YUVEN

No news, though I'm expecting a letter from Neven. It better come before the Summit. He rifled through the delivery post, but nothing was signed to him, sealed with magicks. Disorganized mess... Someone needs to have a talk with the Trainees and how to teach them to sort through mail and not discard it. He double checked one last time at the post, but lifted his head at the sounds of footsteps and closed the secure post for Storm Warden mail.

"Yuven?" Fenrer asked.

"Fenrer." He gave up on the mail for the day to face his Oathbound. "Why are you here? Were you not going through more rudimentary training with Adara?" He stomped into Fenrer's space. "We don't have time for this, you know. You know that the Conclave is nervous. If we don't show some sort of results by the Summit—"

Fenrer raised his hands. "I gave her a break. Speaking of, maybe you should have one instead of going on your patrol of the road."

Yuven eyed him. "You peeked through the postings requests?" When Fenrer gazed at him, he huffed. "Everyone acts like they've got all the time in the world. Well, I do not." He swung his hand to scoot Fenrer away. "Besides, other Wardens are busy heading to the plains to do usual patrol routes. I offered to go. We have yet to confirm that the last string of attacks haven't attracted more Derelicts. Are you not going to go check on that little village past the outpost?"

Fenrer frowned. "Warden Isari is keeping me updated on the state of it. Their water supply has yet to cleanse itself. Auro Nien headed over there to teach the young Aurus and to hasten the process. There is not much else I can do for them." His fingers wrapped around his clasped band. "There have been no sightings of taint otherwise."

Yuven walked down the path, and he scowled when Fenrer matched his pace with ease. "Where is Adara then?"

"Last I saw, reading your suggested book," Fenrer said, but before Yuven could retreat past the gate, Fenrer grabbed his shoulder and stopped him short. Unable to fight against the strength of a healthy man. "We should talk about that."

"What is there to talk about?"

Fenrer let him go then indicated down the road. Yuven took his acceptance of his duty, but dared not rush away from his Oathbound. He'd find me anyway.

"If we're to help her, Yuven, both of you need to reach some sort of common ground," he pointed out in a cautious tone.

"Need I remind you that our job does not include 'making friends' with the Anima?"

Fenrer folded his arms as they stopped out of reach of Fallholt's protective light. He said no words, but the steady expression on his face said more than they ever could. Yuven growled and threw a puff of air at a nearby tree. Leaves rustled with the motion of the flow, but exhaustion laced through his bones. "I just don't view the point." He shuffled over each stone in the path, counting them. "Besides, her naivety is annoying. She wields magick no normal magickae can comprehend."

"Are you... jealous?"

Yuven jolted and switched on his heel. "Jealous of what? Her blissful unawareness to how the real world works? Her insistence that stories have some sort of meaning to them instead of their lies, acting like she'd be happier in ignorance? Well, I would not be. I would not be happier in ignorance. We both know better than most where that can only lead." He waved another burst of wind into the trees, where the leaves danced with the movement. "Where it always leads. I am not jealous, Fenrer. I am irritated at what we've been saddled with. Quite a monumental task for the two of us. A task with a time limit."

"And keeping her at arm's length, making her feel like we do will alleviate that?"

Yuven stomped down the path. "Why does it matter so much to you, then?"

"Because I know how she must be feeling." Fenrer raced around him to block his patrol route. "And I know you do too."

Yuven pushed into his shoulder to shove him out of the way. "It doesn't matter."

A soft laugh escaped Fenrer, but he no longer attempted to block his destination. "I don't think Neven would agree with that."

Yuven stopped at the mention of their Guardian's name. He scoffed and continued to walk with Fenrer's insistent footsteps behind him. "Maybe if we get to see him again, you can ask for his opinion. Until then... I will not be doing the friend-making with the Anima—"

"Adara."

"Adara." Yuven stuck his tongue out.

"I'm not asking you to make friends with her if that's not what you want," Fenrer continued. "I'm asking you to..." He withdrew his hands and sighed. "You're right in that we know better than most, but that just means doing it ourselves is not the answer. It makes us hypocrites." Fenrer took the lead without another word.

Yuven dug the tips of his fingers into his palms. Rust crawled up through his stomach and straight to his throat. It tickled, and then raked its jagged claws against his tongue. He tried to stifle the wave, but blood burst forth. He coughed, bringing a hand up to his mouth while the world blurred from his pained irritant. Fenrer switched on his heel, heading back to him as he came back into focus. "I'm fine," Yuven growled as he dropped his hand to his side and the coughing fit subsided.

"Did you take your morning medication?" Fenrer asked when he rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes..." Yuven rolled his eyes. "And I shall take my nightly dose when I return. We should continue."

They reached the break in the path, where the reckless traveler was left with nothing but their bones. Yuven grabbed a pinch of dirt, squeezing it in his palm to test for the taint in whatever moisture was within it. It slipped out of his palm with ease. Fenrer brushed his hand against the tree they found the traveler slumped up against, lifting his gaze up to the heavens. No carriages rolled down the path, but Azahama's lights shone on the horizon.

"It's clear," Fenrer said after a cursory glance through the undergrowth. "Shall we round our way back?"

Yuven lifted himself up to his feet and glanced down the other path, where a man lost a beloved pet. Same old stories. Same old truths. He nodded at Fenrer, and the two headed back to Fallholt. He folded his arms as a gentle, northern wind brushed through the forest, but he twisted his head away from it. "I hate how we get the wind from the distant mountain range."

Fenrer said nothing in response as they came closer to Fallholt. "Are we taking the next train to the Summit?"

"Yes." Yuven huffed. "We are, quite sadly, taking the train with the leader of Dyrin."

Fenrer pursed his lips. "Probably won't be that much different from the other Summits. There's only two governmental leaders of the kingdoms who need to talk it out. It's less a meeting between powers now and more of a festival in its own right." Fenrer tipped his head forward, and faltered in his steps. "We haven't had a magickae war since the Hanekan civil conflict... and Heiise Reyn took the throne from the last." Fenrer switched his gaze to the bundle of bushes next to his feet.

Yuven stopped at the observation. "Monarchs are all the same," he muttered. "Take the Naveeran one for example. Murdered so many people, both Hanekans and his own — all for his own selfish gain." He tried not to squeeze anymore blood out of his tongue, and he kicked a pebble out of his way. "That is all people are to those types. Expendable. Tools for their own power. King Brien was the same as the rest of them. Thank the Ancients, I suppose, that the Naveeran monarchy has decided that the Summit is too beneath them." He sniffed, and continued on his way. "I hated Tebora. It was everything I hate about them. Kings fat on power, who refuse to swing their own swords... while the people they crush with iron fists worship the ground they walk on, never knowing any better."

Fenrer crossed his arms. "So you do sympathize with Adara."

"That purge shouldn't have happened. It happened because some..." Words tangled up in his throat. "Some... Asshole monarch decided that if he doesn't understand something, he better crush it into the dirt... and expected the people he murdered to dig their own graves."

Fenrer sighed. "There's nothing left we can do about that, Yuven. Let's just see how this Summit turns out, aye?" He lifted his hand to the incoming gate. "You also need to rest. You're the acting commander of this operation." His smile returned with a spot of deviousness. "Need I point out that as such one of your duties is to talk with the leaders about what the Storm Wardens will be doing in the meantime?"

"I will be keeping it short," Yuven bit as they reentered Fallholt, where people settled down for the evening. "It's as you said, Fenrer... this Summit will be like the others. Two monarchs is at least more manageable than the supposed four that is usually involved with this." Yuven shrugged. "We've prepared wards and dug them deep into the plains for their picked parties and anyone who may come to enjoy the festivities... if you enjoy that sort of thing. I am not expecting more than that." They stopped outside the hall, and Yuven pushed Fenrer. "You also scold me for not getting rest, but you don't get any either. You should go do so. I'm going to need you during the Summit."

"For what?"

Yuven frowned. "Translate."

Fenrer gazed at him. "Yuven, you can understand Hanekan fine."

"Just because I can understand it, doesn't mean I can speak it well." He huffed. "It feels like a potato gets lodged in my throat when I try." He snapped his fingers at Fenrer. "I also, don't see you making any attempts at learning Navee."

Fenrer raised his hands. "Yuven, whenever I try, you say I sound like a..." He hesitated. "A bird that somehow unlearned how to actually sing and stole another bird's song and completely butchered it."

"Then don't sound like that," Yuven said as Fenrer burst out into laughter.

"Then don't shove a potato in your throat, and I guess we're even on that front." Fenrer waved his hands. "I'll talk to you on the morrow, Yuven. Be sure to take your medicine. I'll help translate during the Summit if that is your wish, though I do say that your Hanekan is better than you think it is."

"And your Navee is still shit, though I can't fathom how. You were raised by a Naveeran."

Fenrer shook his head as he walked away. Yuven folded his arms and entered the hall. Quiet conversations raised around him as senior Storm Wardens sat around tables. Some Trainees buried themselves in their studies. He moved past their whispers, past their looks of judgement. It tore into his shoulders, but he crawled through the blood soaked rejection in his heart. I have no other way to go... Neven said to ignore it. It doesn't matter what they say. I must go forward... Yuven turned down the hall.

And almost ran full tilt into the Anima, who jumped away from him.

"Yuven!" she exclaimed.

Fear me. Fear me like the rest of them. Yuven glowered at her, trying to chase her out of his path. When she didn't move an inch, she asked, "What is it now?"

"I want to apologize for my behavior earlier," she mumbled.

The path broke in front of him. "Excuse me?"

"I said," Adara drew out. "I want to apologize, Yuven. I'm sorry for how I acted. I know in the end, no matter how you go about it, you are looking out for my best interests."

Yuven scoffed and stared at the wall. "You should learn to look after your own best interests, Anima."

Adara sighed, and he switched his attention back to her to read the face of judgment. Her eyes rolled as she shook her head. "Well, aren't you charming when someone tries to apologize? Well, I said it. I'm sorry. I'll read your monolith of a book before the Summit if it'll help." With a flick of her hand, she stepped past him. "But if you call me 'Anima' one more time, I will kick you."

Yuven jolted at her defiance. "All five hundred pages."

"I promised at least one hundred pages, so don't get excited. This doesn't change the fact that you have the emotional range of a mushroom, Yuven." Adara disappeared up the stairs, and he tried not to send an ice thrall after her to teach her a lesson as he had taught the Trainees a valuable one.

Yuven ran her words through his head. The emotional range of a mushroom? What a ridiculous attempt at insulting me. Mushrooms don't have emotions. I'm sure Hanekan has more colorful, sensical insults... Common is so boring... He pursed his lips then headed to his captain's quarters to try and rebuild his shattered destinations.