Chapter 24
After Rhyel professed his admirable pledge to safeguard her from her siblings' inevitable disrespect, Sana felt comfortable with him, like she could relax in his presence and he had her in a fit of laughter as he told her stories of his father's unconventional lessons to teach him how to master his abilities.
"I'm so sorry to laugh," she said, wiping her tears. "But I can't believe he brought you up here and pushed you off that cliff!"
"Mm-hm, he said the only way I'd learn to use my wings was if he taught me the way all birds teach their young," Rhyel said, chuckling as he drank from his cup of tea. "My father's lessons were very literal, but to be fair to him, I did master my abilities quickly."
"It sounds like you and your father were close."
"We were. He was my best friend besides Zena and I was close with my mother too, but her lessons weren't as drastic as my father's," he said, waving his hand over the rolling forest view. "She taught me how to appreciate the land and creatures that live among us."
Sana nodded as she watched the silver and blue tipped kestrels swoop and dive into the trees.
"My mother was like that too and she was my best friend before she.
..passed away," she said, looking down at her cup of tea.
"And when my father realized I didn't have any abilities, he kept me from going to her lessons with my brother, so she taught me other things like how to care for her butterflies.
Then they became my friends until my father got rid of them. "
"I'm sorry," Rhyel said, catching the tear that rolled down her cheek. "That must've been hard for you."
"It was," she said, shaking her head. "But I'm...I'm okay now and I don't know why I said all of that." She laughed, blinking back her tears. "I brought down the mood. I'm sorry."
"You didn't bring down the mood, Sana. Never apologize for sharing things with me," he said, leaning back in his chair. "I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me that, and I'll always listen."
A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"Thank you," she said, gazing into Rhyel's tender blue eyes as realization washed over her like a warm, soft blanket.
Being up here on this cliff with the view of Darcanos reminded her of the dream with her dragon and somehow, talking to Rhyel felt like she was speaking to Kal.
And it made her feel like she could... trust him.
"You're welcome," Rhyel said, twisting his glass around in his hand. "Can I... ask you something? And I promise it's not about your life before now."
Sana nodded. "Yes, that's fine."
"You said your father kept you from the lessons your mother taught your brother. I'm assuming those were lessons to teach him how to master his avian abilities?"
"Mm, she and my father would take him to the plains or up on the clay cliffs to teach him how to fly. My sisters learned the same way from my father, too."
"I see and I know you don't have the ability, but did you... did you ever want to fly?"
"More than anything." She sighed. "It's silly, but I used to make myself wings from sticks and leaves from our garden and sneak out of the house to follow my mother and brother to the cliffs.
I'd beg my mother to let me try," she said, laughing softly.
"Naturally, she wouldn't let me jump off the cliff and fall to my death with my makeshift wings, but that was all I ever wanted to do.
I was convinced my wings of leaves would carry me on the wind. "
"I mean, your mother was right to stop you, but your creativity was admirable." Rhyel chuckled. "Do you still wish you could fly?"
"Yes." Sana bit her lip as a blush burned over her cheeks. "Even though the time for me to gain any abilities has long passed, do you...do you think it's weird that I still hope for it?"
"No. I don't think it's weird at all." Rhyel shook his head as he sat his glass on the table. "Would you like to fly today?"
Sana's eyes grew wide, and her heart thumped with excitement. "What?"
"Would you like to fly? You know, I can shift into a bird, right?"
"Well, yes, but how would I be able to fly?"
A grin curled across Rhyel's lips. "On my back, if you wish."
Sana frowned. "Wouldn't you be...too small to carry me on your back?"
Rhyel tilted his head and laughed. "No. When you have a great mastery of your abilities, you can partially shift. It takes a lot of concentration, but I've been doing it since I was a child because of my father's unconventional lessons."
"I suppose that makes sense." Sana laughed. "I never knew that was a possibility. I don't think any of my siblings can do that. Not that I've seen at least."
"Well, your parents weren't shoving them off cliffs or leaving them in the forests to become one with the various creatures I could shift into," he said, laughing as he dragged a hand through his hair. "So...would you like me to take you flying around Darcanos or...back to the castle, if you want?"
A bright smile burst across Sana's face as she nodded. "I'd love to go anywhere."
"Alright," he said, standing. He waved his hand over the remnants of the food left on the table and it packed itself up in her satchel sitting beside her chair.
She stood as he dispersed their chairs, the table and took down the barrier of warmth around them. Shivering as the crisp mountain air swept over the cliff, she tugged her cloak tighter around her.
Rhyel looked back at her and snapped his fingers.
Her body tingled as magic washed over her, thickening her hooded cloak.
A black fur-lined piece of fabric slid around her forehead, covering her ears and another piece slid up from the collar of her cloak, covering her mouth and nose, while black fur-lined gloves wove themselves over her hands.
"Just some extra layers for you. The wind will be harsher than this when we're flying. "
"Thank you," she said, pulling her hood over her head. It never failed to make her heart simmer at the way Rhyel cared for her with little fanfare. He just... did these things as if protecting her was second nature, and she liked it.
"Of course," he said, as his cloak shimmered away from his shoulders. "I told you, I can't have you getting sick on my watch."
She squeezed her gloved hands together as Rhyel's blue eyes took on a golden hue, as shimmering black feathers sprouted from the widow's peak in his forehead and spread over his hair and down his back.
He spread his arms wide as long black feathers curved over his shoulders and swept down to his fingertips.
Brown leather straps crisscrossed over his back and foot loops dangled from his side as he turned to her with his golden eyes shimmering. "Are you ready?"
Sana nodded as she stepped closer to him and reached out her hand. "May I?"
"You may," he said, leaning toward her.
"Your wings are beautiful," she said, trailing her fingers over his silky smooth feathers with a hint of gold in the plumes.
"Thank you. You can climb on my back now, if you want," he said, nodding to the straps by his side. "It's kind of like riding a horse."
"I'm sure this will be nothing like that." Sana laughed as she slipped her foot into the leather strap and held on to his shoulders as she settled herself on his back. "No, this feels nothing like riding a horse. Am I...Am I hurting you?"
"As Rhys said, you could never hurt me, but are you comfortable? Do you feel safe?"
"Mm-hm," she said, curling her fingers around the leather strap below the back of his neck. "I feel safe."
"Good," he said, flapping his enormous wings before he took off running toward the edge of the cliff. "Hold on tight!"
Sana gripped the leather strap and clenched her thighs against him as he dove from the cliff. Her heart raced and she held her breath as they plummeted toward the forest below.
Before they reached the treetops, Rhyel spread his wings and they rocketed back up to the sky. Sana let out a scream and whoop of excitement as they burst through the clouds toward the sun hiding behind them.
"Are you alright?" Rhyel said as hovered in the sunlight.
"Yes!" she said, letting go of the leather strap and spreading her arms wide to feel the headwinds between her fingers. "This is amazing. I feel... I feel so free."
"Flying will do that to you," he said as he slowly flew back beneath the clouds. "After I learned how to fly, if I wasn't running in the forest as a wolf, I was flying all over Darcanos."
"I think if I could fly, I'd never come down," she said, smiling as she took a deep breath of the fresh cool air. "This feels like heaven."
"I'm glad you think so," he said, as they flew over a small village tucked into the side of the mountain where the villagers pointed and waved at them as they passed. "And we don't have to come down anytime soon."
"Do...do you mean that?" Sana said, as she waved back to the villagers. "Are you sure you should be spending all this time with me? What about your—"
"Sana, my duties won't suffer because I'm spending time with you. This is what the Lord and Lady of Darcanos are meant to do," he said as he flew further away from the cliff and the castle. "Besides, I think it's my duty to show you the northern lands, don't you think?"
A smile graced Sana's lips. "Yes, I believe it is."
"Then I want you to enjoy this," he said as he swooped down to fly above a gushing river that pierced through the middle of the land and bled into a waterfall deep in the forests. "You've always wanted to fly. Don't taint this moment worrying about duties that don't matter right now."
"You're right," she said, leaning forward and resting her chin on Rhyel's shoulder as she spread her arms along his wings. She closed her eyes and imagined his wings were her own. That she was the one guiding them over the waterfall and following the twists and turns of the river.
Her heart had never felt so full or her mind at such ease feeling the wind beneath them and the subtle sounds of the forest around them.
This was where she was meant to be. She was meant to fly, and she would always cherish this moment when Rhyel gave her wings.
"Thank you for this," she whispered.