22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ena
Everyone stood in awkward silence for a few seconds after Ty’s unceremonious exit, but Ena was not surprised.
She knew this man by now, and she knew how difficult this was for him—to be confronted by the person who had caused him so much pain, intentional or not.
Pain that he’d been ignoring, pushing aside, in favor of his duties to the Underworld and to her for so long.
And now, on top of that, to learn that he had a sister he never knew of…
her heart ached to go after him, to comfort him.
But she knew that, for now, he probably just needed space. This wasn’t the end, and she hoped that he would come around in time, so she decided to leave him be, and went about her morning routine.
First, she warmed some water by the river to wash herself with, and tended to her bodily needs, then got to work patching up some clothing, until Ty came to find her with a rabbit to cook for breakfast. By this point, they’d used up the provisions they’d traveled with in their packs, but luckily, the stryx had plenty of meat to spare.
Ena knew that, over time, meat would not be enough to satisfy her, Ty, and Turner’s nutritional needs, however, so she made a mental note to speak with Kaya about finding other things to eat too.
As a fellow witch, she must have ways of locating edible plants, even in such a harsh climate as this, and if Ena was to successfully use her Knowing to find them, she needed to learn what signs to look for first.
When Ena and Ty returned to camp, however, they found it in a state of disarray. The wooden frames of the shelters still remained, but most of the animal-skin coverings—at least the ones in good shape—had been removed, and everyone had their goods strapped to their persons in makeshift packs.
“What’s going on?” she asked Turner, who was similarly rolling up some of the furs they’d been given to use and gathering his belongings.
“Apparently, it’s time to shift camp. The stryx are going to a sacred lake of some kind for an Awakening,” he explained.
“Oh,” Ena said, finding herself excited and curious to experience the ceremony firsthand. “Whose Awakening?”
Turner cleared his throat awkwardly. “Xena’s,” he said, not making eye contact with her or Ty.
“I see,” Ena said, looking over at Ty to gauge his reaction.
“Well, I guess we’re going with them,” Ty said matter-of-factly. “I’ll go fetch and load up the horses.”
Before long, Ena, Ty, and Turner found themselves following the stryx back up into the mountains.
It was a few days’ journey to the other campsite—apparently, they had regular ones they rotated through, following the herds of elk and deer that migrated through the area.
But this campsite was special, because they only visited it around the time of someone’s Awakening.
Over the next few days of travel, the near-constant gray cloud cover finally parted, revealing the brilliant blue sky, and Ena found herself appreciating the absolute majesty of the scenery.
The mountains that surrounded them were snow-covered and shone in the sunshine, their jagged peaks intense and intimidating, but awe-inspiring in their vastness.
Ena had that oh-so-familiar feeling that she’d gotten whenever she’d seen them from afar growing up—that she was just one tiny piece in a much bigger whole.
When she stared at the mountains, despite all the unknowns about her future and all the changes she’d been through, she fit, and she relished that rare feeling of place and belonging.
The stryx chatted cheerfully as they traveled on foot—with the adults taking turns carrying the little ones on their shoulders or backs.
Ty insisted that Ena ride one of the horses most of the time, to conserve her energy, and she obliged—though she felt a bit out of place atop the horse when everyone else was walking.
Ty, Turner, and Ena mostly kept to themselves, chatting politely with the stryx when necessary.
And, of course, Ty avoided his mother. But, on their final day of travel, when Ena was forced to dismount due to the steepness of the terrain, she found herself walking near Xena, whom she had yet to properly meet.
It was awkward, to say the least, with Ty right next to her, the two of them walking in pointed silence, neither of them wanting to address the giant unspoken thing between them, but Ena, for one, wanted to get to know her.
Not only was she Ty’s sister, but she was the only other person alive—that they knew of—who had mixed stryx and witch heritage.
“We haven’t been properly introduced yet,” Ena said, out of breath as they trudged up the steep ascent. “I’m Ena.”
Xena looked over at her, assessing, and Ena was struck by the contrasting colors of her mismatched eyes. “Many new faces,” Xena said, glancing back at Ty and Turner, who climbed behind them.
“Yes, I’m sure it’s quite a shock for you all. I know you’re not used to newcomers,” Ena said, unsure of how to take Xena’s lukewarm demeanor.
“It’s refreshing,” she said simply.
Okay, that was nicer. Ena took the opportunity to start a conversation.
“Are you looking forward to your Awakening?” she asked her.
“Yes…and no,” Xena replied. A woman of few words.
“I can understand that,” Ena said. “I was so nervous before my Summoning. Is it…is it possible you’ll receive a Gift too?”
“Yes,” Xena said. “Though I am unsure.”
“Well, I will be watching with bated breath,” Ena said sincerely.
“You are thinking you might be able to Change too?” Xena asked her, looking over at her with curiosity.
“Yes, maybe,” Ena said, the thought causing her stomach to sink, though she wasn’t sure why.
Xena was silent for a minute, before she just said, “It is hard not knowing.”
“Yes,” Ena replied sincerely. “It is.”
“You know,” Xena continued. “The stryx believe that every time we Change, we shed our old selves, only to be born again anew. That is why we collect and bury our old skin—the one that falls away—when the Change is complete.”
“I didn’t know that,” Ena said. The idea of it was rather beautiful, she had to admit, even though the thought of Changing herself made her…uncomfortable. “Thank you, by the way,” she said, changing the subject. “For saving Ty and bringing him to your people. That was a big leap of faith.”
“I could not let the man die,” she said, shrugging as if saving her half brother’s life was no big deal.
Ty, who had been listening in silence to their conversation, snorted loudly. “I wasn’t going to die,” he said, surly. “I had it under control.”
Xena side-eyed him. “Yes, your makeshift home inside that snow-covered tree looked quite cozy. I’m sure you would have been just fine there indefinitely,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her very word.
Ty chuckled at her tone, then caught himself as the smile faded from his face. Ena could only speculate at how he was feeling about all this, since they hadn’t discussed it much, but she could imagine the idea of a sister was…confusing to say the least.
“Did you know?” Ty asked her seriously. “When you found me, did you know?”
She looked over at him, a hint of vulnerability in her eyes.
“I’ve always known of you,” she replied.
“Mother told me of you since I was a child. But I never thought…” She drifted off, seeming at a loss for words.
“I didn’t know right away, but once you said you were there to find your mother, yes, of course I knew then. ”
Ty nodded. “I did not know about you,” he said, a little bitterly.
“How could you have?” Xena asked, the question needing no answer.
The two of them looked at each other briefly, before both glanced away, and Ena had to suppress a smile.
Gaia, they were definitely related.
***
By around midday, after hiking practically straight up for several hours, they began to crest the peak, and Ena found herself slightly confused. She thought they had been going to a lake? How could there be a lake this high up in the mountains?
Her question was soon answered for her as they arrived at the mountain’s rim, only to see that it wasn’t flat or rocky across like the others. Instead, it opened up into an enormous basin—like a giant stone bowl carved into the top of the mountain.
The basin was several miles across, at least, and filled with the most crystal-clear blue water Ena had ever seen.
Dotted throughout the water were tiny islands, a few of which had trees and other vegetation growing on them, and surrounded on all sides by the mountain’s rim—a ledge that encircled the lake.
And beyond it, all you could see was clear blue sky and wispy, white clouds, as if the lake itself was suspended in midair.
It was absolutely breathtaking. A lake in the clouds.
“Iblis take me,” Turner muttered as a breath of wind gusted across the lake, dancing around them.
“My thoughts exactly,” Ty echoed, his eyes wide as an awestruck smile spread across his face.
“It’s so beautiful,” Ena added.
“Who is Iblis?” Xena said, coming up beside Turner and eying him.
All three of their heads swiveled to her.
“He’s just…he’s…you don’t know who Iblis is?” Turner asked, stumbling over his words a bit and looking shyer than normal.
Xena shrugged at him.
“He’s the God daemons serve,” Ty answered. “The force of chaos, discord, and discontent in the world.”
“Huh,” said Xena, her brow furrowing. “No, I have not heard of him. We only know of Omnis.”
“And what is Omnis exactly?” Ena asked, speaking what they’d all been wondering for months, really. She knew that the stryx worshiped a being that represented the overlap between Gaia and Iblis, but beyond that, she didn’t really know anything else about it.
Xena looked over at her, a sly smile on her face. “You will see.”
***