The Key to the Warriors (completed)

Chapter 21

21Zyirah

I wandered for at least an hour, until I heard Zirlic's concerned call coming from the battlefield. Fearing something may have happened, I ran toward the sound of his voice, breaking through the trees just as he was approaching them.

"There you are!" He let out a breath of relief as he came and wrapped his arm around my back. "We were getting worried."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just no one had seen you in a while and with everything happening..."

I nodded. "Sorry. I just needed to clear my head a bit."

He started walking, pausing halfway to the mess hall to face me. "You know that wasn't Charlie talking this morning, don't you?"

Though I let out a breath, I nodded. "I know. It's just hard to get over because it was his voice, his eyes that looked so cruel..."

"I know. But it wasn't him. Charlie would never say something like that to you; to any of us." He started walking again, slowly, and I moved into step beside him.

Looking at my feet, I shrugged. "I feel like I'm falling for him, Zirlic."

His features turned soft as he looked at me. "Already?"

I shrugged again. "Seems the more I try to avoid it, the harder it becomes."

"Tends to be that way when you fight against who you were created to be." He looped his hands behind his back as he walked. "Have you told him?"

"No, but I kissed him this morning." I admitted. "In the bathing pool. He was trying to rest and soak his bruises and I just..." I shrugged. "I got carried away. Then he got a headache, and... suddenly seemed like he was pissed about my touching him. I'm afraid to tell him now."

"That may have been the onset of the tapping." He said as we approached the mess hall. I paused again, and he stopped with me.

"Yeah... but what if he's really upset about it?"

He shrugged, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. "Did he reject your advances?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Then I'm sure it's fine. You know who you are meant to be, and soon enough, Charlie will know too."

"But I wasn't created to be just a sexual release."

His cheeks blushed just a bit as he shook his head. "No, but you were created to be his companion, his mate. How the two of you go about that is no one else's business. Certainly not mine. But I would encourage you to tell him how you feel, sooner rather than later."

I inhaled deeply and blew it out, my eyes scanning across the field as Charlie and Xylem emerged from the river trail.

"Speak of the devil." Zirlic grinned, and I shot him a warning glare.

"Please don't say anything."

He raised his hands in defense. "None of my business, remember?"

I sighed as my brother's eyes landed on me, and he immediately ran from Charlie's side to approach Zirlic and I. "Zyi, Zyi, I got a fish, I got one!"

Grinning, I smoothed his shaggy hair. "You did? Where is it?"

He turned to wave a hand to Charlie, who was moving slowly in behind him. "Hurry up, Charlie! You're being a slow poke!"

"I'm coming, kiddo. Charlie's tired." And he looked it, too, like he was barely keeping himself awake.

Charlie eased in next to us and unfolded the cloth in his hands to reveal a slick gray fish. I grimaced as I looked at it but smiled at my brother.