Blood of the Sea, Chapter Sixteen

Chapter 16: Cunctari

Astrophel

Morning comes with the slow-waking realization of comfort taken from being in another’s arms. His first semi-conscious inhale brings the smell of sunshine, saltwater, and skin. Rubbing his nose side to side tickles strands of Dionne’s hair across his cheeks and against his eyelids. His left arm is numb and heavy, but when he blinks open his eyes and sees her head nestled against his shoulder, he forgets about the discomfort moving his arm will bring. Her eyes shift slightly under her eyelids, either in dreams or the gentle stirring of wakefulness. Pressing a butterfly kiss to her forehead, he can’t help but brush a couple more over her nose and cheeks. When he puts his head back on the pillow, her eyes are open and a smile is blooming on her features, expression still smudged with the lingering traces of sleep, her pupils large and dark in the dimly lit room, the sun not yet strong enough to cast shadows in the room. Dionne rubs her cheek against Astrophel’s arm and yawns, stretching and making them both realize how tangled together their limbs are. There’s a peal of content, sleepy laughter, and Astrophel hugs her close. She tips his head down to hers and kisses him, their mouths meeting in a gentle brush of lips, the graze of her fingertips on his jaw. Pursuing the welcomed kiss, she rolls over him, bracing herself with her hands as his fall to her waist, her skin warm and soft under his calloused fingers.

The bang of a pan being set over the fire is unintentional if the string of muttered curses is anything to go by. There’s a pause of silence where Astrophel assumes Sulien is listening to see if he woke them up, but Dionne giggles, and the sound is so pure and contagious that Astrophel ends up laughing too, the sound carrying into the other room. Sulien sighs loudly and calls out, “Yeah, it wasn’t graceful, but I’m making you breakfast.” His voice lowers and Astrophel can just make out something like “ungrateful.”

Dionne smiles and kisses Astrophel again, deepening the kiss as his arms wrap around her waist, not willing to let her go. There’s some more banging around as Sulien gives up on being quiet, and Dionne pulls back from the kiss, eyes dilated, smiling through the shortness of breath they’re both experiencing. She slides out of the bed, Astrophel letting her go, his touch chasing after her as she moves. He throws back the pelts and watches as she grabs her shirt and his, glancing over her shoulder at him as she pulls on his shirt instead of hers, the forgotten fabric falling to the floor. The shirt drapes across the tops of her thighs and she ties back her hair messily and winks at Astrophel before trotting out of the room. As the bedroom door swings open, Astrophel is hit with the smell of cooking meat and some sort of broth. Putting his head in his hands, elbows on his knees, he laughs and pushes his fingers through his hair, sighing as he pushes to his feet. Throwing on his pants from the night before, he moves into the main room.

The central window on the eastern side of the house is large, with drapes pulled to one side and tied off, letting the light of the morning spill across the room, highlighting everything it touches. Astrophel has to blink against the sudden intrusion of light and finds his way over to where Dionne perches on a chair by where Sulien is plating the food. Astrophel curls his fingers around the frame of the chair, standing at the corner of it. Sulien glances up, and Astrophel gets to watch as Sulien’s eyes flick from Dionne to meet his, and Sul’s lips twitch before he presses them together and drops his gaze back to the last piece of meat, turning it on the plate for something to do.

Dionne leans closer to Sulien, pulling the plate of food away from him, plucking up the sausage and taking a bite. Sulien watches, mouth falling open in protest but when he glances back up at Astrophel for backup, Astrophel just shakes his head and smiles, reaching around the chair to take a piece of food for himself.

“The cook never gets enough credit,” Sulien sulks, throwing a towel over his shoulder after wiping his hands off on it.

“Oh,” Dionne swallows, “you get plenty of credit, Sul.” She takes another bite and Astrophel shifts where he’s standing, catching the way her eyes close on the bite and her shoulders relax in an exaggerated manner. He smiles, taking another bite himself, the juices of the meat making him salivate as it runs over his tongue. “This is so good.” Dionne’s eyes open, immediately finding Astrophel’s. She sucks on the fingers which had moments before held the sausage, “Right, Ast?”

Astrophel coughs, clearing his throat and Sulien barks out a laugh waving his hand, “Alright I don’t need to hear how good I am, or it is, I take it back. Just eat.”

Astrophel helps Sulien pass out cups for the broth and sets about pulling a sealed jug out of a hole in the kitchen space kept shaded and cool. Uncorking the bottle, Astrophel hunts around for a ladle before Sulien just about smacks him with it. Rolling his eyes at his friend, he says, “I don’t know where you keep it, alright?” Astrophel doles out glasses of ‘urga milk, the thick liquid a sort of communal wealth. None of them take very much, but what they do drink is heady and sweet after sitting in the jug. Astrophel sets the container back in the ground with a dull thud, covering it once more.

Brushing his hands on his pants, he paces over to the wide window and stares at the sea. The clouds are moving quickly across the sky with the wind, herded away from him and up north and to the east towards Gytheio. Dionne moves to join him, the chair scuffing against the floor when she pushes away from it. “The waves are rolling.”

Astrophel pulls his eyes from the sky. The waves are indeed rolling in swells along the shore, though from their current vantage, they only see the white caps blowing off the tops before the waves near the island and disappear behind the hill.

Sulien joins them at the window as well, bracing an arm on the frame. “Get under the top current and you could still make good time getting back to Caladija.”

“Caladija?” Astrophel’s brow furrows. “Why not Gytheio?”

“Ast,” Sulien leans back, folding his arms over his chest, “your mother said one week. You’ve already been south of here, so that’s at least three days one way. Here another. You have three days till the ceremony.”

“I have three days? What about you? Khalil? Nox?”

“We have three days then.” Sulien stares him down. “Have you talked to Eulla’s Voice?”

Dionne butts in, “Vetra mind-linked them at the council.”

Sulien’s eyes grow wide, “And? What’d she say?”

Astrophel fixes his gaze on the horizon. His mouth opens, but the words stick in his throat. If the hilts blur the lines between friend and foe, and the sea becomes a source of sadness, how am I supposed to break that to them? His mouth closes, the weight of his goddess’ words weighing on him. Dionne’s eyes search his, and he turns the words over in his mind. What do I tell them?

“All that, huh?”

“Shut up, Sul.” Dionne rolls her eyes at their friend.

“He isn’t saying anything about it…”

Astrophel gives in, “She told me that change is inevitable. We all will have a Hilt by the time this is done.”

“See, that wasn’t too bad, now was it?” Sul smirks, but the expression doesn’t quite reach his eyes, which hold a certain curious glint in them, though he doesn’t press the matter further.

“You’ve talked to her?” Astrophel asks in turn.

“Of course,” Sul folds his arms over his chest. “When you and Dionne headed south, I went to Falun. Khalil and Nox went in the past few days.” He arches an eyebrow at Dionne. “Time is ticking.”

Dionne swings a fist, pulling the power behind it for Sul to duck out of the way. He slaps at her wrist.

“You know I’m…”

Her eyes narrow, “If you say you’re right, I’ll swing harder.”

Astrophel wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her into his chest and tucking his chin into her shoulder. “We’re on the same team.”

“You know it has to be done before the reconvening of the council,” Sul presses.

Astrophel scowls at him, “Sul…”

“No, you know what, it’s fine.” Dionne slides out of Astrophel’s arms and stalks toward the door between the rooms. “I have to go.”

“I didn’t mean…” Sul protests.

“Leave it,” Astrophel warns him. Sul rubs at the back of his neck, staring at the ground.

“I’m sorry, Astrophel.”

“You should be apologizing to her.”

“I… I know.”

“Sul, listen to me.” Astrophel waits for his friend to look back up. “We need to support one another moving forward.”

“I always have your back, you know that.”

“Have hers.”

Sulien throws his hands up, “I do.”

“Good.” Astrophel pushes away from the table, “We’ll head out, but I thank you for your hospitality.” Sulien ducks his head, muttering ‘of course’ as Astrophel passes him. In the other room Dionne is throwing clothes around the room, balling them up and sneering at the opposite wall before lobbing the bundled up fabric. Astrophel steps in front of one of the lobbed balls in question, the pants hitting him square in the chest. He stares down at the pants as they fall to the ground, slowly raising his head, a small smile forming as he meets Dionne’s shocked expression, her hand covering her mouth before she bursts into uncomfortable laughter.

“I didn’t mean to…”

“I know. I got in the way.”

“Don’t make it a habit.” Dionne rubs at her face, her shoulders slumping.

“What’s on your mind, Dio?” Astrophel’s voice is soft, “Talk to me.”

“What if I’m not selected?”

“You will be.”

“What if I’m not? What if Vance gets the Hilt? The clans still get to voice their opinion, regardless of what Eulla’s Voice tells us.”

“Hiding from her wisdom won’t help you.”

Dionne shakes her head, squaring her shoulders and scooping up her pants again, “I have to do this. I have to be worthy of it.”

“You already are.”

“Did she tell you that?

“She doesn’t have to.”

“So, no.”

“Dio…”

“It’s fine, Ast. I have to talk to her myself.” She quickly slides into her clothing, searching the room before finding a tie for her hair. Scanning the space, she takes a moment and smiles, hugging herself. Turning the smile on Astrophel, he feels the warmth of her gaze seep into his bones. It feels like sunshine and he wishes he could bask in it for longer when she slings the seal skin bag over her shoulder and strides up to him, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. He restrains himself from holding onto her, though he returns the kiss. He shadows her into the other room, where Sulien stands over the counter still. Sulien pushes his hair back from his face, his eyes rimmed in red.

“I’m sorry, Dionne.”

“Thanks, Sul.” Dionne snatches up a round fruit from a bowl set out, biting into it as she shoulders through the door to the longhouse.

Astrophel lets the door swing shut behind Dionne and places his hands on his hips.

“Sometimes you just gotta let her go,” Sul comments quietly.

“I’m not letting her go. She’s standing up for herself.” Claiming the palace she wants in our society.

“You’re good together.”

“I would hope so. She deserves more than a sword.”

“And you give her more. The sword was a gift, not a bribe.”

Astrophel turns on his friend, “Of course it wasn’t a bribe.”

“Some people would make it out to be one. She knows you’re not one of those. That’s why she’s chosen you.”

Astrophel’s brow furrows.

“Not the only reason,” Sulien holds up his hands in surrender. “I’ll stop…”

“That might be best.” Astrophel shakes his head and the two share a small laugh. “I’ll head out as well. Don’t want to overstay.”

“You’re always welcome to...”

“Thank you, Sul.” Astrophel crosses to the door leading outside, pushing the wood aside, heavier as a gust of wind batters at the surface, trying to push it closed in his face. Bracing against the wind, his hair ruffles about him, plastering in his face. “Are you heading to Caladija yet?”

“Not yet,” Sulien calls back. “Might start the trip in the morning.”

Astrophel lets the door close some, blocking out the wind snarling around the hinges. “You’ve talked to the Voice?”

Sulien nods, his mouth pressed into a line, his eyes looking slightly haunted.

“If you ever want to talk about it…” Astrophel trails off, his own encounter with Eulla’s priestess ringing in his mind’s ear.

Sulien doesn’t look up again when he wishes Astrophel a safe journey and Astrophel returns the wish upon his friend. The door bangs shut behind him and he sucks in a deep breath of the cold, stormy air as rain drops pelt against his cheeks, forcing him squint towards the shore. Iska’s dappled head is nowhere to be seen over the rough waves now beating against the smooth slope, but he knows she’s closer than not. Giving up on the idea of staying dry in this weather - and knowing he’ll be soaked through in a moment anyway - he slides down the grassy slope, mud coating his hand as he steadies himself on the way down, and the soles of his feet as he leaves skid marks behind him. Stumbling forward as the hill ends, he finds himself knee deep in water as the next wave churns forward, washing over his waist and pushing him back. High tide means the shore, as close to the slope as he is, is the breakwater, and there’s nowhere for him to go.

“Iska!” His voice is swallowed up by a clap of thunder, the rain matting his hair against his head and in his eyes, his vision blurry from the water falling from the sky. “Iska!” He feels the tension in his throat from screaming her name, but his own ears don’t even catch the sound. Pushing forward as the next wave breaks around him, he sucks in a breath of air and dives through the crest of the water. Pulling himself forward, he kicks a few paces out before checking above him, seeing if he is past the break point. His eyes burn, open as they are in the salt water, but it’s a familiar experience that he blinks past, searching around instead for his ‘urga. Did Dionne take Pyxis with her and Ryju? Has Iska sheltered for the storm? She would have known it was coming.

The hollow feeling in his chest reminds him of the need to breathe and he paddles further out under the water before surfacing, exhaling bubbles before the water releases him back to the air, rain water trying to replace the air in his lungs as he gasps for his next breath. Diving under once more, he calms himself, letting the water hold him in place as he searches through the dark water. A flash of silver catches his attention - a fish squiggling its way away across his peripheral, before a dark shape emerges, and a flash of teeth cuts the fish in half. Rolling over on herself, Iska snatches up the rest of the fish, tossing it toward Pyxis who also emerges from the dark parts of the storm-clouded water. Upside down, Iska’s eyes hone in on Astrophel and her tail lashes as she zooms over to his side. Butting her head into his chest, he loops his arms around her neck as he lays flat against her stomach and she barrel rolls back toward the depths. Pyxis meets them halfway and snuggles up against Iska’s side under one of her fore flippers. Iska slows to check Pyxis is secure, and Astrophel takes the opportunity to shift around to lay against Iska’s back, letting her streamline as she lashes her tail once more, and they race away from the storm raging overhead, and ultimately on toward Caladija once again.