Strange New Eyes

Chapter Sixteen - Father

The night fell heavily over the three travelers, but Aysel wasn't awake to see it. As soon as the sun began to dip over the rugged horizon, she started to get drowsy, and the rhythm of Dunyasha's steps across the snowy ground began to seem like a lullabye.

"You're tired," Dunyasha noticed after Aysel yawned for a fifth time. "You should rest."

"I'm not so tired," she replied, suppressing another yawn.

Dunyasha smirked, then sniffed loudly. "Smells like you're lying."

Aysel rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"Never," Dunyasha said. "But you are tired, so rest."

"What, while you're walking?" she asked.

"I won't let you fall. Rest, at least for a while."

Sleep beckoned. Aysel looped her hands into the soft, short hair running down Dunyasha's neck and closed her eyes. She was asleep in minutes, and dreamed of bars of herb-scented soap.

The sound of voices woke her. They were hushed and muffled by the sound of mountain wind, and she would have gone back to sleep if she hadn't heard her name.

"... Aysel why we're here?" Dunyasha was asking. Aysel's drowsiness faded away at once, replaced by curiosity. She kept her eyes closed, her breathing steady, and her ears open.

There was the sound of shifting fabric as Enrick shrugged. "I did. She wanted to know where we were going, so I told her."

"You were never one to reveal information so easily," Dunyasha growled. "For example, you didn't tell me where we were going. If I had known we were going to see Ystervo..."

"That was intentional, dear cousin. If I had told you from the start, would you have come?"

Aysel felt Dunyasha's body tense, but she sighed, and the tension released. "I don't know. Probably. As much as I hate to see him, I hate being in your debt more."

"Ah, he isn't so bad." Again, his voice slipped almost imperceivably into reverence.

Dunyasha's, however, held none. "Why do you protect him?" she growled. "He left me nearly alone in a position of power I was still growing into. He should have seen I was never meant to lead, even if I could read the smoke. He abandoned me."

"You abandoned me," Enrick said. "In case you forget. You abandoned all of us. And look what that led to: Ondrey dead, along with so many others. You could have stopped that, but you didn't. You ran away. You left me the burden of leadership when I didn't want it and couldn't hold it." His voice was calm, as if he was reasoning something out with a child. "This is your fault. I killed my little brother with my mistakes, but it's your fault."

Dunyasha was silent. At last, she said, "After this, if you ever see me again, we won't speak of what I've done."

"That's the deal," Enrick said smoothly. "Though you should be grateful, Dunya. Your life and Aysel's risked for the forty that died that day? It's a bargain."

A breath hissed out through her nose. "Once this is done, I don't want her harmed, Enrick. Not at all."

"You think so low of me, Dunya?" he asked, sounding injured. "This journey has changed me as well as you. I learned that not all Letters are evil, Aysel learned that we aren't monsters, and you learned that you like stubborn Letter girls with curves like a-- oh relax, she's asleep," he laughed as Dunyasha sputtered. "Besides, a deal is a deal. After we make the delivery, Aysel will rejoin her family and friends."