Light of the Heavens

II. Words in the Desert

Vassa ran her fingertips along the edge of her mask, smoothing the fabric thoughtfully as she regarded the distance. By Seben's estimate, they were only a day from Okena. The thought of a potential bath was almost intoxicating. Coin was not something Vassa spent frivolously and so she had a fair amount of wealth tucked away, though much of it was in the form of gemstones, high-value items that were lighter to transport than their worth in silver and gold. With Samir to defend them, she seldom had to concern herself with people rifling through her bags.

Seben held the reins of one of the bandit's horses. Fortunately, raised in the desert as the beast was, it didn't have the normal aversion to the smell and sound of a camel. "Are you going to Okena?" she asked, a note of hope in her voice.

"I am," Vassa said. She had no real destination to speak of, other than to see as much as she could. Much of her life had been spent secluded away from the world among her own people. That seclusion and the nature of her kind stoked curiosity, wanderlust, and a hunger for novelty in Vassa that she was ill-inclined to ignore. Besides, it was not as though returning home was possible.

An earnest smile of relief broke out across the fire-speaker's face. "That's good. I...don't want to travel alone."

Vassa arched an eyebrow, though the expression was hidden by her hood. "How charming."

Seben frowned at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The masked traveler laughed, the sound soft and almost silvery. "Few would so readily cast themselves upon the good graces of a stranger met in the desert." Her eyes flashed under the hood, catching sunlight. "A dangerous stranger, no less."

"If you wanted to kill me, you've had ample opportunity," Seben pointed out defensively. "You saved me when you didn't have to and you watched over me last night." She was perceptive enough to get a glimpse of Vassa's face where it was not shrouded by fabric: heavily hooded and almond-shaped pale green eyes. They were piercing and did not feel inclined towards habitual kindness, however amused Vassa sounded.

"It pays to be cautious. You know little of my intentions," Vassa said as she climbed up into the saddle on Samir with seemingly no effort required.

It was one of the things that gave Seben the most pause: every movement of Vassa's was fluid and worthy of a dancer. For supposedly not being a warrior, she moved with an almost otherworldly grace that any Kingsguard would kill to have. Her rescuer was slim, but it was hard to forget the precision and speed that she brought to her attacks on the bandits. "I know your actions."

Vassa half-smiled behind her mask. "Perhaps." She had no ulterior motive to helping Seben other than serving her own curiosity, which was fairly benign as far as such things went, but she found it wise to be skeptical of others. Hearts were such uncertain things. "Well, fire-speaker, shall we?"

"I'm not a full fire-speaker yet," Seben said as she mounted her horse.

"Fascinating. What do you have left to learn, apprentice?" Vassa said, keeping Samir close to the horse so they could talk without bellowing. The other horses followed close behind, carrying water. They were good, healthy beasts that would probably fetch a decent price and bore no brand to make anyone immediately suspicious. Vassa had opted to remove their saddles to ensure there would be less to remark upon.

Seben sighed. "Calling djinn." Her tone made it clear that she knew having that ability would have saved her. There was also a note of something else in her voice that Vassa placed immediately: conflict.

"You do not feel you are suited to your studies," Vassa said as if it was a question, but her inflection made it more of a statement.

The comment was not a critique, but Seben tensed as those words struck a nerve. "I don't know what you're talking about."