Draygon Frost | Book 1 | ✔️

Chapter Ten

Siobhan didn't tear her eyes away from her horse to bother looking at Briana. She leaned down and rested her head on Nyka's side, hoping there was a heartbeat, hoping the horse might stir, just hoping. Nothing happened. There was only cold both from the snow and from Nyka.

"I pushed her too far. When Wren and I separated, I didn't want to leave him alone for too long so I forced her and the other horses to ride with no break." Siobhan choked on her tears. "She was old. I shouldn't have pushed her with me on her back. I'm sorry, Nyka."

"Don't blame yourself, Ice Fang." Briana touched her shoulder. "You know as well as I do that when it is time for our life force to end, it will end."

Siobhan nodded. It was little comfort though. For Nyka, death was near for many months. The old horse was on borrowed time and she knew it. None of those thoughts took away the pain. There was that nagging voice blaming Siobhan for everything, every bad that had ever happened to her was always her fault.

"Do you have a death totem?" Siobhan asked, standing, and wiping her eyes.

"We have no totems I'm afraid. But we can give her a fire burial if that would please you."

Siobhan shook her head. "Your pride could use the meat for the winter. If you have a container, I have an ice totem that still has a charge. I can carry her heart to Firnlan and find a death totem there to send her soul to the Goddess and the Beyond."

"It's no trouble, Ice Fang. My pride will be fine on food. The High Mages will aid us if needed. Let us free her soul now instead of you carrying the sorrow with you."

Siobhan wiped her eyes and nodded. "Thank you, honorable mother."

"Go wake your companion. We will prepare the fire table while you prepare your other horses."

Siobhan looked over her shoulder at the elder shifter. "You don't want help?"

Briana shook her head. "Your family and mine go way back, Ice Fang. I knew you when you were but a seedling in your mother's belly."

"I don't remember my biological mother."

"I know you don't, but I do. You have her eyes, that's something a changeling potion can't hide, and her kindness. She was a light who shined upon all magic."

Siobhan snorted. "Kindness was lost a long time ago. Being kind gets you nowhere in life."

Briana grabbed Siobhan's shoulder and forced her to turn. She cupped Siobhan's cheek and smiled. From a distance, Siobhan didn't notice a difference in color from the shifters iris to her pupil. Her eyes appeared a solid circle of black. Up close, there was a narrow line of light brown separating the colors. It was remarkable how different her eyes were from the golden of her lioness form to her human form. How could two entities living within a single being have such differences in their eyes? Siobhan had never seen anything like it before, not in any of the other magical creatures she'd met. Even Aquantian's with their odd teal coloring stayed the same in the water and out of it.

"Do not let what happened to you completely destroy who you are," Briana said.

"I'm nobody." Siobhan walked away from the elder shifter and back toward her tent. The kids were stilling playing, but this time Siobhan was in no mood to humor them. She envied their freedom. There was never a time when she was as carefree as the shifter children.

Briana had a lot of nerve to speak to her of staying true to herself in spite of her past. She hadn't been there; she hadn't seen the looks on the people's faces as they blamed Siobhan for the death of her father. Briana hadn't had food thrown at her, cruel names spat in her direction, and nearly been hung for a crime she didn't commit. At times, Siobhan herself didn't believe it had truly happened nor how she escaped with her head on her shoulders. Briana could claim she knew of Siobhan's family, her history, but she'd never met the shifter or any of her pride until well into the lowlands. How could she know anything?