his throat and began walking away. She
got up and strode after him.

“Orin.”

He suddenly turned, grabbed her up in his arms, and
pressed his lips passionately to hers. The old desire to knee him
was her first reaction, but then she relaxed and let herself flow
away with the feeling. He finally pulled away, still embracing her,
and exhaled as if he’d been holding his breath for ages.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for so long,” he said.
“But I was afraid you’d kick me into the rubble.”

“No, actually I was thinking of kneeing you.”

He looked concerned for a moment, then they both
laughed and he went for another kiss.

“No,” she said, pushing him away but smiling.

“No?”

She shook her head and stepped
back. “You’ve gotten me into enough trouble.” She giggled at his
incredulous look. “After everything I’ve been through, I just want
to, um, get to know
me
. Know what I mean?”

At her own words, she felt a surge of new-found
confidence and pride in herself, and an excitement towards what her
future might bring. Orin, however, looked like he’d just seen
Antares wearing a tiara.

“I also want you,” she continued,
and his expression lifted. “To get to know me now that this is all
over. Let’s just be friends…for now. Please understand.” His face
fell and she bit her lip. Trying to dispel the awkward silence, she
leaned closer and whispered, “You know, I’m not
just
an awesome sorceress with
unicorn magic. I can also do this—”

She put on a comical expression of arrogance, picked
up three rocks, and proceeded to try and juggle them until one flew
straight at Orin’s face. As he rubbed his nose, he seemed to waver
between grinning and frowning.

“Okay,” he said, nodding his head, but not looking
okay at all. “All right. On one condition…”

“What?” she asked as he leaned in
like he was also going to tell her a secret. “No more throwing
rocks
or
flaming
mugs at my face, deal?”

“Deal.” She giggled and smiled, then began to walk
back to the village. When she noticed he hadn’t moved, she turned
back around. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll catch
up.”

“Okay, sure.” She gave him a sheepish grin, waved,
and walked on.

Soon as she was out of his sight, Orin reached his
hand down the front of his tunic and pulled out the dull golden orb
around his neck; the last fragment of the foal’s horn. He yanked
and snapped the leather strap off. It glowed with immense power
when he held up the shard. His mind wandered back to the day Mira
had attacked him here and shown him what that golden stone truly
was. Guilt and disgust washed over him and he raised his arm, ready
to hurl the fragment far into the forest. But his arm remained
still. He closed his eyes and lowered his fist. Night insects were
beginning to stir as he stuffed the shard into a pouch on his belt
and jogged after Ava. He never felt the ice-blue eyes watching him,
nor did he see the flash of silver wings take off from a distant
peak.

The sun had nearly sunk behind the mountains when he
caught up to Ava. Their laughter and conversation followed their
footsteps all the way back to the village. When they arrived amid
all the town activity, Lula shot up to them in a golden haze of
fury.

“
What
were you doing?!” she yelled at
them, crossing her arms and fuming.

“Lula,” Ava began to say, exasperated, “we
weren’t—”

“Not
you
,” she snapped at her.
“
Him.
He’s
supposed
to be out
hunting. Antares has been waiting all day.”

They all looked over to see Antares swishing his
tail.