49. Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Mace
A ll plans to have Viola enter her shadow vision, attempt to speak to Himureal, and gain the story of the banishment disappeared with our clothes.
Neither of us wanted to break from the intoxicating bubble we created as we lay in the grass under the moon.
Eventually, we redressed and made our way back to the copse of trees our group was sleeping in, tired of waiting for us to return, and fell asleep with our limbs tangled together.
In the morning, we gave a sheepish report that we never spoke to the Frostweaver.
"Finally came to your senses, then?" Morrow asks me under his breath as the women pack up their things and wash their bodies as best they can in a nearby river.
"She can be quite persuasive," I mutter. His eyes sparkle as he claps me on the shoulder, and I can't help but grin at the relationship I have developed with the Summer over this trip. It has been a long time since anyone other than my brother was willing to give me shit, and it's refreshing.
The three women return to us, and I lock eyes with Viola. Her white hair is wet and tied back into a braid, just a few shorter strands poking out around her face, slicked to her skin. It's such a stark difference from her dark hair, but somehow, it suits her, making her eyes look like the clouds that accompany a winter storm. Her darkened fingertips tap a slow rhythm on her thigh, that simple gesture bringing me to calm in its familiarity. Shadow, that snake that came about as the result of me working with Viola to strengthen her magic, lays draped over her shoulders, his face diving into the front of her shirt to rest his face on her sternum. It's interesting to me that the snake has chosen the sign of Solarius as his place of comfort versus wrapping himself like a gauntlet as he used to, but it's not like Viola has true control over the creature. He appears to do whatever he wants to do when he wants to do it.
How anyone could look at her and see anything other than a God is beyond me. Every bit of her exudes raw magic and power.
And she's mine.
I'm done fucking around, demanding more from her than she can give. Whatever she can offer is all I will require.
In the light of day, it is even more clear to me that she and I are inevitable.
"You're going to drool, Mace," Tulip whispers in my ear as she skips past me. I try to smack her on the back of her head as she goes, only to get my hand yanked out of the air by Morrow with a glare.
When are those two going to admit how much they want each other?
"We can' t walk all the way to Feria," Viola says to Plume as they finally approach the rest of us. "So it's no use continuing. Let's try to get some beasts, yeah?"
Plume wrings her hands, still not convinced this is the best idea. "What if I lose control over them?"
Viola shrugs and crosses her arms. "What if you do? What if Himureal slits my throat? What if the world catches on fire, and we all die? What-ifs can haunt us if we let them. Let's not borrow worry."
"Okay, old lady," Tulip says, rolling her eyes. Only Tulip would look at an actual God and make fun of her.
"What animal?" Plume asks nervously, still looking between all of us as if someone will stop Viola from demanding this.
"A griffin," Viola says with surety. As if she didn't know this was coming, Plume groans and runs her fingers through her hair. Before she can complain, Viola cuts her off. "Mace and I will try to use some Influence to make your control work a little better."
I flex my fingers. Even though I don't need to use my hands to cast, my fingers ache like they're about to get a workout. Thoughts of how poorly this could go swirl in my head, but I don't want to speak out against Viola, knowing that the way she has latched onto this means she is immovable.
We all spread out, giving Plume a wide berth. "How many do we need?" she asks with trepidation.
"Two?" Viola answers, but she doesn't sound sure.
"Aye, two should be fine," Morrow pipes in. "Two on one, three on the other. Plume, you should be with Mace, Viola with Tulip and I."
My stomach drops at the idea of not having Viola with me, but it doesn't make sense for both of us with Influence to be on one beast in case things get a little out of control.
Plume steels herself with a deep breath as mottled gray magic swirls around her, invisible to all but those who deign to see it. Viola winces a bit, no doubt hearing it as she's complained before.
She and Zeph are the only people I've known who have ever complained about it. It didn't always bother Zeph, though. It's a relatively recent development, if I'm not mistaken, starting about a decade after our parents passed.
We don't have to wait long until we see two griffins land in the distance, their large avian heads swinging each way. Viola and I lock eyes, and I push my Influence out, one of the only magics you can't see as it affects the brain, not the physical world. Viola's face is scrunched in concentration as if she is struggling to get her magic to cooperate.
For some reason, the fact that she seems to struggle with my best magic makes me feel a little smug.
I watch as Plume attempts to gather my magic unseen and drink it down with her own. Viola keeps her eyes on the griffins, her goal being to keep their brains pliable and easier to affect with the mix of mine and Plume's magic.
Slowly, tentatively, the griffins walk towards us, their bodies compelled to listen to Plume's nearly silent commands. Their furred tails swish behind them, their large paws, tipped with sharp nails, ripping into the grass underfoot.
They're giant, gorgeous creatures with expansive bird wings, a sharp beak, and the body of a predatory mammal. I've never seen one up close, though I know sometimes Spring Seasonale may deploy them during the Race.
We all tense as they approach our group, standing in the middle of the two lines we've formed. Tulip's eyes are wide with regret for going along with this idea, but before she can flee, both griffins drop down their front paws and lean down as if welcoming us to climb atop their backs.
After exchanging a few glances, we all scurry, climbing aboard the two beasts before they change their minds. Plume climbs behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist, and I hear her muttering her intentions under her breath.
While speaking magic into existence isn't necessary for me, some people prefer to, and Plume has always spoken it more often than not. I've always thought it was because she didn't trust her mind to stay latched on, but I've never gotten confirmation of that.
The griffins take off, and I look over to see Tulip sandwiched between Viola and Morrow, a massive grin on her face.
We cover a lot of ground in the air, and by the time we bring the griffins down to rest, the sun has almost disappeared under the horizon, and Plume, Viola, and I are haggard with the exertion of magic for an entire day.
As soon as we dismount, the griffins fly off in search of food and rest, and we seek the same.
"My thighs hurt so much," Tulip groans, reaching between her legs to knead the sore flesh.
Morrow steps forward, staggering a bit on his shakey legs. "I can help you with that, dear wife."
Viola roars with laughter, a sound so rare and foreign it nearly stops my heart. A wind-kissed smile stretches across her face, bright with amusement. "You walked right into that one, Tulip."
Tulip grumbles and shrugs off Morrow, but the flush that's blooming from her collar can't be denied.
I survey the landscape, a plain with marshland skirting it. Feria is on the other side of a rainforest, and getting to the rainforest includes traveling through the marshes. Luckily, we've shaved a few days off our journey already, just in one flight. As if she can read my mind, Viola says, "I bet we've only got five more days or so now if we can keep flying."
She steps up beside me, dragging her fingertips down my arm, a casual touch that lights my soul on fire. As much as I like Plume, I wish it had been Viola pressed against me on the griffin. I lean down to capture her lips with my own, and her body sags, willing me to pull her closer. With the air between us cleared and our emotions given words, I can finally be with her in the ways I have longed for .
I feel like I am freefalling every time she even looks my way, but that is nothing compared to the all-encompassing, overwhelming need that crawls through me when I taste her. It's hard to focus on anything when I can remember how her thighs feel around my ears, how her flesh quivers beneath my fingertips.
With a nip on my bottom lip, Viola turns away but doesn't pull out from my arms. A beast inside me roars at the ability to stake my claim on her in front of everyone, to claim this wicked beauty as mine.
"What kind of sleeping arrangements can we create tonight?" Her voice is soothing, none of the hard edges she reserves for people outside of this group.
Plume looks around, hands on her broad hips. She's not made for nature, but she's taking to it well enough, no longer caring about the dirt on her clothes or skin. "Unfortunately, it's not much. We may need to sleep under the stars tonight."
"Oh! Fun!" Tulip exclaims, dropping onto the ground unceremoniously. "I love the stars."
Viola slides from my arms and sits next to Tulip, leaning against her shoulder. "Only you could turn anything into a positive."
"Well, not your hands. Can't make those creepy things positive."
With a gasp of feigned shock, Viola shoves Tulip to the ground. "Just for that, I'm not going to let you be my high priest."
"Wait, high priest is up for grabs?" I say, joining them on the ground. Plume and Morrow follow, all of us sitting in a circle as we chat. "Because obviously it should be me."
Morrow tsks at me. "No, that is not good form for someone to sleep with their high priest. We all agreed when we found out about Linna and Solarius."
"Oh, easy, we'll stop sleeping together," Viola deadpans.
Her face is expressionless but I catch the corner of her mouth twitching with restrained laughter. "Don't even think about it, Miss Mistflow. You're stuck with me now. I gave you ample chances to get away."
Plume raises her hand, coughing to get our attention. "I think it's obvious I'm the most priestly here. None of you all supported the Gods until Viola became one."
Viola rubs her chin as if in thought, surveying all of us. "I could never pick between you all. Besides, that whole pesky draw thing. I probably don't even need a high priest since I'm not a full God."
Tulip moves her hand over her mouth and mock whispers, "It's okay, you can pick me later so you don't hurt their feelings."
Eventually, after the conversation and laughter die down, Plume and Viola go out searching for something for us to eat as Morrow looks for some kindling to set fire to, leaving Tulip and me alone.
We have not spent much time alone, Tulip and I, but it hasn't been purposeful. Morrow monopolizes a lot of her time, and she chooses to seek out Viola outside of that. But she is the best friend of the woman I love, and I want to know her well. We stare at each other, sizing the other up, neither of us wanting to be the first to break the tense silence.
I decide it should be me, but as I begin to speak, Tulip beats me.
"I cannot allow you to hurt her, Mace."
I wince as if slapped. "I bear no intention to harm her, Tulip."
She waves her hand as if what I say isn't true but rather a bad smell to be rid of. "She has loved one man."
"Link, I know."
"Then you should know that her being willing to share any part of her heart with you could feel like a betrayal to him. Forgetting the hand you had in taking him away from her, you must recognize that you cannot force more out of her than she's willing to give."
"I know that," I sigh. "And she told me she loves me anyways."
That surprises Tulip and she leans forward, closing the gap between us. "Did she really?" she whispers in a conspiratorial tone. Her face is lit up with happiness for her friend and it reminds me of why I've always liked Tulip. "I'm so glad to hear that. For what it's worth, I think you're good for her."
"Could've fooled me," I scoff.
Tulip bursts into laughter. "What kind of high priest would I be if I didn't look out for her?"
"You're not my high priest!" Viola shouts as she approaches. "None of you are. I don't need a priest."
"The high priest helps you funnel devotion from your followers to help repower you, and by effect powering the land," I call out, remembering the words I read in Lucinda's journal and during my training with Stone. Stone thought he'd be Himureal's high priest and loved to remind me of what his responsibilities would be.
"Well, good thing I won't have any devotion to funnel." Viola flops down next to me, crossing an ankle over mine. She leans back on the heels of her hands and looks up at the sky. The moon casts her in its warm light, and all of the lines of her face are illuminated. I want to trace them all with my hand and memorize every part of her.
She casts her eyes to the side, catches me looking at her, and twists her face into a grin. "You're right," she says softly, only for me. "I don't see it."
I slide closer to her and follow her line of sight, looking up at the night sky with her. "Don't see what?"
"We're not written in the stars," she replies simply.
My breath catches, and I remember the words I told her, wondering if suddenly she's changed her mind about us. Her hand slides over the top of mine, fingers curling and pushing mine into the dirt.
"We're not written in the stars," she says again, turning to look at me. "And yet I love you anyway."