Page 21 of Heir of Autumn
“I mean that he’s been naughtier, more prone to leaning toward pixie mischief.” Sylvain winked, then poked me in the ribs. “He’s been a little more gluttonous, too.”
“Listen, Sylvain. The only reason I eat as many desserts now is your horrible influence. I never had a sweet tooth before I met you. And another thing — ”
Evander groaned. “I knew the Oriel of Water would present unique challenges, but I did not sign up for this mess.” He sped away on his cloud of butterflies, overtaking us on purpose. “Gods above and below,” he grumbled.
“You’re just as insufferable, Skink!” I shouted at his back. “And another thing — ”
The piercing cry of a hawk startled me. Namirah zoomed back toward us on gleaming wings, her avian form cloaked in her own protective magic. Just in case. You could never be too sure. Her body wavered as she approached the boat, and she landed spryly on two human feet, transformed back to her regular self.
“I don’t know if that dramatic shriek was necessary on the way down, Namirah,” I said, smirking, taunting her. “You could end up drawing the wrong sort of attention to yourself. Remember those airwolves?”
Sylvain elbowed me and chuckled. “Dramatic? Attention? Birds of a feather, eh, Lochlann?”
I elbowed him back, but harder. “Shut up.” He grunted and laughed, harder, too.
Namirah tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and scoffed. “About those airwolves, I told you. I was hungry and nibbled on a carcass. How was I supposed to know it was their prey? And anyway, shut up, the both of you. Land ho.”
Satchel gasped. “Who are you calling a ho?”
I bit my tongue and swallowed my laughter. Sylvain was right. Satchel really was absorbing my personality.
“I said ‘land ho,’ Satchel. It means — gods, forget it. Island, up ahead!”
And there it was on the horizon, a speck on a stretch of ocean. We were far enough away that circumnavigating it would be a cinch. There was no reason to make a stop, unless — did anyone need to pee, maybe? Nah.
I leaned over to Sylvain, pointing out the island. “I’ll work on the wind, and you maneuver us around.”
Satchel sat up with a start. “No, wait! Head toward it. I can sense it. The guardian, it’s nearby.”
No licking of the fingers or putting of hands up in the air this time. I knew he was exaggerating. Excitement tingled down my spine. Another guardian to fight, and perhaps to add to the medallion. This was going smoother than I expected.
“All right, then.” I flung my hand forward. “Full steam ahead, or whatever. Pretend I said the right sailing words. Let’s do this.”
Evander and his cloud of butterflies pulled back to keep pace with the boat. As we drew closer I could see the differences from the stonier, sharper island we’d arrived on. This wasn’t a single land mass, but a cluster. Smaller outcroppings of coral, sand, and rock surrounded a bigger, grassier island, possibly the largest amount of solid ground we’d seen since we entered the oriel.
I tuned down the essence I was pouring into the Breath of the Wind, slowing our approach. Sylvain navigated the passage among the rocks. The central island was almost cozy, covered in lush, green foliage. Palm trees dotted the grass and the shoreline, gentle waves lapping against clean white sand.
We disembarked one by one. Namirah and Satchel entered the island first, Evander descending beside them as his butterflies dissipated. Sylvain stayed on the boat, glancing bemusedly between it and the shore, his brow furrowed.
“You can dismiss the boat if you want,” I said. “The spare leaves might be useful for what’s coming.”
He nodded, stamping his foot on the bottom of the boat. “And yet I feel it prudent to keep the leaves in this shape. What if we need to beat a hasty retreat?”
“Smart thinking,” I said, giving him a peck on the cheek. “We’ll take a quick look around to be sure.”
“Do be careful, Lochlann.” Sylvain smiled out of the corner of his mouth, rubbing at the spot where I kissed him.
“I will,” I said, squeezing his hand before stepping onto the island myself.
The guardian was nowhere in sight. Evander sighed as he stretched out his arms, admiring the natural beauty of the island. Namirah walked with her arms crossed, frowning at everything, assessing our surroundings with narrowed eyes.
“I know it’s around here somewhere,” Satchel said, flitting from one end of the little island to the other. “I just can’t pinpoint it, exactly.”
Evander scoffed. “Weren’t you just bragging about how Grand Summoner Baylor trained you to detect powerful creatures? Perhaps we should have dangled you from the end of Sylvain’s boat instead. You were right. You’d be better off serving as fish bait, after all.”
I opened my mouth, prepared to lay a verbal smackdown on Evander, until I remembered how feisty my pixie familiar could be. Satchel was more than capable of standing up for himself. Physically, even. Evander had better pray that Satchel wasn’t in the mood for a needle fight.
Satchel zipped straight for Evander’s head, stopping just short of his nose. Evander flinched. His hands fluttered, as if instinct had told him to protect his precious face.
