I woke up in bed, covered by my soft and warm blanket.
For a few moments I just stared at the creamy ceiling, searching my fogged mind for something that would explain me being here... and the moment I finally remembered, there was a kind voice, that came from my left. "Well good morning, sleepyhead," it was Yanka. She sat down by my side, smiling at me. "How do you feel?"
I didn't answer right away, just stared at her, half-conscious. "How's Sril..."
She sighed heavily. "If the first thing that comes to your mind after awakening is Sril, then I suppose you're just fine... You should worry about yourself sometimes too, you know."
"But is he alright...?"
"He is, he was sleeping as deep as ever when I checked on him an hour ago. Can I get my answer as well please?"
"I'm fagged out..."
"Sounds adequate to what you were up to... and does anything hurt?"
"No... there is just still a bit of numbness in my shoulder and wing... not as bad as it was though..."
"Your fault for letting him get you like that... but I checked them thoroughly, they're not damaged. I still have some herbs, I should be able to conjure something that will make it better."
"Thanks..." I finally managed a small smile. I was so glad everything ended well...
"But I would say you deserved it in a way."
"Excuse me?"
"What did I tell you about using anger as a source for the fire?"
I winced. "I didn't want to do that, I was just... irritated."
"Exactly. You have to learn to control your anger because I might not be so conveniently at hand next time. Is that clear?"
"Yes ma'am..."
She smiled, giving me a light fillip on the nose, but soon returned to a serious expression again. "Tell me though... you said something about that man not really wanting to hurt us before you passed out... what did you mean?"
"Oh... well... I just had that feeling... he had so many opportunities to really hurt us... he was so powerful... if he wanted, he could have finished us off with just the flick of a wrist... but he didn't... I admit, I was a bit blinded by rage and fear but he... he did try to tell me something, and I never let him..."
Yanka was quiet for quite long, her gaze fixed absently on the green of my bedsheets. "I have a feeling it makes no sense to think about it now... we won't find an answer on our own anyway. Say... would you have enough strength to get up soon?"
"Depends on what for..."
"I thought a warm bath would help with the numbness as well. Sril could use some relaxation too..."
"Sounds tempting."
"I'll make a request for some hot water then and you try to collect yourself in the meantime," she got up from the edge of my bed. "I'll come get you when it's ready."
I nodded gratefully and closed my eyes for one more moment. After the sound of the door closing silently behind her, I stayed like this for a while longer, drifting away into a sleep as delicate as a spider web every now and then, but finally got fed up with lying in this bed. I got up, walked over to the little dresser and started to search for the bath towel.
The moment I finally found it, a knock came from my door and Yanka peeked inside after an invitating hum from me.
"Oh, you got up," despite her earlier scoldings, she seemed relieved. "Good, that means you're not in as a bad shape as I thought. Do you need help getting down?"
"Don't exaggerate, I can do it."
She answered me with a smile and disappeared. I took the towel and a fresh shirt with me and left as well.
Upon entering the anteroom I noticed some pleasant smell in the air. I sniffed a bit, curious. It smelled like trees, spruces, I thought, but wasn't sure. I went down the stairs carefully and at first almost didn't notice Sril, with his pale skin among all that sandstone. He was sitting with his forearms crossed on the bath's edge, his chin resting on them. He seemed to doze, lulled by the water's warmth.
I smiled and tried to make my steps quieter as I descended all the way down. The invigorating scent of forest was even clearer down here and it seemed like the air has become fresher from it, cleaner. Yanka must have added some sophisticated druid extract to the water.
I hid behind a small screen in the corner to get rid of my clothes and tied the towel around my hips. I carefully sank into the water, trying not to agitate it too much. The moment I sat down on the little ledge carved skillfully out of the polished sandstone, Sril stirred slightly and spoke, not even bothering to open his eyes: "You know, it's not like I will punch you if you make any loud noise," his voice was amused.
"I thought maybe you're sleeping..."
"In water? I'm not you."
I laughed shortly and he opened his eyes. His stare got a little more serious. "Are you alright? Yanka told me, that he wasn't very delicate to you either..."
"Just a little numbness, nothing more... what about you?" my eyes wandered to his temple, where something like a thin layer of balm glistened around the closed wound.
"Yanka patched me together, I don't even feel it anymore... seriously, I'm starting to understand why the skills of druids are so highly valued."
"Too bad you didn't see how she defended us from this guy... I thought I was being delirious for a moment."
"Why, what did she do?"
I explained everything in detail, all the while observing the awe growing in Sril's green eyes. When I finished, we both fell silent for a moment, as if praying a tacit thanks to our beautiful goddess.
But the question I was afraid of for Sril's sake had to come out sooner or later. "What do you plan to do about him?"
He looked me in the eyes briefly, but calmly, before turning his gaze towards the window. "I don't know," he finally answered. "And... honestly, I think I don't care anymore. I won't change what has already happened and even if I take vengeance, it won't bring Trel back. I would just become as horrible as his murderer... I decided to try to forget about it. It makes no sense to make it worse for me and adding to the world's suffering by tormenting myself with what might have been and what might never be... and... I kind of feel better with it."
"The idea of letting him get away with it does sound weird... but I still think it's the right decision."
He gave me a tender smile. "And it's all thanks to you and Yanka."
As if her name was a spell, we heard footsteps and soon Yanka appeared at the top of the stairs. "Kaan asked me to make sure the water isn't cold," she said, crouching on one of the steps and looking at us from above.
"On the contrary, it's hot like the atmosphere between you two even when he's asking about things as trivial as the temperature of the water," I teased.
A little devilish smile appeared on her lips. "Oh? I suppose you don't need this balm for your wing and shoulder?" she rose to her feet again.
"No, come back, please, I humbly apologize..." I laughed.
She answered me with her own laughter and went down the remaining steps. She got a tiny flacon out of her pocket and kneeled down by the edge of the bath. "Get out then and sit down in front of me you jokester," when I obeyed, leaving my legs in the warm water still, she opened the little vessel and instructed me further. "Spread the wing halfway backwards, so that I can access the inner surface."
When I did that, she poured a bit of the thin, oily substance onto her hand and started to delicately rub it into the sensitive skin of the wing. The relief was almost immediate. I couldn't help but sigh contently, closing my eyes and relaxing my muscles. She then tended to my shoulder as well, and before I could enjoy the treatment fully, she was done.
"Stay like this a moment longer please," she said, moving towards my back. I glanced over my shoulder, but that just earned me another fillip to the nose.
I felt her fingers spread some of the oil on my back rather randomly, before the soft chime of the flacon being put on the sandstone reached my ears. I then heard a noise that suggested she was rubbing her hands slightly and they touched the base of my back, right above the towel. I didn't have much time to blush, because she moved them upwards immediately in a smooth, but firm motion, aiming between my wings to my shoulders. Before her fingertips touched them though, she spread her hands and stroked both leading edges of my wings as far as she could reach.
I don't know if it was part of some magic, or if she just pinpointed some nerve, that only she knew about, but the sensation was disarming. A pleasant impulse ran through my back, relaxing even the parts the tension in which I wasn't even aware of. If I could, I would have started purring.
"Thanks..." I sighed, when she stopped after repeating the movement a few more times. "Good to know, that the sensitivity of our wings isn't just a disadvantage."
Yanka giggled silently. "Well, there are a few more good things."
"Like what?"
Instead of answering, she tickled the most sensitive part of all - the bottom part of my left wing right at the spot where it connected with the rest of my body. I wasn't able to hold back a laugh and reflexively flicked my wing, unintentionally striking the water's surface with it... and splashing a fair amount over unwary Sril.
I froze at first, for some reason expecting him to get mad. But then a beautiful sound echoed through the vast bathroom.
Sril's laugh.
It was so clear and bright, I was sure I wouldn't hear anything more heartwarming for a very long time. I felt Yanka's hand on my shoulder again, and covered it with mine, closing my eyes. We worked this miracle together...
I shouldn't have let my guard down like this though.
Suddenly I felt warm water splashing me right in the face and Yanka shrieked in laughter, hopping backwards and hiding behind the screen in the corner. I wiped my eyes and looked at Sril, who was holding his hands clasped together beneath the water's surface.
His innocent smile quickly became uneasy, when I narrowed my eyes and sank from the edge of the bath into the water again. I lifted one of my wings but he immediately took a deep breath and dived underneath the surface. Smart. But not enough. I mimicked his movement and saw him turn around and swim away.
Unfortunately for him, Sril had no chance with me using my wings to move forward. I caught up to him in no time and started to tickle his sides. He squirmed away almost in panic and resurfaced, catching his breath. I followed again, but stuck my head out of the water just a little.
"You're cheating," he accused me, squinting.
"How so?"
"You're using your wings."
"Nothing stopping you from doing the same."
"I don't need wings to make you beg for mercy."
"Oh? I sure would like to..." I trailed off, suddenly feeling a weird sensation come over my whole body. My breath came short for some reason and black spots started appearing within my vision...
"Sian?"
I wasn't entirely sure what happened next. I think Sril and Yanka got me out of the water together, helped me sit on the sandstone and lean against Sril's shoulder. My mind started to clear up again very quickly, as I felt some unnatural heat leave my body. It made a suspicion rise within my fogged thoughts...
"The water was too hot..." Yanka confirmed it with a silent statement.
"What?" Sril seemed confused. "It didn't seem like that to me, I wouldn't have minded if it were even warmer..."
"Consider the wings. They are not much more than vast, thin membranes with a huge number of blood vessels. Imagine the amount of heat they absorb from the surroundings..."
"Oh... I guess we learned something new then..."
"But why did I have to be the example again...?" I whined weakly.
"Look at the bright side, you will remember it best," Yanka joked, spreading her own wings and starting to fan me with one of them. "Don't worry, you will be fine."
True enough, the air movement and the sandstone's chill finally evened the heat out.
Yanka folded her wing again and stood up. "I'm going to disappear before I get suspected of demolishing the bathroom," she gave us an amused look. "I'll be upstairs. Have fun drying everything."
Before she could make it to the stairs though, we suddenly heard a soft flutter of wings. We glanced towards the window. A little swallow was sitting on the windowsill, chirping loudly, as if wanting to draw our attention. Yanka turned back, stood at the edge of the bath and extended her hand towards the bird, before any of us could even ask anything. The swallow leaped from the windowsill, crossed the room and landed on her finger, clenching its little claws around it delicately. It was then that we noticed a tiny piece of parchment attached to its leg.
"I told you we use them to communicate," she told us, giving me a meaningful look. When she unwrapped the parchment carefully from the bird's leg, it chirped once more and flew away. Yanka opened the message, quickly ran through the letters with her eyes, and suddenly the flush from the room's heat and from the effort of pulling me out of the bath earlier drained from her cheeks in the split of a second.
"What's wrong?" asked Sril, clearly concerned.
Yanka only stuttered out one silent word, that we both unfortunately didn't understand. She turned to us again. "I need to go to forest. Just please don't follow me!" She stuffed the parchment into her pocket and run up the stairs faster than it should be possible.
"What was that about?" I finally managed to ask.
"I'm not sure but... that word she let slip... I know very little about the language of druids, but I'm pretty sure it means 'guardian'. But not in general, rather "Guardian of the Sevren Forest'..."
"And what does it mean for us?"
"For us it means, that we ignore her words and follow her."
"Now you're speaking my language."
We gathered ourselves as fast as we could and less than ten minutes later we were already flying above the trees surrounding the mansion, towards the valley that separated us from the Sevren Forest.