Anew- Book 2

Chapter 18

Sheyric walks the dirt path worn into the grouds of Raencalia with a dagger swinging at his side and another one of those huge rabbits that come from the woods around the town. Crevan follows on his heels, jumping up to sniff the game and offer excited yips.

He was first to wake up again, and elected to check the snares Vaeic did yesterday for her. Yet again, he's feeling useless and bored from not helping anyone. Although it may have been a poor idea to do this to her, knowing what her reactions to most things are.

Quickly, he reached the nurse's house, two down from Ryn's home and directly across the way from Leiea's. He knocks on the door and it swings open widely before he could even stand up straighter and Crevan barks with surprise.

Vaeic stands in the doorway, her eyes dark and heavy with lack of sleep. She raises an eyebrow at the rabbit and leans to the side.

"So I'm the one people go to with dead animals to gut?"

Sheyric sighs internally. "You were going to do it anyways."

She scowls and yanks it from his grasp, trudging back inside. "Tell your sister to meet me here."

He nods and begins to follow inside, taking it as an invitation, but she rushes back to slam it shut in his face. Crevan whines, but Sheyric only gives a small humorless laugh.

"Well I'll be damned."

Sheyric chuckles and turns around. Who he expected to see behind him was Glennic. Not the curly haired boy he hasn't seen since he was 17.

"Bryen."

Bryen performs a dramatic bow and pulls Sheyric into a rough hug, swinging both of them around.

"I completely forgot about you," Sheyric exclaims. "I would've thought you died!"

The boy- well, man now- crosses his arms with a giddy smile and scrunches his nose. He's less freckly than in their school days, but certainly just as rowdy. Sheyric had plenty of friends, but he was the only real one that lasted. That he really had fun with. How did he manage to forget about him? And how in all of Kiira did he mistake his voice for Glennic's?

"You somehow managed to be even richer." Bryen says, his tone playful but mocking.

Sheyric scoffs and scratches the back of his neck. "I was just planning on not talking about that..."

"What's it like still being higher up than everyone else?"

He glares at the man sidelong and starts walking back to the house across the way, Crevan trotting in front of him. It doesn't take long for Bryen to catch up, rustling inside a small cloth bag tied at his waist. He pulls a small warped paper from it and hands it over with a smirk.

Sheyric lets out a hoot of laughter, recognizing it without even having to turn it upright.

One of the last times they saw each other, Bryen put together a very unflattering sketch of a girl the noble was infatuated with nearing school graduation. It's not a bad drawing- just the horribly rushed and misshapen eyes that were scribbled on to make him angry. The girl's teardrop-shaped eyes were always what he liked best about her, and this thing just about ruined it.

Sheyric rests a hand on his heart solemnly. "I'll treasure it."

"I never said you're keeping it," Bryen says, snatching it away. "I didn't bother saving this from two fires to leave with you. Plus, I'm rather proud of it."

Sheyric blinks, thinking. "How did I not see you in the encampment?"

Bryen shrugs half-heartedly, but the way his face falls tells enough. "I wasn't a lucky one. I almost lost a few limbs, but they're just really messed up from burns now. Something about it made me deaf in one ear too." He pauses to point at his left ear. "I tried running out of the village on my own and forcing my way but I fainted and someone had to carry me away."