by Davis Ashura
She and Jean-Paul straddled their boards while they waited for a likely wave. Serena stared at the horizon and studied the ocean behind her. Nothing. She sighed in disappointment. The day’s surfing had turned out to be a lackluster affair, and she languidly paddled to keep her place in the break zone.
Jean-Paul waved his hands about in disgust. “This kiddie pool is utterly boring,” he complained in his flamboyant fashion. “Why did we choose Lilith Bay again?”
Serena told him.
Jean-Paul leered. “It is for William’s sake, eh? Perhaps I can whisper some advice in his ear about how best to repay you for such a generous gift. Perhaps my words will thaw his cold-blooded American heart and set it afire with lustful anticipation.”
Serena laughed. “Do you ever take anything seriously?”
Jean-Paul grinned. “I am serious enough for the things that require gravity. I am serious when I train with the Irregulars, or when that terribly handsome monster, Rukh Shektan, orders us about,” he said. “But for surfing, non. It is in my spirit to laugh and laugh I shall. Otherwise, what is the point of living?”
Serena rolled her eyes. “I hadn’t expected such a dramatic answer,” she said, letting the sarcasm in her words bleed through, though she loved Jean-Paul’s melodrama.
“It is my way,” Jean-Paul said. “You know this.”
“I know,” she said, smiling in fondness.
Jean-Paul didn’t see it. He had his attention fixed behind them. “A likely wave comes,” he said. “Why don’t you take it?”
Serena had seen it as well. She gave a quick head bob to thank Jean-Paul’s generosity. Her gaze refocused on the oncoming wave. It barreled closer, and when Serena judged the moment right, she paddled hard. The swell reached her, and she launched herself upright, standing the board. She gathered her balance as she dropped down the face of wave. Once settled she cut right.
The wave’s power carried her forward. Rainbows shimmered in the curl, the warm water washed her clean like a baptism as it poured off her skin, the offshore wind, stiff and steady, the call of a gull . . . She lost herself in the moment, a type of magic all its own.
The wave eventually petered out, and time resumed when Serena slipped off her board and into the bay.
Jean-Paul whooped from across the water. “Maybe the kiddie pool has some fun after all, eh?”
They surfed for a few more hours until Serena called it a day. She had to get clean and start dinner. She waved goodbye to Jean-Paul, who decided to stay out a little longer.
As she hauled herself and her board out of the water, she noticed a familiar figure in the distance crossing the Guanyin. She shaded her eyes to confirm who it was. William.
Serena toweled off on the warm, golden sand while waiting for him. As he approached his eyes flicked her up and down, widening slightly. Serena realized why. She wore a two-piece, black bikini. In front of Jean-Paul it hadn’t mattered. He might not have even noticed but William most definitely had.
Although she was privately pleased by his attention, it wouldn’t do for him to know it. Serena rolled her eyes, making sure he saw her reaction before wrapping herself in her towel and slipping on her sandals.
“I can take that,” William said, pointing to her surfboard.
“Thank you,” Serena said with a smile. She passed the board to him and he carried it under his arm. “You know I didn’t expect you for a few more hours.”
“I thought I’d help make dinner,” he said as they made their way to her cottage. “If you don’t mind the company.”
“Are you sure it isn’t because you couldn’t stay away from me?” she teased.
William rolled his eyes. “Think much of yourself?”
Serena laughed. “Someone has to.”
William smirked. “That’s probably true.”
Serena smacked him lightly on the arm.
“Ow,” William said, feigning pain. “What are we making for dinner, by the way?”
They stepped onto the jungle path leading to her cottage, and the thick canopy cut off the sunshine and ocean’s noise like a curtain. It left the trail shadowed and silent, except for the sounds of lizards scuttling across detritus, birds screeching in trees, and leaves rustling in the breeze.
“Ramen noodles,” Serena answered William’s question.
The surfboard smacked her on her bottom.
“Hey!” she protested.
William’s wide-eyed expression of innocence was patently false. “Sorry.”
“I’m sure you are,” she said. “It’s actually baked potatoes and hot dogs.”
Another smack on the bottom.
Serena glowered at William. “You’ll want to be more careful with that board.”
“It was the wind.”
No breeze stirred the jungle, and Serena shook her head.
“So what are we really having?” William asked.
“Sea bass with mango chutney, and potatoes and carrots in a cream sauce with capers.”
He blinked in surprise. “That sounds pretty fancy. You sure you can make it?”
“You’re free to make some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches instead.”
He grinned, easy and free. “I’ll trust your cooking.”
“A wise decision,” she said, her tone droll.
They reached her cottage and William set her board against the porch railing.
“Let me take a quick shower,” Serena said.
“Do you need me to wash your back?” William asked, this time he didn’t sound or look nearly so innocent.
“William!” Serena exclaimed in shock.
They’d kissed—a lot—but nothing more. Serena knew she wasn’t ready for anything beyond that. Not yet. Not with everything they still had to do. Distractions like what William proposed wouldn’t help either of them. Still, she found herself pondering his suggestion.
She flushed when she realized she’d been standing there staring at him. “Why don’t you make yourself useful and get started on the prep work?”
“As you wish,” William said.
The phrase sounded familiar, and Serena eyed William in speculation. The moment stretched, but the memory wouldn’t come, and she shrugged it off. Whatever it was, she’d figure it out later. She took her shower, and by the time she finished, William already had the vegetables chopped and the potatoes frying on a skillet.
“You work fast,” Serena noted.
“Part of my charm.”
While Serena watched him move about the kitchen, his earlier suggestion returned to the forefront of her thoughts. A vision of her and William in her bed came to her, and she flushed, inhaling sharply. Her heart raced, and she had to lean on her Sinskrill training to control her reaction.
It took her longer than usual. Arylyn had spoiled her, left her vulnerable. She couldn’t rein in her emotions so swiftly.
William noticed her silence and faced her. Her breath caught when he lifted her face and kissed her softly. “You were right about me. I couldn’t stay away from you.”
“I thought I’d find you here,” Mink Ware said.
Jason started. He had thought himself alone and unnoticed. He sat near one of River Namaste’s smaller cascades. Behind it actually on a stone bench set within a small hollow behind a curtain of water. It was a place he’d discovered early on after his arrival to Arylyn.
The waterfall broke off one of the main cataracts, washing down the face of a lumpy shelf of rock that jutted twenty feet into empty sky. The protrusion of stone extended from the distant edge of Cliff Air—the westernmost Cliff—like some misshapen mushroom. But from this vantage point, the watery screen distorted Lilith, making it more lovely, more ethereal. The view here reminded Jason of an impressionist painting, with iridescent colors, strange lighting, and broad swatches of imagery.
He loved it.
He loved the privacy even more. The bench behind the waterfall could only be reached by a slick staircase that someone had long ago cut into the shelf
on the side opposite all the terraces and houses of Cliff Air. From here, Jason could see the village but remain hidden. While the hollow and the bench weren’t exactly unknown, not a lot of people knew about it. Mink was one who did.
Jason moved over so she could sit down. The bench wasn’t very wide, and she ended up seated close to him, within the bubble of his personal space. He didn’t mind. He liked Mink. He always had.
When he’d first arrived on Arylyn, she’d wormed her way into his life. Forced her way into it was more like it. Mink was a force of nature, small yet mighty like her namesake animal, and whatever she wanted, she got. And when Jason had first come to Arylyn, she had wanted to get to know him. He was from the Far Beyond. She was native born. At the time, she had told him that she wanted to know if people from the Far Beyond were as exciting as she imagined. She’d been seven, and sadly, he’d gravely disappointed her.
Jason eyed Mink with a grin. “I didn’t realize you wanted to find me. A guy could wonder about something like that.”
She smiled. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Me chasing after you?”
Jason laughed. He liked Mink, but she also intimidated him. “I don’t think I could survive that kind of a hunt.”
Mink’s eyes sparkled with a teasing glint. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of me.”
Jason’s grin fell away. Sometimes he was afraid of Mink but not right now. Right now, he had a different set of worries. It was why he was here. He had wanted some time alone, needed some seclusion to collect his thoughts. The mahavans were coming and doubt filled his mind as to whether Lilith would survive their arrival.
“What’s wrong?” Mink asked.
“Nothing,” Jason said.
She tilted her head in apparent thought. “It doesn’t look like nothing. Tell me.”
Jason sighed, knowing she’d pester him until he gave in. He was a private person who liked to gossip but didn’t like being the subject of gossip. Mink, though, didn’t bother with any of that. She pushed and shoved until she had her answers. Jason had never been able to hold her off once she’d gotten it into her head to learn something. Maybe her parents should have named her Badger.
He told her of his concerns.
Mink nodded her head in agreement, her face serious. “I sometimes worry about that, too.”
“The Irregulars aren’t as well-trained as Rukh would like, as I would like. I’ve seen what Serena can do. If the rest of the mahavans are like her, we might be in trouble.”
Mink shook her head. “I think we’ll be fine.”
Jason frowned in confusion. “Weren’t you just saying you were worried a second ago?”
“I did. I was.”
“And now?”
Mink offered one of her irrepressible grins, a smile that Jason couldn’t help but return. “That was a second ago,” she said. “I changed my mind since then.”
Jason chuckled. Mink really could change her mind that quickly. He’d seen it before.
She gave him a gentle shove with her shoulder. “This is nice. Being here and watching the village.”
“Yes, it is.” The peace of the small hollow crept into Jason. It pushed away some of his worries as he stared at his lovely home. “We’ll keep it safe.”
“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Jake said to Daniella.
They’d decided to take an after-dinner stroll along Clifftop, and thankfully, the heat from earlier in the day had broken when a pleasant trade wind kicked up. It kept the evening cool.
“Yes, it is,” Daniella agreed.
The black-posted street lamps came on as they ambled along. The lights generally signaled an end to the day’s labor, but someone hadn’t mentioned that fact to poor Robert Weeks. Darkness had fallen, but the blacksmith continued to slave away. For weeks he’d been working day and night to forge all the cannons Rukh said they needed. His hammer rang out, sounding with a rhythmic quality as he struck the metal in what sounded like musical timing.
The ringing faded when Jake and Daniella took a turn onto a small side street. Here, Lilith held a peaceful quiet as a few other couples strolled about, all of them probably wanting to enjoy the evening’s coolness as well.
Jake smiled at Daniella. “Would a beautiful woman on this beautiful night like to share some of Maxine’s ice cream with me?”
Daniella smiled back. “You think I’m beautiful? How gallant.”
“My cotillion classes,” Jake said with an easy grin and incline of his head. “Always let the woman know when you appreciate her.”
“I see,” Daniella said. Her eyes twinkled. “Then, as a man who’s taken cotillion classes, you won’t be upset when I tell you that I know you weren’t the one responsible for cooking dinner. But I thank you for it anyway.” She put a hand to her lips as if dismayed by her words, but Jake saw her grin from behind her fingers.
Jake maintained his easy grin and rolled with the light-hearted conversation. “How’d you know?”
“A woman has her ways.” A beat later she added, “Everyone who knows you says you can ruin boiled water, remember?”
“Well, let’s just say that cooking is what keeps me humble.”
Daniella laughed. “Of course. We wouldn’t want you growing arrogant, especially since the food was actually quite good.” Jake caught her eyeing him speculatively. “Who helped you with it?”
“Mr. Zeus. He told me what to do, and my job was to follow his instructions.”
“Well, it was delicious.” Daniella offered a half-curtsy. “Thank you again for inviting me.”
“My pleasure.” Jake doffed an imaginary hat. “But you don’t have to thank me every time we have dinner together.”
“Maybe you’ll fall into a funk again if I don’t.”
Jake pretended to not know what she was talking about. “What funk?”
Daniella’s face fell into lines of overwrought sadness.
Jake winced again. “That bad?”
“That bad,” Daniella confirmed. They had entered a darkened, empty alley and her voice echoed in the hush between the two buildings.
Jake didn’t like remembering that part of his life, and Daniella must have sensed it. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
Jake managed a smile. “It’s fine. I’m not made of glass.”
Daniella placed her hand in the crook of his arm. “Let’s talk about something else. Something fun.”
“Something fun?” Jake tapped his chin, a habit he’d picked up from William. “Maybe Lien’s singing from the other day?”
Daniella laughed. “No. That would be mean.”
“How about the weather?” Jake teased. “That’s always interesting, right?”
Daniella rolled her eyes, and he could tell she wanted him to see it. “Why don’t you tell me how your day went? Like the afternoon drills.”
“That’s right, you had the afternoon off,” Jake said. “You missed William facing off against Jason. Longswords. It was epic.”
Daniella’s interest perked. “Really? Who won?”
Jake paused when he caught sight of glass baubles in a storefront, Samson’s Trinkets. He’d always liked the toys and creations in there. His mother did, too. He’d taken her a few presents from Samson’s during his last visit home.
“Who won?” Daniella pressed.
Jake’s attention snapped back to the here and now. “William. He’s too fast and strong for anyone but Rukh or Jessira to handle.”
“Serena could take him,” Daniella said, sounding confident.
“What makes you say that?” Jake asked. He didn’t think Serena could do so.
“William’s faster and stronger,” Daniella said, “but Serena’s harder. She never quits until she wins. Her will would see her through.”
Jake chuckled, remembering something Coach Rasskins used to say right before a football game: “Whoever wills it, wins it!”
“What’s so funny?” Daniella sounded affronted.
Jake told her what he’d been thinking. “And for the record,” he added, “William would roast Serena. You don’t know how intense he can be.”
They crossed an empty street where the only sounds to be heard were a softly moaning wind and their footsteps.
“I think I have an idea,” Daniella said. “You might have moped, but William growled like he was angry all the time. Or at least really motivated. It wasn’t always pleasant to be around him.”
Her words made Jake feel defensive for his friend. “That was because of Sapient Dormant.”
He caught Daniella eyeing him speculatively. “I heard about that. How he was linked to the necrosed king?”
“Overward,” Jake corrected. “That’s what the other necrosed call Sapient.”
Daniella shivered. “Well, if William got his rage from the Overward—” she stressed Sapient’s title “—then I’d hate to ever meet the creature because William’s anger could be downright scary.”
Jake grinned as he recalled something else. “Serena said a lot of girls thought we were gay.”
“Not gay,” Daniella corrected. “Not William, anyway.”
“Hey!”
Daniella smiled. “Anyway, with William’s intensity and then his anger, all of us were happy that he only seemed interested in Serena.”
“She was the sacrificial lamb, eh?”
Daniella nodded. “A sacrificial lamb who could kick his ass.”
Jake laughed. He liked Daniella’s way of thinking. It was interesting, and he wondered anew how he could have seen her as shy and reserved. She had a lot to say.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better,” Jake said, “I think we can both agree on two people who neither of us could take.”
“William and Serena,” Daniella said. “A matched pair, like Rukh and Jessira.” She mock-shuddered. “Thank God they’re on our side.”
Jake grinned, and his smile widened when he and Daniella took one final turn. Maxine’s was directly ahead, but the ice creamery wasn’t the reason for his sudden happiness.
He’d caught sight of Selene ahead of them, easily picked out by her height and gangly legs. She moved like some strange stork amongst the flock of her girlfriends, all of them chattering and occasionally squealing. He wondered if he should try to embarrass Selene. She’d get so mad, which was the entire point.
