House of Winter

Chapter 19, Part 2

"Ari," Sanna murmured.

"I know it's a risk, Sanna," Ari said. "But right now, everything is a risk. And we need to get that boat."

Sanna took a breath. "I know. You never say no to a risk. You never say no to anything that could put you in danger. I admire that, honestly. And I know that I could never talk you out of this. I just want you to be safe."

Ari swallowed.

There was so much still unsaid between them. So much hurt, from Sanna's betrayal in agreeing to marry Tai, from the revelation that Sanna was the daughter of General Virani, and from everything that had happened. But Ari had always found it impossible not to be charmed by Sanna's words, and tonight was no different.

"Jinni, you're going to let me ride you, right?" Ari asked. "This whole plan falls apart without you."

Jinni responded by bowing low to allow Ari to jump onto his back. She did so without grace, gripping onto the tiger's fur.

"Speed of the seas, Ariane," Pythos said to her.

Ari gritted her teeth, nodded a farewell, and launched into the skies. She immediately let out a shriek, and gripped onto Jinni for dear life. His injury had clearly healed a lot more, and he was now confident in flying. He stayed low, and Ari kept her eyes cast to the skies, terrified that she would see a flock of fire soldiers descending upon them.

Every island in this mess of an archipelago looked the same. The tiny islands were like pointy fingers reaching from the sea, and they were all the same rocky grey and dark green in the darkness, lit with a spattering of stars in the sky.

Jinni dropped into a descent before Ari had even realised, and then the tiger was drifting across the sea, and to the rounded bay of an island that Ari finally recognised. She saw their rickety little boat bobbing right where they'd left it.

Jinni landed on the deck and Ari descended into the darkness of the cabin. She was shocked by the smell, which reeked of humans living in close proximity for too long. While she had been on the boat she'd become used to the smell, but now to smell it again she realised just how rancid she and Pythos Savvas had become on their journey.

She rifled through the cabin cupboards, eventually finding the medical supplies they'd kept on board. There was bandages and salves for wounds. Relieved, Ari compiled a bag and returned to Jinni.

"I hope you remember the way back to them," Ari whispered. "Because I certainly don't."

It seemed that Jinni's nose had a way of bringing them back. From the skies, the two dragons and wolf were completely invisible in the trees, but Jinni knew where to land, and they crashed through the undergrowth to find Sanna standing guard, with ice in her hands.

"Oh, it's you," she said, lowering her ice weapons. "I kept seeing fire tigers in the sky and I was sure someone would find us. How did you go?"

"We've got supplies, at least," Ari said. "But I guess we'll have to wait until morning to see just how bad his burns are." She said this all quietly, out of the hearing of Pythos Savvas, who was lying on the ground, in the softest spot that Sanna had been able to create.

"We'll have to sleep here," Ari said, and she looked up at Sanna, suddenly dubious. "Are you going to be able to sleep?"

Even in the darkness, Ari could see that Sanna raised one eyebrow at her. "I spent many nights of my childhood sleeping on the ground," she said. "My life has not all been feather beds."

Ari wanted to ask more, but Sanna was already stretching out next to her wolf.

"Someone should keep watch," Ari said, feeling awkward, and she turned and sat against a tree, looking out towards the sea. There weren't waves crashing at the shore like she was used to in Vastier - instead the water was still and dark. Ari watched for movement in the skies, but she saw only clouds drifting slowly through the dark.

In the morning, when the harsh light of two suns blared through the trees, Ari and Sanna were finally able to assess Pythos's wounds.

He was sitting up, leaning against his dragon, and holding the torn, soaking wet remnants of his shirt to his face.

"You don't look half as bad as I thought," Ari told him truthfully. The burn covered half of his face, neck and shoulder, but it wasn't as deep as she'd imagined it. He was clearly in pain, but he was awake and alert.

Ari took her time applying what little salve she had to his burns, and then covered the area where she could with bandages. "You need to keep it clean," she told him. "Don't touch your face."

"I can't go to Sredsibirsk like this," Savvas told her.

"In a few days you'll be fit to travel," Ari reassured him.

"I know, Ariane," Savvas said. "But I won't go to Sredsibirisk. I came to Kakaio to try to gain an audience with the Empress. That failed, and now I need to go back to my people. My people need me."

Ari swallowed.

"You have your mission," Savvas said. "You must return Jinni to Lumi. And I'll take the boat back to Vastier."

Ari realised the truth of what he was saying. It was the only plan that made sense, and yet she was surprisingly crushed by the idea of saying goodbye to Pythos Savvas. Only a few days ago she had been so irritated by everything he did, and now she couldn't bear the idea of travelling on without him.

"You'll have Sanna," he told her quietly. "The two of you will be together."

"Take Warrah with you," Ari said suddenly. "He's not fit for a journey so far Dorth."

Savvas glanced over at the dragon, and then looked back at Ari. "Warrah will go where he pleases. I suspect he has a journey of his own."

Ari frowned. "He's a dragon. He'll be happier with his own kind."

"You may not be a water starrling, Ariane Domez, but you still have the heart of a dragon. He will go with you, because he has chosen to."

Ari glanced back at Warrah.

"You shouldn't waste your time looking after me," Savvas said. "The sooner you get going to Sredsibirsk, the better. Jinni should lead you to Lumi. When you find her... well, we can only hope that she's up to the task of usurping her brother on the throne, because I suspect that may be her role. And you, Ariane. It will be your task to make her realise that. She can stop her brother. She can stop the Lombardian invasion of Vastier. She is our only hope."

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elle xx