She was angry beyond belief. And Briar was never one to hold back.
When Cal and Marlys reached him, Cal clasped his hands behind his back and Marlys set hers on her hips. They all looked at one another, silent words passing in those gazes. But as Briar’s heavy footsteps clomped closer, she stopped right in front of Vesper. That vein pulsed in her forehead again.
Vesper couldn’t hold back his grin. Yes, angry Briar wasn’t good, but it was alittlefunny. However, she looked tired, her eyes sunken and rimmed with dark circles. Had she ridden through the night to get here? He hoped not. There were still sightings of Hollowhounds around the borders of Ellynne and Asaella. He couldn’t stand the thought of her facing them alone. Or at all.
Then she sobbed a small broken sound and threw her arms around Vesper’s neck to yank him to her and bury her face in hisarmour. The scent of fresh morning air and lavender shampoo clung to her navy hair. Her clothes were cold like her icy hands.
“You didn’t say goodbye,” she said, her voice muffled and hoarse with emotion. “I can’t believe you were going to leave and not even—”
“I didn’t want to worry you,” Vesper replied. “It’s only a month, Little Shadow.”
Briar’s grip tightened, maybe from the use of the childhood nickname. She’d earned it from how she followed Vesper and Cal around. Well, mostly Cal, but the name rang true, either way.
When Briar pulled back and shoved Vesper with enough force to stagger him, his foot slid on a gravel patch and he barely caught his balance.
“What was that for?” he grumbled and patted Balthasar’s snout as the steed sputtered a disgruntled sound.
“Because! Merciful Deimos, do I need to list the reasons?” His silence spurred a huff of breath from her. “The mountains are dangerous, Ves. There are hounds, blizzards, and steep cliffs and … have you thought this through?”
Vesper’s grin returned. “Are you worried about me, Bri?” He bent down to her height, which he knew she hated, though he really didn’t have to go far, and earned a glare from her. “Yes, I’ve thought this through.” He patted his pocket until the rustle of paper answered him. “See?”
Briar didn’t seem all too impressed by Vesper’s use of his father’s old map as his only guidance into the mountains, through the passage, and then to the west coast to find the cliffside town of Morana.
“Really, Vesper? You marked your destination with a big red circle and a drawing of you riding Balthasar?”
“The map was dismal. It needed the doodle. Trust me.”
Briar shook her head and seized the map from his grip. As she tilted it in the sun, her brows furrowed and narrowed until shesighed and shoved it back into his hand. “Make sure you stop to rest before you head into the mountains. If you get caught in a blizzard, which—” She glanced into the distance. “It looks like it may start either tonight or tomorrow morning from those clouds, you won’t be getting any sleep. And you’ll freeze.”
Another grin. “Yes, Mother.”
“Stop smiling like that or I’ll slap it off your face.” Briar threw her arms around his neck again in an iron grip. “Be careful. Promise me.”
“I promise,” he murmured. He lifted her off her feet with as much rib crushing enthusiasm as he could muster in the hug. Gods, he would miss this.
When Briar stepped back, her eyes were wet and she angrily sniffed. Cal gave her hair an affectionate stroke and said in her ear, though it was loud enough for them all to hear, “He’ll be fine. I briefed him.”
It was true. Cal had gone over everything he remembered. Though Vesper had only seen sketches, he knew the city was circled by windmills and waterwheels. The raging Stoho River from the mountains fed power to the city until it plunged off the cliffside. He’d informed Vesper of their strict laws on removing weapons for meal times and no food was to be consumed with his hands under any circumstances. Also to greet everyone with lowered eyes, extension of his foot to his side, and two fingers pressed to the scar over his heart. Vesper thought he was joking, but apparently the citizens of Morana were far more formal than Ellynne. Generally only the Guardians were greeted this way now.
“You haven’t been north in years, Cal. We have no idea what the lands are like now. For all we know, they’re war-torn and crumbled,” she argued.
Cal wrapped his massive arms around her, something he only did in Vesper or Marlys’s trusted company, then whisperedsomething too low to hear. When he pulled back, he cupped Briar’s face and gave her cheeks a squeeze that spurred a wet giggle from her.
As Cal turned back to Vesper, apprehension in his eyes, his chest inflated with a deep sigh overflowing with things Vesper knew his friend would never say. Instead they embraced, patting each other’s backs like they always did. The horsey scent of hay, dust, and a hint of manure still clung to Cal’s clothes. He always assured Vesper that mucking horse stalls was therapeutic, but Vesper would rather shave his head than shovel horse shit.
The hug lingered longer than Vesper expected, both of them not quite willing to let go.
As his oldest friend, Cal knew the blemishes on Vesper’s soul and loved him despite them. Cal had always been the golden man with rock solid morals and the unfathomable ability to stare adversity in the face until it crumpled to its knees. When they were children Vesper wanted to be like him so badly.
When Cal pulled back and dove into a handshake they had retired in childhood, emotion clogged Vesper’s throat. He went through the movements though, not daring to turn away this rare display of affection.
Then it was Marlys’s turn. If Vesper thought Briar’s hug had been aggressive, he’d been wrong. Marlys crushed the air from his body in one rush, maybe cracked a rib, too. This was a rare display of affection, opposite her berating, which was how they were. They poked fun at each other.
Marlys pulled back and took Vesper’s face in her hands, much like Cal had done for Briar. Her touch was rough from her time in the kitchens, but familiar. “Do you have everything you need? I hope you brought extra knickers. You never know. And did you pack enough food? I can—”
“You have already stuffed my bag with enough food to feed an army. If I eat too much, I’ll ruin my gorgeous figure. AndI’ll only haveyouto blame.” Vesper laid his hands over hers as he searched her face for recognition. Though he would be fine, there was no convincing her. “I have everything I need. Food, water, clothes, supplies. I’m all set.”
Marlys nodded once, brisk and affirming, but it didn’t ease the concern in her expression. Usually she wore kohl on her eyes, sometimes a pop of colour to offset her dark skin, but she was plain today, coming to say goodbye without any barriers between them.