“I wouldn’t be too confident, son,” he signed as he spoke. “Eme is Orion’s daughter. You aren’t kids anymore. You both have quite the challenge on your hands.” He chuckled at the end of his statement.
My father shook his head and smiled as he took another bite out of his meal. While Hallan distracted Ace with conversation, I darted toward the gaping cave exit, never missing a beat as I disappeared into the tree line. I heard the heartbeat of wings flutter overhead.
“Cheater,” I mumbled under my breath. I knew Sky Elves didn’t need bending to fly. Their wings were an extension of them. Like a leg or an arm, they used them the same. But it definitely gave him the advantage. He must have stayed close to the treetops to avoid being seen by any Fire Fae. Even so, it was reckless. If they thought for a moment that he was trying to flee Esora, they’d shoot him down.
Once I was far enough away from the cave, I slowed my pace, using my senses to guide me to whatever prey lay in the woods. Listening carefully, I heard the rustle of foliage, either from an animal or Ace had landed close by. The hairs on my neck stood on end as if my senses were acutely aware someone was near. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I moved between the uneven trees, until I saw him. I crouched quickly, trying to make myself appear small.
The stag stood grazing in a small clearing between some trees. If I could use my bending, this would have already been over, but my father knew I’d never back down from a challenge. We both had always been competitive. From the moment I was born, he tried to teach and challenge me through every milestone. This was just another test.
Movement caught my attention from my peripherals. I cocked my head to the side but was only met with the darkness of the night. I couldn’t fight the feeling of gazing eyes on me. Was Ace watching me? I pushed down the feeling. If he was, I was sure he had already seen my dinner up ahead.
This was going to get bloody. I pulled my battle axe from my side, creeping forward to get a good aim on my target before the animal could sense me and run. I hauled my right arm over my shoulder, launching my axe forward with deadly force. The wind whistled as my blade sliced through the air. Ace dropped through the canopy of trees and grabbed my axe by its hilt before landing. One knee hit the ground like a man bowing before a god. He peered over his shoulder at me with a sly grin before trying to use my blade to kill the stag.
I sprinted forward, barreling straight into him before he had the chance to steal my dinner. Or fly away. The deer darted as we wrestled to the ground. I knocked my axe from his grasp, and it skittered through the dirt as I pinned him facedown in the soil. He wasn’t expecting me to come for him. He flipped me effortlessly onto my back, knocking the air from my lungs with the force.
“Damn the Mother,” I cursed as I grunted against his hold. “That was my dinner. Now look what you did,” I said as I snaked my hand to the dagger strapped to my thigh, lurching it up to his neck before he realized. He shook his head with a grin. Using his bending, he blew a gust of wind from his mouth so strong, it knocked my dagger from my grasp.
“Okay, let’s even the field.” I felt for the water deep under the soil we lay on and called for it to heed my command. It coursed through the land, emerged through the dirt, and twisted around his ankles. I dipped my head to the side, and he flew off me and hit one of the nearby trees as I stood, brushing myself off. Ace got back to his feet quickly, giving me a mean mug.
“You started it,” I said as he signed to me. To my surprise, I understood.
“Now what?” he asked, wiping the dirt off of his sweaty face.
“We eat rat. That stag is long gone. I’m tired, so I’m going back.” I turned and walked away before he responded, and a few moments later, he was walking next to me. On the brief journey back, we didn’t speak, but my mind kept snagging on the moment I saw something move. If Ace had been in the sky, then what had been in the woods? I tucked it into the back of my mind. I was growing delusional from the lack of sleep. Many creatures lurked at night. I was sure it was just another dinner that had escaped me.
We made it back to the cave the same way we had left: tired and hungry. My father was still sitting up by the fire, waiting for us to return. Hallan lay in his bedroll snoring, already deep into his sleep. My father glanced over his shoulder before shaking his head in disapproval. He turned to us as he stood.
“What did we learn?” he asked, his eyes bouncing between us both.
“That Ace knows how to run off a stag.” I huffed, annoyed, pointing my thumb in his direction as he stood next to me, giving me a look filled with venom.
“No.” My father shook his head with a sigh. “Mai lao kahi,”he signed and spoke as he continued, reminding us of our battle cries.Forever as one.
“What does that have to do with the lesson, Pada?” I questioned, frustrated, as my belly groaned and my body ached from wrestling the winged buffoon next to me.
“You should have worked together,” he spoke to me while signing to Ace, obviously more fluent than Hallan had believed, or maybe he did know. They had been best friends my entire life after all.
“But you sai—” He cut off my rebuttal.
“I know what I said, a contest and whoever returned first won, but there was nothing stopping you both from winning. You could have worked together and walked back in here with your dinner in hand.” He paused, glancing between the two of us again. “Together, as one.” He emphasized his words to get his point across. “Nobody wins if you’re both starving and tired,” he continued, and I glanced over at Ace. His eyes had softened from my father’s statement of truth.
“Mai lao kahi,” he repeated. “Remember, your goals are the same.” He graced both of our shoulders with a firm but steady grip before walking past us to his bedroll.
“There are some rats for you both by the fire. Enjoy your dinner.” He spoke over his shoulder before lying down to get some sleep.
Ace and I did. We sat there together and let nothing go to waste.
Chapter Three
Bright rays of light shone into the dark mouth of the cave. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and stretched. The dull ache in my muscles was almost gone after getting rest. By tonight, I’d be completely fine.
I sat up and grabbed my leather boots. I paused, shaking out both of them, making sure no creatures skittered in there through the night thinking they discovered a new home. Luckily, there were none.
I shoved a foot in and laced it before moving to the other, peering around at the women and children. Some still slept, while others were huddled around their fires preparing breakfast and tending to their young. I looked over to Ace’s bedroll and found it empty. I stood and strode toward the exit.
My father and Hallan were drinking their morning tea, sharing small talk about any updates with Ember. Hallan had strapped a modest iron kettle to his belt like a crazed tea fiend, next to his multitude of sheathed daggers that also lined hiship. I guessed it was easier than parading back and forth to the campfire inside. It made a smile tug on my lips.
“Any news, Pada?” I asked in between their conversation.
