Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Autumn didn’t sleep that night, but she hadn’t been expecting to. Instead, she’d waited for Boreus to fall asleep and had left his arms and their bed to wander the hallways of the Bastion alone. She needed to think, needed a plan to get Auster to listen to her.
She wouldn’t ask that he love her, some things were not meant to be and Eleni had the same quiet certainty that she did that Auster would not forgive her actions in the mortal world, nor would he forgive how long it had taken for her to find them.
He would not forgive having to leave Skirion behind either, so there was a mountain of things that she was going to have to climb even before he would listen to her.
Auster had been the first in Eleni’s heart, the mercurial one, the passionate one, the one that had broken her and lifted her to heaven. Autumn loved them all, but Eleni had adored Auster. The idea that he would not love her now was soaking Autumn with the tears that her other half was crying.
They were one, which meant that Autumn was walking the empty halls of the Bastion in the dead of night with silent tears on her cheeks that she couldn’t stop.
She was just glad that the Bastion was empty save for the Unseen. She didn’t want to worry anyone; this was just a passing weakness. Boreus said that all would be well, and as much as Autumn had her doubts that everything would fall out as Boreus wanted, it would all be well, eventually.
Auster would never leave Skirion in Charan, so they would have to reach equilibrium on that point at least. And until Skirion was safe, Autumn wasn’t going to focus on his face when he had looked at her after they had closed Charan off again.
Bitter disgust and confusion, a thing and not a person. Autumn had sung to Auster, the same as she had sung to the other two, but he had never seen anyone but Eleni.
It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to allow it to matter.
Autumn wandered the halls until the sun was just beginning to light the sky, and then she went to change and up to the summit.
She was early; only the rose-gold rays of the sun walked with her up the slope to the summit. She couldn’t carve the air and step through, so she had to take the long way around. Autumn didn’t mind; the air was cool, and the sun was a delightful companion for the walk.
The Song followed her too, sprinkling light, questioning notes in her ears. What was she doing up so early? Who had she been with yesterday? Why was he so angry?
Autumn sang back, telling the Song his name, where she was going, and what had happened. Singing to the Song of Charan, of the things that she’d seen. The Song sang back, a chorus of two, and they stood on the slope of the Mountain, singing each other whole.
That was when Love walked up, with Solace in tow. Solace, who frisked up to Autumn and then around the Song, his tongue hanging out in a silly grin. The Song frisked back, happy silver notes falling all over the grass.
Love watched, a smile on his face that was tinged with something that could be sorrow if she’d had to pin a name to it. Autumn bowed to Love and smiled.
“My Highest?” She looked over to where Solace had happy silver notes stuck to his feathers and was trying to lick them free. “How might I be of service?”
“Good morning, Autumn,” Love said, still with that smile on his face. “Would you walk with me this morning? I am going to see the East Wind.”
“I am called to the Summit, my Highest,” Autumn replied, gut plunging to her feet.
“I know,” Love gave her a look. “I am the one who did the summoning. I wanted you to be able to talk to the East Wind and not be in danger.”
“He is no danger, Highest.” Autumn was confused. “He may not love me, but that is only a danger to my heart, and that is of no moment.”
“Trust me, Autumn.” Love’s tone did not invite contradiction. “We will go and see; perhaps I am wrong.”
“As you say, Highest,” Autumn just bowed to Love and turned to walk with him as the Song and Solace wandered in their wake.
They went to the grove of olive trees, to the villa, where Auster was standing out front with his sword in his hand and his pale gray wings folded at his back. Autumn remembered those wings, pale and rose gold, the color of the sunrise sky.
He turned at the sound of their approach and bowed to Love before fixing Autumn with a flat, threatening look. “Might I be of service, Highest?” Auster was talking to Love, but refused to stop glaring at Autumn.
“You can look at me, East Wind.” Love ordered, and Autumn watched Auster jerk his eyes away from her and bow to Love. “Better. Now, the two of you need to talk, and I am here to ensure that you do not do the thing that you are projecting into my head right now.”
Auster flicked a look over at Autumn and then back at Love with something that could almost be called guilt swimming in his eyes. “I am confused, Highest.”
“You are not confused,” Love corrected. “You will not do the thing you are contemplating, that is an order.”
“Yes, my Highest,” Auster looked back at Autumn. “Boreus told me you call yourself Autumn?”
“That is my name, East Wind.” Autumn bowed to him. “I will not presume on what you remember before I lost you to my unbelief, instead I propose getting to know each other again, rather than being dependent on the past.”
His eyes were still flat, it was excruciatingly plain that he didn’t trust her at all, and that hurt, but was also to be expected. “I agree to your plan.” He said with a nod. “How should we begin?”