Waterbound

Waterbound - Book I of the Waterbound Epic

...

         Her azure eyes widened in terror and her head lolled forward. He felt like the beating had resumed when he registered what had happened. Cold blood instantly soaked the front of her tattered dress. A petrified gasp escaped her lips. She grasped the silver engraved hilt and pulled the dagger from her, a low moan at the back of her scarred throat.

         Her hand shook violently; her legs gave way beneath her as she looked back to him, her desperate, pleading gaze full of a tear bringing apology, for everything, for being his demise, for damning him along with her.

 

         He watched her plummet to the ground, a scream of pure rage igniting his chest.

        He raised to his feet, fury his only power. He threw himself against him, trying to get his arm around his hard, stone like throat. Surely that would kill him.

         Her weakening, pain filled gasps tore his attention away for one crucial moment. He felt the blow to the back of his head, and hot, sticky blood instantly poured over his shoulders and down his back. The consuming redness washed over his sight, blinding him, taking her away sooner. He barely caught himself before the ground met him head on. He sucked in a breath at the impact, ignoring the burning in his sides.

       “I never expected that a human could be so loyal...to follow one of these water damned abominations to their death.” The icy harsh voice mocked. The bitter laughter made his blood boil. But what could he do?

         He stared, horrified, as she was suddenly loomed over by him. She looked so small in his shadow, helpless, as powerless as he felt. The Hunter tore her Lifestone from her, a conquering grin on his face. He lifted his leg, bringing it down on her wounded abdomen, causing her to cry out in pain and throwing her another pace away. She shook once, and lay motionless, the ever growing black void around her sapping what little strength she had.  

         He felt the air in his throat as he screamed her name, but could not hear himself over the ringing. His eyes searched crazily for something he could use, to stand, to fight, or to at least distract the Hunter’s attention. He would not let her go...not that easily. He would not say goodbye again. 

       The dagger lay covered in her blood, less than a dozen paces him.         

      “Pity, I’ll likely never dare use this one.” He murmured as he marched to her side, satisfied he’d heard the last of the human. He kicked her shoulder, throwing her on her back. Careless of her blood, he drew closer, his foot again striking her, this time in the chest.

         The force of the blow brought her back to consciousness.

         She gasped, one hand flying to cover her face.

         Her first thought of escape was drowned by a new realization. She blinked back black tears and clutched the gaping hole in her body. Guilt consumed her. She had failed. It was over. And she had selfishly taken him with her. She glanced at his terrified face, frozen in fear and marred with the lines of pain.    

         So many things she would have said, had she had the breath to speak. She would have screamed for him to run, had he even looked like he could rise.

         This was their final goodbye. He would not be able to find her again.

         “Do not worry...It will all be over soon. Be happy, you fought this fate just as hard as your sire.” He acidly comforted her and pointed to the largest scrape above his cheek.

        A twisted smirk on his scarred face was the last thing she saw before her world went black.

          

           He leapt for the weapon.  

Ahira

            A tug at the back of his mind, an itch he could not scratch, a desire he could not fulfill, a need he could live without. He wanted to be one with the rain, but for now that would have to wait. He focused on only the ground underneath his feet and not the watery muck that surrounded them. No matter how greatly unappealing his location, water is water, and he knew that the rising moon would soon make him need it.

He pushed his way through the marsh. The torrential, cold, stinging downfall caused a possibly deadly chill to creep over him. Only his determination lent him warmth.

The scent of magic filled the air around him, triggering every fiber of his body to be on alert for possible danger. The winds hummed and the earth sighed as he followed the path that he could only see that had led him ever deeper into the oddly forested area. There was a darkness there, one not caused by the storm alone, but from the trees and long, thick, rope like plants that had hung down from them. The strange timberland was filled with teeming animals and crawling plants that threatened to trip him if he did not pay attention to his carefully chosen footing. Holes dug through the earth by strange animals he saw scuttling beneath the leaves left him unable to take his sight from the sinking ground. Bellows from beasts he hoped to never meet could be heard underneath the storm’s mighty roar.

He knew no Waterbound would go into this forbidding place unless they were desperate.

He eventually stumbled into a sort of clearing. The rain was heaviest there, wearing him down, breaking his thoughts. His deep blue gaze rested on the largest of the extraordinary, smooth, many thick rooted trees. They warped in and out of the ground, starting a few paces above his head, branching out to be the largest he had ever laid eyes on. He moved towards the biggest of them, the large opening in the base his destination.

There was only so much he could say; still he recognized it was not him, but Iris and the others that would convince her of the help he offered. He knew what to expect to some degree. It had happened twice before, coming across one lost, one alone. Both Ovon and Serean had been terrified, for understandable, though differing reasons. He knew not what to expect from her.

He cautiously looked into the crevice, surprised to find how large the cool, dark, smooth interior was. His eyes quickly, easily adjusted to the near pitch black heart of the tree.

Some of his breath escaped.

Her wavy, tousled, black-green hair reached past her shoulders, hiding her face from him. The silvery-white hue to her skin, matching his, reflected the little illumination there had been in the terrorizing storm. The thin, threadbare dress she wore did little to shelter her thin body from the cold. His eyes traced the delicate curve of her taunt, shaking jaw. No matter her haggard state or the grime that rested over her, she was beautiful. Her thin, dark brows swept upwards with the outline of her forehead, coming together in a slight crease.

He shifted his weight; a twig broke beneath his foot. When she looked up in disbelief he readily met her gaze. Her eyes were unlike any he had ever seen. There was no fear in their deep jade depths. Oh, he knew she had seen much, from the dark silver circles beneath them from her fear to dream of her past, and they were frantic with speculation over his presence, meaning she naturally suspected the worst, but the light.... This magnificent, unforgiving light that was separate to anything he had ever seen, told him there was a spirit in her that had refused to break, refused to fall into submission, refused to lose the fierce desire that must have boiled up from within her for whatever she wanted. 

They watched him with inimitable scrutiny. A warning... She glared at him from under her brow, same as an injured animal glowers at anyone close enough to harm her further. He watched her tattered dress shift when her hand had grasped whatever crude weapon she concealed within it and her thin body coiled, ready to attack him should he so much as breathe.

“On my honor, maiden, I mean you no ill will.” He slowly moved to where he was sitting across from her balled up form.

“I am not present to harm you.” He whispered, holding out both of his hands, palm up in her direction. “See for yourself.” He asked, offering her the gift of knowing him.

She glared until he took them back.

She had every right to keep her distance. It was not common for outsiders to offer themselves so readily, and naturally she sensed a trap.

It would be truly easy for him, she darkly mused, to do whatever he willed, for him to overpower me right now. She was far too weak to hurt him or run, and she’d read enough of his tall, wide body to know even if she was well-fed and rested, she would stand little chance at deflecting his wants. 

“This is quite the tempest...” He said after a moment of deadly silence.

She glanced to the opening, her eyes wide and calculating. The hair on the back of his neck rose when he sensed her silent prayers. He understood as much, and backed further away from her, hoping for her to find comfort in the space between them.

“This rain must make you uncomfortable as well as I...I know where there is a river and shelter if you desire such.”

She remained unmoving, her scowling expression overwrought with doubts.

“The empty moon is not far off. It is dangerous to be that powerless and alone.”

“I’ve lived this long, I can manage my own means of survival. I need not you.” She said sharply, her sight for the entrance alone.

Her voice betrayed her. As much strength as she wished for it to have concealed, only her fear and her determination to endure this night had escaped.

“Aye, you have, but is it wise to push yourself when you have come this far?” He requested in a soothing tone. Her head turned away from him, dismissing his presence as long as he showed no threat to her, even as her heart raced in panic.

He stayed there, even when he knew that the sun had long since set behind the bruised, weighty clouds. He could feel the craving for the water greater then and he knew that she felt it too. He only had to wait until her needs and desires raged beyond his, then she would willingly go with him.

Her blood ran cold as the temperature dropped. He watched the silver tint drain from her wide lips, and suddenly produced dried branches from a pack he wore on his pack, previously protected from the moisture by various hides Serean had poured her gift over. Within moments a small fire was between them, its billowing white smoke making it hard to breathe, but its warmth a welcome trade for the air’s cleanliness.

She stole a glance at him whenever his eyes left the entrancing flames. He was by far older than her, though how much she could not tell. His loose hands were still, his anxious sight currently on the storm. He had a broad-shouldered build, which meant he likely traveled his share of the land, which led her assume a number of possibilities, both fine and dire. His hands were still, calm, resting on his thighs, his legs crossed beneath him. His hair was as white as she had ever seen, perfectly straight, and fell to the tops of his shoulders, the colorless strands picking up the firelight in a way that gave his presence a soft radiance.

Feeling her gape, he turned. Her stream of consciousness, thin and feeble, was instantly consumed within the sea of his stare. The deepest blue, the softest, and to her surprise the most assuring gaze she was sure could ever still exist met hers. She soon found out she had no longing to look away. No one had looked at her like that in a long time, with such peace and sureness and comfort. She longed to wonder at what could possibly lay behind his soul, to make him so at rest, when she barely knew what rest was anymore.

“What is your name?” He asked softly.

She kept her curved silver lips shut as a seeping cold crept back into her, despite the ever heating atmosphere within her tree. She held her icy weapon tighter in her cramping palm. Her name would betray her.

“...I am Brien Azustone.” He said, dipping his head.

A soft gasp escaped before she could silence it. An Azustone...How ironic fate is, she thought severely. Within his name he had told her far more than his palms ever could.

“Ahira.”

He did not question her when she failed to name her bloodline.

“Ahira, I know where there is shelter. The empty moon is less than a dawn away. You need not be alone when what is left of your strength ceases.” He cautioned her again. “If you will please follow me I can ensure your safety.”

She rolled her eyes, continuing to stare at a fracture in the smooth tree bark.

“I am not a child. So do not speak to me like I am.” She warned him, thinking back to the age that separated them. She huffed, age was most likely the greatest barrier they had.

“Indeed you are far from it.” He was careful to not let his voice trail off. “Nevertheless, you will die here if you do not heed my aid.”

When she finally looked up, he had already disappeared through the black, gaping hole in her living, breathing fortress. She felt the moon and water draw her to them. Her heart went to her stomach when she realized how right he had been. Ahira could not be sure if the haze she saw was from the smoke alone. She did need adequate water, she did need rest, and she did need a better, more comfortable refuge. She had been running for too long and it, among other things, had worn her down.  

“...Cease.” The storm died down at her quietly commanding order.

She, with well thought over steps, came out of her protection, only to enter his.

He saw her and smiled faintly. Not asking for any words from her, he held out his hand, his azure eyes shining. She hesitantly gave him hers and he pulled her through the mire, lending the strength of his lead to her. She kept her eyes down, watching where she stepped. Her free hand lifted her frayed dress from the ground. She would have carried her supplies on her back, if she had not run out of them long before.

The firmness of his hold was strangely enlivening, pulling her with hope, regardless of her weakness. She would have fallen many times, as much as she hated the fact, had he not silently, strongly, kept her upright, drawing her behind him so that she might follow the path he broke.

They walked until they both felt they could go no further. The intimidating dawn was drawing nearer, less than a hand full of hours away if the skies told truth. There was little time to find water if they were to bond to it that night, and she knew not if she would survive without it. She felt her head grow heavy as the world began to slowly lighten and spin. She was almost prepared to have the courage to ask for respite when he stopped and turned to her. His wide eyes were sympathetic as she looked away, unsure of the nature of his pausing. She didn’t have enough energy to be afraid. She did not even bring herself to think about the powerlessness she had, should his seemingly perfect disguise fracture.

“I can carry you.” He said quietly, dipping his head.

She balked, backing away the slightest bit.

“Nay…you shall not touch me.” She mumbled, groping the air for something to hold.

“Ahira, will you not permit me to comfort you – even if it was to be for your own good?”

She shook her head.

“You will pass from exhaustion before the moon rises. I shan’t permit that, your fate is on my head now and you will find safety before dawn, one way or the next, but I would rather your haven be here than with the moon.”

Another wave of uneasiness set over her.

“By your honor, Azustone, I trust this is only for my sake, and not yours, and whether I learn the truth or those with the moon do, its actuality rests on your soul. Know that this is not my choice; I would sooner crawl to this promised safety than submit to this offer, no matter how noble it may be... However, I feel as if I soon will have not the strength for even that.” She said with as much dignity as she could muster.

He smiled with something close to pride.

“Well said Ahira.”

“Truly said.” She corrected.

He nodded once, before slowly approaching her, hands outstretched at his sides. Before she changed her mind, she closed her hands into fists when his touched her, the ground suddenly gone from beneath her feet. She clenched her jaw, waiting for the rebellion to fully come, for her drive to override her exhaustion, and her memories to again remind her of why she should have been strong enough to refuse.

She bit her tongue when she felt her body mold to his as she instinctually put her arms around his wide, cool, neck. He cradled her so carefully, even in that state it caused her to flush.

When she finally opened her eyes, looking over his shoulder, she was startled to find they were near the edge of the swamp, and the skies had faded to a pale blue. The tall, dry grasses, products of the drought, brushing against her were leagues away from the trees that had given her shelter. He had not stopped in all of that time, yet his movements beneath her were not strained, as if the hours she knew must have passed when her mind had unknowingly given way to sleep were only seconds to him.

She knew not whether to alert him to her consciousness. The mere idea of walking left her feeling awfully feeble. And this soothing, radiating warmth he gave was more than pleasant. Surely, this cannot be something she needed to stop, not right now.

Then she heard them, whoever they were. She heeded the faint singing, the high laughs.

She lifted her head from his pounding chest; arms loosening in their grip, jade eyes scanning the dark forest line in front of them, ears tuned to the heart throbbing sound of rushing water. She bit her cracked lip, tongue retreating at the sharp, tangy taste of her blood.

“A river…” She weakly croaked. She gulped past the burning in her throat.

“Aye. Soon, my dear. Soon.”

 “Do not fear Ahira, these are my family.” He purred. She slowly nodded. Not wanting of any witnesses to her honor bashing weakness, she gently pushed against his hold, telling him to set her free. “You’re weaker than you realize.”

“You do not know what I am capable of...”  She whispered. He paused before setting her down. She swayed for a moment before finding her footing.

“It is not long ahead.”  He comforted, grasping her hand, drawing her forward another dozen paces.

“...Thank you Azustone.”  She murmured. His face broke out in a smile. She ducted her eyes and let his hand free, straggling ever further behind him. He knew to let her come on her own pace. He walked through to where he could hear the river just beyond the straggling tree line and stopped. He turned, following it down to their camp. He knew how rare a permanent settlement was for those not within the Stronghold, and though he tried to make that for his family, humans would always cause them to uproot and resettle. Nonetheless, it was his choice, he reminded himself in those times, to live outside of the many great walls of the Stronghold. A choice he could not change.

“Father!” he heard her shout, followed by the others’ gleeful cries to his arrival. He smiled; looking forward to them. She got to him first, throwing her arms around him. She laughed into his shoulder, the all too familiar yet still ecstatic feeling of his safe return reminding her of the countless times it had arisen before.

“Macheni,” he said softly.

“Did you find her?” She asked in anticipation. He nodded. He could feel Ahira thirty paces behind him, still coming onward, though ever slower. His younger ones reached him then, he embraced them all and stood when three of his wives appeared, watching with smiling eyes and laughing faces. Rashia, as expected, had remained behind.

“Have you fared well?” Iris, Macheni’s mother, requested.

“Aye...She is coming.” He said similar to all of them. He motioned towards most of his children; Rashia’s were not present. As carefully as he could, to not wound their young prides, he told them to go on. He did not want to overbear her should she have been alone for so long that company frightened her.

“Father...” Macheni whined, wishing to be allowed into what she called ‘the Congregation’.

“Go watch over them so that we might access her state before meeting you all.” Her mother ordered in a stern voice. Grudgingly, Macheni left, shepherding her younger siblings and half siblings back to the shelters.

“I take it she will need treatment?” Iris turned back to him.

“No, the moonlight will do her more good than anything.”

...Each stride she hesitantly took used every last ounce of courage she contained within her. She chanted words that had been said to her once, words that had fueled her for the last year. “You must be strong Ahira; no matter who and what it is that you face...”

When she looked up her breath was taken from her. He stood towards the side, watching her as they watched her. Her eyes traced their varying outlines, then them individually.

One appeared old enough to be her mother. Her coiled, ginger hair concealed a portion of her faintly dark face and surrounded her in a halo of shimmering strands. Her eyes seemed to shift their shades to every color as they watched her. She smiled to Ahira, a warm, welcoming, understanding smile. Ahira torn her eyes off of her and turned to the one beside her. She was broader, with fiery, wavy crimson hair that reached to her waist. Her eyes, the color of meadows in summer, were staring back with a rousing severity that spoke of her courage and strength. An air of confidence radiated from her. She recognized the gentle, flowing fierceness of her stark features, making a note that this one was either a Pureblood Azustone as well, or an Ancient. The prospect of the last being true left her trembling.

Ahira then looked to the last.

She couldn’t have been too much older than her. Her appearance was unlike anything Ahira had seen before, how she carried herself even. Her fair, lilac tinted, unbound hair that reached far past the small of her back reflected the moonlight. Her pale violet eyes were soft. She was so graceful, her lithe, sinuous form swayed ever so slightly. Her hands were grasped delicately in front of her. A faint blue wrap covered in hand woven stitching encircled her thin waist, tying in the back before trailing the ground. No matter her assumingly tainted bloodline, for she lacked the persona of a Pureblood, Ahira knew she mustn’t be from these lands, she was too much like water itself to have lived on soil long, but from the Human’s territory, where legend says few Waterbound still managed to hide in.

She looked briefly to Brein. Surely they cannot all be his? He moved to where he could introduce them. “Iris” he said, his hand gently brushing the first who was taller than him with the ever changing eyes. She dipped her head in a greeting. “Ovon” he stated reverently, the one with the hair that matched the reddest of Man’s fire. She smiled faintly, deep silver, full lips curving upwards. His eyes moved to the one who appeared like the spirits that were once said to have rested on the water on the full moon’s night before humans had polluted the very earth itself. “...Serean.” He murmured.

“I am called Ahira,” She said from reflex. Iris reached out her hand, but rather than wait for her to accept it, she took Ahira’s in hers and smiled brightly as she read it. Ahira was thankful that one’s blood and family cannot be determined from one’s palm, even if Iris’s assuming brashness had taken her off guard. 

“You have had a long journey...and need to rest now. Come child, the moon calls.”

 Ahira then recalled the achy yearning that had been buried in her surprise. It was hunger, an appetite for the water and the moonlight. Her legs became shaky beneath her. She let herself be pulled forward by this tall female. She turned her head from side to side, seeing small facing poking out of the low lying plants and high grasses. Iris saw her watching with blatant curiosity. “Our children.”

“Oh...How many is there, Iris Azustone?” These were the famed, mysterious Azustones. Any information on them was worth its own weight in silver.

“Of mine? ...I am the mother to four.” As she said that, four girls, all who couldn’t be much younger than Ahira herself, stepped forward. Iris and she stopped walking. Ahira realized that they had not been followed. “Macheni...Amil...Ethra...Nanash.” She motioned towards each, oldest to the youngest. Each of them bore their mother’s slightly thinner, silver toned skin. Macheni mirrored her mother almost exactly, Amil as well, though her eyes remained gold and her figure was more defined. They had a manner of authority on them that Ahira would expect from Azustones. She could see a small amount of Brein in Ethra’s widely angled futures. And her hair was like his, straight, but took the shade of her mother’s.

Nanash, to her surprise, was almost boyish and had her father’s broad jaw line. Other than her uncannily short, dark auburn hair, bound by a strip of tanned animal hide, she appeared to be stronger, more rugged than the others. Her freely hanging hands were covered in scratched leather gloves and underneath her shockingly short dress she wore black, thick leggings, tall, tied hide boots reaching up to her knees. Her carved arms were left bare underneath the tanned animal pelt vest that encircled her still young chest. Ahira was astounded that the Brein Azustone would let one of his daughters wear such apparel.

“It is a blessing to meet you all,” she said quietly. She wondered at the same, quietly resolute influence that Nanash’s eyes also bore, despite her age.

“Go on now, get the others ready.” Iris dismissed them, as Ahira understood this was not to be the formal meeting.

She jumped when someone lightly touched her arm. Ovon looked to Iris before speaking further to Ahira.

“I know how frightening this is for you...” she said soothingly. Her heavy accent said that she was from farther south than even the Stronghold, past areas unmapped, things that confirmed Ahira’s fears. She stiffened, spells weaving in her mind as she stared into Ovon’s glowing eyes, recalling the many stories and powers, the undocumented prowess of the Ancients. She could not help but fruitlessly guess at how Brein Azustone had not only found one, but taken her as his. Such things were inexistent.

She dipped her head, choosing to ignore the many terrorizing stories surrounding this kind. He would not have Ovon in his Crest, if she was indeed the embodiment of those tails. And should she turn on them, Ahira prayed Brein’s influence on one’s actions was no single to Ahira herself.

 “Go bind yourself to the water and let the moon become one with you and then we shall speak, agreed?”

She nodded and watched the females leave her alone by the stream.

She mused over how effortless they acted around each other. How strange this clan is for being Pureblood...She fussed as she went down by the riverbed. She had always assumed they would be like her own family.

She caught her unkempt reflection in the smooth, moonlit water. She shook her head in distaste and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. It refused to part. She hissed in frustration, stopping in sudden shock and pain at the cruel edge her expression took at the action. Everything about me is tainted… Tears gathered in her eyes, and she made no motion to hinder their falling. Perhaps they could cleanse her.

She glanced around, making sure of no one’s watch, before gradually peeling off her coverings, layer by layer. She set them down in the tall grass, shuddering when a gentle, cool wind came, brushing against her skin and sending shocks through her. She hurriedly yanked her many silver bracelets from her wrists and ankles, anxious now for the water’s forgiving hiding place, then carefully undid the clasp on the silver rope that held her Lifestone around her neck. She dared not wear it tonight, this was not a night for reverence, not matter her gratitude. She could not face them in such a state.

She placed all cautiously on top of her clothes. Out of habit she crossed her arms over her chest and went to the water, sliding in one step at a time, to test the bottom and current’s strength.

She sighed when she reached the center surprisingly deep river, feeling her very being change to become bonded to it through the power of the moon. She disappeared from the surface, submerging all of her but her tail, grasping a stone in both her palms to keep from drifting in the slight pull of the waters. She watched the small, shrinking, pale moon through the clear case over her eyes, taking in air from the part of her exposed to the invisible air that lay above her. Her heartbeat grew less laborious as her strength rose.

Thank you Rovias, whether this is farce of a fate, it has given me another night.

...He sat at the head of the circle. Rashia remained away from them. Serean was to his left, Iris to his right, and Ovon was at center, each resting on thick, needle stuffed skins. Their children were playing in the various shelters he had built for each of his wives, though he knew a few were bound to be listening.

“Brein, what is her tale?” Ovon asked restlessly, never one to hold her tongue, for Brein was her equal in these matters.

“I do not know.”

“She looked so frightened…” Serean whispered, her voice betraying her terrors. He nodded. He did not know why Ahira was alone, but he knew what Serean feared, what he had feared at first.

“She looked healthy enough.” Iris commented, unknowing of the reason to Serean’s trepidation. “She is not ill from what I could make of her standing, though by the next dusk I shall uproot more or her condition, no doubt.” Her blatant voice faded off as she gave her attention back to the dress she sewed.

Brein cast a sympathetic glance to his fourth wife, who hid her lavender eyes. He brushed his hand to hers. Still she did not look up.

“There are worse things than the humans’ poisonous diseases.” He said quietly.

Iris retreated before gravely nodding. 

“Well what is her gift?” Rashia, the only one without her own award from the Moon, demanded.

“I have yet to learn that.”

There was silence for a moment.

“She is quite young...and beautiful,” Ovon said cautiously, now choosing her words after much thought, pausing to translate her thoughts into the language they would understand. “I cannot help but agree with Serean. Unless tragedy struck her father or brother’s house, what reason has she to be alone? From what I know of Waterbound culture, unless something worse than death – If her home was taken and destroyed and she kept as a prize by the humans, only to escape now, what is within your honor to report to your Pureblood Council? And above all else, what force of that damned race must we be facing if that be the case? To wipe out an entire family...and they stray closer every dawn. Surely your Council must know of this?” Though she held no loyalty to such silly things as the Council and Stronghold, she did belong to his Crest now, and must abide by his traditions to the fullest of her extent.

“...We will learn soon enough.” Iris commented, taking it on herself to learn.

“I shall hold my tongue until all truth is heard, not a word of her existence is to be uttered until my order.”

“Aye” they whispered.

“Serean...” Brien said, turning to her small, withdrawn presence. “Will you take her in-?”

“Brein I can take her. Serean has the youngest. She does-”

“No, I want to.” She defended herself, stopping Iris mid-sentence. She looked up to him and his soft blue eyes and then to Iris and her ever changing ones. “I know you mean well Iris, but I desire to...I am like her. You were never alone.”

Even Rashia was taken aback. Naturally Brein would always make sure that Serean was heard, but she had said that without his prodding or speaking for her.

“Alright...so it be.” Iris willingly consented.

“Thank you all.” He said. “You can go to our children now.”

 They nodded and turned to leave. He sat back on his heels. If Ahira desired to be brought to the Stronghold it meant he would have to leave his family for a longer time, since Nanash was yet to be old enough to take her father’s place. But if she was to stay, for a while at least, it would give him time to arrange for someone to meet them within a few day’s travel of the outer wall.

His duties were getting harder to accomplish with the growing drought and greater presence of humans, but then again, they had never been easy to begin with.  

As she washed her body she washed her mind. Grime and the memories that went with it flowed away from her skin, leaving her free from their taint. For whatever reason she chose to come up with, the many there were, she felt at peace. She felt safe.

She rose from the water when dawn threatened to break. She washed her clothes and pulled them on, her skin absorbing the slight dampness. She adorned her arms and ankles and laid her Lifestone gently at the base of her throat. Softly singing a quick prayer, she walked up the riverbank, her steps stronger from the slight power she had gained from the shrinking moon.

She saw the unmistakable Serean walking towards her, her flaxen-violet hair reflecting the new, pale blue sunlight and flying back in the wind. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her when there appeared to others to Serean’s sides, both who could have been mere images of her. Their babyish forms matched perfectly, peeking through the dancing grasses whenever the wind blew.  

“Serean, they are yours?” she asked, wide eyed at the beautiful children who tightly held onto their mother’s skirts and watched Ahira with probing gazes.

“Lovali and Laval” She told Ahira, putting her hands on them. Ahira’s confusion was evident. She had never seen anyone who looked the same as another. “They are my twins, born two summers ago.” She explained. “...Say hello girls” she whispered, urging them forward. They remained unmoving. Ahira knelt down to where she was on their level, meeting their deep purple, matching gazes. They, as one, looked anxiously to their mother and then to Ahira, round faces skeptic.

She took a bracelet off of each of her wrists. The rising light reflected off of the thin silver loops. “Here...” she said, giving them each one. They hadn’t bothered to look for their mother’s approval when they quickly took them in their still short, round fingers. The eldest by an hour, Lovali, laughed, followed by Laval.

“Thank you Ahira...However you do not have-”

“This is my gratitude for his taking upon my fate, Serean.” She said and smiled to them. She knew not how to show her appreciativeness to Brein, but from what she could by then tell, giving gifts to his children seemed as good as anything.

“Mother! Mother!” They cried joyfully. Serean smiled. They pointed to the thick band they wore around their small necks that encircled the purple sacred Lifestone they each wore.

“Yes it does match. It is Silv-”

“Father!” One of them said to the other, making it clear there was another’s approval they needed. They ran off, turning back and waving. Ahira smiled broadly and waved back. She stifled a laugh when one fell over, rolling in the soft meadow, and smiled wider when the other was instantly at her side, lifting her to her feet, then only to run off hand in hand.

“...Thank you Ahira.”

“My mother always said that those who give joy to the children will make the moon and those with it shine ever brighter.” She said with her eyes and mind far off. 

“She was wise.”

Ahira nodded.

“They are beautiful. I thought I must have lost my reason when I saw three of you Serean. How is it they look just like the other?”

Serean laughed. It was the sound of water sprinkling over smooth river stones.

 “I carried them at one time and felt one become two.” Serean whispered. Ahira felt her face flush as she smiled in new understanding. Spilt souls were rare, but not unheard of.

They looked at the growing shadows, taking silent note that they best be moving on.

“Will you stay with us for a time Ahira?” She asked as they walked towards the many shelters, all made to blend into the surrounding greensward.

Ahira lost step.

 “...I understand if you-”

“I would be honored.” She said and smiled to Serean. If it would keep her away from her family, she’d do anything. 

“Good then.” Serean approved. She had not expected it to have gone that way, she hadn’t known what to expect, but she had instantly taken to Ahira. Her daughters had as well, which had surprised and comforted her. Their opinions were based more on the presents they received, assuring Serean that Ahira was worthy of her trust.

♦

            Brein smiled when she entered. His entire family, ranging from Macheni to Lovali and Laval, surrounded him. Ahira’s jade eyes widened as she took them in. Macheni rose and greeted her, then proceeded to introduce each of her siblings. Amil, Ethra, and Nanash were re-introduced, with their mother Iris standing near. When a beautiful young maiden-to-be stepped forward there was a brief moment of unexplained silence. Brien interjected, and continued where his eldest had left off.

            “This is my fifth daughter, Yowel Coolbrook-Azustone, a pureblooded Ancient.” He said, his hand on the small, fragile girl no older than twelve summers with eyes the color of the auburn sun at dusk and crimson hair that matched her mother Ovon’s. Ahira discerned that Ovon must have had her from another, meaning she was a widower. However, it did nothing to explain her Bloodline.

“And her sisters Rekia and Tanei.” Each of the girls smiled brightly. On had flaming hair as long as Ovon’s while the other’s was much lighter, and hung by her shoulders. They were bigger than their older sister, but more children than maidens-to-be.

            Ahira tore her eyes off of them when he moved on. She tried to hide her surprise when a young boy was presented. She should have known he would have at least one son, even if males were rare.

“My son, Shakir, Ahira.” The boy, who was possibly seven summers at most, dipped his head in courtesy. Ahira smiled until she saw the glare coming from who she instantly knew was his mother, who loomed in the rear. Ahira normally would have taken her for a great beauty. Her skin was pristine in the shade of the moon. A dark void of hair fell in waves and curled around the woman’s thin shoulders and ample breasts. Her shady, heavily oiled, almost level eyes matched the air around her. The human blood in her was all too obvious, but knowing the source of her shape and coloring was not able to override the lust it must stir. Yet all the beauty she may have held was slashed by the unmistakable yet unexplained resentment she possessed.

“And his baby sister Calytha...”

Contrary to her mother, the young girl she next saw that clung to her father was quite pretty. Her laughing eyes matched the smile she wore across her round, slightly flushed face. Her hair was braided into tiny strands, with small flowers sewn into them. A few larger flowers were scattered throughout it. When Ahira greeted her the smile she wore never left. 

 “And you’ve already met Lovali and Laval, but-” their high laughter interrupted him. They appeared, one above each of his shoulders, their short legs wrapped around him. Ahira smiled wider and greeted the young girls, whose loveliness surpassed their siblings, despite their babyish age. Ahira caught herself not including Yowel in the comparison, for despite her beauty, there was no doubt, by blood, law, or the millennia that had separated the two races, that she was not one of them, though none of them seemed to know that.

“I am honored to meet your family Brein Azustone.” She looked to all of them. She counted each of his children. Eleven, she mused. She looked back to his blue eyes and lowered her voice. “Girls...did you show your father your gifts?”

They joyously nodded.

“Would you mind if I gave each one?”

He met her deeply slanted eyes for a moment.

“Thank you.” He murmured.

“It is for Azustones, they deserve it.” She said lightly.

“Don’t tell them that.” He said and laughed lowly. She smiled.

Oh what he would think if he knew of the blood that ran in my veins...

One by one, his daughters received their gifts. Brein sat back in the corner with Laval contently perched in his lap. He could not believe what he was seeing. This unbelievingly beautiful maiden was giving away her silver as if it meant nothing to her, when he knew the scarcity the human’s arrival had caused and the value it held.

He watched Ahira carefully, trying to see through her. She gave nothing anyway. Her silver lips lined a genuine smile, her jade eyes were bright, and her movements were free. She was the first to laugh or compliment at the many things his children told her about their lives. She marveled at the various poems and songs Amil had written, ran her fingers lightly over Nanash’s fine pelts, spoke highly of Yowel’s and her sister Tanei’s dancing, grew rightfully, possibly truly afraid, when Rekia approached her, fangs and claws drawn, showing off her gifted prowess. Later, she pretended to be intimidated at Shakir’s small, bone carved dagger he’d made only the last summer, and delicately fingered the many pressed flowers Calytha had collected and dried all by herself, all the while balancing Lovali on her curved hip.

An air of magic surrounded her, he knew that much, but he could not place what gift she had that could change the very ambiance of the room.

Whoever she is, she is one like no other, for more reasons than I will even know I am sure. He considered.

After eating, they gathered around the large fire underneath the black night. Laval lay asleep in his arms; Lovali was in her mother’s. His eyes caught Serean’s and he smiled. They exchanged words with only their eyes, yet the conversation could have lasted till dawn and it would have made little difference.

“Come on my little one...” He murmured, rising. He brought his daughter to her soft, otter fur bed, given as a gift by a prestigious, formerly ocean lining crest he had helped, and gently laid her down. Her small hands searched for her sister, who Serean brought within the moment. When they were both securely under their blankets, with their arms around each other, Serean sang them back to sleep. He watched, a low humming in his chest.

“Go on...I’ll stay with them Starlight.” He whispered when she looked to him for further instruction. “Fail not to exercise your tongue.” He brushed his hand against her forearm. She smiled faintly, nodding.

            “I want to thank you Ahira, for your gifts to our children- but...”

“But you didn’t have to.” Ovon finished for Iris.

“It was my way to thank you all, and Brein Azustone, for what you did, for saving my existence.” Ahira murmured. Their surprised faces were lit with the fires red flames.

“Serean- did you not give your own little thanks to Brein?” Rashia scorned. The night grew quieter for a moment. Ahira stiffened. She had learned to be keenly aware of unspoken thoughts. Words only she understood flooded in her mind as she sensed the danger, instinctively ready to call down the sky. 

Serean’s eyes dropped and Iris rose to her feet.

“Not tonight Rashia.” Iris ordered.

Ovon was unvoiced, vacant, as if the power she welded was meaningless in this argument. Iris was defensive on Serean’s behalf. Rashia’s dark eyes smoldered in the firelight. Serean’s hands were clasped in front of her, her glossed eyes on the ground. Ahira melded into the shadows.

“Shouldn’t you let his precious Starlight defend herself for once Iris?” She snapped back, her nearly black eyes revolving within a cyclone of hatred and bitterness that struck fear into any who dared gaze at her.

Serean was gone by the time Ahira looked back to her direction. Iris shook her head sadly while Rashia wore a content smirk across her once pretty face.

“Serves her right.”

“Rashia, shame on you.” Ovon whispered, almost hissed. “If you were an Ancient, I would smite you for daring to attack our sister-by-his-crest, regardless of your right and warrant to.”

“Shame on you for defending her.” She said tartly, dismissing Ovon’s pointless threat, for Rashia was not Ancient, and Ovon was not granted the right to practice many of her customs.

Only then did they turn their attention back to Ahira. She immediately excused herself. She could not understand what had happened. Before then they had seemed easy around each other, but not only Rashia’s attitude had changed...everyone had been affected. Her eyes searched the darkness for Serean. She was already gone. Ahira frowned. She stiffened when she heard someone behind her, her hand instantly at the blade hidden in her dress.

“If you want to ask you might as well do it Stranger Ahira.” Rashia’s oddly high, song like voice stated with an edge that was sharper than a finely honed blade.

“It is not my place.” Ahira whispered.

“Well, if it is true you will be staying for a while I might as well warn the beautiful young Waterbound.”

She glanced back towards Rashia in confusion, the question in her eyes only daring to ask Rashia’s cold ones for a moment. Of herself or of Brein Azustone?

“Serean took him when he was not hers.” She stated acidly. Rashia’s eyes narrowed as the stark understanding crossed Ahira’s face. “I shall not-”

“Rashia!” Iris shouted. “Enough!” Iris’s tall stature appeared between the thin trees and high grasses. “I shall not have this within our crest. ...Ahira, you should go now.” Ahira hurriedly nodded. Perhaps she had misjudged the Azustones; perhaps she had misjudged Serean and Brein. She knew the rumors of his perfect deeds must have been merely stories. And Serean’s loveliness was impossible for even her to overlook, same as it must have been for Brein Azustone.   

She stopped when she came outside where she stayed in Serean and her daughters’ shelter. She could hear Brein’s calm, comforting murmur from behind the rock enforced earth wall. His obviously consoling words flowed together so smoothly she could not make out what he was saying. She dared not look in, but her curiosity in hopes of learning something about the inner turmoil of the Azustone crest was foiled when all became deathly silent, a low whistle in the distance. 

Brein appeared like a phantom and moved quieter than one, never once acknowledging Ahira’s presence. She slowly released a pent up breath. She counted off the time in her head until she felt it safe to enter. Her eyes keenly adjusted to the new presence of the small embers burning in the corner that offered their warmth and glowing presence over the soft shadows of the room. Lovali and Laval were sound asleep in a corner, lying on top of a thick padded bed covered in shimmering fur. Then she saw Serean, knelt on the ground, away from her young daughters, her hair falling all around her in a pool liquid moonlight.

She looked up when she heard Ahira hesitantly enter. The smoky oil that had once lined her lavender eyes ran down her perfectly angled face.

“Serean what is-” before she could speak further, Serean’s hand slowly opened. Ahira gasped.

A babe’s Lifestone.

Serean could not speak. Ahira was instantly at her side. She put her arms around her, appalled that Brein had left her like this. Serean crumpled against her, her breathing shaky. Tearing away at her resolve was the desire for another to take this guilt and weight from her, if only for a moment, so she might once again breathe a free breath.

“What name do I sing when the moon is full?” Ahira whispered.

“Espara...she was my first glimpse of hope.” Serean murmured. “Rashia thinks that I- that I took Brein- she-” Her body trembled. Ahira held her tighter and rocked her back and forth, same as she had done for her older half sister that had lost many children. Tears filled her eyes when the memories were stirred.

“Is it not lawful for him to more than one of you at once?” She asked past her own pain. She  recalled the many frightful times her mother had been stolen from their side, fetched by one of her father’s attendees, almost always with another of his wives or ‘maidens at service to the Council’ in tow.

“Not in this crest.” She whispered.

Ahira’s eyes widened. Perhaps he was as good as they said to only have one. It had only been made lawful for a male to take upon more than one wife in the last three centuries; some still chose to not practice it, despite the ever-declining male population, while others abused it.

Serean sat up and brushed her flaxen hair from her face, and wiped the thick oil from underneath her eyes. She wanted so badly to tell someone, she had wanted to the day the decision was made, so one could know the truth, no matter the horror the truth was. She could see that night, his determined expression, soft eyes, inexperienced and cautious hands that had attempted to soothe her, and a voice that somehow promised to make it all better without saying much of anything.

“Espara was not his...” She whispered. It did not matter. Ahira would leave for the Stronghold, Serean’s shameful secret leaving with her. “Rashia hates him for nothing...I-I was... He found me and took me in four summers ago… unknowingly laden with the seed a monster had cast.” Serean’s voice broke twice. She could not speak for a moment as that memory terrorized her mind, body, and heart. “What could I do Ahira? I could not let my baby grow up thinking that she was never wanted, that she was forced on me, or lie and that her sire ran from us, or worse claim that he was with the moon when damn him he would not ever be.” Her tortured expression was hidden in the folds of her dress; however, her breaking, frustrated words spoke more.

“He offered to claim Espara as his.” Ahira murmured.

“Offered implies that he gave me a choice.” She took an unsteady breath and held the babe’s Lifestone tighter in her hands. Ahira soothingly ran her figures through Serean’s hair, stroking her cheek. “He said that nothing mattered, not his honor, not what any Waterbound would think, and not what Rashia would, not anything. He would lie to them, or at the very least leave them to their own conclusions, if it would save me and my child from a lifetime of shame and pain. He swore that the law was written in his blood, and could be altered by it. He would be my child’s father and none would be the wiser...He said that it would be all right, that it was his choice to make, that it was the right one.” She whispered and looked up to Ahira’s wide eyes.

“Rashia did not kill the-”

“No- Moon above she would never.” Serean said quickly. It shocked her that Ahira would come to that conclusion first, but Ahira was not blind to Rashia’s acidic stare or immune to the biting air. “My little hope fell ill when she was only a day old. Iris did everything she could, she had saved Yowel, and even Nanash once, so I hear, but her gifts could not deny the moon my Espara’s soul.” Serean whispered through a closing throat. Ahira took her hand and stroked it. “When I lost her, I thought I had lost all I had to live for.” She shuddered. “For many moon’s lives I wasted away, thinking myself now a burden to his honor, and with nothing to give him, nor anything to exist for. …Yet he remained true to his promise, and honored Espara and sang for her still, and I knew if I was to survive, I needed his help again. I had to plead...for a year I begged him to give me back what was taken from me. He refused. He knew how terrified I was...” She looked to her daughters that held each other while they slept as fresh crystal tears rolled down her white, shining face. She leaned up against Ahira, whose sheltering arms encircled her. “Brein cannot stand to know he has power to aid and shall not, even if it is his honor at stake...or his better judgment. It was…terrorizing at first…But he understood. He loved me enough to give me life again. Thus my new hopes. Rashia thinks that I lost Espara because I took him, but I didn’t - not at first. She shall not even say her name or let Lovali and Laval play with Calytha or-” Her voice finally broke. It was a long moment before Ahira swallowed her own tears to speak.

“Why tell me this?”

“So you know...so that whatever mar on his honor Rashia may ever speak of, and any misdeed she may say he committed, no matter what, a Whitecrest can know.”

Ahira drew back immediately. Serean smiled slightly.

“The second I laid eyes on you I knew who you were. A member of the Pureblood Order who built the Stronghold with the Azustones of old, who would rule it one day, or since you are female have sons that would. You needed to know.”

“How?”

“My daughters inherited Brein’s wisdom and my knowing. We see more than most.”

“You mustn’t ever speak of this Serean.” She was not going back.

“Same as my secret is yours, there as yours is mine Ahira Whitecrest.” She murmured.

“Good.” Ahira said guardedly.

“Will you really sing for her?” She asked in wish that brought a new strain to her voice.

“Yes, of course.” Before Ahira knew what had happened she was wrapped in Serean’s living embrace.

“Thank you...”

“Mother!?” They asked as one. Serean let Ahira go and she was instantly over her children. Their wide eyes searched frantically for her.

“There, there loves.” she whispered, her hands stroking both of their scared, quivering faces. “Did you have a bad dream?” she murmured. She both nodded.

“Yes mother-humans and we were crying and-” Lovali whispered frantically, her hands grasping her mother’s skirt. She hid her face. Laval was unmoving she was so petrified.

“Shh...No one’s going to hurt my little ones.” They looked at each other and then back to their faintly smiling mother. She sang softly and smiled when Ahira joined her. As one their harmony had soon lulled the once frightened babe’s back to sleep. Ahira marveled at Serean’s change. Her lavender shaded eyes were soft, her hands weren’t undecided in their movements, and the smile that touched her pale silver lips was genuine. She smiled as well in the truth she bore witness to.

New Hope. 

“He sounds so much better than I ever learned. History has a way of blurring out the best and the worst of things.” Ahira commented in a hushed voice.

“Better even...Brein lives up to his name Ahira, his is the last of the Azustones, Shakir being his only heir, and the blessing he brings to anyone brave enough to ask...” Her voice trailed off. She pet her children for a moment. “...Well, you have seen it. My father, may he and my family watch over us this night, told me I would never have to fear anything. But then they were gone, one by one, my half-sisters by marriage, my brothers rebelled to leave for the Stronghold, my father of old age...He was well over one hundred summers you see. His first wife died of sickness when she was eighty and him ninety summers. My mother was much younger than she, for he had taken her into his crest when he was fifty and her thirty.” Serean added.

Ahira was not surprised. Many outside of the Stronghold lived far longer than those in it, despite the risk of humans. No one seemed to know why. The oldest she knew of, even in her family, was only sixty, but she had heard stories of some Waterbound living well over one hundred and ten, Serean’s father being the third instance. It was said that the Ancients lived even longer. Their numbers were rumored to be great, their territories ranging outside of the Stronghold’s most eastern side, behind the great mountain walls, far from outsiders. Ovon was the only descendent of theirs Ahira had ever bore witness to and no matter her desperate curiosity, she dared not ask about things there were not her place.

“My only full brother was killed in a human raid, my mother in child birth, and my baby sister with her. I was alone...though not for long.” Serean wished she could hiss. “He just appeared.” Serean bit her lip and blinked back the tears. She could feel the cold ground hit her again as he had thrown her to it, and watched the blackness of her shame cover her mind’s sight. “...It was all I could do to keep breathing afterwards. I must have lain there for days. I truly believed the darkness would consume me, I never once prayed for a savior, only that it would end before I went totally mad. Then when Brein found me- When I first heard his voice tell me it was alright, that he could make everything better...I never stopped believing him.” 

            “I cannot say I held him in the same light.” Ahira murmured, unsure if Serean wanted her pity and condolences or if she had only told more of her story to prove the point Ahira had brought up. She did not wish to offend her if the first was not the case.

            “But I was already broken Ahira. Even if I had the ability to feel anymore fear than that which still can consume me on some nights, I would not have. ...I know I speak the truth when I say it was his eyes that convinced you to follow him my dear.” Serean looked back to the blank, deeply angled face that was suddenly lit with surprise. “It was, was it not?”

            “...Only because they reminded me of someone.” Ahira whispered.

Serean smiled.

            “We each have our reasons.”

            “Might I learn yours?”

Serean took a forcefully steady breath.

            “I had so many it would sound outside of sanity to list them all, but the first thing, other than his voice, was that I knew the eyes of the one I wish death upon to this day...Brein’s were soft, as blue as the ocean I once lived by. They promised more than his words had. The creature that took me was black as death.”

            “Darkwater.” It was not a question that Ahira had spoken.

            “Sometimes I take comfort in knowing I am not alone in my hate, sometimes I hate myself for feeling that way.”

            “My father attempted to put him to death only a couple summers ago-” Ahira stammered. Serean’s eyes widened. “But his eldest sons helped him escape. No one had expected their loyalty, or their willingness to rebel against their mothers for his sake. The search was abandoned only weeks later. No one has seen him since.” Ahira let Serean digest what had been said in perfect silence. Her heart raced inside her chest at the thought of his death, beating with a dark sense of hope that he would no longer walk the ground and would certainly not gain entrance on the moon, left to wander without respite until the end of time.

            “So did Brein...He brought twelve of Darkwater’s former wives to the Stronghold not long before he found me. Many had not known the others existed, since he claimed to travel to map human’s paths. As one, they agreed to not advertise their history upon arriving at the Stronghold. Only the Council was to know of his crimes.” She whispered as visions of how his death would look filled her mind.

“As far as my knowledge rests, that has remained true. I only know because someone sought to speak with me over it once.”

One of her daughter’s stirred, breaking her away from her clouded fantasies.

“At any case, Brein has changed my story...”

            “That is good to know...that you feel that way.”

            “Don’t let my serendipity speak for me, for I will, even now, love more than anything to slice his throat. But given time, I pray that someone will have done it for me.”

♦

                       

            “Serean-” His voice echoed from the low entrance. “Get them-” Her eyes widened and Ahira understood.

Humans.

The word and what it stood for filled her stomach with an icy fear.

The pictures she saw when she thought of it, of them, could be summed up into one statement.            

Death.

Ahira scooped up one of them while Serean grabbed the other. She could hear the others already awake and calling for everyone to hurry. The fire was dowsed, the shelters hidden, the few live animals and food concealed well into the forest surrounding them. They were gone into the trees by the time the humans appeared, torches in hand. Their dark, oily, hair covered, wrinkled faces were cruelly lit in the harsh, uncontrolled light. If not for the child in her hands, Ahira would have called down the sky itself upon them for the pain the race had caused her. She saw Serean petrified next to her, her hands shaking so much that it woke Laval. They managed to keep her quiet, and by a merciful stroke of fortune Brein was at their side immediately. His child held onto him tightly and buried her face in his shirt. He cradled her frantic body against him and rocked her while humming softly.

“There there love...I’m here.” He whispered underneath the human’s ability to hear.

His eyes were not soft as he glared at the wretched creatures. There was a new air around him. One that spoke of the blood and power in his veins and the supremacy he welded. One of honor and valor and the willingness to defend those you love no matter the price. One of strength and blood lust all Waterbound possess against those who threaten that which they hold above all else, their families.

Ahira dared to take her sight off of the humans to Shakir, who stood a pace from them. He glared, his hands flexing. Rashia kept her hand on his shoulder, recognizing his blooming urge for violence. Rekia wore a similar expression. The same awe striking blood ran in their veins.

“...Shall I?” Ovon asked with her heavy voice full of malice. Brein shook his head. “I’d be very quick- they would not even know which of their legendary devils attacked.” She prompted while smoothing the front of her dark green dress as if it was nothing, pushing the long sleeves to her elbows in preparation. Young Rekia gave a threatening smirk that sent chills down Ahira’s spine. Her lips pulled back over her pointed teeth, her hands twitched as her nails extended, a low growl came from her throat. It was not a hiss or hum; it was the sound of the beast in her veins that threatened to break forth. Her two siblings had no such reaction, but watched their mother and sister with wide, unafraid, though guarded eyes.

Ahira stepped back, gulping past the fear at the Ancient power before her.

Ovon waited for his answer. She could see the contest in his eyes.

“As long as they do not hurt us, we shall not them.”

“I didn’t plan on hurting them, Brein.” She muttered, eyes shining underneath her dark brow.

“Of course we would not simply wound them Father.” Rekia hissed. “They are on our land, on river. They shan’t steal from us what is ours… I vow on both my bloodlines that they cannot and shall not.” She glanced to her mother for approval.

Ovon sung a few alien words so pure and powerful Ahira’s breath caught.

“I know.” Rekia whispered, nodding, though her voice was less sure now. “But I could help you…”

“No my love” Ovon spoke again, this time in the tongues of the Waterbound. “Not yet.”

Brein looked at Rekia, switching Laval to his side so he had a free hand to touch her face, stroking it like a babe’s.

“So easily can your gift become you curse my love, you must be careful in how it is used, or one day the moon will cease to shine for you. If we do as was done before, only more war and bloodshed will follow, and should that be the case, my daughters and anyone of my crest shall not be the ones to draw the first blood. We shall fight when our families are in danger or at true risk for it, but not before. You may very well one day shed their damned blood over this soil, but you are a child tonight, and shall not infuse the air with the scents of their rotting deaths. In time, you will understand.”

She frowned as her appearance slowly returned to normal. Her sisters grasped her still hands in theirs.

“Ovon...I understand your hatred and I know I hold no council over you-”

The darks of her eyes narrowed into slits, her claws clinking against themselves when she flexed her hands.

“But be wise, if we end their lives, shall not their family hunt us, as we would them if it was us that had been killed?”

Ovon shrugged her broad, white shoulders.

“You say to not draw first blood Brein, but it is they that slaughtered my beloved first. I shall not stand by for long. Your council is always welcome, and needed, but I shall not follow it forever, I cannot. My honor is thrice bound, and the strongest of those ties is not yours to hold, who I am and whose I was shall succeed in winning my action one of these moons, and their blood will paint the story of my duplicity.”

“Then for the sake of our daughters, let them not see you covered in their malevolence and decay, covered in their decease, lest Rekia relish in the carnality of the scene and seek more. Do not plant a seed you do not want to harvest.”

She ground her fangs for a long moment, flicking her narrow gaze from Brein’s pleading one to their daughter’s eager one. “Very well.” She released a pent up breath, relenting. Rekia patted her mother’s hand. Ahira’s eyes widened when she mouthed the words ‘next time’.

“No my dears, as far as I am concerned there shall not be a next event.” He stated quietly and resumed rocking Laval.

His eyes met Ahira’s once as he checked on Lovali.

                                                                ♦

“We leave at dusk.” He decided.

“But Brein-”

“Iris we cannot risk this again. Each moon they draw closer.”

“Stronghold looks better and better doesn’t it?” Rashia demanded.

She was not answered.

“I came too close last night...And my child with me.” Ovon whispered, her confident voice strewn with guilt.

“We will keep going south...like always. If there is a river we will follow it, if not Nanash and I will go ahead and make sure there is a way to make it to water before the next full noon rises.” He felt their acceptance. He sighed at the fear that still permeated the air. “If you all think the Stronghold would be safer-”

“No.” They all, excluding Rashia, exclaimed.

He nodded. He knew it impossible for Ovon to ever enter, but regardless of that reason, there were countless others at hand.

“Go comfort our children...I will be with you all shortly.”

They rose. He motioned for Serean to stay, which Rashia took with keen, bitter interest. Serean remained next to him, her eyes on the fleece covered, padded ground. “Laval and Lovali saw this coming, did they not?” He whispered knowingly. Serean vacantly nodded. “That’s the second time...it has to be their gift.”

“It only makes them fear more...being able to see it.” She whispered.

“Aye, but in time they will learn.”

“Time doesn’t heal every fear.”

He sympathetically nodded.

“If you had the choice would you rather live within the Stronghold?”

“So their gift can be abused?”

“We don’t know that.”

“The Stronghold’s Council will see to it Brein. I shall not have that. They are our daughters, not tools for the Whitecrest Council to play and ploy with.” She said, resolve flooding her tear drop face. “I will stay with you, I will support you and use my and our daughters’ gifts to the well being of our crest, as I swore to do, and I will be more than content with your decision.”

He already had his conclusion.

“We leave at the next dusk. The eldest and I will take care of securing your things, you must only see to it Lovali and Laval’s sights remain clear.”

“As you have asked, so it shall be.” She whispered. “But I will see to my things.”

“Starlight, you should rest.” He advised, resting his hand to her shoulder for a moment. “And do not let your dreams see too much.” He added cautiously, his voice deeper. She met his eyes for a moment.

“I shall not.”

    

There was one last matter that he needed to tend to. If Ahira did not leave for the Stronghold then, there was no telling when her next chance would be. He rose and exited through the back. He stalked the river, his eyes intent on what lay beyond, his mind on what had happened, or rather what hadn’t and could have.

...Some call him selfish.

Others a saint.

He could never decide which he was. Four wives, near a dozen living children, existing outside the Stronghold’s protection...But that was what he had said his life would be. His wives had known that long before they had even become under his crest. His children embraced the fact they were always helping their kind. Even then, he did not know what he was. A hero or someone who put his family at risk every moment of every day for the seemingly egotistic cause of living to the name he bore? His gift was finding those of their kind and leading them to safety, but was that calling worth the risk of his family, even if they said it was?

 ...He felt her behind him before he saw her.

“We are heading farther south at dusk. You can come with us, and I can take you to the Stronghold after I find my crest a safe place. I fear that is the only course safe for you. I cannot guarantee it will be timely in manner, however it is all I have to offer you.”

“I have no intention of ever going to the Stronghold.”

He frowned.

“Why is that?” He doubted. Everyone, or almost every Waterbound, wanted to go to the Stronghold. It was the sole sanctuary this land had to offer.

He heard her sigh.

“I am going to help you Brein Azustone.” She had decided the moment that she had seen little Lovali’s terrified expression, when the humans had passed through and how he had comforted her. They would owe her enough to not send her back to her family.

“How so Ahira?”

“What you do, who you are -that takes courage and honor that is not given through blood. I of all people know this. That said, I am going to do what even you cannot. I will make you your own sanctuary for your family...with no humans and no fear. Without the influence of the Stronghold and the Whitecrest Council that you support yet shall not convert to.”

He turned to her, his eyes wide. What he saw was a maiden, no older than eighteen, with hair that was as black as midnight on the moonless dark, falling like flames around her face and shoulders, skin that shone in the new dawn’s light, and jade eyes that stared back with a fervor no Waterbound had seen before. Her shoulders squared, her body straight as an arrow and as curved as a river bend, power radiating from within her, transforming her maidenly stature to a quietly terrifying creature whose confidence lay rooted in honor, power, and blood.

“...How?”

“Because my name is Ahira Whitecrest.”