Page 18 of Dawn to Dusk
We moved in peaceful silence that managed to not feel painful or awkward. She was comfortable with silence, as was I. Eventually, she took her hands out of the pockets of her skirt, releasing her blades as she decided I would not attack her. Or rather, she wanted me to think her guard down.
Her shoulders relaxed, but her breath was too even. Her movements were too deliberate. It reminded me of small carnivores from the age of the dinosaurs that would play dead so a larger creature would approach its body with no caution. Then they would rip the foolish creature’s throat out.
“Why do we not take the trail?” I asked her. Although I already figured out her motivations, I wanted to cultivate some trust between us.
“I can see who is traveling to and from the village, but they can’t see me.”
Brilliant and paranoid. She guided us along the high ground. Mirneax’s position in the sky would blind anyone who looked this way.
“What are you using as a harness to keep from losing your blades when you set yourself on fire? Phoenix intestines?”
“Dragon hide.” She halted in her tracks to blink at me. “Phoenix intestines? Where would one get that?”
“They are extinct, so I suspected you inherited a harness from your ancestors. The process was grueling, and sol witches were the only people capable of successfully harvesting from a phoenix.” I smiled, knowing I captured her attention.
“Explain,” she demanded, before shaking her head. “Please.”
The blush on her face was endearing, but she started walking again to hide it. She did not contribute much to the conversation, other than to ask clarifying questions, but she listened to my detailed description enthusiastically. It kept theair between us from growing stagnant and watching the waves of fascination on her face was a treat.
Her expression would go between amused and focused, like she was mentally going through the steps herself. When I wrapped up the explanation, she finally gave me an opinion. “That would have required a substantial amount of skill.”
“Watching it was phenomenal.” I told her.
Jealousy burned in her eyes, wishing she could have seen it too. Then her shoulders slumped. “It also would have been a shame for such a glorious creature to be ripped apart for selfish means, even if it could come back to life.”
I shook my head. “You misunderstand, this was done in the brief time between a phoenix’s death and rebirth. The witches of that timeframe would not kill a phoenix simply for crafting materials.”
“I’ve always been told the world was crueler then.”
“In some ways, not all.”
Her eyes scanned over the path below. “Have you noticed that no women are leaving? I assume that is why Balthazar said you needed to come with me.”
My efforts put her at ease enough to truly converse with me. At some point, her body language grew more comfortable. I smiled at my small victory. “They are on a witch hunt.”
“I don’t envy human women.” She confessed.
“Neither do I.” They feared women, so their response was to strangle everything beautiful about them until they were meek and subservient to them. A weak reaction as far as beasts were concerned.
At the edge of the village, she crouched into the brush to watch the village for a while. I sat down watching with her. The vantage point let me smell the entire village.
I closed my eyes to sort through all the scents, certain she would protect us if something came our way. “I smell a witch,but…the scent is faint. I would say that the witch left days ago, but I still sense a magic source down there.”
“It’s a child.” We concluded at the same time.
She rubbed her fingers over the leaves on the half dead bush in front of us, sensing the latent magic. Her magic drew the other witches' magic like a magnet. The earth thrived under sunlight after all.
“The scent is faint because their god has not imprinted their soul yet.” I noted. Although it was clear which god would claim her. “Should we leave?”
“No. We’ll get what we came for,” she said with more confidence than I felt.
“I do not think Balthazar would like this.”
He gave explicit orders that I make sure she was safe. Humans pointed and screamed “witch” at any woman who did not bow to their rules, but whenever there was an actual witch involved, they went insane hunting down the culprit. They would take one look at Esmerey and hang up a noose.
“I can handle it.” She stood up, walking away from me without further fanfare.
I rushed after her as she headed for the trail, opting to enter the village the proper way. I grabbed her arm, placing it on mine.
