The Author's Will

24 | Summer Flowers

　　 As soon as they were gone, Irene heaved a sigh and clenched her fists. What an annoying situation.

"Snow!" She called out, summoning her phoenix companion who appeared almost instantaneously in a flash. The bird perched on her shoulder as she gazed down the hall in the direction her friends had gone.

"What's up, Sprout?" He asked, his lean neck peering into her face as that golden beak glistened under the sunlight.

Irene glanced up at the bird, sighing. "I need you to take me to Rayvis and Ivan. This manor is too big for me to go looking for them." She asked him, but from the look on her face, he could tell she was slightly irritated. As if something tedious had been added to her list of things to do.

"Hmm... Alright." Snow answered, launching himself into the air and flapping his wings to gain altitude. As he closed his eyes, he focused his attention to his surroundings, using his strong senses to identify where the boys were.

"They're out in the training grounds," he then told her, flying in the direction of where they were as Irene followed in a hurry. "Why are you looking for them anyway?"

The white-haired girl heaved a sigh, glancing at the servants and nobles in the foyer as they carried on their daily business, switching to speaking with Snow in her mind. "That Ivan is ignoring his brother, so I'm having to find out why," she explained to her winged companion, speeding up her pace as she made her way out of the manor. "The quicker I get this out of the way, the quicker I can have my iced lemonade!"

Irene paced toward the long pathway that would lead her to the training grounds of the knights - now quiet with few soldiers on guard duty since everyone was in war. It was a clear day, the bright sun shining down on the land, it's scorching heat making Irene feel as stuffy as she did before. She liked summer, but not the heat that came with it.

Snow landed on her head as she ran, resting on her white hair for a moment. His presence was rather cooling, since the body of a spirit felt akin to that of a cool breeze. Soon, she reached the training grounds, a long, rectangular area and building with high, sturdy brick walls.

The area was empty, the boys nowhere in sight. Snow directed her towards the back of the building, by the forestry. It seemed the two were staying under the shade of the knight's quarters rather than basking in the summer heat.

At last, Irene meandered around the building to find two boys playing around with a straw dummy and wooden swords. The boys didn't notice her approach, too absorbed in their game to do anything else.

It was then that Rayvis spotted Irene walking toward them, and his look of slight disinterest in what Ivan was saying, turned into a beaming smile.

"Hey Rene! What brings you here?" He greeted, twirling the wooden sword around in his hands as he gave a little jump.

Ivan turned around to see her standing a few metres behind him, and for a moment their eyes met. The boy's dark, teal hair was straight and flat, unlike his brother's. They shared the same amber eyes and the same face, but Ivan carried a much less timid air about him.

Irene's eyes focused on Ivan, who was staring at her with disinterest and boredom. Albeit handsome, the boy had a terrible attitude sometimes. It's okay, he's just a kid who's probably caught up in his own childish illusions. I should go easy on him.

"I came here to speak with Ivan," she said straightly, much to their surprise. "It's about Haren."

Ivan's eyebrows knitted together slightly, as he realised quickly that his brother had probably cried to her about their situation. He tilted his head to the side. "What about him?"