Page 89 of Soul Forge

“Hmm.” Julian grinned, mischief glittering in his silver eyes. “You can’t take your eyes off him. What is it?”

“Nothing.” He stayed watching, staring at her until she cracked. “Fine. Look how well they work together. Gira knows exactly which way to lean to make things easier.”

“Fifty-seven years of being bonded will do that,” Reiner agreed. “They’ve had a long time to get used to one another.”

“To tell you the truth, Sypher hates it,” Julian admitted. “He said it makes him feel like a pony being saddled up.”

“I can imagine it’s not comfortable to carry a passenger, especially one as big as Gira,” the ex-captain mused.

“Good thing you’re tiny, princess,” the vampire teased. “And that he likes you.”

“Did he fly Lillian around?” The question slipped out before Elda could stop it.

Julian shrugged. “He did at first if they had to travel a distance. Once she betrayed him, that stopped altogether. He ditched her so fast it made her head spin.”

“I really don’t like her,” Reiner muttered.

“Nobody likes her. I expected her to switch sides like Cynthia, to be honest,” Julian mused, shifting the reins to change Nox’s trajectory. “It still shocks me that she didn’t.”

“It would be a disaster if she did,” Elda shuddered. “That sword makes her the perfect assassin.”

“Nah,” he scoffed. “She’s the kind of person that would enjoy a dramatic monologue before she killed someone. Assassin's workwouldn’t give her the attention she craves.” Elda couldn’t help but giggle.

They settled into companionable silence for a while, watching Sypher gliding in front of them. After a few hours, Elda found herself getting restless and irritable. Annoyance made her skin prickle, though there was no reason for it.

She tried to focus on the panorama below, watching the flat grasses of Saeryn shift to hills and valleys dipping and rolling across the landscape. They’d left Saeryn’s balmy climate behind for cooler temperatures, and she could tell by the trees on the horizon that they were just south of Eden’s border. She felt no homesickness at the sight of the vast forest in the distance. A huge part of her was glad they wouldn’t be stopping there.

“Gira and Sypher are arguing,” Julian noted, banking closer again. Elda marvelled at the ease with which Nox and Atlas stopped their wings from tangling until the vampire’s low grumble made her glance at the Soul Forge. Her heart skipped a beat when she realised the feelings of unrest didn’t belong to her – they werehis.

“You can hear them?” she asked, squinting at the pair flying ahead.

“Yeah, they’re having their usual argument.”

She frowned. “They have a usual argument?” He nodded. “What about?”

“His ex.” Elda felt Reiner turn in her seat to gawk at the vampire.

Another ripple of annoyance from the Soul Forge fluttered faintly through to her, zipping down the beginnings of their bond. Something else came with it, something deeper that she couldn’t understand.

“Gira has an ex-partner?” she asked.

“Not Gira. Sypher.” Elda turned in the saddle so she could fix him with the same stare Reiner pinned on him. The vampire looked slowly between them. “I guess he hasn’t mentioned her.”

“No, he hasn’t. It’s not like I need to know.” Elda’s brow furrowed, and she turned back the right way to run her fingers through Atlas’ mane. “I’m just surprised he had a relationship with someone when nobody can touch him, and there’s a demon living in his head.”

“Selena came before his touch phobia,” Julian explained, his tone subdued. It was odd to hear him talk without his usual effervescence. “She didn’t have much to do with his demon soul when they were together.”

“Why would Gira argue about her with him?” Reiner probed.

“She was Gira’s cousin.” Julian shifted awkwardly. “I shouldn’t really be telling you this, ladies.”

Reiner turned back to face the direction they were flying in, and Elda studied the faint ebb and flow of emotions through the mental link she seemed to share with the Soul Forge. Most of it was too hard to understand, but she tried anyway, studying the new bond until her head ached. Eventually, the emotions faded, and Elda felt Atlas’ sides heaving with the effort of long-distance travel.

When they finally landed, all of Elda’s muscles were stiff. Gira dropped from Sypher’s back before he touched down. The Soul Forge tucked in his wings and landed lightly beside him, breathing heavily from the strain of the flight. Nox’s landing was less smooth, her hooves clopping against the dirt. Atlas didn’t fare much better. Julian helped Elda out of the saddle, steadying her when her numb legs tried to buckle. Sypher made an exhausted sound and laid flat on the ground, crooking an arm over his eyes.

“When the fuck did you get so heavy?” he grumbled between breaths. Nox copied him, flopping onto the ground with a heavysigh. Steam rose from her twitching muscles as the air chilled with the loss of sunlight.

“I’ve gained muscle since the last time you carried me,” Gira chuckled, their argument seemingly forgotten. “Think of it as endurance training.”

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