Page 30 of Lyric of Wind

“It will be something to do with his mother. His grief is strong,” Raven offered.

“Right. Not likely the easiest thing to ask for.” Bianca slid a glance at Raven, an eyebrow raised. Raven sighed.

“I’ll do it.”

“You’re a good one, Raven. Glad to have you on the team.”

14

Kellen

Raven wassilent through most of the late dinner they took in a quiet room nestled deep in the inner recesses of the cliffs, and Kellen wondered if she was scared about the impending battle. When everyone stood to retire for the evening, he silently showed her to her room.

“Rest up. We have more preparations in the morning,” Kellen said.

It wasn’t what he wanted to say.

He wanted to ask if he could keep her company.

If they could talk.

Watching all the other couples drift away to their rooms had struck a chord of loneliness in him. Perhaps it was more pronounced now that Alistair was gone, for they’d spent much of their free time together, racing the wind, and now Kellen felt adrift and alone without his best friend.

“Will you do the same? Rest, that is?” Raven asked, tilting her head up as he leaned against the door. She looked impossibly lovely in the warm light of the hallway, the shadows of her cheekbones a stark contrast to her plump lips.

“No. I’m taking night watch,” Kellen said. Raven’s mouth dropped open.

“For the entire kingdom? Surely, you’ve got guards for that,” Raven protested, and his heart warmed at her concern for him.

“I do. But we still need a leader up at all times. I’m the commander this evening.”

“Can’t they just come and wake you if there’s trouble?”

“No, that’s not really how it works,” Kellen said, amused at her distress. “It’s fine. I’m quite used to late nights.” He didn’t mention that grief and worry over being a good leader kept him up most evenings anyway.

“Fine, then. I’ll come with you.” Raven sighed and gestured for him to turn around.

“No, you won’t. You’ll stay here and rest. You need to sleep, Raven.”

“Sleep? Please. I just slept for what felt like days. That’s the most sleep I’ve had in years. Trust me when I say that I’m well adjusted to short hours of rest. Look at me. It’s wide awake I am.” Raven pointed to her face.

“You’re safe here,” Kellen said. “Don’t you want to catch up on rest?”

“And miss all the fun? Nah.” Raven waved it away and then nudged him forward with her fist. “Go on then. Show me what this night watch is all about.”

“It can be quite boring.”

“You can entertain me with great stories of your people.”

“And you yours.”

“I don’t have any people.” Kellen barely heard her words, as she’d muttered them under her breath, but he tucked them away in his brain for later examination.

The night air was cool, but not cold enough to warrant an extra layer, and the scent of rain hovered on the wind. Not that it ever rained here. They lived above the clouds, so weather wasn’t much of a concern for the Air Fae, but it was great fun to watch a storm from above. Judging from the gentle rumbling sound that danced on the breeze, a storm was playing out below them. Suddenly, Kellen found himself wanting to share the experience with Raven.

“Ever seen a storm from above?”

“What?” Raven stopped and looked up at him in confusion.

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