Clash of Captains

Chapter 21

Aneira slipped out of her tent as soon as the first light of the day brightened the sky. She took a long breath and sat by the still-smoldering fire pit, warming the frozen tips of her fingers around the dying coals. Her mind was still running over Devyn's words from the previous night. Am I really the one stretching this whole thing into something it's not? She thought to herself, fixing her stare upon the glowing embers. It seems like she's the one blowing things out of proportion here.

She tucked her legs up against her chest and rested her chin on top of her knees. Aneira had always prided herself in being a somewhat positive person. Carys had always been the negative one, and it had been their seemingly opposite personalities that had made them a perfect duo. It was the first time Aneira's optimism and friendliness had ever been criticized, and there was something inside her that shriveled at the words.

Aneira remained sitting by the dying fire for at least half an hour, listening to the rush of the two dragons breathing from where they lay a little ways from the camp. She chuckled softly to herself upon seeing that the creatures had curled up against each other to conserve body heat. That's something different about this place, Aneira noted as she watched the dragons' chests rise and fall with each whooshing breath. It gets much colder here overnight than it ever does at home in Ledah. At least, this time of year. But even in the winter, it could be argued that Ledah remained fairly mild. That was what made it such a perfect climate for agriculture.

She lifted her head from her knees upon hearing the rustle of fabric. Devyn had emerged from her tent at last. There were deep circles under her eyes and her dark hair was a tangled mess; she looked like she hadn't slept a wink. Aneira frowned slightly as she observed her. Even if the girl was mean, Aneira still felt a twinge of pity as she considered how horrible she must have been feeling.

"You look... great," Aneira muttered sarcastically, eyeing Devyn carefully. After last night, she was afraid of overstepping and causing the captain to snap at her again. "Did you get sat on by a dragon?"

Devyn wasn't amused. She sank into a crouch on the other side of the dying fire, putting her face in her hands and letting out a long, shaky breath. Aneira watched her, partly curious and partly concerned for whatever she was about to lecture her about.

Instead, Devyn's lips mouthed a few words, as if to try them out on her tongue, and she let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry." She was so quiet that Aneira almost thought she had imagined the words. But then the girl's dark-eyed gaze raised to meet hers, and Devyn nodded and repeated the words. This time, her voice held a little more conviction. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to... to do what I did last night. I didn't mean those words."

Aneira raised an eyebrow, still staring at her in bewilderment. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"What? Stars, of course not! I'm trying to apologize!"

"Right..." Aneira continued to watch Devyn, until she held out her hands in a position of surrender. Then the blonde shrugged and nodded. "Okay. Well, I think I forgive you. I know you've got a lot of... baggage."

Devyn's expression shuttered, and her gaze suddenly grew distant. She stood abruptly and began to kick dirt into the smoldering coals to douse the fire once and for all. "C'mon. If we want to get to the peak before nightfall, we need to get going." She walked over to the dragons, who were beginning to awaken at last. Aneira expected her to prepare them for the day's journey, but instead the captain walked right past them. The blonde's eyebrows furrowed as she burst into a light jog to catch up.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" She asked wondrously as they walked.

"Oh, you mean the dragons? We're completing the rest of this on foot. It's too dangerous to get too close to the mountain from the air; it's much better to walk. Besides, it's only a little ways until we reach the foot of the mountain, and then it's just a little climbing from then on." Devyn glanced back at her and lifted an eyebrow. Aneira sensed the challenge in her look, and she controlled the urge to stick out her tongue at her.