"You cannot be this daft Bane Steelhead. Isn't the number one rule of any training to take note of your damn surroundings?" Penina snapped, waving her hand at the five other glass enclosures that had the swordmaster's eyes widening in shock before she continued, "Have your eyes stopped working along with your brain? Did I truly make a mistake in requesting you to be woken second before the others…?"
Bane growled, "Enough girl—" he frowned, bright blue eyes honing in on her, "Yourequested for me to be woken?"
I stilled at the vulnerability in his tone.
Penina hissed, stamping her foot, "Of course you foolish fossil. You are a fire elemental, we are freezing our asses off in the cold and you wield lightning which will protect us from what lurks in the red haze of the eclipsed sky. I should not have to explain that to you," she waved her hand at his bare muscular arms and his thin flowing pants. "I mean look at you, you're barely shivering and it's well below freezing."
Bane's eyes flashed with fire before he crossed his arms. "Fine. I'll stand guard and wait."
Shifting into shadow, Riella reappeared and dropped a bag briefly in front of him. "Here is your bag, swordmaster Steelhead," she blinked her swirling gold green eyes up at him, her lashes fluttering on her innocent face. Bane's own softened, petting her head awkwardly, "Thank you, little cub."
Riella grinned widely up at him, "You are welcome." She waved her hand and her shadow spear appeared within it. Biting her lip she fluttered her lashes again from beneath her fur lined hood. "Maedere says you are the best weapons master around. Do you think you can teach me how to use my new spear?"
Penina snickered and leaned in whispering to me, "Oh she is good."
Bane's eyes widened before he shot me a death glare, "Dark are you aware your daughter is holding a bás fang weapon."
I grinned at him, "Very."
His eyes sparkled but his frown of disapproval was that of carved granite, even as he looked back down at Riella, "I suppose I have no choice but to teach you, lest you accidentally snuff someone from their entire existence before their time is truly up."
Riella jumped up and down excitedly, forcing Bane to step further away from her waving spear and I could not stop the small laugh escaping my lips.
A loving hand fell on my shoulder, Penina turning me towards her, "Allow me to help you, Rem. The quicker this is done the safer we will be." Her eyes flickered to my chest, “the safer Emon will be.”
I studied her deep brown eyes for a moment, fearful of the answers that I would find in them, how much she already knew about Emon’s fate. "Agreed."
Signaling the shadows to split between us, they obeyed without hesitation. "You wake Xi. I'll wake Riley."
Penina grinned as she opened up the glass and her eyes glowed happily with mischief. "Tyr will be so pissed he was not chosen to be awakened with them."
I shook my head, staring down at the wavy green hair of my best friend, brushing it off his brow. "Time to come back to me again, Ri," I whispered, dropping his soul into his body once more.
Hazel eyes blinked rapidly and shined brightly up at me. "Hey Rem," his deep voice croaked before groaning loudly as he rose up. My hand snapped out to ease his movement, feeling his body suddenly tense. Looking up, I smiled at the way he stared at Xi across from him, her posture mirroring his. "Heyterrella," he rasped.Little earthin ancient fae, it was an endearment he only ever used in private with her. To witness it now spoke volumes of their bond.
Xi's hair fell over half her face when she leaned towards him. "Riley," she breathed before launching herself forward and wrapping her arms around him.
Catching her, Riley buried his face into her neck. "It's alright, Xi. We are alright. Our general saved the day evidently," he looked around him, brushing Xi’s hair from her face, his lips smirking, "Although on second thought, I might retract that statement."
Xi sniffed and swatted at his chest, "Don’t even joke about that Ri.” Her gray eyes turned on me and then fell on the frozen lands. “Thank you for saving us, Rem. Is this…the Sanguine?"
The shadows dropped their provisions in front of them, making them both jump. "Yep!" I said with a bit of snark and winked, "Get dressed, I have three more shifters to wake and then we go to war."
Xi groaned, dropping her head back into Riley's chest, "Why is she always so happy about shit like this…that tone Ri, and you know it's never a good thing when it comes with a goddess damn wink."
Riley chuckled, squeezing her reassuringly, “Do not worry, I will endeavor to keep the blood from your hair this time.”
Xi sniffed, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
Penina and my eyes met, nodding, we moved on. Quickly restoring Asher and Tyr, their souls settling with ease and their awakening smooth.
"Fucking goddess. My balls are already half frozen," Tyr growled once he got his bearings, swinging his legs down to the ground.
Penina chucked his bag at his head, laughing. "Then put a hat on them before the only brain cells you have freeze off of you."
Asher groaned, as I helped him to sit, his head shaking with disapproval at the two seemingly childish shifters. "I swear it on the goddess, Skyler and I did try to raise them the best we could…with manners and sensibility."
I laughed softly, "I know you did Asher."
