Untold

21. Protection

Evaris' POV:

The initial battle was over. Death had been to collect the souls. I had watched him pull the coloured orbs out, transfixed. He had noticed me watching him and gave me a small nod before glancing at the hourglass he carried and dissolving into mist. Now, I stood on the edge of our camp, watching night fall over the world. A strong gust shook the tents. I shivered and pulled my fur-lined coat closer around me. 

The plains were a bloody mess. Corpses of fae, elves and demons were scattered across the dead grass, frost already creeping over their bodies. Someone had been through to pick up their weapons. I hung my head, sending a silent prayer to the stars to protect their souls. I'd see the fae again in the Darkworld. Minuvae and Jassin were probably welcoming them in again by now. 

Raucous laughter burst out behind me. I turned, watching a small group of soldiers chortle and slosh jugs of alcohol together. I smiled grimly at the warm scene and turned back to the plains. Lasthbur's and Arcana's tents were set up on the horizon. As the wind blew them towards the south, columns of smoke wafted into the sky. 

I perched myself on a rock and tucked my knees up under my chin. The chill from the rock seeped through my layers of clothes. I stared down at my boot-clad feet. Pulled up on the rock, they looked exactly how they did that fateful day, centuries ago.

The wind whipped through my hair. Sleet rained down on me. The stone was slick underfoot. From this height, the ground spun dizzyingly below me. I stepped closer to the edge. Soon, it would all be over. "Evaris!"

I was jolted out of the memory. I turned around to see Nicodemus jogging toward me. "Iowyn said to come in out of the cold and that it's dinner time!" I chuckled. He was the one to save me from the memory, as he was the one to save me on that day. I stood up in one fluid motion. He gave me a weird, quizzical expression. "Are you alright?" I nodded and shoved my hands in my pockets. "Perfectly fine." His eyebrows shot up.
"You sure? You don't seem alright." I sighed and started to trudge back to our tent, huddling into my coat to brace against the wind. He followed close behind. "Ev?"
"I said I'm fine!" I snapped over my shoulder. He didn't need to know I had been thinking about then.

As we made our way through the camp, soldiers saluted, offered us drinks and asked if we wanted a game of cards. I politely declined the offers with a smile as I weaved through the crates and tents. Our tent, a red, hulking mass, loomed at the end of the row. Flags waved on the top, and the curtains in the entrance were pulled back. Light spilled out through the curtains, and Iowyn's laughter carried towards us. I smiled and walked towards the tent faster, a spring in my step. 

I ducked through the entrance and a delicious scent greeted me. Elmyra was perched on the sofa, laughing with Iowyn, who was cutting a loaf of bread into slices at the kitchen table. She looked up when I walked in and her smile grew wider. I went around to her side of the table and gave her a quick kiss. Elmyra nodded and I smiled tightly at her. 

Dinner was a merry occasion but still had grim undertones. We sat around the table laughing and telling stories, but when silence fell for more than a few seconds, I could see my friend's eyes darken and their expressions drop. I tried my best to keep the conversation flowing for Iowyn's sake. I could feel the discomfort radiating off of her and hear the tinny edge to her laugh. Across the table, our eyes locked briefly. I furrowed my brows in question and she subtly shook her head. Not now, she seemed to say. I gave a slight nod.

After dinner, I cleaned the dishes for her by letting them soak in soapy water and then whisking them away with magic. Nicodemus and Elmyra laughed by the fire and Iowyn kept glancing longingly out the open flaps, her eyes following the scouts circling the sky. Nicodemus and Elmyra were too engulfed in their conversation to notice. "You can go with them on their next rotation if you like,"  I said as I nodded toward the scouts. Her face lit up.
"Really? You'll let me go?" I smiled in confirmation. She bounded towards me and threw her arms around my neck. "Be careful," I murmured into her ear. "I don't want you to get hurt."
She nodded. "I won't."