22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter twenty-two
The fire is deliciously hot, its smoky warmth trapped within the shield around our camp.
One person's magic to protect the entire site, and he doesn't even need to maintain contact to sustain it…
mind-blowing. Drea and Xaavi finish cooking while the rest of us are on tent and firewood duty, something I'm only able to help with thanks to the instant relief provided by my stolen tonics.
Even the agony in my shoulder joint subsides to a dull ache and tight muscles. I hope every day isn't this physically taxing, or I'm pretty much fucked.
Once we're all settled around the fire, Xaavi hands Cayzenn a bowl of some kind of thick soup made from black beans, piled high with chopped peppers, celery, and tomatoes. He waves a hand toward the log where the twins and I sit, blanket draped across our knees. "Sort out the others first, please."
Xaavi shakes his head. "Not how it works and you know it. Come on, there's plenty. No one is missing out."
Cayzenn won't relent. "It's a bullshit custom, and we're not following it."
The two of them stay locked in a silent stand off until Xaavi sighs and hands the bowl to me. I promptly pass it to Felix.
Jeska growls, grabbing the next bowl from my sister and shoving it into her Commander's hands.
"How many times do we have to have this conversation?
It's not bullshit, and before you say anything, no, it's not about you being more important than anyone else.
Properly fueled, your magic can protect all of us, so stop being a stubborn ass and take the damn food already. "
To my surprise, he doesn't bite her head off or shove the bowl away this time.
He presses his lips together and takes it, giving thanks to the Goddess under his breath.
I don't know if I'm more shocked at the tolerance of Jeska speaking to him like that in front of his squad, or his acknowledgment to the deity, when most people consider it heresy not to elevate the High Sage over the ancient unnamed gods.
I barely manage a few mouthfuls of my soup, despite knowing I should be ravenous after such a physical day. Understandably, the focus was likely on balancing macronutrients and replenishing energy over flavor or texture, and I'm struggling with a lack of both.
Willa leans in close to whisper, "Try to push past it, or your magic won't refill." Grimacing, I nod and force myself to take another bite. It's going to take a bit to get used to this eating in a group thing. Satisfied, she digs into her meal, turning to ask Felix something I don't hear.
Out of nowhere, a large hand tugs the bowl out of my grip and scatters pink-tinged salt flakes across the top, followed by a liberal drizzle of a red sauce, before passing it back with a dense piece of toasted bread.
"Trust me, it makes all the difference," Cayzenn says with a wink. Either my difficulty was written all over my face, or he overheard what Willa said. Both possibilities have heat kissing my cheeks more than the chili jam I just tasted after mumbling my thanks.
Felix surveys the group, mouth still full when he asks, "So, are you all fours then?" tapping the left side of his chest to indicate he's referring to the strength of their magic.
Nav lazily lifts a hand from Djalira's shoulder to push a few long braids back off his face. "Not me. I'm a three. I just hate being away from my girl for long stretches, so Zenn lets me tag along."
"Yeah, that's it. Your stellar sense of direction doesn't come in handy at all," Hendrix jokes.
"Xaavi's also a three and great with the food rationing and prep, which most of us hate," Jeska chimes in, scraping her bowl clean with a slice of dense bread she toasted over the fire.
"He's also an amazing artist, which comes in handy.
" Xaavi dips his head and leans over to show me a near perfect rendering of the snow lion I spotted watching us before we made the crossing.
"You drew this from memory?" I ask, admiring the way he captured tiny details.
Cayzenn is the one who replies. "It's been following us all day, probably hungry."
I swallow nervously, scanning the scattered trees around us for a pair of eyes. "You're not worried about it attacking?"
"You can sleep easy. Nothing's getting through that shield unless I let it. The lion needs meat, and we do too. We'll hunt tomorrow and leave whatever we can't easily use to keep it fed and so nothing goes to waste."
I nod thoughtfully, going back to the half-eaten soup I have to admit is significantly better with his additions.
"Personally, I think we deserve a little something to take the edge off after that crossing," Felix says, pulling a clear pouch from his pocket.
The bright green leaves with blood-red spines can only be Miana leaf, used recreationally to reduce stress and anxiety or create a physically stimulating effect when placed under the tongue.
He pulls one out, crushing it in his fist and painting his lips with the drops of oil before offering the bag to me. "How about it, Aly? Since you're doing all these new things now, are you finally willing to give it a try?"
Before I can answer, Drea laughs. "No chance. My sister likes control far too much." For a second, I'm almost stubborn enough to say yes, just to prove her wrong, except she isn't. I shake my head, refusing to give in to his crestfallen expression.
"Hells yeah, that's what I'm talking about," Hendrix calls from the other side of the fire, grinning as the pouch is passed around for anyone who wants to partake.
Jeska and Cayzenn are the only others to opt out, watching the others crack the leaves and slip into mellow stupors, mouths shining in the firelight.
It still looks like the middle of the night when I grab my cloak and stumble through the canvas flap of the tent I'm sharing with Willa, after lying awake long enough to know I won't be getting more sleep.
The fire is a glow of flickering light not warm enough to stop the icy air from turning my breath visible.
I've been craving coffee since the moment I woke up, so intensely, I swear I can already smell it brewing.
Almost tripping on the rope keeping our tent upright, I bite back a curse, managing not to fall on my ass.
Snow fell during the night, sliding down the shield protecting our camp to pile in soft heaps at its base.
The alluring scent of coffee is stronger now, and my eyes fall to the steaming copper pot resting on a stone at the edge of the fire, then past it to the silhouette behind it.
Reclining in the dip of a fallen tree with his back to me, cradling the distinct outline of a guitar, is Cayzenn.
Shifting a step closer, I notice the faint threads of silver knitted around him, a shield within a shield, containing the sound of the instrument.
Do I interrupt? Or pretend I don't see him and go back to bed to wait for a more reasonable hour? Before I can decide, his head snaps toward me. Fingers twist over the neck of the guitar, and it disappears along with the second shield. I barely catch his whispered, "Good morning."
"Morning. Sorry to disturb," I whisper back, taking a few steps forward, still unsure if I should join him or not.
"It's fine," comes the quiet, gruff response.
"What are you doing up so early?" Pulling my cloak tighter around me, against the chill but also to conceal the clingy cotton sleep clothes I have no desire to be seen in, my eyes dart to the small pot again of their own accord, and he chuckles softly. "Help yourself."
Careful of the loose woolen fabric near the low flames, I accept his invitation and fill a grey mug.
The rich scent coils around my face when the steaming brew hits the chilled clay, clearing the lingering fog of sleep from my mind.
I cautiously cross the campsite to join him, settling onto the tree as a thrum of power pulls the shield back into place, ensuring we won't wake the rest of the camp.
His hand wraps all the way around his mug, where pinpricks of sparkling starlight reflect in the dark liquid.
I look up and revel in the crisp expanse of stars, brighter and clearer than I've ever seen in the wake of the recent snowfall.
I can't believe I'm here. Not just out of Raviaz but up in the Impenetrables.
Even better, the coffee happens to be amazing too.
A small, satisfied sound that could be a moan escapes me at the first mouthful, breaking the silence.
Cayzenn turns to look at me, faint amusement curving his full lips.
It has to be the caffeine making my heart rate increase, not the way I can see every exquisite detail of his annoyingly flawless face up close like this.
It's hard not to appreciate the piercing eyes, sharp cheekbones, and dark stubble accentuating his strong jaw, and I would be lying if I said it wasn't tempting to lean over and run my fingers through the streak of gold hair at his temple.
Painfully aware I've been staring for far too long, I clear my throat, roll my stiff shoulder muscles, and scramble for something to say.
"How long do you think we'll be out here?"
"Sick of mountain life already? That doesn't bode well when we're still scaling the first peak, and there are six more after this one."
"We're going to all seven of them?" I ask incredulously. "That's going to take forever."
"We are," he confirms. "Unless we find what we're looking for before the seventh. But that one looks most likely, so I wouldn't get your hopes up."
"And you won't tell us what you're up here looking for so we can help?"
"Are you ready to tell me where you're really going?" he counters, and I snap my mouth shut, wrinkling my nose. "That's what I thought. Instead, you could explain how you managed to stay upright when everyone else was pulled down by the citrilode tether?"
I take a too big gulp of coffee, forcing myself to shrug with feigned nonchalance.
"I don't know. Just good balance, I guess.
" Again, his answering look is more curious than skeptical.
I don't want to linger on the subject or think about climbing another six mountains.
"You thanked the Goddess yesterday. Do you worship her?
" I blush at the blunt delivery of an already impolite question.
He drains his mug and sets it down to stretch each arm across his broad chest. The motion pushes the dark cloak off his shoulders, revealing a white long-sleeved shirt clinging to dips and ridges of muscle and warm brown skin.
Damn, this is not good. I need to get a hold of myself.
You'd think I'd never seen a beautiful man before.
"I wouldn't say I worship the Goddess, but I do believe the old stories about her being the one who gifted us with our magic.
I find it hard not to believe in her power when we're surrounded by this.
" He tips his head back to look up at the stars again, and I find myself following suit.
We stay like that for a while, sharing a vast, easy silence, until light starts to creep in around the edges of the sky.
Cayzenn stands, clearing his throat. "I need to go find a flat place where we can train before breakfast."
"You guys still train after all that climbing and hiking and being up so early?"
"I'm always up at this time. No point staying in bed once I'm awake, unless I have a good reason keeping me there.
" His mouth curls into a smirk, and I try not to picture any of the things he's alluding to.
"And yes, we train every morning. It's a discipline drilled into us during basics.
The walking and climbing is good for fitness and endurance, but you'll soon see, this is a very different kind of workout to strengthen our Amp bonds and ensure we're never defenseless. "
For a second, I flash back to that grimy storeroom in the tavern. Defenseless is exactly what I was, and I never want to feel that way again. So even though I'm pretty sure I'm about to get my ass kicked, a tiny, foolish current of something like excitement zings through me too.
Cayzenn nudges my arm, bringing me out of the unpleasant memory and back to the fading stars and cold, grey dawn of a new day. "You should go change. It looks like it's going to snow again soon, and we'll be starting our ascent after breakfast, so we should get on with it."