Moonshadow (Book 1 of the Torrent Skies Saga)

Chapter Seven: Curiosity and Revelation, Pt 1

Katerin had spent a lot of her time the previous night in the infirmary thinking. She had fought in a battle that was not her own, one she did not truly understand. Were ore and sap, even as rare as they claimed, worth all this bloodshed? She could not decide if she was proud of her actions or not, and she wondered if she should have stayed out of it, should have left the bloody, rampant desires for war to take their course without her.

She was no part of Sahn-Raidar and was sure she would not agree with their standards and methods, but she supposed helping them defend themselves had saved some lives. She was unsure if they were the right lives to save, however, and that doubt had pulled at her throughout the night.

Both Fykes and Jon had been quiet ever since the fight. Fykes' sadness seemed an impermeable aura. He had walked them to the infirmary, muttered something about finding a healer tomorrow, and limped away before she could say anything. She had wondered about him, too—until the herbs took effect and knocked her into a deep and dreamless sleep.

He was annoyingly confident, positive, idiotically brave, and infuriatingly close lipped about himself. He had a natural, alluring charm, and she despised him for it, but she could not get him off her mind. He did not fit in any category her mind tried to shove him, and that bothered her. It was something she hardly ever found in people. Their motives always made sense, even if it was in such a way you did not want to see or had to dig deeper to understand.

He acted as if he could get whatever he wanted, though he did not seem likely to abuse it. She supposed he had to have some skill to survive here, and she had seen some of that already. Still, his personality and annoying eccentricities nagged at her.

Sometime in the early afternoon, she left her bunk and made her way to the fort's kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her wounds still ached, and a large yellow and purple bruise decorated her jaw. Healing had made her well enough to move around, but it could not fix everything, and she still sported a good amount of swelling and small cuts, including a rather immobile hand, wrapped as it was in bandages. The kitchen was busier than she expected, so late in the day. She instantly picked two people out of the crowd, lavender hair on one, and a purple coat on the other.

They were talking in quiet tones, heads bent low. Both their faces looked tired and pale. Bruised, cut, and gaunt from the stresses of the previous night. It seemed no one had made it through the night without a scratch, for all around the kitchen she saw bandages and bruises and bloodstained armor.

She lined up behind three soldiers and waited for her food. It was simple, but more than filling—bread and a bowl of thick, savory-smelling venison stew. She thought to find a seat to herself and leave Fykes and Jon to their discussion, but as she searched for a quiet corner, Jon's loud voice caught her ears.

"There's our battle mage! How is she this fine afternoon?" His voice was hoarse, but his eyes were bright as he beckoned her to their table.

She sat across from them with only a hint of reluctance, and a quick glance at Fykes' expression told her nothing of his preference. "I'm sore... your beds really aren't what they could be," she said, stretching her arms over her head with a wince.

Jon laughed, his mustache blowing out about his face, and winked at her. "My bed is very nice, if you ever get too uncomfortable."

"No, no. I think I'd rather take the floor," she said, her eyes wide as she shook her head at his joke.

Jon gave her a mock frown and passed her a bottle of rum. She looked at it skeptically, before shrugging and pouring a little in her cup. The healers had taken care of the worst of her injuries, but fatigue and thought remained, and a sip of rum never hurt anything. She almost chuckled as she wondered what her father and Imeiza might think of her now. She was sitting in a fort filled with nothing but men and drinking with her breakfast.